-Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne-
-Spell/Skill List-
by CarbunkleFlux
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X. TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. AUTHOR'S NOTE
2. VERSION HISTORY
3. SKILL LIST*
-oPhysical Skills
-Healing Skills
-oMind Skills
-oNerve Skills
-oCurse Skills
-Support Skills
-oFire Skills
-Ice Skills
-oElec Skills
-oForce Skills
-oAlmighty Skills
-Death Skills
-oExpel Skills
-Resist/Boost Skills
-oConversation Skills
4. CREDITS
5. COPYRIGHT AND USE INFORMATION
* - Need to find a specific skill but don't want to wade through the others?
Simply press Alt + F and type the name of the skill in question.
x - Not finished, hell, not even started!
o - Started, but not finished.
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1. AUTHOR'S NOTE
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This is a simple skill FAQ. All it does is list the various skills in
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (And there are a WHOLE BUNCH of skills present
in this game) for reference. I have organized these skills by the game's
various types and added a description of what they do and how useful/useless
they are.
This'll hopefully provide you a good map of what skills to aim for. Though
note that I won't be adding a section that tells you where to get any of the
skills. At least...maybe not.
I hope this FAQ is useful to you ^_^.
Any suggestions, corrections or questions?
E-mail me at [email protected]
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2. VERSION HISTORY
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-8/26/06: Version .96
-Another update, whee! Fixed up a few descs, changed email. I think I
now have all of the universal skills that can be obtained by all demons.
All that's left is the demon-specific ones.
-3/15/05: Version .92
Added more Mind, Nerve, Phys, Expel, Support and Curse skills. Made the
dividers for each skillset stand out MUCH more, while also adding the
'Notes' section for each one. Also finally added the restrictions for
non-demon specific skills; IE- skills that require mouths, eyes, etc.
*Ice skills marked as finished.
*Support skills marked as finished.
-3/6/05: Version .89
Got Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne back and immediately started on Mind and
Curse skills. Okay, so I lied about completing the main elements first! Enough
skills are documented that I feel safe in sending this to be posted. Go me!
-11/28/04: Version .69
Got Resist/Boost skills completely documented. Got most of the
main element skills and Almighty skills, but still missing quite a few.
Added 'Death Lust' because I have a spare Harlot (Freudian Slip? Not really)
but otherwise, I'm gonna complete the main elements and physical before I
even start on Mind and Curse.
-11/14/04: Version .05
Just started the dumb thing! This is gonna be a lot of work X_x.
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2. SKILL LIST
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This will be the format I'll be listing the skills in. The goal here is to
allow you to be able to search for skills by name, so I won't do anything
weird with the names. Each skill will include its type, MP/HP cost (if any),
game's description and my own comments on it.
-Format:
-------------------------------------------------
-<Skill Type>:
Note: Any additional points that might be of interest about the skillset
in general.
-------------------------
<Name of Skill> - <MP/HP Cost> MP/HP (Restriction Information)
<Game Description>
-
<My Comments and recommendations>
--
Okay, with that out of the way...on to the skill list!
-------------------------------------------------
-Physical Skills:
Note: Physical is the least resisted skillset in the game. Yes, I know
about Almighty. Almighty is a special case, so it's a moot point. Anyway,
Physical is also one of the single most effective skillsets in the game as
well. You can slap a Phys skill on a demon with Focus and watch as they
perform obscene amounts of damage with ease.
Just remember that when a demon DOES resist Physical, it's VERY nasty.
You should ALWAYS keep a variety of skills just in case this happens.
-------------------------
Lunge - 10% HP
Type: Physical
light damage
1 enemy
-
Here's your basic physical attack. Seems to have a pretty high chance
of missing, but what can you do? Its damage is worth it, earlygame.
--
Hell Thrust - 12% HP
Type: Physical
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
It's okay, I guess. It appears to have a pretty high miss rate from what
I gathered, but you could do a lot worse than this.
--
Berserk - 13% HP
Type: Physical
light damage
Random enemies
-
This skill isn't too bad. It suffers from a slightly higher miss rate,
but it makes up for it with a slighter higher critical rate and the ability
to hit multiple times on on enemy.
--
Heat Wave - 16% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
All enemies
-
Despite how the name sounds fire-elemental, this skill is not. I assure
you of that. This seems to have a high critical rate, but I am not entirely
sure. The damage is average and you probably don't want to use this at low
HP. Still stronger than a regular attack, though.
--
Tempest - 25% HP
Type: Physical
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Hmm...I'm not so sure about this skill. It's basically Berserk, only it hits
all enemies once and does a lot more damage. Even so, its high HP cost isn't
winning it any major awards. Maybe it'll be worth it in the long run, but
Blight does everything it does and better.
--
Hades Blast - 32% HP
Type: Physical
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
On one hand, that HP cost is absurdly high. On the other...that damage is
absurdly high. Oh, did I mention the absurdly high critical hit rate?
--
Needle Rush - 10% HP
Type: Physical
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Doesn't seem to miss very often and its damage is a bit better than
Toxic Sting. Eh, I say save the slot for something better.
--
Toxic Sting - 7% HP
Type: Phys, Poison
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Doesn't seem to miss very often, but its damage also isn't too hot. I'd
say the main draw of this skill is its random poison effect. At least the
cost is low to make up for its lack of damage potential.
--
Stun Needle - 6% HP
Type: Phys, Stun
Light damage
1 enemy
-
The needle series gets even cheaper, but unfortunately- this status effect
is barely worth using it for. If you have a demon with high physical attack
power and just need a Stun side-effect, then here you go I guess.
--
Arid Needle - 12% HP
Type: Phys, Stone
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Meet one of the more powerful and consequently, one of the more expensive
Needle skills. This is actually quite useful- as the Stone on it works very
often. And Stone can be a two-step insta-kill...
--
Feral Claw - 6% HP (Demons w/ claws Only)
Type: Physical
light damage
1 enemy
-
A lot better than Needle Rush, that's for sure. Its low HP cost lets
me forgive its slightly subpar hit rate.
--
Stun Claw - 17% HP (Demons w/ claws Only)
Type: Phys, Stun
Light damage
1 enemy
-
This is the crappy version of Stun Bite. It doesn't miss very often, but
that is all that it has going for it. And all this for the same HP Cost!
--
Iron Claw - 15% HP (Demons w/ claws Only)
Type: Physical
Heavy damage
1 enemy
-
Like the Feral Claw, its hit rate is less than stellar- but unlike the
Feral Claw it does great damage to make up for it.
--
Feral Bite - 11.4(?)% HP (Demons w/ jaws Only)
Type: Physical
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
It works for what it does, I guess. It's just a stronger version
of Feral Claw. Least it retains the low HP cost.
--
Venom Bite - 18% HP (Demons w/ jaws Only)
Type: Phys, Poison
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
This is simply a stronger version of Toxic Sting. Not much else to say.
--
Stun Bite - 17% HP (Demons w/ jaws Only)
Type: Phys, Stun
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
Stun isn't exactly too useful, but it does reduce enemy chances of hitting
by a good amount. I'd suggest keeping this around for a while, if anything
for its decent-ish damage, until you get a better skill.
--
Charm Bite - 18% HP (Demons w/ jaws Only)
Type: Phys, Charm
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
Charm is a heck of a lot more useful than Stun, that's for sure. I'd probably
keep this around even when better is availiable. It's like Sexy Gaze with
damage potential. A Sexy Bite. Okay, then. Moving right along...
