If you ignore one of the new characters in Persona 5: Royal, your Phantom Thieves might miss out on the meatiest addition to this extremely long JRPG. There’s an entire alternate endgame waiting for players after completing the ‘final’ battle against your nemesis Shido. If you don’t spend your time wisely and level up one of the brand new Confidants, you’ll completely miss these events and go straight to the standard end-game.
It’s all about the new School Counselor. He’s an unassuming character, but it’s incredibly important that the Phantom Thieves level up his Arcana. If you don’t, you’ll miss all the unique Third Semester events, including a trip to a new palace, a new boss fight, and new Ultimate Personas. That’s a lot of stuff, and it’s essentially the reason why I’m replaying the game. Don’t miss out.
More Persona 5 guides:
Beginner’s Guide | 5 Tips to Get Started | How to Beat Shadow Madarame | Boss Guide | How to Beat Shadow Kaneshiro | Boss Guide | How to Beat Cognitive Wakaba | Boss Guide | How to Get Good & Bad Endings | All Quiz / Test Answers | Cheat Sheet | PS4 Trophy List
How To Unlock The Third Semester Palace | New Dungeon Guide
To access the new third semester events exclusive to Persona 5: Royal, you must reach Rank 9 for the Councilor Arcana by November 17th. If you are not Rank 9 with the Councilor Arcana, you won’t be able to experience anything new — you’ll just get the standard Persona 5 endgame scenario.
The Councilor Arcana belongs to Takuto Maruki. He’s a new major character you can find in the school — he appears in Shujin Academy after Kamoshida’s Palace is complete. The School Counselor is a fast friend, and eager to understand the cognitive psience behind the Phantom Thief phenomenon.
Leveling up the Councilor Arcana improves your ability to randomly remove Status Effects or recover SP when you’re low. The higher your Confidant rank, the more you’ll be able to recover. It’s totally random, though.
On November 17th, if you’ve hit Rank 9 with Takuto Maruki, you’ll automatically reach Rank 10. That’s when some massive endgame events will begin, and you’ll ride your new path to a totally optional final boss battle.
