Speculation has continued to grow regardingPersona 6, and as the history of the series has grown through spin-offs, a remake, and enhanced editions, looking to the past could inform much about the future entry. Iterating on the core aspects ofPersona’s equipment design, the ability to bring accessories, armor, and weaponry to new heights could be a byproduct ofPersona 5 RoyalandP3 Reload’s own renditions. WhileReloadutilized gemstones to transmute items, armor, and weaponry,Persona 5 Royal’s Untouchableadded an extra layer of customization through gun modifiers, begging the question of whether a special currency could be used to modify the totality ofPersona 6’s equipment arsenal.
ThePersonaseries' more modern iterations have seen an added level of weapon customization that helps round out the strategy of team builds. Beyond focusing on damage and accuracy rates, the ability to inflict different status ailments allows for versatility with party members that goes beyond their Personas' elements. The same can be said for choosing armor and accessory types that consider ailments, buffs, damage output, and more, adding great situational versatility for enemies that work to exploit the party. In the case ofPersona 5 Royal’s guns, working with receivers and camos provides an extra layer of customization that smartly considers trade-offs: accuracy for more power, power for more accuracy, or a high chance of affliction with fewer bullets and attack power.
Persona 6 Could Take its Equipment Customization to Even Greater Heights
Experimenting with Trade-offs in Persona 6’s Gear
As with thePersonaseries' emphasis on looking at both offensive and defensiveabilities,Persona 6has a chance to tack its customizable modifiers to armor and accessories as well, letting players experiment with trade-offs beyond weaponry. Effects are already a large part of armor and accessory types in bothRoyalandReload, with the option to increase stats, SP, provide buffs, and more. With this said, looking toward customization that mixes and matches effects based on the player’s choosing could provide more versatility for a gemstone-like currency inPersona 6,should something like it be available. Incorporating certain trade-offs could also be a great way to ensure certain builds don’t become OP, like howRoyalhandled its gun modifiers.
Considering Buffs, Ailments, and Elemental Affinities
For example, a piece of armor likeMayoido Antiques' Rune Vest which provides high light evasion to the party member with it equipped could have an additional modifier that lets the player make a trade-off. A special currency likeReload’s gemstones could allow the gear to be modified further so that its light evasion drops to a medium rate, but with an added effect of low light damage resistance. Alternatively, a gear item like a Power Enhancer which provides Auto-Tarukaja could have a modifier that doubles the amount of turns the buff lasts, but applies a debuff like Sukunda in return. This could be a way for players to closely consider evasion rates on armor alongside effects.
For accessories that consider ailments, likePersona 5 Royal’s charms, trade-offs could consider their corresponding elemental affinities. For example, a modifier could be allowed on a Burn Charm that weakens it from Null Burn to Resist Burn, while adding something like a Fire Amp or Evade Fire as a compromise. For accessories that raise SP, a modifier that doubles the SP amount received at the cost of the same amount of health could be another example of a trade-off that considers player strategy and which party member could benefit most from the gear. Taking into account Persona fusion, the ability to gather rare gemstones could make trade-offs less drastic depending on the materials the player has collected, helping to reward thorough exploration.
Rewarding Strategy Through Gear Modification
It would, of course, be a lot to contend with having modifiers available on every armor and accessory piece in the game, though even its sporadic availability could be a way to shake up any equipment available. With the limited skill slots available forparty members' Personas, there could even be a chance for an accessory like a card sleeve that allows for the use of one skill card outside their Persona’s moveset, which could be malleable based on rare fusions or currency. The precedent set byRoyalandReloadalready shows a great amount of versatility that could be expanded on ever further, encouraging players to experiment not just with their Personas' skills, but the effects of gear customization.
