- Wonder can switch between different Personas mid-battle, making team building super flexible.
- Navis characters give you powerful buffs or debuffs without using a turn.
- Breaking enemy shields by hitting their weaknesses lets you unleash strong All-Out Attacks.
SEGA and ATLUS have launched the turn-based ARPG, Persona 5: The Phantom X, a complete alternative timeline following the Persona 5 game. You play as the Protagonist, codename Wonder, as you navigate your Phantom Thief life and high school life. Combat in this game is quite like Persona games yet there are some added and changed mechanics to it.
As such, here is a beginner-friendly guide on how combat works in Persona 5: The Phantom X. If you’ve played Persona games before, some of this might feel familiar, but trust me, there are quite a few twists that make this gacha game stand out Additionally, if you are recently starting, make sure to check our beginners guide, reroll guide, tier list and redeem code articles to get a kickstart in the game
Persona 5: The Phantom X: Combat System Overview
The gameplay and combat mechanics in Persona 5: The Phantom X are turn-based, kind of like Pokémon and Honkai: Star Rail. You and your party take turns attacking, using Skills, or defending, and then the enemies take their turn.
The main goal is to hit enemy weaknesses so you can “down” them and then do a massive group attack called an All-Out Attack. Classic Persona stuff, but this game adds some extra mechanics that shake things up.
One of the biggest changes is the Shield System. Hitting a weakness won’t instantly down an enemy like in older Persona games. Enemies now have a shield counter, and you have to hit their weaknesses a certain number of times to fully break their shield and down them. It makes battles a little more strategic, especially in tougher content.
Understanding Character Roles and Setting up your Team
You get to bring four party members into battle, one of which is a special character called a Navi (Navigator). Wonder (the main character) is always on your team, and he’s super versatile. Just like the MCs in previous Persona Games, he can obtain several Personas and use them.
Wonder can switch Personas mid-fight to cover different elements. That’s a huge help for flexible team building. Everyone else on your team will usually fit into one of the following roles:
- Assassin (Single Target DPS) – Great for focusing down tough enemies.
- Sweeper (AoE DPS) – Useful for clearing groups of enemies quickly.
- Superior (Buffer) – Boosts your party’s attack, crit rate, etc.
- Saboteur (Debuffer) – Lowers enemy defenses or damage output.
- Medic (Healer) – Healers that keep your team alive.
- Guardian (Shield) – Shielders that tank damage and keep your team alive.
In the early game, I can’t recommend sustain units enough. Having a healer or shielder makes a huge difference when you’re just starting and don’t have the strongest characters yet. I brute-forced some content without a healer at first and trust me, it’s doable, but not fun. Once I added someone like Mona (who can heal, revive, and has a passive heal too), everything became way smoother.
Using Navis, your off-field MVPs
Navi characters are super interesting in this game. Think of them like your support system, they’re not on the field, but they give you extra buffs or debuffs without using up your turn. That’s right, using a Navi skill doesn’t take away from your team’s turn order.
You build up their skills by taking turns in battle. Once their skill gauge is charged, you can activate it. Some Navis like Chiyome are fantastic debuffers. She can lower enemy defenses or make them take more damage.
Others like Ann can boost your team’s stats and give you more control over fights. Picking the right Navi to go with your team is honestly just as important as your front-line units. They can be the difference between winning or barely scraping by.
How to build the Perfect Team in Persona 5: The Phantom X
What I’ve noticed is that team building is super flexible in this game. Even the free four-star characters are really solid, so you’re not stuck behind paywalls or lucky gacha rolls. For example, Miyu Sahara is a free 4-star Navi you’ll get and she’s super helpful. Cattle is an early-game healer and works just fine.
Soy is a beast, has great damage, buffs the team, and even heals based on max HP. And characters like Close bring solid AoE damage if you’re clearing mobs. I always like to run:
- One sustain (healer or shielder)
- One main DPS (single target or AoE depending on the stage)
- One buffer
- One wild card (flex pick like a second DPS or debuffer)
With Wonder filling in the gaps based on what Personas I have him set up with.
Utilising Skills, Passives, and Ultimates
Each character has three main skills, a highlight (or ultimate) skill, and two passive abilities. Like in other gacha games, you’ll want to level these up using materials you grind in the metaverse. Your ultimate skill charges up as you use abilities or attack, and it can swing the fight in your favor.
The cool thing is that ultimates don’t take up a turn, so you can use them freely when they’re ready. Wonder’s ultimate, for example, depends on which Persona you have active, if you’re using Thor, he’ll do an electric attack; if you switch to Cerberus, it’ll be fire. You can even switch Personas mid-turn to change the element of his highlight skill.
Mastering the Combat Flow and Strategy
In actual fights, you’ll usually follow this loop:
- Hit weaknesses to chip away at shields
- Break all shields to down enemies
- Trigger follow-up attacks automatically (they match your element)
- Once everyone’s down, go for the All-Out Attack to deal big damage
And don’t forget about Navis! If your Navi skill is ready, pop it for a free buff or debuff, which can push the advantage in your favor. Also, don’t sleep on guard. If you know a weakness hit is coming your way, guarding gives you a small shield and prevents getting downed. That saved me so many times.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, combat in Persona 5 X has all the flavor of classic Persona battles but adds some new mechanics that make it feel fresh. I love how flexible team building is and how even lower-rarity characters can carry you through tough stages.
The shield system makes you think a bit more before spamming skills, and Navi characters feel like a cheat code once you understand how to use them well. Whether you’re going full damage mode or playing it safe with sustain and buffs, you can build a comp that fits your style.
Check out our other related Persona 5: The Phantom X articles:
- Persona 5: The Phantom X Beginners Guide and Tips
- Persona 5: The Phantom X Character Tier List
- Persona 5: The Phantom X Reroll Guide and Tips
- Persona5: The Phantom X exchange codes
That’s all from us for this Persona 5: The Phantom X Combat System Guide! Did you find our Persona 5: The Phantom X Combat System Guide helpful? Do let us know in the comments!
For more Mobile Gaming news and updates, join our WhatsApp group, Telegram Group, or Discord server. Also, follow us on Google News, Instagram, and Twitter for quick updates.
