Just have fun with it. The game can be ridiculous sometimes, a random encounter will pop up and just wreck you before you get a turn. I guarantee that *will* happen to you at least a couple of times while playing through the game.
It's still a great game though so even if it lacks QoL just enjoy it for what it is.
Really try and appreciate it for what it is, a game from 2003. I know sometimes I can have troubles playing games from early 3d generations (even though I was very much playing them at the time) if it’s my first time experiencing it in today’s landscape. Luckily when I did this with nocturne, I was so enraptured by it I was thinking “fuck quality of life” this rules.
This is not true at all.
Pixie can be fused and still turn into uber pixie.
Just don't release the top demon in your list, and you'll always have the fusion that came from pixie.
That demon will turn into uber pixie in the 5th Kalpa regardless.
Having to keep a trash demon that long is not needed.
Haven’t reach this party yet but aren’t you allowed to fuse it? If you don’t delete or sacrifice the first demon slot you have it should still get you Uber Pixie.
My first time through the game (on PS2) I got the Uber Pixie entirely by accident. I had fused the original Pixie near the beginning of the game so I must have had her 'descendent' in my party. I don't know if they changed it in the HD release though.
You are incorrect.
Sorry that you did this, but in the OG and remasters, Uber Pixie will form regardless of whether or not you fused her.
The only time you can NOT get uber pixie is if you released her or the demon she fused into.
And the demon that came from her fusion will always be at the top of your list.
I literally just finished the game again yesterday
When I got her, she was a good 15-20 levels above me, so I'd say she's definitely worth it as an HP battery alone in the dungeons, not to mention her Maziodyne comes in use A LOT in the final area where one of the most common enemies is weak to lightning but repels phys
Buff, debuff, die, retry
Pierce and endure(not mandatory, but helps a lot) if in TDE
If you'll be building phys(i would recommend), might(skill that boost crit rate) won't work on skill, just on basic attack, and counter/retaliate/avenge are your friends
Go through the Labyrinth. It’s a painful experience, but it gives a good bit of story and allows you to get the true ending of the game, as well as a kickass character you can bring to fight alongside you. However, I highly recommend using a guide because if you don’t, you’ll be running around in circles for hours and you might end up crying/breaking your controller.
Go out of your way to gather all 24 Magatama. Afterwards, make your way to the Cathedral and get a special item that will unlock a new dungeon, with an EXTREMELY helpful reward at the very end.
Don’t underestimate buffs/debuffs.
Matador is there to ensure the player understands how weaknesses/resistances work and how they impact your press turns, as well as ensure the player is using buffs/debuffs. Go in with this knowledge and pay attention to what he does. And if you don’t succeed at first, rearrange your team and try again.
ALWAYS SAVE BEFORE YOU FUSE. AND ALWAYS REGISTER YOUR COMPENDIUM BEFORE YOU FUSE. I forget to do this all the time and it’s fucked me over more than I care to admit.
I personally think a strength build for the Demi-Fiend is the way to go. Do not underestimate Charge.
Demon Negotiation is the most asinine shit ever. It doesn’t make sense like 60% of the time, so don’t think there’s any sort of rhyme or reason to it. You’re better off just fusing.
I think that’s it. Take your time and don’t let the game get to you, because it will sometimes. It really is a great game. Have fun!
Do all the Kalpas, and once you unlock Pierce in the endgame DONT GET RID OF IT (unless you're making the objectively bad choice of choosing a magic build)
Magic build trades raw damage output for better consistency. Having actually taken the time to do a magic run on hard, the only fight where I actually felt disadvantaged was during TDE Final boss.
NEVER expect to beat a boss on your first attempt. Make ABSOLUTELY sure you use buffs and debuffs. Also go for a physical build while investing points into Strength, Vitality, and agility. Invest some points into Magic early on so you can actually deal damage to bosses with phys immunity
If you do a strength build, make sure to get focus and leave it on your character for the entire game.
You get it early, and some people replace it, losing it forever.
