Persona 3 Reload: 5 changes that are new to Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload marks the fourth iteration of this originally 2007 classic. Each subsequent version of Persona 3 has added features and systems, but Reload, by far, has the most changes when compared to its predecessors. These five changes adjust mechanics that rework and cause you to have to rethink what you do on a day-to-day basis, and are important to be aware of as you jump into Persona 3 Reload!

5 Changes to be aware of in Persona 3 Reload

Shuffle Time

After winning a battle, if you have successfully hit enemies' weaknesses, there will be a chance to trigger a Shuffle Time event where you get the choice of additional rewards. This feature has been around in each version of Persona 3. However, it is handled slightly differently in Reload. Previously in older versions, Shuffle Time would appear as a sort of "mini-game" where you would see the possible rewards, they would flip around and then either shuffle themselves or start spinning around and you would need to pick semi-blindly one of the possible rewards. This "mini-game" is no longer present, and instead, you simply pick from the options available. 

One additional update is specifically with the sword reward cards you can earn. In Persona 3, FES, and Portable, the swords would simply give you random pieces of equipment - usually weak and pointless ones - which would result in just filling your inventory with more stuff to sell. This time, in Reload, they are vastly more helpful, granting you skill cards instead. This makes grinding for skills to customize your persona a lot easier to do, and one of my favorite changes in Reload. 

Skill Card Duplication

Sticking with Skill Cards, duplicating these cards has been made a lot faster in Persona 3 Reload as well, further improving your ability to customize your persona. Prior to Reload, you would take your skill cards to Naganaki Shrine, give up the card you want to copy, and come back five days later to get the two cards back. The big change to the duplication (that makes it far more worthwhile, in my opinion) is that the five-day waiting period has been removed. Now, you will get your duplicate card right then and there as a free action. You are still locked to only a single duplication a day. I recommend making sure you always have at least one copy of a skill card on hand before you use them, just so you can always duplicate more if needed.

No more splitting up

Previous versions of Persona 3 featured far larger floors of Tartarus - the large imposing tower that you will spend the majority of your time in - and because of this, featuring the ability to send out your party members to search for the exit. With the reduction in size, this feature has been removed but has been replaced with a somewhat similar mechanic, allowing a single party member to be sent on to scout ahead to the next floor. This party member is removed temporarily, so any additional grinding on the flat you do will miss out on. Once you head to the next floor, they will rejoin you and present you with some items they found during their scouting mission, along with part of the map being revealed. 

Link Episodes

Perhaps the defining characteristic of Persona 3 Portable (both the original PSP release and last year's HD release) was the addition of a second female protagonist that you could choose to play as. One of the benefits of this route included the ability to have social links/romances with the male members of S.E.E.S. While the female protagonist may be missing from Reload, a new special sort of Social Link event has been created to allow you to spend and get to know the boys better, known as Link Episodes. These special hangouts will reveal more about the personalities of the boys on the team, reward you with stat increases, and more. These episodes can be missed, however, so be sure to always check your cell phone messages, as invitations to them will appear there!

Quizzes and classroom answers

As a part of the school side of Persona 3, teachers have always asked the player various questions with correct answers providing points towards your social stats. All of these questions would culminate in exams throughout the school year that would test the players' memory of the questions presented to them throughout the semester. In order to keep things fresh, Atlus has made all new questions to test the players with. Save yourself a Google, and get yourself all the answers HERE with our handy exam and test solutions guide!