--
Stone Bite - 22% HP (Demons w/ jaws Only)
Type: Phys, Stone
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
Stone bite is another one of those two step insta-kill type deals. If an
enemy is stoned, it usually takes another regular attack to finish them off.
Though, this skill can still remain useful even when enemies are immune to
Stone thanks to its damage factor.
--
Brutal Slash - 13% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
1 enemy
-
Meet the cheapest of the single enemy 'dmg relative to HP' attacks. Its
critical rate is less than stellar, but at least it hits half the time
when you want it to :P.
I say go with Guillotine instead and get more bang for your HP.
--
Mighty Gust - 14% HP
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
1 enemy
-
This attack doesn't have any increased chance to miss or anything and it
does a huge amount of damage. I would say it's worth the skill slot.
--
Guillotine - 17% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Phys, Stun
dmg relative to HP
1 enemy
-
Nice critical rate! Nice damage! ...Stun? Who needs Stun X_x. Regard-
less, it's a pretty good value for the HP cost.
--
Stasis Blade - 22% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Phys, Bind
dmg relative to HP
1 enemy
-
It's got quite the HP cost and a subpar hit rate. I'm not sure if that makes
it worth the high damage and added 'Stun' status (Especially considering that
Stun is not very good).
--
Chaos Blade - 32% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Phys, Bind
dmg relative to HP
Random enemies
-
Eh? Chaos Blade doesn't bind. It panics. O_o
Besides that oddity, this attack has major saving graces to make up for its
high HP cost. Not only does it have a very high rate of Panic, which really
screws the enemy up, it also has a chance of multi-hitting and a MASSIVE
Critical Hit rate. Its damage is great, as well- despite being perpetually
unable to use it at its full potential due to that HP cost.
--
Deathbound - 25% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
Random enemies
-
This is like a poor man's Hades Blast. Not to say that a poor man's Hades
Blast is necessarily a bad thing. Nice hit rate, fair critical rate,
possibility of hitting twice or even thrice on an opponent...
The relatively low HP cost isn't exactly hurting the deal either.
--
Blight - 36% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Phys, Poison
dmg relative to HP
All enemies
-
It only hits once on all enemies, but it has a very high hit and critical
rate. Plus it Poisons and while that isn't massively useful, it's enough
to warrant the HP cost and skill slot.
--
Hassohappa - 35% HP (Demons w/ weapons Only)
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
All enemies
-
This is basically Heat Wave with a very high hit rate and critical rate.
Don't be fooled by that obscene HP cost, this skill is SO worth it.
--
Divine Shot - 13% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Physical
1 enemy
-
Has a relatively low HP cost, packs a punch AND has a high critical chance.
You really can't go wrong with this attack!
--
Spiral Snake - 18% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Physical
1 enemy
-
This is a direct upgrade from Divine Shot. The HP cost and damage are both
slightly scaled- but don't worry; you still get the awesome hit and critical
rate that Divine Shot sported.
--
Oni-Kagura - 30% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Physical
All enemies
-
Superb damage -and- critical rate. This is an excellent physical skill!
--
Javelin Rain - 40% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Phys, Mute
All enemies
-
Okay, am I missing something here? Not only does this skill have little to
do with Javelins raining from above- but it is a clone of Oni-Kagura. Oh,
wait. The hero performs it by -kicking- this time. No real difference
otherwise, it just looks cool. Now, whether looking cool is worth NEARLY
HALF YOUR HP is a decision you must make for yourself.
As for the Mute status, in all the times I have used this skill, it has yet
to show itself- so that is a total non-issue.
--
Xeros Beat - 40% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Phys, Bind
All enemies
-
Here's another Oni-Kagura clone for you. This isn't even worth your time,
in all honestly. It's just Javelin Rain with a Panic effect...
--
Deadly Fury - 32% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Physical
High odds of critical
All enemies
-
This skill not only looks cool, but is an absolute damage machine. Its
hit rate isn't what it should be (See Gaea Rage) but it has quite possibly
the highest Critical Rate of the Hero's physical skills.
I have seen at least two criticals with each use of this. It is most
definitely worth keeping until you get Gaea Rage (or possibly even as a
permanent skill in your Hero's repoitire?).
--
Gaea Rage - 35% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Physical
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
Formerly 'Dinner of Mother Earth', they didn't give him this attack canonly
for no reason. It's truly THE powerhouse of his Physical skills.
--
E & I - 3 MP (Dante Only)
Type: Physical
Multiple hits
1 enemy
-
Dante is the Lord of All Physical Attacks. Like in Devil May Cry, this is
his weakest attack. It's surpassed by Rebellion in almost every way humanly
possible. The only things E & I has going for it, is a low MP (!) cost and
its possibility of Critical Hit for each time it hits. That's like, four
times the Critical Hit rate of most attacks, here.
--
Rebellion - 9% HP (Dante Only)
Type: Physical
High odds of critical
1 enemy
-
Rebellion is Dante's main physical attack. This does absurd damage, uses
up only 9% of your HP and, as the description suggests, makes Critical Hits
fairly commonplace.
--
Bullet Time - 10 MP (Dante Only)
Type: Phys, Panic
Mid damage
All enemies
-
E & I gets an all-enemy attack...and it certainly is pretty. Keeping the
single-enemy version's MP usage (which is great for a Phys based attack and
Dante's endless fountain of MP due to Provoke), its damage isn't omfgamazing
but it does its job and well. A disturbing number of enemies are also
susceptible to panic, so you can't go wrong ^_^.
--
Andalucia - 6% HP (Matador Only)
Type: Physical
Mid damage
Random enemies
-
Think of Andalucia as a pumped up Berserk with a much nicer hit rate and a
Spanish flair. It's actually one of the few mid-damage skills I'd consider
taking with me to the endgame. Another reason why Matador is just so cool!
--
Hell Spin - 25% HP (Hell Biker Only)
Type: Physical
dmg relative to HP
All enemies
-
It's Heat Wave...Hell Biker style! It doesn't have any really fancy
qualities but it has a decent Critical Hit rate and I don't see it miss very
often without any -kaja or -nda in effect.
--
Terrorblade - 10 MP (Red Rider Only)
Type: Phys, Panic
dmg relative to HP
Random enemies
-
It's a slightly weaker version of Chaos Blade that costs 10 MP instead of
a whole bunch of HP. It may do less damage, but the MP Cost means it
doesn't cripple you when you use it and it can be entirely sustained by
using Life Drain every so often. Red Rider is awesome that way.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Healing Skills:
Note: You should never, ever, have a party without a demon that has some
healing skills. Especially in Hard mode. Items just won't cut it.
-------------------------
Dia - 3 MP
Heals HP moderately
1 ally
-
Here's your basic healing spell. It's good for a while, but mid-to-late
game, you're going to want something a bit more effective.
--
Media - 12 MP
Heals HP moderately
Entire party
-
Yeouch! Now -that- is an MP cost hike. The Media series is good in a
pinch, but you're going to find Dia a lot more cost-effective in the long
run. However, if you have Mana Refill, then I say go with it. Nothing like
an all-ally healing spell...
--
Diarama - 7 MP
Heals HP greatly
1 ally
-
As with Dia, you can't go wrong. Just 7 MP for the amount of HP this heals
is fantastic, even late-game. In some cases, you might want to keep this AND
its stronger cousin around in case you need to save some MP.
--
Mediarama - 20 MP
Heals HP greatly
Entire party
-
At slightly below 3 times the MP cost of Diarama, this also is pretty cost-
effiective. At least, a whole lot more so than Media itself compared to Dia
X_x. Unlike Diarama, though, this isn't worth keeping when its stronger
cousin comes into play.
