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General Q&A - Updated September 25, 2026

1. General/Technical
2. Gameplay
3. Gacha & Pulling

General/Technical

What even is Persona5: The Phantom X? How does it relate to Persona 5 Royal?

• Well, nobody knows why it’s Persona5 and not Persona 5. Maybe that’s the real trick of it all.
• P5X is a gacha game based on Persona 5 Royal. It takes place in an alternate dimension, featuring many of the same locations, but an entirely new cast of characters.
• Some mechanics are similar to P5R, but modified to fit Gacha. 
• The general format of the game is the same. Each story arc introduces a new Palace, a new Ruler, sometimes a new Phantom Thief. 
• Confidants are replaced by Synergies, which are free for everyone to experience.
• Crossover stories with P5R and P3R, with eventually P4R are permanent and free for everyone. Kotone is here too!

Gacha? Do I HAVE to spend money to play then?

• If you are new to gacha, the immediate reflex to be repulsed and scared is understandable.
• P5X belongs to a class of modern gacha that is F2P friendly outside of going hardcore and competing for high scores (which provides no practical value). The difference between a F2P player and spending player when it comes to story and events is practically none, provided the F2P player understands the game and how it works. The F2P player also can not expect to be powerful in 1 day. It won’t take weeks and weeks or months, but these games require some level of commitment.
• You obtain free currency easily. There is way more than enough currency in permanent content to pull characters you like, and there is currency introduced every patch.
• There are even people who clear the story with story-only characters, which is a terrible team to use.

Do I have to log in every day?

• You should log in for about 10 minutes every day to clear your dailies, which provides EXP and daily currency.
• You have to progress far enough in the story to unlock dailies.
• Technically speaking, you don’t HAVE to log in every day, but your progress with leveling up as a new player will be slower if you do not. If you don’t care about obtaining all currency, the currency from dailies also isn’t high enough to ruin anything.
• New players have an account EXP boost to make them relevant quickly.

On what platforms can I play P5X?

• iOS, Android, Steam, Google Play Games
• No ETA for console release

What are the anniversary dates for P5X?

• China (CN): April 12, 2024
• Taiwan/Korea (TW/KR): April 18th, 2024
• Global (GBL, or EN): June 26th, 2025
• Southeast Asia (SEA): July 3rd, 2025

What is the first thing I should do upon installing P5X?

• LINK YOUR ACCOUNT ON THE MAIN MENU. If you do not do so, you will be playing with a GUEST ACCOUNT, which you cannot access from any other device. Linking your account enables cross-progression between PC and Mobile, allows Customer Support to better assist you, and most importantly helps greatly with preventing the loss of your account.

What is Global, SEA, CN, KR, TW?

• These are the names given to the regions that P5X is available in.
• Global consists of a wide range of regions as the name implies. SEA is Southeast Asia. Japan is also included in Global. Global, SEA, and Japan all play on their own individual servers, but follow the same update schedule.
  • SEA updates 1 week behind Global and Japan. SEA players have a 55 in their ID on the bottom right corner.
• The game originally launched In China (CN), then afterwards in Taiwan (TW) and Korea (KR). The content of those regions is ahead of the previous mentioned regions.
  • TW and KR update 1 week behind CN.

I want to play in a region that is not my own. How do I do so?

• Join the P5X Worldwide Discord for information. Gaining access to and using machine translations for the CN/TW/KR servers requires several steps, but is commonly done.
• If you are in SEA and want to play in Global, you need to use a VPN.

What is the update schedule for P5X?

• CN/TW/KR update every 3 weeks as of Version 4.0. There have been instances of 4 weeks.
• For Global/SEA, it should will stay at 2 weeks, with 3 weeks for special patches. It has been consistent for a while, but generally it will follow this pattern.
• SEA is 1 week behind Global
• TW/KR are 1 week behind CN

I tried to play and the game says it is in Maintenance. What is wrong?

• Check to see if there is ongoing maintenance on the official website, or a pinned thread will be available on the subreddit.

There is no ongoing maintenance, and it is still not letting me play. What is wrong?

• Some users may experience random connectivity issues. You just have to restart the game until it works. If the issue persists beyond a day then verify game files.

Do I have to save the game?

• No, your progress is synced online, so there is no need to save.
• You still must link your account.

How do I reroll?

• Rerolling is the process of making one or more accounts until you are happy with the results. Rerolling can be done by making a guest account and playing the game until you unlock the gacha system and keep pulling until you get the desired unit. After you are done, you can delete the account or link it to make sure you don't lose it.
• You can follow this video here.

What server am I playing in?

• If the default language is English, you are in Global or SEA. You are in SEA if your ID on the bottom right begins with 55.

Gameplay

What do I pay attention to the most when it comes to units?

• Pay attention to the ROLE of a unit. The element of the damage dealt by the DPS is near meaningless outside of endgame modes, which are character specific anyway.

How is the story?