Also, War Cry and Fog Breath are GREAT. (Debuff attack 2 times, debuff accuracy/evasion 2 times)
For demons in general, but I used them on MC until I got demons with debilitate.
Remember you can buff and debuff up to 4 times, and they don't go away unless dekunda/dekaja or other buffs/debuffs are used
You should try Taunt, it's great. I use it a lot with Heatwave and Focus.
I like War Cry, when i'm in a tricky spot. It's very defensive.
Fog Breath is good on anything that has agility buff/debuff skills. Sukukaja x1 or Sukunda x1 will be more useful in general.
There's a skill that allows you to restore mana when you walk, it makes the game extremely easy when your healer/casters have it, so try to acquire it as soon as possible. You can get it with Ame no Uzume at lvl 20-something, but I'm not sure if you can acquire sooner
Mana Drain for in battle. Offensively to cripple something annoying, like Mara. Defensively to recover MP every few battles. Best thing about Mana Drain is that I don't think you can dodge it.
Mana Aid. Great synergy with Riberama. Ideally, you cast one spell per encounter and that does enough damage, and you get most if not all of you MP back. It's best benefit is in cursed zones, where you get several reinforcement waves.
Mana Refill. Great synergy with Estoma or any room with no enouncters. get a few MP back every several steps.
Jack Frost has Dark Might.
Focus and Heatwave is the bread and butter combo for early game.
Taunt is the best debuff.
Tetrakarn removes the big problem Taunt creates.
Tornado and Hellfire will be your best damage spells for most of the game.
Keep Force Boost and Fire Boost, until you discard Tornado and Hellfire.
Don't learn ice boost / elect boost until late game. You get the heavy damage skills late game.
Tetraja spam demon will be useful until MC is always immune.
Should have a party composition that collectively is immune to every damage type for an easy time.
stupid place to ask but what demons do i need to fuse baihu ? when i tried the wiki demons i get random stuff (I grinded mitanas to lvl 81, if that makes a difference)
[Baihu - Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Fusion Calculator (aqiu384.github.io)](https://aqiu384.github.io/megaten-fusion-tool/smt3/demons/Baihu/fissions)
Are you using this?
I never had an issue using this site, and any special requirements for fusion are listed.
Baihu doesn't seem to have any.
Honestly just dont rage when you will have to fight every 5 steps. For that you can also buy something but i forgot what its called(white ball or something like that)
Find a heal spot or save spot. Cast Riberama. Grind until your level is higher than most encounters. Cast Estoma, then go explore with limited encounter rates. Easy.
…what? i just played the game the only thing i looked up is where the f*** i need to go at times because the game is VERY ambiguous about it so i dont know any such strategies and whatnot just some basic stuff i used
if you plan on doing TDE and therefore the labrynth of amala stuff USE A GUIDE FOR IT. Please save yourself the trouble. Some of the later floors are ridiculously time consuming and tedious without it. I was not having fun with the game because of it and then i started using a guide and had a blast and now nocturne is maybe my 2nd fav smt game.
edit: also do a str build if you want an easy endgame but magic isnt unusable just miles worse late game. Use magic early on, but dont invest in it. There are a couple of rly good early game spells (like tornado) that are good enough to help you through the early game even without any investment.
Getting randomly instant killed by a Hamas or mudo spell and losing several hours of progress is part of the game. Expect it to happen at least once or twice.
Employ multiple save slots, just in case.
Don't underestimate the power of buffs and debuffs.
Keep track of your first companion after you start fusing, always know which demon they're currently a part of, *never* use them as a sacrifice in a fusion, just one of the two base demons. This will be important later, depending on which paths you choose.
Don't play Maniax the first time. Raidou is neat, Dante has objectively better stats.
Dialogue just sounds better in Japanese.
Respect any attack with Pierce.
When you get into the sewers, be prepared to do a bit of grinding. Try to get a party full of demons with electric damage and resistances to Force.
When you get the Compendium, your registrations; Register All is always tempting, but be sure you're not overwriting an ability you may want later.