--
Diarahan - 15 MP
Heals HP fully
1 ally
-
Can't argue with that.
--
Mediarahan - 35 MP
Heals HP fully
Entire party
-
35 MP for a full heal on all party members? YES.
--
Posumudi - 5 MP
Cures Poison
1 ally
-
What can I say? It's the only one of its kind and it is invaluable for what
it does. Keep it around unless you have Prayer or don't have a pressing need to
cure poison out of battle.
--
Mutudi - 5 MP
Cures Mute
1 ally
-
Mute isn't a very common status effect, but it is an annoying one. Keep it
around, definitely. Unless you have Prayer or don't have a pressing need to
cure mute out of battle, of course.
--
Paraladi - 5 MP
Cures Stun
1 ally
-
Like Mute, Stun doesn't occur very often but it is annoying. Keep it or
trash it if you have Prayer or don't have a pressing need to cure stun out
of battle.
--
Petradi - 5 MP
Cures Stone
1 ally
-
DEFINITELY keep this around. Stone can lead to an instant-kill, so you'll
want the means to cure it ASAP. Especially if your main is the one stoned.
Seriously.
--
Patra - 5 MP
Cures Bind/Sleep/
Panic
1 ally
-
Me Patra is easy to get, even early game. So...why would you want its
crappy little brother?
--
Me Patra - 12 MP
Cures Bind/Sleep/
Panic
Entire party
-
This is an invaluable spell. Even if you have Prayer, you will want this.
Though most later demons have immunity to the Nerve group of status', it
is still very annoying to be affected by them...
--
Recarm - 20 MP
Target is revived
with some HP
1 ally
-
This is a valuable, if not annoyingly rare spell. You're not going to be
seeing this one until you start getting demons that are at least early 30s-
late 40s in level. It's worth it, though, because Revival Beads can put a
big hole in your wallet when bought in bulk...
--
Samrecarm - 35 MP
Target is revived
with full HP
1 ally
-
There is no reason your healer should not have this spell. Plain and
simple. Full HP revive can make all the difference when you're at a lack
of turns and need to quickly put your incapacitated demon back in action.
--
Recarmdra - 1 HP
User sacrifices self
to fully heal HP/MP
Entire party
-
This has its uses, definitely. You can waste three Press turns total doing
this (one using the move, one reviving and one resummoning), so my suggestion
is to use this as an MP restoration move. Wasting only three Press turns is
much more preferable to wasting a whole bunch using Chakra Drops every time
somebody gets below 50 ~_~.
--
Prayer - 50 MP
Heals HP fully and
cures all ailments
Entire party
-
Before you start drooling, note the MP cost. That is a lot of MP for a
good portion of the game. Another major drawback is that Prayer is only
usable in battle. Otherwise, I don't think you can do much to top this
spell. Keep it around along with some cheaper (and out of battle use
friendly) alternatives (Recommended; some status cures and Mediarahan)
and Mana Refill. You will then have an absolute healing machine.
--
Deathtouch - 5 MP
Drains HP
1 enemy
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Worthless. I'd replace this move as soon as humanly possible. Its low
HP damage -and- recovery aren't worth the 5 MP, 3 of which could be used for
a much more effective Dia spell.
--
Mana Drain - 2 MP
Drains MP
1 enemy
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Now, low -MP- drain means something. This can give your healer something to
do when there's no immediate need to heal AND it replenishes their MP by the
30s every time Mana Drain hits. It has a high accuracy and is just great
overall. Get this and put it on your mage/healer.
--
Life Drain - 10 MP
Drains HP/MP
1 enemy
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
With the higher MP cost than the two individual HP and MP drain spells
combined, you'd think this would suck...but it's actually quite good.
It has about the strength of Dia (slightly stronger) on both HP and MP,
so it does pretty good damage for what it costs. And plus, whatever
damage you do (to both HP and MP) is transferred to you. Nice!
--
Meditation - 10 MP (Daisojou Only)
Drains HP/MP
1 enemy
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Wow, it's Life Drain...for Daisojou! Not much else to say; except that the
skill appears to be slightly stronger. Not significantly enough to matter,
but Daisojou comes with it anyway.
--
Holy Melody - 1 MP (Trumpeter Only)
Heals HP/MP fully
1 ally/enemy with
lowest HP percent
-
As Trumpeter demonstrates in the battle with him, this skill needs to be
used intelligently if you want to get the most out of it. For 1 MP, a full
HP/MP heal is great- but you have to make absolutely SURE your intended
target is the weakest percentage-wise.
It's difficult to use properly, but very rewarding.
-------------------------------------------------
-Mind Skills:
Note: Mind is THE most resisted skillset in the game. It is also one of the
most finicky skillsets to use effectively due to the amazingly bad chances to
hit on quite of few of its skills. Keep that in mind when you decide to throw
one of them into a skill slot.
-------------------------
Lullaby - 6 MP
Type: Mind, Sleep
1 enemy
-
Lullaby followed by Eternal Rest is quite a damaging instant-kill combo
in the early and mid-game. Just don't expect to see much use from Lullaby
in the endgame.
--
Marin Karin - 5 MP
Type: Mind, Charm
1 enemy
-
Charm is a very, very, very, very, very, very useful status. However, you
will find many, many, many, many, many, many enemies strong against Mind.
Your call.
--
Sexy Gaze - 5 MP (Demons w/ eyes Only)
Type: Mind, Charm
1 enemy
-
Same MP Cost as Marin Karin...and admittedly, its chances to work don't
seem all that much better, either.
--
Pulinpa - 5 MP
Type: Mind, Panic
All enemies
-
This is a nice skill. When you cast, at least 1 enemy is usually going
to be hit with the status effect XD.
--
Panic Voice - 8 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Type: Mind, Panic
All enemies
-
All enemies should be a plus, but honestly this skill just doesn't work as
often as it should. Sure, Panic is a nice status effect; but I'd much
rather spend my turn causing it with Chaos Blade than wasting it by missing
the entire enemy group with this.
Something is very wrong when a spell that costs 3 MP less works so much
more often...
--
Sonic Wave - 9 MP
Type: Mind, Panic
All enemies
-
So...why, exactly, does Mind need -three- different all-enemy Panic spells?
Barring the obvious uselessness that comes with being resisted, voided,
repelled, etc by most every boss, it's honestly quite extraneous.
That said, Sonic Wave is a -lot- more useful than Panic Voice is. You can
actually expect Sonic Wave to work every few castings; even if it works
nowhere near as often as a 9 MP spell should.
Find some attack that causes Panic as a side-effect and use that instead.
You'll find that THOSE skills actually inflict the status somewhat often...
--
Tentarafoo - 15 MP
Type: Mind, Panic
Mid damage
All enemies
-
It's unfortunate that a spell like this has to be in the Mind category.
Seriously. It's damage is okay, but GREAT whenever it hits a weakness.
It even rivals the heavy damage spells in some instances. The Panic
status it causes actually shows up every once in a blue moon...what is
there not to like? It's a DARN good spell.
Yet it's Mind. All of its potential usefulness is totally down the
drain due to the element alone. As such, good luck finding an enemy
weak against it. Heck! Good luck finding too many enemies that don't
void it out of principle. Even better, good luck finding a use for
it in a boss fight! -_-
Why?
--
Wild Dance - 18 MP (Hero Only)
Type: Mind, Panic
High odds
All enemies
-
The 'high odds' part isn't kidding, either. In like, 10 uses it missed
maybe three or four times. 6/10 is NOT bad and Panic is a very good
status.
