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Mainline Shin Megami Tensei games are notorious for just how difficult they can get for the unprepared as well as for those who are quite new to the franchise.
While Shin Megami Tensei 5 does come with an easy mode for newer players, veterans of the mainline series will definitely go for a higher difficulty setting when booting up the game. In both Normal and Hard mode, Shin Megami Tensei 5 can be quite brutal at all stages of the game.
However, encounters in the early game can be made significantly easier by investing in the right demons and creating a well-balanced party. Hence, today’s article will talk about some of the best early game demons that Shin Megami Tensei 5 has to offer, to help out those players who are still struggling in the initial stages of the game.
5 best early game demons in Shin Megami Tensei 5
1) Rakshasa
When it comes to brute forcing through encounters in the early stages of Shin Megami Tensei 5, Rakshasa certainly gets the cake and eats it too. Unlike the various elemental damage types, Physical damage is by far the most reliable until the mid-game mark.
This is one of the reasons why Rakshasa of the Jaki demon race is so highly recommended for players who are struggling early on.
The demon comes with a very high Strength and Vitality stat, along with the Charge Skill that allows it to deal double the damage on its next attack.
Additionally, with the Magatsuhi critical skill, Shin Megami Tensei 5 players will be able to deal some serious damage to their enemies, and often times, just one-shotting them if they have no resistance to physical attacks.
However, Rakshasa excels in Physical damage, and Physical damage alone, and will not be able to exploit elemental weaknesses. Hence, it’s important to pair him up with other supporting demons, who come with a variety of elemental attacks, as well as buffs and debuffs.
2) Jack Frost
The Atlus mascot Jack Frost has made his way onto this list because of just how potent he is in Shin Megami Tensei 5’s early game. He will be the first demon that players will encounter to have a “drain” effect on a particular element.
Jack Frost comes with a variety of Ice attacks, and skills like Bufu, Mabufu, and Ice breath come in very handy in the early game. He has very high magic stats, along with a +4 proficiency to Ice, making most of his skills hit enemies like a truck if they do not have a resistance to it.
However, the Fairy demon is very weak to Fire attacks, and might not be too reliable in every single encounter.
When up against demons who do a lot of fire damage, it’s advisable that players swap him out for those demons who will be able to deal with that damage type better.
3) Leanan Sidhe
The Femme demon Leanan Sidhe is one of the best support demons in Shin Megami Tensei 5’s early game, and many players recommend her over Apsaras. She has a +2 proficiency towards healing skills and is very reliable when it comes to keeping the Nahobino’s party topped up after every encounter.
Her Magic stats are also very high, and apart from healing skills, players can choose to invest in providing her with a bit of buff and debuff skills, along with some elemental damage attacks.
One of the biggest reasons why Leanan Sidhe is a bit more preferred than Apsaras is that, in later levels, she gets the Media skills, which is the AoE healing skill. This comes in incredibly handy during some of the tougher encounters.
4) Mermaid
Opting in to keeping Mermaid in the party can indeed be a great investment during the initial hours of Shin Megami Tensei 5. She comes with an incredibly high Luck and Magic stat, that allows her to apply debuffs and status effects on enemies rather easily.
Using skills like Dormina and Marin Karin in battle is something that she excels in, and this can make some of the more difficult encounters significantly easier.
Mermaid also comes with the unique Storm Caller Song ability that allows her to deal 3-6 weak Ice damage to random enemies. Shin Megami Tensei 5 players will be able to exploit this against single enemies, by funneling the entire damage onto them.
However, Mermaid is a bit squishy due to lower Vitality stats, and weak to Fire and Electricity. Therefore, players are advised to carry a few elemental dampeners with them when piloting Mermaid in their party.
5) Attis
Attis is one of the most well-rounded demons that players will be able to fuse or recruit through Demon Negotiations during the early parts of Shin Megami Tensei 5.
Attis is incredibly versatile when it comes to stats and the skill that it offers the Nahobino, and comes with some impressive stats on both Strength and Magic. Additionally, Attis comes with +2 proficiency in healing and can be a great asset as a supporting demon to the party.
Another valuable skill that Attis learns at later levels is Endure, this passive ability prevents it from dying and remains with 1 HP after receiving fatal damage. One of the best things about it is that Attis can transfer this passive ability over during fusion in the World of Shadows.
As Attis is only weak to Dark and Sleep, it makes him one of the best go-to demons during the initial stages of Shin Megami Tensei 5.
