Shin Megami Tensei V Press Turn Combat System Explained

Shin Megami Tensei V was originally revealed back in 2017 alongside the Nintendo Switch, and it marks the fifth mainline entry in Atlus’s JRPG series. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of Tokyo where angels and demons are at war trying to fight over it. Player take control of the Nahobino, a high school student with the power to command demons in battle, and there will be many battles to come. Here’s how the Press Turn combat system works in Shin Megami Tensei V.

Shin Megami Tensei V Press Turn System Explained

If you’ve played an SMT game before, the Press Turn system should feel immediately familiar to you. Essentially, how it works is that if you manage to hit the opponent’s weakness or land a critical attack, you get an extra attack.

The catch is that it works the same way for your enemies as well; if they manage to exploit your weakness, they’ll get an extra turn, and that could be devastating for your party. In addition to that, if your opponent dodges or blocks your attack, you’ll lose two turns.

With this in mind, it’s extremely important to keep your affinities in mind when in combat.

How to Check Affinities

When you’re dealing with a new enemy type or boss, your best bet is to use the Spyglass (purchased from Cadaver’s Hollow) to check an enemy’s skills and affinities. After that, you’ll be able to see all their strengths and weaknesses just by selecting them in battle, allowing you to pick the right skills to use against them.

While in battle, you can also press the Y button to check the status of your own party members and see what they’re vulnerable to in case you need a refresher. Covering your own weaknesses and exploiting that of your foe’s is critical to mastering the Press Turn system and winning your battles.

Gaining and Losing Turns

As mentioned above, whenever you hit an enemy’s weakness or land a critical hit, you gain a turn, as indicated by the glowing turn symbol in the top right corner of the screen.

A great way to gain more turns if you’re unable to hit any weaknesses is to use the critical Magatsuhi move. This ensures that every hit you land will be critical, allowing you to rack up at least four extra turns to either deal more damage or heal up your party.

If you don’t know an enemy’s weakness, you’ll also need to be doubly careful as you’ll immediately lose two turns if you hit them with something they can block completely.

That’s all you need to know about how the Press Turn system works in Shin Megami Tensei V. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game.