For a status-effect build Hero, this is a very good skill to have.
--
Death Lust - 15 MP (Harlot Only)
Type: Mind, Charm
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
This is one of the few Mind attack spells out there; and it happens to be
Harlot exclusive. This is probably to keep the customers who want to hit
and run in check...
...bad joke aside, it's a decent enough skill. Problem just lies in boss
fights. Like with Expel, Mind's majority of spells make it a good idea
for developers to add Mind Void/Repel to bosses. So that means this won't
be that great in such a scenario.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Nerve Skills:
Note: Nerve skills and Mind skills are usually quite interchangeable.
They're almost always resisted in a pair, at least; but there are many
cases where a demon simply Voids Mind and has no defense against Nerve.
That and the success rate of Nerve skills is usually a lot more generous
than that of Mind skills. Usually.
-------------------------
Shibaboo - 5 MP
Type: Nerve, Bind
1 enemy
-
Bind is a useful status effect, but I like it a lot more when it is
a side-effect of an attack that does something worthwhile. While 5 MP for
a simple bind spell ain't bad, I find other skills that Bind a lot more
worthwhile.
--
Dormina - 9 MP
Type: Nerve, Sleep
All enemies
-
What can I say? It's a sleep spell. It seems to work fairly often.
--
Binding Cry - 14 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Type: Nerve, Bind
All enemies
-
I don't see this work as often as it should; and that kind of disturbs me
since I am wasting 14 MP every time I use it.
Possible good points? Well, it hits all enemies. Then again, isn't Nerve
one of the more Voided or Resisted elements? OH YEAH :P. Maybe I should
reconsider that.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Curse Skills:
Note: Curse skills aren't voided, repelled or drained NEARLY as much as
Mind and Nerve are. That said, it's still voided, repelled and drained
way more often than most of the other skillsets in general.
-------------------------
Makajam - 4 MP
Type: Curse, Mute
1 enemy
-
I've not had much experience with this skill, but what can I say? It's
a Mute spell; and it seems to work decently often.
--
Makajamon - 5 MP
Type: Curse, Mute
All enemies
-
It's like Makajam; only somebody forgot to make it hit every so often.
Oh yeah, it hits all enemies, too O_o. If you want a Mute spell that
badly, get Makajam. At least you'll see the status effect occasionally
that way, despite being only able to hit one enemy.
--
Mute Gaze - 5 MP (Demons w/ eyes Only)
Type: Curse, Mute
1 enemy
-
It's like Makajam only it costs a single MP more. I tested it and it
really didn't seem to work all that more often, either- so it's really
just a matter of preference.
--
Toxic Cloud - 8 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Type: Curse, Poison
Light damage
Random enemies
-
As with other Curse skills, this isn't going to be very useful in a boss
fight. It seems to bring all the baggage of Fire Breath, Ice Breath, Wing
Buffet and Shock with it- but none of the potential usefulness in exchange
for poison potential :\.
Early game is probably the only time you'll find a use for this where
it'll be effective without going to a lot of trouble.
--
Dismal Tune - 30 MP
Type: Curse, Mute
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Its damage is fair but it really doesn't do much more for me. The added
'Mute' status might be a boon- but it doesn't surface very often :P.
That it's Curse element also severely hampers its lifespan, too.
--
Soul Divide - 30 MP (Black Rider Only)
Type: Curse, Mute
Halves current HP
All enemies
-
Why on earth is it that whenever a skill causes Mute, the chances of the
status effect surfacing is about a million to one? Nevermind that it's a
CURSE skill, of all things- which automatically makes it worthless during
boss fights.
It's an okay skill to use in random battles, but I'd much rather replace
it the minute Black Rider gets something useful.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Support Skills:
Note: Yes, I know this isn't an actual skillset name- but many of the
Support skills aren't actually lumped into any real category. Also note
that Analyze in particular has absurdly high priority when transferring
skills to fused demons, so be careful with that.
As a random note, there is a Pisaca sold in the First Kalpa that has all
of its skillslots filled with the most commonly useful Support skills.
Including Watchful. If you're keen on keeping one of your party slots
open, you can have a useful ally that never has to be brought into
battle to be at his full potential.
-------------------------
Analyze - 2 MP
Displays enemy info
1 enemy
-
Analyze is almost a requirement for most any new player to Shin Megami
Tensei: Nocturne. It displays the enemy's information, including just
about all of its attacks and weaknesses/strengths. However, this spell
might as well be a waste of a turn in any boss fight, as all the 'info'
you're going to get will be question marks.
The Spyglass on B2 of Obelisk is basically a free, infinite Analyze spell
in the form of an item :P. So once you find this, I suggest ditching
Analyze for something more useful if you somehow still had it in the first
place.
--
Focus - 5 MP
Phys. attack damage
more than doubles
on the next turn
-
If you have a fighter, Focus is almost a mandatory requirement for them.
It works with ANY physical-based attack, with few exceptions...and since
just about any physical attack has a chance to Critical- you could do
upwards of three-four times your damage if you're really lucky.
--
Might - No HP/MP Cost
Raises odds of
critical hit
-
You could do better, you could do worse. This doesn't increase the
critical hit chance -that- significantly, but it does so enough to warrant
the skill slot. So, why not?
It's also worth noted that it only works on regular attacks, not physical
based skills.
--
Bright Might - No HP/MP Cost
Phys. attacks will be
always critical
at full Kagutsuchi
-
Your mileage with this will depend on how willing you are to manipulate
the Kagutsuchi for every boss fight you encounter. If you have that kind
of patience, then you can reap the full rewards of instant Critical Hits
every single round. If you don't want to bother, you might as well just
get 'Might'.
--
Dark Might - No HP/MP Cost
Phys. attacks will be
always critical
at new Kagutsuchi
-
Your mileage with this will depend on how willing you are to manipulate
the Kagutsuchi for every boss fight you encounter. If you have that kind
of patience, then you can reap the full rewards of instant Critical Hits
every single round. If you don't want to bother, you might as well just
get 'Might'.
--
Life Bonus - No HP/MP Cost
Raises MAX HP
by 10%
-
Hey, if your demon could use an HP boost...why not? Just be prepared to
give it up for Life Gain when that comes around.
--
Mana Bonus - No HP.MP Cost
Raises MAX MP
by 10%
-
Hey, if your demon could use an MP boost...why not? Just be prepared to
give it up for Mana Gain when that comes around.
--
Life Gain - No HP/MP Cost
Raises MAX HP
by 20%
-
Hey, if your demon could use an HP boost...why not?
--
Mana Gain - No HP/MP Cost
Raises MAX MP
by 20%
-
Again, it's a significant MP boost. I'd say it's worth the skill slot.
--
Life Surge - No HP/MP Cost
Raises MAX HP
by 30%
-
The best of the best- this skill is a significant HP boost.
--
Mana Surge - No HP/MP Cost
Raises MAX MP
by 30%
-
+30% MP? Heeeey!
--
Life Aid - No HP/MP Cost
Heals HP moderately
after every battle
-
This...is a waste of space o_o. It reduces healing, but it's really not
so effective as to be very useful.
--
Mana Aid - No HP/MP Cost
Heals MP moderately
after every battle
-
MP is must more difficult to heal than HP, so you might get much more
mileage out of this skill than with Life Aid. Even so, it's not a very
good use of a skill slot.
--
Victory Cry - No HP/MP Cost
Heals HP/MP fully
after every battle
-
...WOW. Essentially, this makes your HP and MP preservation woes fly
completely out the window. There is no doubt; this is THE best of the
'Aid' group. When you get Victory Cry, feel absolutely free to ditch
Life and/or Mana Aid.
