You’ll want to unlock the new Third Semester in Persona 5 Royal for many reasons. Alongside the extended storyline and quality-of-life improvements, Royal includes a new palace, new characters, an extended journey into Mementos, and a third-tier evolution for each Phantom Thief’s Personas. Failing to unlock it means you’ve missed out on the biggest reason to play Royal over the original Persona 5. Of course, we still need to get there first, which is no small feat for a JRPG that takes over 100 hours to beat. It’s worth noting that unlocking Persona 5 Royal’s Third Semester overlaps significantly with unlocking Persona 5 Royal’s True Ending. You can’t do one without the other. However, there are a few key details that don’t fit in the ending guide, and we’ll elaborate on that below. On this page: If you’d like to learn more about Persona 5 Royal, check out our guides on the test answers, Will Seed locations, Fusions, Social Stats and how to unlock the endings. Crucially, you must hit Rank 9 for the Councillor Confidant, Dr. Maruki, by November 17. He is the only Confidant that’s mandatory for unlocking this, and he’s not available to visit during the Summer, so we’d recommend prioritising him over other Confidants. Fail to reach Rank 9, and Royal locks you out of the Third Semester entirely, instead giving you the original Persona 5’s True Ending. It’s worth keeping Kasumi (Faith Confidant) and Akechi (Justice Confidant) in mind before reaching the Third Semester. Neither Social Link is mandatory, but if Kasumi’s not at Rank 5 by December 22, her Social Link remains locked out for the rest of the game. Furthermore, getting Akechi to Rank 8 by November 17 unlocks an additional post-credits scene. Hanging out with all six Thieves (Morgana, Akechi, and Kasumi excluded) will, naturally, trim down your available free days, so be careful with time management. Joker can still rank up with most other Confidants, excluding Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun Confidant). His deadline is November 17; otherwise, you can still do everything possible in the main game. Enjoy Persona 5 Royal’s Third Semester!
