In typical Shin Megami Tensei fashion, Soul Hackers 2 is no walk in the park. This challenging RPG has loads of demonic fusions, labyrinthine dungeons, and enough intricate systems to make your head spin. It’s quite an undertaking, but with our help, you’ll be blitzing devils in no time.
Hardcore Shin Megami Tensei fans might find some of the following tips pretty obvious. Not everyone has been fusing Trumpeter since time immemorial, though — so going through the basics doesn’t hurt. Plus, Soul Hackers 2 introduces some tweaks to the formula that even series veterans might not immediately catch.
So pour yourself a cold drink, kick back, and get ready to enter the neon cyberpunk world of Soul Hackers 2.
Understand elemental types
Like every other Shin Megami Tensei spinoff, Soul Hackers 2 contains numerous element types. There are seven in total, including Ice, Fire, Ruin (Status), Force (Wind), Gun, and Sword.
Every enemy in the game is weak to at least one or two elements, and your job is to figure out which. Casting spells on foes will quickly reveal what they are susceptible to — experimentation is key, in other words! Successfully hitting an enemy’s weakness will add a demon to your stack, eventually letting you execute devastating all-out attacks on an opponent.
Keeping a healthy variety of element types throughout the party is essential. Otherwise, you can get easily overpowered.
Spend time with your teammates
Getting to know the cast in Soul Hackers 2 is essential. Not just because there are some fantastic characters but also since accessing Arrow, Milady, and Saito’s Soul Matrices will let them learn new skills. Completing floors on the Soul Matrix (located at the Axis) will add a skill to your teammate’s repertoire.
Each time a party member learns a skill, they can transfer that knowledge to you by speaking with Ringo in the Soul Matrix lobby. Doing so will yield experience, demons, side missions, abilities, and additional narrative details.
Not only that, the most potent skills from this yielded from this process can add more demons to your stack, making those all-out sabbath attacks more destructive. We love to see those big numbers!
The COMP Smith is important
In typical Shin Megami Tensei fashion, leveling up isn’t the be-all-end-all means of progression in Soul Hackers 2. Ringo and her friends have access to a COMP device like all good devil summoners.
Naturally, the COMP Smith can grant weapon buffs and unlock significant perks and more slots for Mystiques. The COMP Smith can also let you use more powerful Mystiques by upgrading affinities.
It’s worth speaking to the girl who fuses your demons outside the circus since she often asks for Mystiques. Doing so will grant you access to far more powerful Mystiques, some of which potentially at up to 40% to specific elemental skills.
Fuse those demons
Visiting the circus often is a must since it’s where demon fusion happens. In Soul Hackers 2, creating the most powerful demons means you might have to part ways with a trusty favorite. Sorry, Jack Frost.
Demon fusion is vital to creating the most powerful entities in the game. Fusing an equipped demon will pass off its abilities to whatever your devilish new teammate might be. It’s a process of gaining perks, essentially. Every demon can only power up so much through battle, and it’ll stop learning moves after a while.
Plus, fusion can grant new demons access to multiple element types in addition to better resistances, stats, and plenty more. Again, this is a no-brainer if you’re already familiar with Shin Megami Tensei. Revisit the circus after every big dungeon, and you’ll be wielding wicked magic fast.
Small risks, big rewards
One of the best parts of Soul Hackers 2 is that plenty of easy, small activities help out tremendously. A little goes a long way, whether you’re chatting with every demon to gain extra materials and summons or hanging out with your homies at the bar.
Finishing the second floor of Milady’s Soul Matrix is worth it because she grants Assassin’s Steps afterward, which double your run speed within dungeons. Every character grants useful boons like that. Ringo’s Traesto, for example, is great for getting the hell out of dodge.
Saving often is critical. The infamous ‘megaten’d’ meme exists for a reason: sometimes, one enemy can clap your whole party with virtually no effort if you are ill-prepared. Save at every opportunity, especially outside of boss fight doors. Nobody likes losing progress, right?
That’s all we’ve got for you. Now go forth and become a hacker of souls, an expert summoner of ghouls — our very own Nemissa.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