The Refill series might not be totally obsolete due to this skill,
though- as they still work when you lose HP and MP out of battle by
traps or casting. Even so, you'd still be pretty safe replacing
either skill with Victory Cry.
--
Life Refill - No HP/MP Cost
Heals HP gradually
while walking
-
This works by healing HP in intervals as you roam about. It's
defintiely not that good a use of a skill slot, but it's certainly a
whole lot better than Life Aid :P.
--
Mana Refill - No HP/MP Cost
Heals MP gradually
while walking
-
On the other hand, Mana Refill is a very, very, very, VERY useful
skill to have on your mage/healer. With a healer, this means practically
endless healing and a mage? They can use their spells every turn with
very little need to worry (and of course, there's a lot of Macca saved on
Chakra Drops).
--
Lucky Find - No HP/MP Cost
User finds item
while walking on map
(Random)
-
Uh...no. No. Trash this. I have yet to see it work and I have had it
equipped for nearly an entire game.
--
Endure - No HP/MP Cost
Prevents death
(1 HP remaining)
1 time only
-
Not bad at all. Though unfortunately against multi-turn slaughter fests
(such as well a boss casts Dragon Eye and proceeds to slaughter you) this won't
work so well. It wouldn't hurt to have it on your main, though.
--
Drain Attack - No HP/MP Cost
Improves
normal attack
Drains HP
-
It appears to lower the rate of Critical Hits, as I've gotten much less
with a demon using this than with a demon without it. I'd say it's worth
it though, as it reduces the need to heal- and the higher the damage, the
more you get from this.
--
Attack All - No HP/MP Cost
Improves
normal attack
All enemies
-
This is a pretty awesome skill, especially if you have a single-enemy skill
on the side to rely on (in case of Void/Drain). Free all enemy physical
attacks can never hurt, after all.
--
Pierce - No HP/MP Cost
Phys attacks become
100% effective:
subject to Repel
-
This is a must for all Physical-based demons. Basically, enemies can no
longer resist, drain or void any physical-based attacks from a demon with
this on. They can still be Repelled, but that is rare. Get this. Now.
--
Counter - No HP/MP Cost
Enables random
counterattacks
Light damage
-
This is a very good skill, IMO. You'll be able to do extra damage for free
just by being attacked!
--
Retaliate - No HP/MP Cost
Enables random
counterattacks
Mid damage
-
This is a direct upgrade to Counter. If you have this availiable, there is
NO REASON to keep Counter. Ever.
--
Avenge - No HP/MP Cost
Enables random
counterattacks
Heavy damage
-
Likewise, the minute you get this...why have Counter or Retaliate?
--
Makatora - 10 MP
Shares 10 MP
1 ally
-
Riiiight...who in their right mind would waste a skill slot on something
this lame?
--
Trafuri - 25 MP
Escapes from battle
100% Success
-
Trafuri is very, very useful in a pinch. I'd say it's worth having it on at
least one of your demons.
--
Riberama - 8 MP
Raises odds of
enemy encounter
until new Kagutsuchi
-
This is another skill you'll want at least one of your demons with. Though,
preferably you'll want it on a demon you're not using. The special Pisaca
that you can buy from the first Kalpa of the Amala Labyrinth has all this stuff
and is good at what it does- so keep it on him.
--
Estoma - 10 MP
Lowers odds of
enemy encounter
until new Kagutsuchi
-
This is another skill you'll want at least one of your demons with. Though,
preferably you'll want it on a demon you're not using. The special Pisaca
that you can buy from the first Kalpa of the Amala Labyrinth has all this stuff
and is good at what it does- so keep it on him.
--
Liftoma - 12 MP
Levitates entire party
until new Kagutsuchi
-
I'd say it's useful. Again, the special Pisaca from the First Kalpa of the
Amala Labyrinth has all this. Get him. Keep him.
--
Lightoma - 10 MP
Lights up dark areas
until new Kagutsuchi
-
I'd say it's useful. Again, the special Pisaca from the First Kalpa of the
Amala Labyrinth has all this. Get him. Keep him.
--
Tarukaja - 12 MP
Raises physical
attack
Entire party
-
Definitely get this. Its benefits are huge. Just beware of Dekaja...
--
Makakaja - 12 MP
Raises Magic attack
Entire party
-
Definitely get this. Its benefits are huge. Just beware of Dekaja...
--
Rakukaja - 12 MP
Raises defense
Entire party
-
Unlike what it suggests, it actually boosts both physical AND magical defense.
Very handy. Just beware of Dekaja...
--
Sukukaja - 12 MP
Raises dodge/aim
Entire party
-
If you're going to get ANY of the -kaja series, then get this. Believe
me, it is very significant in reducing your missing and the enemy's
hitting- and that can mean more turns for you, less for them.
--
Dekaja - 10 MP
Cancels -kaja effects
All enemies
-
This is a very good spell to have- as bosses love to boost their stats
to unbelievable levels. With a wave of your hand, all that MP they used
will be for naught XD.
--
Tetraja - 15 MP
Protects against
Expel/Death attack
Entire Party
-
This is a very useful (and cheap) spell. It protects against a single
Expel/Death attack- and often, one is all it takes.
--
Tetrakarn - 45 MP
Repels Phys. attack
on the next turn
1 time only
-
Unlike past Shin Megami Tensei games, this isn't as useful as it could be.
First off- it has an absolutely insane MP cost. This makes it very difficult
to keep it up as turns go by. If you fight a physical-based enemy, though...
--
Makarakarn - 45 MP
Repels Magic attack
on the next turn
1 time only
-
Unlike past Shin Megami Tensei games, this isn't as useful as it could be.
First off- it has an absolutely insane MP cost. This makes it very difficult
to keep it up as turns go by. If you fight a magic-based enemy, though...
--
Tarunda - 12 MP
Lowers Physical/
Magic attack
All enemies
-
Definitely get this. Just be careful of Dekunda...
--
Rakunda - 12 MP
Lowers defense
All enemies
-
Definitely get this. Just be careful of Dekunda...
--
Sukunda - 12 MP
Lowers dodge/aim
All enemies
-
If you're going to get ANY of the -nda series, then get this. Believe
me, it is very significant in reducing your missing and the enemy's
hitting- and that can mean more turns for you, less for them. Eh...it
works until you get Fog Breath, anyway.
--
Debilitate - 48 MP
Lowers attack/
defense/dodge/aim
All enemies
-
This is all the -nda spells wrapped up in a neat little 48 MP package.
It'd make them all so obsolete if it weren't for that MP cost X_x.
--
Dekunda - 10 MP
Cancels -nda effects
Entire party
-
You could not get more of a recommendation for this spell. -nda effects
don't wear off without this, so if you don't have Dekunda...you're at a
permanent disadvantage. Need I say more?
--
War Cry - 40 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Lowers Physical/
Magic attack greatly
All enemies
-
If you need a Tarunda and need it fast- this is probably the skill you're
looking for. Using it once equates to using Tarunda about 2-3 times. If
you can handle a bit of a beating, though, then you're better off using
Tarunda instead and saving the 28 MP.
--
Fog Breath - 30 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Lowers dodge/aim
greatly
All enemies
-
I'd say this spell is a requirement for just about any successful party
in Nocturne. Well, if you want an easy time through the game. Ditch
Sukunda and get this. It's better overall.
