New Game + (Part 1)

Persona 4 NG+ walkthrough covering early game strategy, Daidara Metalworks, and detailed builds like the Jack Frost build.

Walkthrough:

1. April 12 - April 16: During story events, answers generally don't matter unless they grant Social Link points. School-related answers are still relevant.
2. April 17: It is advisable to maintain multiple save files, even with a larger margin for error.
3. Daidara Metalworks: You can now purchase any weapon, armor, and accessory unlocked in your first playthrough. Buying equipment can make the initial dungeons significantly easier. For a continued challenge or a unique New Game + strategy, consider buying only Chain Mails or nothing at all.
4. Early Dungeon Strategy:
• Exiting a floor causes the map, Shadows, and treasure chests to respawn (be brought back to life at a checkpoint after death), which can speed up grinding slightly.
• As you level up, Shadows may use stronger skills that can instantly defeat you on higher difficulties, so maintain full HP.
• SP is a valuable resource; use regular attacks to weaken enemies and reserve skills for finishing All-Out Attacks.
• Use Peach Seeds to heal outside of battle. SP recovery items may be found in dungeons, but do not rely on a consistent supply.
• On higher difficulties, avoid using Physical skills due to their risky HP cost.
5. Choose a Build Before Defeating Shadow Chie:
• "New Game +" exclusive (5 minutes): Rush to the second floor, ignore random Shadows, and defeat Shadow Chie. You have access to all Arcana in the compendium and ample money, so Persona acquisition from Shuffle Time is unnecessary. Shadow Chie can be a challenging boss, especially on higher difficulties, requiring Chain Mail on MC and Yosuke. Defeating random Shadows along the way will make this easier.
• 2nd quickest build (30-45 minutes): Obtain the bare essentials. Get Pixie, Slime, and Angel/Apsaras through Shuffle Time. Level up the Main Character (MC) to level 5. Optionally, level Angel to level 5.
• "No need to ressumon" build (~1 hour): Spend money only on items and equipment. Get Slime, Pixie, Ukobach, and Apsaras on Shuffle Time. Level up MC to level 6.
• "No fusion necessary" build (~2 hours): Avoid fusion for now. Get Pixie and Sandman through Shuffle Time. Level up MC to level 8 (Sandman appears on Shuffle Time at this level).
• "Long term utility" build, aka "4 elements, no weaknesses Jack Frost" build (~2 hours): This build is highly versatile for the long run but requires farming skill cards and grinding levels. Get Pixie, Slime, Angel, Ukobach, and Sandman through Shuffle Time, preferably in that order. Avoid giving Personas extra stats from Shuffle Time (Strength IX, Fortune X, Justice VIII, Hangedman XII, Chariot VII cards) to keep them cheap for later. Ignore Apsaras for now; she can be acquired later with more party members. Level up Izanagi to level 3, Pixie to level 4, Slime to level 3, Angel to level 5, and Ukobach after other Personas are leveled. Level MC to level 8. Acquire at least 10 Skill Cards of 4 different types (e.g., 2x Patra, 3x Bufu, 3x Mutudi, 2x Sukukaja). Note the following for skill card counting: excess copies beyond 3 do not count towards the total of 10, except for Patra, Rakukaja, Rakunda, Dia, Garu (first 2 copies count), and Zio (only 1 copy counts). Agi is a special case; ideally, have two copies to give Jack Frost five elements. Agi cards beyond the second copy can count towards the 10-card total, with 5 copies counting as 3 cards. Having more than 10 skill cards is acceptable.

Tips for the Jack Frost build: Disable "Equipped Persona Memory" as this build requires leveling many Personas. If Personas or MC are over-leveled, it's acceptable as long as each listed Persona reaches at least the specified level.