• Opinions will vary wildly. Majority of players on the subreddit will say Chapter 3 onwards the story has the quality of a mainline game, due to a change in lead writer.
• Chapter 1 catches a lot of flak due to the goofiness of the villain, however if you are able to take a story for what it is and not fixate on the degree of “villainy” of the villain, you still will find interesting ideas and concepts, it is still very much a Persona story.
• Later chapters have much finer execution.
• The cast overall is very well received, while also not being beholden to the Persona trope of new characters being irrelevant after their introductory arc.
• The story and setting is based on Persona 5, in an alternate universe. Despite sharing many of the same locations, the tone and progression of the story is completely different.
• Each released unit also has Synergies, which takes the place of Confidants/Social Links. You do not need to pull the unit to access Synergies; all Synergies stories are free and are a big source of pull income.

With that being said, is there anything locked behind pulling characters?

• No. There is no narrative material whatsoever locked behind pulling characters like you’d see in other games. The only thing you get with the character, is the character themselves. And a profile icon.

What are the standard units added after launch? What is the Global/SEA “standard jail”?

• These units include Marian, Phoebe, Cherish, Howler, and Turbo.
• In CN/TW/KR, they were ran as limited banners, but were immediately added to the standard pool once their banner ended. Thus, they were immediately available in 50/50 losses, 110 banner 165 pull reward, and the Phantom Idol X Draft (standard banner)
• This is NOT the case for Global/SEA. These units are intended to be added to the standard pool 6 months after their initial banner run ends. Likewise, their weapons are not considered in any sort of standard 5* weapon box until they officially become standard (unless otherwise noted)
• Turbo is the final Standard Jail member to be added, and she will be added in November, most likely.
• Beyond them, the pool will expand in 2027 to include:
  • Joker
  • Fox
  • Bui
  • Chord
  • Queen

Who should I pull/pick from the beginner banner?

• Ideally, you should pick Panther=Skull>Mona. All three are useful, however their ease of use and longevity differs.
• Ann is a Fire AOE unit, most preferred as she is simple to use, easy to build and is strong for a standard 5* unit, and can compete with her direct powercreep provided you have her 5* weapon and A6, though that will take time. She will remain useful for a lot of content
• Skull is a single target physical unit, who becomes very strong but requires a significant amount of investment to compete with limited 5* single target units; he also needs two turns to deal one turn of (potentially very strong) damage. HOWEVER, his use cases have been often underestimated. He has powerful one shot capability that is often forgotten, and is one angle to make Velvet Trials easier.
• Mona is a useful healer for beginners, but the game gives you a good 4* in Lufel to start with. Mona also has very little utility outside of his revive and random heals. A revive sounds useful – and it can be, don’t be mistaken – but once you reach higher levels, which won’t take too long, it is hardly relevant for anything outside of Velvet Trials. Mona is rarely useful past early game to justify his revive unless you struggle with sustaining your team consistently.

What does the word "Awareness" or "Reform" mean? "A0R0"

• Awareness is the term used to describe an upgrade to a character to help improve their effectiveness or add new abilities to existing abilities. Each character has a total of 6 Awareness, with the 3rd and the 5th Awarenesses always being a 2 or 3-level increase to their Persona skills, and the 4th Awareness enhancing their Highlight. Players can unlock an awareness of a certain character by pulling multiple copies of them.
• Reform is the term used to describe an upgrade to a weapon. This is known as Forge for the English releases. The more copies of a weapon a player has, the more powerful it will be.

Is the game grindy?

• It is no more grindy than any other modern gacha.
• You are able to boost combat speed, making things go by faster in general.
• When farming for materials, you are able to autoplay the battle, and the battles are easy enough for this to happen (outside of Repressions: Recollections for new players)
• Every gacha consists of building up an account and roster over time. That is the big difference compared to mainline Persona. If you are expecting to play this game for a week and have everything done, it is not happening.
• That is not to say you need weeks and weeks to be able to engage with content, but these games are meant to be a commitment.
• There is very little “wasted time” overall. Everything you are doing contributes to your account, and there is no downtime when it comes to gaining something for the activities you are partaking in.

How do endgame modes work and what are they?

• Read this post
• All gachas have endgame modes, with the most popular ones being scored modes. Competing in these modes has little practical value. Meta is based off of competitive modes.

So, can I just pull who I like generally? How do I decide what to pull?

• See post on Pulling Logic
• Yes, you can. If you do not care about scores, and understand basic team building, you can pull and invest in whatever you want and still obtain all pull currency.

How do I build characters?

• See this post

Gacha

What are Standard and Limited Characters?

• 5 star Standard characters are permanently available through 50/50 losses, by hitting 165 pulls on the 110 banner as a randomized gift, and through other various means in game. 4 stars are obtained through general pulling.
• The Standard Banner is Phantom Idol Draft X. ONLY USE GOLD TICKETS HERE.
• Limited characters are only obtainable during the period of when their banner is live or when they are present on a rerun. Nearly all limited characters stay limited outside of a select few. There is no way to tell which newly released limited will eventually go to standard until it is announced, but don't expect that to happen outside of for a very small number of units every 1-1.5 years.

