When it comes to Social Links, Persona 6 could benefit heavily from one of Persona 4 Golden's features that didn't make the jump to Persona 5. Although Persona 5's Confidants found a way to give extra utility for Social Links, they were missing out on a couple of features for party members that Persona 4 Golden was able to deliver. While both games should be studied for inspiration when it comes to Persona 6's Social Links, Persona 4 Golden's biggest Social Link perk shouldn't be forgotten, because it's just as useful as the Confidant abilities in the long run.
As the series' most memorable mechanic, Social Links in the Persona games have been a staple since Persona 3. The games let players form relationships with their party members, as well as other NPCs, creating Social links. As players progress their Social Links, their Personas of the corresponding Arcana become stronger when fused. Social Links with party members were even more useful, as they let them perform actions such as follow-up attacks and even taking hits for the protagonist. When Social Links were turned into Confidants for Persona 5, they offered even more bonuses both in and out of combat, making them more useful than ever before.
Persona 4 Golden's Bonus Skills Would Be a Great Social Link Reward in Persona 6
The Social Links involving the party members of Persona 4 Golden were more important than usual due to a specific bonus. At certain points in the Social Link, the corresponding party member would get the chance to learn a new skill in addition to those that they would normally learn from leveling up. In most cases, these skills are something that synchronizes well with the character, such as resident healer Yukiko getting Divine Grace to further empower her healing spells. These extra skills were a great perk to gain alongside the party's Social Links, which made their absence from Persona 5 quite unfortunate.
While it's hard to deny that Persona 6 should draw from Persona 5's Confidants regarding their perks, the fact that Persona 4 Golden's bonus abilities got dropped is rather strange. After all, Confidants were basically just versions of Social Links with an added reward to make them more enticing, yet they removed an incredibly useful prize from the last game. There seems to be no reason why Persona 4 Golden's extra abilities and Persona 5's Confidant bonuses couldn't coexist, since both are just rewards for pursuing Social Links. Stacking them wouldn't unbalance the game, so Persona 6 could feature both without issue.
One of the things that Persona 6 could learn from Persona 4 is the power of some of Golden's unlockable skills. In particular, the top-tier abilities unlocked for completing the Social Links were often excellent. Kanji would unlock The Man's Way, a move that can down all enemies in a single blow, opening them up for an All-Out Attack. Another prime example is Chie's Dragon Hustle, which boost all of the party's stats for the next couple of turns. These abilities are powerful without being game-breaking, and they feel like appropriate rewards for players who maxed out the Social Links of the appropriate characters. Persona 5 did inherit this idea, but Persona 4 Golden remains the poster child for Social Link skill quality.
The bonus skills from Persona 4 Golden were a great idea, and are easily a mechanic that should return for Persona 6. After Persona 5's Confidants made gaining extra perks from Social Links a major element, there's no reason to drop the bonus skills a second time. Persona 6 could find a way to give its party members appropriate and character-themed skills of their own, especially since Persona 4 Golden found a way to do it back in 2012. For Persona 6's Social Links to be the best that they can be, Golden's Social Link perk would be a necessity.
Persona 4 Golden is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