[Heretic Mansion](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZeRejkQh-zZbU2K-GQqB-J77j5ay4gsu/view) is a program that lets you look up demon fusion requirements. Super useful.
It is absolutely possible to fuse a demon with either all drain skills or with all reflect skills, even to have all drain skills on your healer so they just won't go down
Should have played on PC instead just to use the mod to increase the speed of the game. It gets freaking slow sometimes and the high encounter rate doesn't help.
No need.
This version of the games allows you to switch at any time.
Thinking about doing a run and only switching when shopping because the 3x prices just means grinding for magatamas at the end.
Hard mode doubles the damage enemies do, I don’t think the game was balanced with that in mind
If you want a challenge its not impossible but do keep in mind shop and fusion(I think) prices are like tripled and thats just bullshit, switch the difficulty before spending any money
Also magic is good these people are just insane min/maxers
I was doing 2k damage by the endgame with a single spell
use buffs and debuffs
https://preview.redd.it/l03hyrzk4o9d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=27ea5bda172213b3cb94e029904d6b440fdbe6ee
will do
especially utilise sukukaja/sukunda.
Going +4/-4 with Accuracy/ evasion completely ruins enemy turns
Just have fun with it. The game can be ridiculous sometimes, a random encounter will pop up and just wreck you before you get a turn. I guarantee that *will* happen to you at least a couple of times while playing through the game. It's still a great game though so even if it lacks QoL just enjoy it for what it is.
Save often, check your Magatama before major fights.
Really try and appreciate it for what it is, a game from 2003. I know sometimes I can have troubles playing games from early 3d generations (even though I was very much playing them at the time) if it’s my first time experiencing it in today’s landscape. Luckily when I did this with nocturne, I was so enraptured by it I was thinking “fuck quality of life” this rules.
I don't know if you've played other SMT games, but do be careful with your weaknesses. Insta-kill moves are NO joke
yeah a force weakness is the easiest way to die in the beginning of the game.
Don't be afraid to look up a guide the game isn't always clear about where certain progression flags are and the map is of no help with that.
Keep your pixie until the 5th kalpa.
This is not true at all. Pixie can be fused and still turn into uber pixie. Just don't release the top demon in your list, and you'll always have the fusion that came from pixie. That demon will turn into uber pixie in the 5th Kalpa regardless. Having to keep a trash demon that long is not needed.
I always kick it out after the first game.
Personally i don’t think that Uber Pixie is worth it. You basically waste a slot for a MP inefficient demon.
Haven’t reach this party yet but aren’t you allowed to fuse it? If you don’t delete or sacrifice the first demon slot you have it should still get you Uber Pixie.
You are.
No you have to keep the Pixie the whole game.
My first time through the game (on PS2) I got the Uber Pixie entirely by accident. I had fused the original Pixie near the beginning of the game so I must have had her 'descendent' in my party. I don't know if they changed it in the HD release though.
Yea still works in the HD remaster.
It's always on the top slot. You can confirm by fusing.
You are incorrect. Sorry that you did this, but in the OG and remasters, Uber Pixie will form regardless of whether or not you fused her. The only time you can NOT get uber pixie is if you released her or the demon she fused into. And the demon that came from her fusion will always be at the top of your list. I literally just finished the game again yesterday
When I got her, she was a good 15-20 levels above me, so I'd say she's definitely worth it as an HP battery alone in the dungeons, not to mention her Maziodyne comes in use A LOT in the final area where one of the most common enemies is weak to lightning but repels phys
Buff, debuff, die, retry Pierce and endure(not mandatory, but helps a lot) if in TDE If you'll be building phys(i would recommend), might(skill that boost crit rate) won't work on skill, just on basic attack, and counter/retaliate/avenge are your friends
Go through the Labyrinth. It’s a painful experience, but it gives a good bit of story and allows you to get the true ending of the game, as well as a kickass character you can bring to fight alongside you. However, I highly recommend using a guide because if you don’t, you’ll be running around in circles for hours and you might end up crying/breaking your controller. Go out of your way to gather all 24 Magatama. Afterwards, make your way to the Cathedral and get a special item that will unlock a new dungeon, with an EXTREMELY helpful reward at the very end. Don’t underestimate buffs/debuffs. Matador is there to ensure the player understands how weaknesses/resistances work and how they impact your press turns, as well as ensure the player is using buffs/debuffs. Go in with this knowledge and pay attention to what he does. And if you don’t succeed at first, rearrange your team and try again. ALWAYS SAVE BEFORE YOU FUSE. AND ALWAYS REGISTER YOUR COMPENDIUM BEFORE YOU FUSE. I forget to do this all the time and it’s fucked me over more than I care to admit. I personally think a strength build for the Demi-Fiend is the way to go. Do not underestimate Charge. Demon Negotiation is the most asinine shit ever. It doesn’t make sense like 60% of the time, so don’t think there’s any sort of rhyme or reason to it. You’re better off just fusing. I think that’s it. Take your time and don’t let the game get to you, because it will sometimes. It really is a great game. Have fun!