--
Taunt - 20 MP
Lowers defense/
raises Phys. attack
All enemies
-
The 'raises Phys. attack' part might cause a few problems. Who needs a
Rakunda that has a Tarukaja side-effect when we can just cast a Rakunda.
X_x
--
Beckon Call - 20 MP
Summons a random
ally to battle
-
Tired of your Hero having to do all the demon summoning? ...what, no?
So you mean you -like- having control over which ally you summon? I
thought randomly summoning that Weak: Elec demon during the Thor boss
battle was great, too.
Why waste a slot on something like this? You'll hurt yourself.
--
Fast Retreat - No HP/MP Cost (Hero Only)
Raises odds of
escaping from battle
-
I was very partial to this skill at one time- then when I ditched it, I
realized I was running at about the same rate (IE- 99% of the time) even
without the skill. I don't think I went back to using it.
Sidenote: On Hard Mode, where it's nearly impossible to run from anything,
this spell might actually give you half a chance to retreat. Not that the
difference was anything spectacular, but.
--
Mind's Eye - No HP/MP Cost (Hero Only)
Lowers odds of
being attacked
from behind
-
Uh...I guess it's useful for what it does, but I'd personally save the skill
slot for something more worthwhile.
--
Never Yield - No HP/MP Cost (Dante Only)
Prevents death
(1 HP remaining)
1 time only
-
Dante is too badass for Endure. He must be innovative and have the same exact
skill with a different name instead! Woooooo!
--
Holy Star - 10 MP (Dante Only)
Cancels -nda effects
Entire party
-
And lo, Capcom said 'I don't like Dekunda! It sounds like a stomach illness!
Be there any other name I can call it?' and yea, verily, the developers at
Atlus replied with 'Sure, we'll clone it for you and you can name it what you
want.'
And thus, Holy Star was born.
--
Provoke - No HP/MP Cost (Dante Only)
All enemies: lowers
defense/raises Phys
attack, user heals MP
-
Dante brings with him his very own version of Taunt. You see, Dante is
innovative. He tosses away the unnecessary things like MP cost and adds
very nice traits like massive MP recovery. It is this innovation that
allows him to BREAK THE GAME ENTIRELY.
--
Son's Oath - No HP/MP Cost (Dante Only)
Increases damage of
all attacks by 50%
-
Dante gets this on top of his other already overpowered skills?! Replace that
piece of junk Whirlwind with this right away!
-------------------------------------------------
-Fire Skills:
Note: The Fire skillset contains some of the most damaging elemental skills in
the game. Ragnarok, for example, outdoes many of the other elementals when
paired with Fire Boost. If you're looking for pure damage- you might want a
Fire skill or two. Just watch out for resistances.
-------------------------
Agi - 3 MP
Type: Fire
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Like in any game, the standard-level attack spells of every element have a
degree of usefulness, but you'll eventually want to upgrade to mid then high
level. Agi is handy for all the reasons it exists: 1. It ignores defense and
2. It is fire elemental.
--
Maragi - 8 MP
Type: Fire
Light damage
All enemies
-
Weaker than Agi by far, but it hits all enemies. To be honest, the Ma- spells
have a limited usefulness at most. Especially elemental ones like this one.
Think of it this way: If one of the enemies decides to dodge or is voided by
this element, you get the turn penalty anyway, even if you also manage to hit
a weakness or critical hit in the same attack. This problem might make the
Ma- series not worth it at all.
--
Agilao - 6 MP
Type: Fire
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
As with Agi, it's useful when you get it and for all the right reasons.
--
Maragion - 15 MP
Type: Fire
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Same deal as with Maragi. It's usefulness is pretty limited, but I guess you
will eventually find a group of enemies weak to fire to use it on.
Or something. Okay, okay. The chances of that aren't all THAT high...
--
Agidyne - 10 MP
Type: Fire
Heavy damage
1 enemy
-
Definitely useful. You must have this o_o.
--
Maragidyne - 25 MP
Type: Fire
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
The damage factor alone might actually be incentive to keep Maragidyne. I'd
keep a single-target spell handy as well, though. There's nothing like one
enemy in an entire group being able to Void Fire >_<.
--
Fire Breath - 9 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Type: Fire
Light damage
Random enemies
-
Early game, this skill is like Agi with a random chance to hit twice or hit
multiple targets. It's a great spell- but also one you'll be using very
sparingly due to its obscene MP cost (for earlygame). Unfortunately, it's not
all that great at crowd-clearing either due to its inconsistent targeting.
So you get a slightly stronger Agi with some irritating drawbacks. If you're
going to tote this skill along, make sure you use it sparingly and
strategically. That is the way to get the most out of this skill.
--
Hellfire - 18 MP
Type: Fire
Mid damage
Random enemies
-
This is the upgraded Fire Breath- and it brings along more damage for twice
the MP. Sheeze! This might not be worth it compared to Agilao due to that
factor alone.
If you're going to take it along, then I highly suggest keeping its single-
target brother too, so your mage gets more mileage out of his/her MP.
--
Prominence - 30 MP
Type: Fire
Heavy damage
Random enemies
-
This is the most powerful of the random enemies attacks for Fire. It also
has a fair MP cost for the lategame, when you'll usually get it. Only 5 more
MP than Maragidyne for the chance to hit twice? Sign me up!
--
Ragnarok - 30 MP (Surt Only)
Type: Fire
Mega damage
1 enemy
-
This may look kind of underwhelming, but pair it up with Fire boost and you
have one of the most powerful Fire attacks in the game. Very little in the
Fire group can outshine Ragnarok's damage.
--
Hell Burner - 8 MP (Hell Biker Only)
Type: Fire
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
It's Maragidyne...Hell Biker style! Except not really as strong. Its low
MP cost is one of its redeeming qualities, but...
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Ice Skills:
Note: A disturbing number of the skills in this skillset have a chance to
randomly cause the 'Freeze' status. All attacks to the 'Freeze'd target
will ALWAYS critical, so it's a good quality to keep in mind.
-------------------------
Bufu - 3 MP
Type: Ice
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Like in any game, the standard-level attack spells of every element have a
degree of usefulness, but you'll eventually want to upgrade to mid then high
level. Bufu adds a bit of a spin to the usual elemental fun- the 'freeze'
status effect. Whenever an opponent is frozen, you can hit them for instant
criticals for that round. Not a bad thing to have in your arsenal...
--
Mabufu - 8 MP
Type: Ice
Light damage
All enemies
-
Weaker than Bufu by far, but it hits all enemies. To be honest, the Ma- spells
have a limited usefulness at most. Especially elemental ones like this one.
Think of it this way: If one of the enemies decides to dodge or is voided by
this element, you get the turn penalty anyway, even if you also manage to hit
a weakness or critical hit in the same attack. This problem might make the
Ma- series not worth it at all.
--
Bufula - 6 MP
Type: Ice
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
As with Bufu, it's useful when you get it and for all the right reasons.
--
Mabufula - 15 MP
Type: Ice
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Same deal as with Mabufu. It's usefulness is pretty limited, but I guess you
will eventually find a group of enemies weak to ice to use it on. Or something.
Okay, okay. The chances of that aren't all THAT high...but you can rely on its
freeze status a little, to make up for it.
--
Bufudyne - 10 MP
Type: Ice
Heavy damage
1 enemy
-
Definitely useful. You must have this o_o.
--
Mabufudyne - 25 MP
Type: Ice
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
The damage factor alone might actually be incentive to keep Mabufudyne. I'd
keep a single-target spell handy as well, though. There's nothing like one
enemy in an entire group being able to Void Ice >_<.