Do I pull on Chance Contract or Target Contract to obtain characters?

• Read the “Gacha Mechanics” post.
• In general, you should use Targeted unless you specifically like to gamble.

What resources are available to help me learn the game?

• Every single screen of the game has a dedicated button to teach you of its contents. It is highly recommended, especially if you are a new player, to read all tutorials presented. The game’s major tutorial phase ends once you are able to enter and leave the Palace, have access to Dailies (“Goals” icon), and access to Contracts (Character banners that you obtain new units from). 

• The game is not complicated enough to require being a knowledge master of everything to play, but the information is there for you to learn from. Take it slowly 

• Check the Central Hub pinned thread on the subreddit for a list of resources created by both tenured and newer P5X players alike.

• Lufel.net is a massive compendium of P5X gameplay information. Character kits and all relevant game mechanics are covered here, alongside many resources for those who wish to take strong control of their account. Familiarity with the site is a massive benefit. It can be overwhelming for a newer player, however, so it is still recommended to go through the game’s tutorial phase first.

• Sages’ Patch History compilation is a resource for those interested in the broad documented history of the game, as well as useful information such as complete patch histories, future content, and the pull value per dollar of shop items.

• There is a plethora of useful spreadsheets and resources scattered around Discord, Reddit, and elsewhere; if you made a resource and would like it to be featured on the subreddit sidebar or main thread, please let us know. If you know of a resource someone else made and think it would be useful to have shared, contact the creator of said resource and ask for their permission.

• Ask questions here on Reddit, on P5X Hangout, or on P5X Worldwide.

Is the game F2P friendly?

• The definition may vary by user, but generally, yes!
• Unless you want to make a specific unit extra strong, it is difficult to justify pulling for 5* limited weapons or awarenesses with any sort of quick frequency. Pulling for weapons or awareness is called “vertical investment”. 
• This is a game of horizontal investment, meaning the more diverse characters you have, the better of a time you will have for clearing content. While pull currency is rather decent for F2P, you will not be able to pull everyone.
• At the end of the day, with any casual gacha (or game in general), you do what makes you happy, casual or hardcore player. Don’t feel the need to chase optimal compositions and maxed out characters unless that is where you find your fun.
• If you care about endgame modes (Sea of Souls and Nightmare's Gateway), it will be difficult to compete as a F2P. It is certainly possible with time, but will be extraordinarily difficult to keep up over a long period of time. These modes do not offer vital rewards for scoring highly. You can obtain all pull currency without scoring remotely well relative to others.
• In summary: it is F2P friendly for story and to clear content for pull rewards. The toughest of the tough content will take longer to build a roster for for a F2P, but this is a normal and intended experience even for low spenders.

How many pulls are there per patch?

• Typically 50-70, oftentimes closer to 70, sometimes more. Read about the Gacha Systems in a further section to learn about how you will be doing your pulling to obtain new units.

If I don’t pull for X unit or X weapon, is my account bricked?

• NO. There is no circumstance where you will be blocked from progressing if you do not pull a specific unit. The more units you have, the easier time you will have, but it is completely possible to clear events for pull currency and story with standard 4* and 5* units as long as you understand the core gameplay loop. This will increasingly become more difficult over time, so it is encouraged to still pull for limited 5* units, but there will never be a single unit that makes or breaks your account.
• Endgame scored modes (Gates of the Nightmare Catcher and Sea of Souls) are completely clearable regardless of your units. It is even possible to constantly clear them for jewel rewards with persistent use of sub-optimal units, so long as you play your team well.
• It will likely be challenging to clear much of anything as a very new player, so depending on when those modes update you may end up missing out on a set of rewards.
• Casual gacha, but still a gacha – you will still be encouraged to pull, make no mistake. Research characters you want to use, understand their kits, use the information available to you to make an informed decision. The core point being, you can safely skip anyone without hitting a total brick wall where you have to wait until the next “meta” unit just to progress – just know what you are skipping if you choose to do so.
• A suggestion if the gacha loop of saving, skipping, choosing who to pull etc., is stressful for you – only pull for characters when you have enough currency to guarantee them. 

What about the Velvet Trials? Can I clear them regardless of my account?

• The Velvet Trials are a different case. It is a permanent challenge mode that is meant to be tackled over time. It took until Version 2.0 for a meaningful number of players to full clear the original set of Velvet Trials.
• You CAN clear the vast majority of them with JUST the standard units, well-built personas, patience, and optimal strategies (Technician 31-40 is an exception and has no pull currency as rewards to compensate), it has been done before. You can find a youtube series on the Central Hub of a full Velvet Trials with only standard characters + Chord (one of the most impactful characters who everyone should have).
• Units Wind (free), Soy (Free), Futaba, Chord help greatly with clearing the Velvet Trials without pulling for optimal DPS units.

How easy is it to obtain pull currency?

• Easy overall, and there is plenty of permanent content.
• The hardest challenges do not have currency locked behind them.