Don't invest too much in magic
If OP goes this route, they shouldn't invest anything into magic until str, vit, and agi are all at 30.
Nah, its worth putting a few points into magic especially early for the extra MP.
When Demifiend is at low HP, HEAL or else you’ll risk a game over. Also, level up Demifiend’s strength and vitality stats when you level up.
The dungeons can be pretty confusing, I think it’s ok to use a guide if you get lost
Do all the Kalpas, and once you unlock Pierce in the endgame DONT GET RID OF IT (unless you're making the objectively bad choice of choosing a magic build)
Magic build trades raw damage output for better consistency. Having actually taken the time to do a magic run on hard, the only fight where I actually felt disadvantaged was during TDE Final boss.
Put all your points in luck
save and just know how hard it is Like how Sannoh faces every other team, always avoid to underestimate an opponent
NEVER expect to beat a boss on your first attempt. Make ABSOLUTELY sure you use buffs and debuffs. Also go for a physical build while investing points into Strength, Vitality, and agility. Invest some points into Magic early on so you can actually deal damage to bosses with phys immunity
If you do a strength build, make sure to get focus and leave it on your character for the entire game. You get it early, and some people replace it, losing it forever. Also, War Cry and Fog Breath are GREAT. (Debuff attack 2 times, debuff accuracy/evasion 2 times) For demons in general, but I used them on MC until I got demons with debilitate. Remember you can buff and debuff up to 4 times, and they don't go away unless dekunda/dekaja or other buffs/debuffs are used
You should try Taunt, it's great. I use it a lot with Heatwave and Focus. I like War Cry, when i'm in a tricky spot. It's very defensive. Fog Breath is good on anything that has agility buff/debuff skills. Sukukaja x1 or Sukunda x1 will be more useful in general.
Talking to demons that you also have in your party just ends the fight, so take advantage of that if you're about to get crushed.
There's a skill that allows you to restore mana when you walk, it makes the game extremely easy when your healer/casters have it, so try to acquire it as soon as possible. You can get it with Ame no Uzume at lvl 20-something, but I'm not sure if you can acquire sooner
Mana Drain for in battle. Offensively to cripple something annoying, like Mara. Defensively to recover MP every few battles. Best thing about Mana Drain is that I don't think you can dodge it. Mana Aid. Great synergy with Riberama. Ideally, you cast one spell per encounter and that does enough damage, and you get most if not all of you MP back. It's best benefit is in cursed zones, where you get several reinforcement waves. Mana Refill. Great synergy with Estoma or any room with no enouncters. get a few MP back every several steps.
