Party members are one of the most important parts of a JRPG. A good party is the difference between life and death, and nowhere is that more exemplified than in theShin Megami Tenseiseries, where a lack of preparation could mean a game over.
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Soul Hackers 2only has four party members, meaning that there is no need to make a decision on who to have on the frontline and who to leave behind. In addition, most party members' abilities arebased on the demon they have equipped rather than their own abilities. However, some party members are nevertheless better than others, and the growth of certain characters should be prioritized over the rest.
4Arrow
Arrow is the first character that Ringo will recruit into her party, being a gunslinging member of the summoner group Yatagarasu. Arrow is a man of justice, wanting to change the nihilistic, corrupt world he lives in for the better. He has the highest VIT stat out of the entire party, making him the most durable member of the cast. In general, however, Arrow is more of a jack-of-all-trades, being able to fill a variety of roles without ever excelling at any of them.
Arrow’sCOMP upgrades are largely focused on gunfire skills, increasing his ability to deal damage and land critical hits with them while also using less MP. He also obtains skills that lower the chance of being ambushed by enemies as well. His Summoner skills are also supportive, increasing experience gained in certain situations and increasing the chance of obtaining items through Demon Recon. While Arrow is certainly a serviceable member of the party, he is also the least impressive of the group as well, lacking potential for damage dealing or for playing a strong support role.
3Saizo
Saizo is the last character to join the party and is a wise-cracking freelance Summoner looking for his ex-girlfriend. Saizo wants to live a life free of worries, though he feels restricted by what he considers to be Summoners' karma. Saizo sacrifices STR and INT to have high AGI, making it most likely that he will go first in any particular encounter. Saizo thrives as a supporting character, either in healing or by dishing out buffs and debuffs.
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Saizo’s COMP upgrades also improve his gunfire skills, but also grant him unique benefits like occasionally landing an extra attack or causing enemies to faint. His other COMP skills and many of his summoner skills are focused around items, increasing drop rate, and thechance of getting extra rare items during Demon Recon. He even has skills that boost the power of used items and even use an item without expending it. In addition, Healing Stack allows him to contribute to the Stack even while healing, so he can still boost the damage of Sabbaths while playing a supportive role. Though Saizo lacks damage potential, he is a strong support character.
2Milady
Milady is an abrasive woman who used to be a member of the Phantom Society, a faction of summoners trying to end the world. Having seemingly been betrayed by Iron Mask, Milady seeks answers to the reason behind her would-be assassination. Milady has the highest INT in the party, making her a powerful spellcaster. While her STR is low, she is also capable of dealing damage physically as well, making her the party’s best damage dealer.
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Milady’s COMP upgrades grant her boosts to physical skills, as well as the unique Piercer attack, which deals Almighty damage instead of Physical damage. She can also increase the chance of landing a Bonus Attack on knocked-down foes. Her summoner skills aremostly focused on recovering MP, allowing her to keep casting powerful skills in long protracted fights. She can also contribute to the Stack after inflicting ailments, which allows her to boost the damage of Sabbaths even without hitting a weakness. Milady’s low HP count can make it hard to keep her alive, especially if one of her weaknesses is hit, but it’s worthwhile to keep her alive so she can keep dealing damage.
1Ringo
Ringo is the main protagonist ofSoul Hackers 2, being a synthetic lifeform created by Aion in order to stop the end of the world. Ringo is curious about the world of humans and approaches everything with a healthy amount of enthusiasm and curiosity. Ringo has fairly balanced stats, with her LUK being the highest out of the party. Like Arrow, Ringo is a jack-of-all-trades, being able to deal damage, heal, and provide buffs and debuffs decently.
Ringo’s COMP upgrades grant her the ability to scan enemy weaknesses and increase the number of Demons she can hold at once. In addition,her summoner skills grant her the abilityto conserve MP cost, occasionally gain extra actions, and increase the number of skills Demons can know at one time. However, her most important feature is her commander skills, unique abilities that allow her to boost the power of Sabbath and change Demons in the midst of battle. These commander skills are easily the most important abilities in the game, and since Ringo must be alive to use them, keeping her around is vital to maintain their use. The commander skills alone make Ringo the most important member of the party, and spending resources on these skills should be done as quickly as possible.
Soul Hackers 2is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