--
Ice Breath - 9 MP (Demons w/ mouths Only)
Type: Ice
Light damage
Random enemies
-
Early game? Yeah, this is great! Well, except for that MP Cost and its in-
consistent targeting which would probably burn you in Hard mode. Thankfully,
chance of hitting twice on one foe means twice the chance to freeze the enemy
too. Hrm...I'm not sure whether that makes up for its drawbacks, though.
--
Glacial Blast - 25 MP
Type: Ice
Heavy damage
Random enemies
-
This is probably the best of the heavy damage series- and while its nice to
have a skill that might hit twice in one go, it brings some drawbacks. Even
so, it's a great deal for only 25 MP.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Elec Skills:
Note: A disturbing number of the skills in this skillset have a side-effect
of randomly causing 'Shock' status. All attacks to the 'Shock'ed target
will ALWAYS critical, so it's a good quality to keep in mind.
-------------------------
Zio - 3 MP
Type: Electric
Light damage
1 enemy
-
It's the basic lightning spell, complete with a chance to Stun.
Think of it as Bufu with Electric element :P.
--
Mazio - 8 MP
Type: Electric
Light damage
All enemies
-
Weaker than Zio by far, but it hits all enemies. To be honest, the Ma- spells
have a limited usefulness at most. Especially elemental ones like this one.
Think of it this way: If one of the enemies decides to dodge or is voided by
this element, you get the turn penalty anyway, even if you also manage to hit
a weakness or critical hit in the same attack. This problem might make the
Ma- series not worth it at all.
--
Zionga - 6 MP
Type: Electric
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
As with Zio, it's useful when you get it and for all the right reasons.
--
Mazionga - 15 MP
Type: Electric
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Same deal as with Mazio. It's usefulness is pretty limited, but I guess you
will eventually find a group of enemies weak to elec to use it on.
Or something. Okay, okay. The chances of that aren't all THAT high...
--
Ziodyne - 10 MP
Type: Electric
Heavy damage
1 enemy
-
Definitely useful. You must have this o_o.
--
Maziodyne - 25 MP
Type: Electric
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
Make sure you have a single-enemy backup :P.
--
Shock - 9 MP
Type: Electric
Light damage
Random enemies
-
Like Fire Breath, Ice Breath and Wing Buffet before it, this skill is far from
a Holy Grail of anything. It hits randomly so it doesn't consistently hit all
enemies and its ability to hit twice isn't going to make up for its annoying
drawbacks.
--
Bolt Storm - 25 MP
Type: Electric
Heavy damage
Random enemies
-
Like Glacial Blast, this skill is fairly cheap and brings the possibility of
inflicting a negative status onto your enemy. If you can deal with the horribly
inconsistent targeting, you might be best off keeping this in lieu of Maziodyne.
After all, they're the same MP Cost.
--
Roundtrip - 25 MP (Dante Only)
Type: Electric
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
So, Dante decides to toss Alastor over at the enemies and it causes an effect
eerily similar to Maziodyne. Nothing special, but I guess you'll need
-something- to rely on when Dante's godly physical attacks are resisted,
repelled, whatever.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Force Skills:
Note: There isn't really much to say about the Force skillset. It's decidedly
average. Oh; and it contains Wing Buffet, which is one of the most useless
skills in the game. On the other hand, it also has Wind Cutter.
-------------------------
Zan - 3 MP
Type: Force
Light damage
1 enemy
-
Now this ought to confuse people used to Persona 2. No, 'Zan' is no longer
Almighty element. Instead, it has replaced 'Garu' as the standard Wind (or
Force) spell. See Agi, Bufu and Zio for why this spell is useful.
--
Mazan - 8 MP
Type: Force
Light damage
All enemies
-
Weaker than Zan by far, but it hits all enemies. To be honest, the Ma- spells
have a limited usefulness at most. Especially elemental ones like this one.
Think of it this way: If one of the enemies decides to dodge or is voided by
this element, you get the turn penalty anyway, even if you also manage to hit
a weakness or critical hit in the same attack. This problem might make the
Ma- series not worth it at all.
--
Zanma - 6 MP
Type: Force
Mid damage
1 enemy
-
As with Zan, it's useful when you get it and for all the right reasons.
--
Mazanma - 15 MP
Type: Force
Mid damage
All enemies
-
Same deal as with Mazan. It's usefulness is pretty limited, but I guess you
will eventually find a group of enemies weak to force to use it on.
Or something. Okay, okay. The chances of that aren't all THAT high...
--
Zandyne - 10 MP
Type: Force
Heavy damage
1 enemy
-
For a wind magic user? YES.
--
Mazandyne - 25 MP
Type: Force
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
The damage factor alone might actually be incentive to keep Mazandyne. I'd
keep a single-target spell handy as well, though. There's nothing like one
enemy in an entire group being able to Void Force >_<.
--
Wind Cutter - 13 MP
Type: Force
Mega damage
1 enemy
-
It does amazing damage AND it costs 13 MP. The damage level it can get to
is quite horrifying with Force Boost on, too. One of the best elemental
skills in the game, I would say.
--
Wing Buffet - 9 MP (Demons w/ wings Only)
Type: Force
Light damage
Random enemies
-
This is useful when your High Pixie gets it. Nowhere else is it really worth
keeping O_o. There is just so much better.
--
Tornado - 25 MP
Type: Force
Heavy damage
Random enemies
-
For being the strongest of the random enemies category in the Force group,
you sure get it kind of early in the game. If you have a magic-build Hero,
you can get this spell by Ikebukuro. That's scary.
That said, there really isn't that much Mazandyne has over Tornado, except
maybe a little bit more reliability. All said, when presented with both as
a possible contender for a skill slot- I'd take Tornado, hands down.
--
Hell Exhaust - 15 MP (Hell Biker Only)
Type: Force
Cancels -kaja effects
All enemies
-
This is like rolling Mazanma and Dekaja into a ball...Hell Biker style! Hey,
I don't complain about having chocolate in my peanut butter, so why complain
about having Dekaja in my Mazanma?
--
Whirlwind - 25 MP (Dante Only)
Type: Force
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
Okay, so Dante decided he was too good for Mazandyne too. No problem. It's
just unfortunate that this skill kind of sucks. Maybe if you need something
to fall back on in a magic battle when Roundtrip isn't cutting it...
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Almighty Skills:
Note: Almighty skills are NEVER voided, resisted, repelled or drained. They
will always do normal damage nomatter what. Of course, this also means you
can't hit weaknesses with them; but several of them can cause Critical Hits.
-------------------------
Megido - 30 MP
Type: Almighty
Mid damage
All enemies
-
It's unblockable, but mid-damage really isn't enough to justify that MP
Cost at all. That and by the time it's availiable, you'll have Megidola
and/or Megidolaon just around the corner. Not worth it.
--
Megidola - 37 MP
Type: Almighty
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
Now THIS is more like it. For only 7 more MP than Megido, you get tons
more damage. You might wanna dump this for Megidolaon when you get the
chance, though.
--
Megidolaon - 50 MP
Type: Almighty
Mega damage
All enemies
-
Like the description suggests, this does massive damage. No enemies have
any Weaknesses, sure- but you won't get Voided, Repelled or Drained, either.
Its massive MP Cost might make you think twice about it, though. 50 MP,
even lategame, is nothing to scoff at.
--
Freikugel - 17% HP (Hero Only)
Type: Almighty
1 enemy
-
Take everything you loved about Divine Shot and Spiral Snake- pump up the
damage, make it unblockable...and you have Freikugel. There's no reason to
keep Divine Shot or Spiral Snake now.