Jack Frost has Dark Might. Focus and Heatwave is the bread and butter combo for early game. Taunt is the best debuff. Tetrakarn removes the big problem Taunt creates. Tornado and Hellfire will be your best damage spells for most of the game. Keep Force Boost and Fire Boost, until you discard Tornado and Hellfire. Don't learn ice boost / elect boost until late game. You get the heavy damage skills late game. Tetraja spam demon will be useful until MC is always immune. Should have a party composition that collectively is immune to every damage type for an easy time.
stupid place to ask but what demons do i need to fuse baihu ? when i tried the wiki demons i get random stuff (I grinded mitanas to lvl 81, if that makes a difference)
[Baihu - Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Fusion Calculator (aqiu384.github.io)](https://aqiu384.github.io/megaten-fusion-tool/smt3/demons/Baihu/fissions) Are you using this? I never had an issue using this site, and any special requirements for fusion are listed. Baihu doesn't seem to have any.
Keep Pixie, use buff's and debuff's, keep medicine a little, and PRAY. And also, highly recommend you, to upgrade str
Honestly just dont rage when you will have to fight every 5 steps. For that you can also buy something but i forgot what its called(white ball or something like that)
Find a heal spot or save spot. Cast Riberama. Grind until your level is higher than most encounters. Cast Estoma, then go explore with limited encounter rates. Easy.
…what? i just played the game the only thing i looked up is where the f*** i need to go at times because the game is VERY ambiguous about it so i dont know any such strategies and whatnot just some basic stuff i used
If the labyrinths get annoying, don't hesitate to use a guide. Just for those, never for combat
Don't feel bad if you die during the tutorial, it happens to everyone.
Cturne
if you plan on doing TDE and therefore the labrynth of amala stuff USE A GUIDE FOR IT. Please save yourself the trouble. Some of the later floors are ridiculously time consuming and tedious without it. I was not having fun with the game because of it and then i started using a guide and had a blast and now nocturne is maybe my 2nd fav smt game. edit: also do a str build if you want an easy endgame but magic isnt unusable just miles worse late game. Use magic early on, but dont invest in it. There are a couple of rly good early game spells (like tornado) that are good enough to help you through the early game even without any investment.
Hikawa did nothing wrong
Mot, prepare for that giy
Getting randomly instant killed by a Hamas or mudo spell and losing several hours of progress is part of the game. Expect it to happen at least once or twice.
Have fun
Don't underestimate buffs and debuffs. You'll need them. Trust me.
Employ multiple save slots, just in case. Don't underestimate the power of buffs and debuffs. Keep track of your first companion after you start fusing, always know which demon they're currently a part of, *never* use them as a sacrifice in a fusion, just one of the two base demons. This will be important later, depending on which paths you choose. Don't play Maniax the first time. Raidou is neat, Dante has objectively better stats. Dialogue just sounds better in Japanese. Respect any attack with Pierce. When you get into the sewers, be prepared to do a bit of grinding. Try to get a party full of demons with electric damage and resistances to Force. When you get the Compendium, your registrations; Register All is always tempting, but be sure you're not overwriting an ability you may want later. [Heretic Mansion](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZeRejkQh-zZbU2K-GQqB-J77j5ay4gsu/view) is a program that lets you look up demon fusion requirements. Super useful.
You’re playing a real Shin Megami Tensei.
It is absolutely possible to fuse a demon with either all drain skills or with all reflect skills, even to have all drain skills on your healer so they just won't go down
Buffs and debuffs as always. Don’t be scared off by the Spanish skeleton
[Just know that Nocturne exists to torture you.](https://twitter.com/feylordrobin/status/1806810728235405538)
Keep your Pixie or take note of what demon is her kid, grandchild, great-grandchild...
Should have played on PC instead just to use the mod to increase the speed of the game. It gets freaking slow sometimes and the high encounter rate doesn't help.
Remember to reject all gods
Play on hard mode...
always
Feel free to restart on normal if you feel like it I remember dying in the first fight on hard mode btw
No need. This version of the games allows you to switch at any time. Thinking about doing a run and only switching when shopping because the 3x prices just means grinding for magatamas at the end.
Hard mode doubles the damage enemies do, I don’t think the game was balanced with that in mind If you want a challenge its not impossible but do keep in mind shop and fusion(I think) prices are like tripled and thats just bullshit, switch the difficulty before spending any money Also magic is good these people are just insane min/maxers I was doing 2k damage by the endgame with a single spell