Skill Inheritance and Management — Shin Megami Tensei IV Guide

Customize your demons and Flynn in Shin Megami Tensei IV by mastering skill inheritance and management. Learn how to acquire and pass on powerful abilities.

Mastering skill inheritance and management is crucial for success in Shin Megami Tensei IV. This system allows you to customize your protagonist, Flynn, and your demon allies with powerful abilities, turning the tide in even the toughest battles. Understanding how to acquire, strengthen, and pass on skills will be a cornerstone of your strategy.

Understanding Skill Acquisition and Whispering

Demons learn skills as they level up. Once a demon has learned all of its innate skills, it reaches a "mastered" state. At this point, it gains the ability to "Whisper" its learned skills to Flynn. This is the primary method for Flynn to acquire new abilities.

• Learning Skills: Keep demons in your active party or reserve to gain experience. They will automatically learn new skills at predetermined levels.
• Whispering: When a demon masters its skills, access the "Whisper" option from the main menu or during battle. Select the demon and then choose which of its mastered skills you wish to transfer to Flynn. Be mindful that Flynn has a limited number of skill slots, so choose wisely.
• Skill Strengthening: Whispering a skill Flynn already possesses will strengthen that skill, indicated by a "+X" next to its name. Strengthened skills offer various benefits:
  • Damage Skills (e.g., Needle Shot, Bufu): Increased damage output and reduced MP cost. A skill like Needle Shot at +8 can gain 48 extra damage and a 2 MP discount. Bufu at +8 can gain 24 damage and a 2 MP discount.
  • Support Skills (e.g., Dia, Rakukaja): Increased effectiveness or reduced MP cost.

Strategic Skill Inheritance Through Fusion

Demon fusion is not just about creating stronger demons; it's also a powerful tool for skill inheritance. When fusing two demons, the resulting demon can inherit a selection of skills from its parents. This allows for incredible customization and the creation of demons tailored to specific roles.

1. Identify Desired Skills: Before fusing, consider what skills you want the new demon to have. Look at the skill sets of the parent demons.
2. Fuse Demons: Head to the Cathedral of Shadows in Mikado or Tokyo. Select the "Fusion" option.
3. Skill Selection: During the fusion preview, you'll be presented with a list of skills that the new demon can inherit from its parents. You can typically select a certain number of skills (often 2-4, depending on the fusion type and demon).
4. Reroll for Better Skills: If the initial skill selection isn't ideal, you can often "reroll" the inherited skills by backing out of the fusion and re-entering, or by performing another fusion and then returning to the desired one. This can be time-consuming but is essential for optimizing demon builds.
5. Example Early-Game Strategy:
   • Recruit Centaur: Found in Naraku. Focus on leveling it to master skills like Needle Shot and Bufu.
   • Recruit Napaea: Also found in Naraku. Master skills such as Zan and Dia.
   • Whisper to Flynn: Once Centaur masters its skills, whisper Needle Shot and Bufu to Flynn. Strengthen them for early-game power.
   • Fuse for Angel: Fuse Centaur and Napaea to create an Angel. Ensure Angel inherits useful skills like Rakukaja (if Napaea had it) or other elemental skills.
   • Recruit Knocker: Found in Naraku. Knocker often comes with Bufu, which can be useful for further strengthening Flynn's Bufu or passing it to other demons.

Advanced Skill Management Tips

• Skill Compatibility: While SMT IV is more lenient than some previous titles, demons generally have affinities for certain skill types. A demon with high Magic will benefit more from inheriting powerful magical attacks, while a physical-oriented demon will excel with physical skills. Pay attention to a demon's base stats and resistances when planning skill inheritance.
• Elemental Coverage: Aim for a balanced party with diverse elemental attacks (Fire, Ice, Electric, Force) to exploit enemy weaknesses. Don't forget healing and support skills (buffs/debuffs) for survivability.
• Passive Skills: Don't overlook passive skills! Skills like "Mana Aid" (restores MP after battle), "Life Surge" (increases HP), or elemental resistances can significantly improve a demon's utility and survivability. These are excellent candidates for inheritance.
• Demon Compendium: Utilize the Demon Compendium to register demons with optimal skill sets. This allows you to resummon them later with their inherited skills, making it easier to create powerful fusion fodder for future projects without having to re-fuse from scratch. Remember that resummoning costs Macca.
• Planning Ahead: As you progress, you'll encounter demons with more advanced skills. Think several fusions ahead to plan how you'll pass those high-tier skills down to your desired end-game demons.

By diligently managing skill inheritance and making informed choices during fusion, you can craft a formidable team capable of overcoming any challenge the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and the demon-infested Tokyo throw at you.