Persona 3 Reload: How Does Theurgy Work?

After Fuuka joins the SEES team in June, Chairman Ikutsuki provides the party with new uniforms and a special set of cartridges that unlock Theurgy. Theurgy is the “limit break” of Persona 3 Reload: by powering up a special bar, party members can unleash special, powerful attacks and other abilities that can completely change the flow of combat.

Persona 3 Reload demonstrates how Theurgy works with a special tutorial visit to Tartarus, but the in-game description skims over some of the important mechanics. So if you’re still confused about some of the details, read on to learn everything you need to know.

How to Activate Theurgy

After the game introduces Theurgy, the Theurgy Gauge will appear next to each character’s portrait while in Tartarus. As the gauge fills up, the colors shift from blue to green, yellow, orange, and finally red. Once the gauge is full, it’ll extend past the edge of the screen and the word “MAX” will appear on top. During the character’s turn, you can press the Theurgy button and use their special ability.

You can hold onto the Theurgy ability and use it whenever you want, but you should be careful about keeping it in reserve during tough battles. If a character faints, their Theurgy Gauge will partially empty. In addition, characters who are suffering from a status ailment can’t fill their gauge or use their Theurgy. Finally, the Theurgy Gauge resets each day.

Each party member has their own way of filling their Theurgy Gauge, and you can see what this method is by checking their Theurgy status screen:

• The main character must swap to a new Persona and use one of their skills.
• Yukari must heal someone (items and healing herself count).
• Junpei must land a Critical Hit.
• Akihiko must use a buff skill or item on himself.
• Mitsuru must use a debuff or apply a status ailment (Down counts).
• Fuuka must use her Analyze ability.
• Aigis must use a physical skill.
• Koromaru must hit an enemy’s Weakness (items count).
• Ken must start his turn with less than half his SP.
• Shinjiro must start his turn with less than half his HP.

Each action fills the gauge by a different amount, based on how common the action is. Yukari and Junpei each get a big boost to their gauge when their condition triggers, but the main character only gets a small piece of the gauge each time he swaps. The bar also fills slowly but surely when each character attacks, activates their Persona, or downs an enemy. You can also enhance the Ambush ability to fill the Theurgy gauge each time you successfully Ambush an enemy.

Although she can’t attack, Fuuka’s gauge also fills over time, even if you never use her abilities. To activate her Theurgy ability, press the button indicated in the lower-left corner of the battle screen. Much like her abilities, Fuuka’s Theurgy won’t spend the current character’s turn.

What Theurgy Can Do

Every party member starts with at least one Theurgy ability. Most of them are attack abilities that hit either one foe or every foe, and they each deal a damage type that the party member favors. Yukari deals Wind damage, Junpei deals Slash damage, and so on. Fuuka’s Theurgy is unusual because it applies a semi-random benefit to the party (full HP if HP is low, or all buffs if it isn’t).

A Theurgy attack deals full damage regardless of the target’s normal resistances, so Mitsuru’s Blizzard Edge can hit enemies that usually drain or reflect Ice damage. However, if an enemy is weak to a damage type, that weakness still applies.

The protagonist’s Theurgy works differently because it’s based on which Personas you’ve recorded in the Compendium. If you’ve been fusing everything you can, you should start with two: Cadenza (Orpheus and Apsaras) and Jack Brothers (Jack Frost and Jack-o’-Lantern). Cadenza, at least, is unavoidable since you get Apsaras during the Tartarus tutorial. You can eventually get up to seven Fusion Spells, and unlike in previous games, you don’t need the Personas needed in your stock to use them.

You’re free to choose between any Theurgy ability a character knows when you activate them. And since you get Fusion Spells from registered Personas in the Compendium, you’ll have access to all of the protagonist’s as soon as Theurgy unlocks during a New Game Plus run.

Every Theurgy Ability