--
Pestilence - 16 MP (Pale Rider Only)
Type: Almighty
Kills all poisoned
All enemies
-
This attack, despite its crappy damage, has a few things going for it. One
is that it's Almighty. This means nothing can Void, Drain or Repel it.
Another is its main draw- insta-kill to poisoned enemies. Unlike Eternal Rest,
you'll not find so many enemies that can't be poisoned. So throw this together
with Blight and you have a pretty deadly combo for most normal battles.
Just don't count on this attack for bosses unless you don't have anything else
to work with.
--
Stinger - 12% HP (Dante Only)
Type: Almighty
Heavy damage, fatal
1 enemy
-
Weird...it's an Almighty skill that takes HP. Regardless, I think you could do
a lot worse than to take this skill over something like Rebellion. It's my
understanding that it also increases its chances to insta-kill as Dante levels
too, which is quite a plus.
--
Showtime - 40 MP (Dante Only)
Type: Almighty
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
Bingo! Are you ready? Showtime!
Get rid of that piece of crap Roundtrip with this, plz kthx.
--
Death Flies - 50 MP (Beelzebub [Fly Form] Only)
Type: Almighty, Death
Mega damage, fatal
All enemies
-
Wow...just, wow. This is one of the best Almighty skills in the game. It
even has an instant-kill aspect, but it's a completely seperate element. So
while enemies can block the insta-kill, they can't Void, Repel, Drain or
Resist the damage. And what damage it does!
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Death Skills:
Note: Death skills are usually quite useless, but there are quite a few
exceptions. At least it's not the -most- voided skillset in the game...
-------------------------
Mudo - 6 MP
Type: Death
Fatal (low odds)
1 enemy
-
I've not had too much success with the Mudo series, so take that as
you will.
--
Mudoon - 10 MP
Type: Death
Fatal (high odds)
1 enemy
-
I've not had too much success with the Mudo series, so take that as
you will.
--
Mamudo - 15 MP
Type: Death
Fatal (low odds)
All enemies
-
I've not had too much success with the Mudo series, so take that as
you will.
--
Mamudoon - 25 MP
Type: Death
Fatal (high odds)
All enemies
-
I've not had too much success with the Mudo series, so take that as
you will.
--
Eternal Rest - 16 MP
Kills all sleeping
targets instantly
All enemies
-
This is good early-game when paired with a Dormina. However, lategame a
lot of enemies start getting resistances to Sleep, making this much less
useful.
--
Kamikaze - 1 MP
User sacrifices self
to deal heavy dmg
1 enemy
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Uh...right...no. This isn't even worth the MP cost.
--
Last Resort - 1 MP
User sacrifices self
to deal damage
All allies/enemies
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Why would anybody want a skill this unbelievably stupid?
--
Sacrifice - 1 MP
User sacrifices self
to deal heavy dmg
All enemies
-
Side-note: Ignores all resistances
Okay, we're getting a little bit better. This might (read: MIGHT) be worth
the waste of two turns and a Samrecarm.
--
Hell Gaze - 10 MP (Demons w/ eyes Only)
Type: Death
Fatal
1 enemy
-
That's a hell of a gaze. Whether it's better or worse than Mudoon is up
to debate, though.
--
Stone Gaze - 6 MP (Demons w/ eyes Only)
Type: Death, Stone
1 enemy
-
This skill has a pretty high success rate- and Stone IS a two-step instant
kill (Stone then attack them).
--
Evil Gaze - 8 MP (Demons w/ eyes Only)
Type: Death
Target left with 1 HP
1 enemy
-
This skill is evil >_<. It has a horrifyingly high success rate, so if
an enemy doesn't void it- it will usually work. Yes, even when the enemy
simply resists Death.
--
Evil Melody - 1 MP (Trumpeter Only)
Instantly kills
the ally/enemy with
lowest HP percent
-
Like with Holy Melody, you have to use this skill intelligently. I'd say
unintentionally killing the Hero with this is a bit more annoying than
unintentionally healing the boss to full; so the stakes are a lot higher.
Make ABSOLUTELY SURE your intended target has the lowest percentage HP!
Sidenote: Sadly, this does NOT work against bosses.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Expel Skills:
Note: Expel skills, as a rule, are generally voided by just about
everything under the sun. That's what happens when your primary attack
skills are insta-kills...
-------------------------
Hama - 6 MP
Type: Expel
Fatal (low odds)
1 enemy
-
The Expel series are decent enough death spells, but too often they're
voided when you really need them. I'd stay away.
--
Hamaon - 10 MP
Type: Expel
Fatal (High odds)
1 enemy
-
The Expel series are decent enough death spells, but too often they're
voided when you really need them. I'd stay away.
--
Mahama - 15 MP
Type: Expel
Fatal (low odds)
All enemies
-
The Expel series are decent enough death spells, but too often they're
voided when you really need them. I'd stay away.
--
Mahamaon - 25 MP
Type: Expel
Fatal (high odds)
All enemies
-
The Expel series are decent enough death spells, but too often they're
voided when you really need them. I'd stay away.
--
Thunderclap - 12 MP
Type: Expel
Halves current HP
1 enemy
-
This...isn't very useful at all.
--
Violet Flash - 10 MP
Type: Expel
1 enemy
-
An Expel type...damage attack? It does good damage, but considering that
a disturbing number of bosses and later enemies Void or Reflect Expel (and
for good reason)...you might not want to hold on to this. Especially cause
the ones who Void Expel are usually the ones that matter :P.
--
Radiance - 30 MP
Type: Expel
Heavy damage
All enemies
-
While this does excellent damage, it unfortunately suffers from the corollary
of bosses and strong enemies having resistances to Expel. Make sure you have
a backup if you seriously want to use it.
--
God's Bow - 20 MP (White Rider Only)
Type: Expel
Fatal, 1 enemy
(very high odds)
-
This is easily the best Expel skill in the game. Plain. And. Simple.
If an enemy happens to be weak to Expel, this will rub them out with little
effort. If an enemy happens to be normal resistance to Expel, this will
rub them out most of the time. If an enemy happens to be Anti-Expel,
it'll rub them out us- you get the idea.
Just beware of the enemies that Void Expel in your killing spree ^_^.
--
-------------------------------------------------
-Resist/Boost Skills:
Note: Resist and Boost skills are very bipolar. Resist skills are great, but
demons often have a lot of resists of their own- forcing you to make a choice
whether it's worth using up a skill slot just for another resist. Boost skills
are the same deal. You'll often find yourself putting these on either your
Hero or a custom endgame demon and rarely anywhere else...
-------------------------
Anti-Phys - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Physical attacks
-
This is quite a useful skill o_o. Now, mind you, Void, Repel or Drain
would be far better- but this makes it much easier to survive the really
strong physical attacks. Just be sure to upgrade should the chance arrive.
--
Anti-Fire - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Fire attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Ice - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Ice attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Elec - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Electric attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Force - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Force attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Mind - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Mind attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Curse - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Curse attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Nerve - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Nerve attacks
-
Voiding a spell is always better than simply resisting it. This is best as
a placeholder for the respective 'Void' skill, just like all the other 'Anti'
skills (save physical).
--
Anti-Expel - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Expel attacks
-
'Protects' doesn't quite cut it. You're going to want to Void this annoying
element ASAP. As such, this should only serve as a simple stepping stone to
Void Expel.
--
Anti-Death - No HP/MP Cost
Protects against
Death attacks
-
See 'Anti-Expel'. The only reason you should have this skill at all is if
you don't have Void Death yet.
--
Void Phys - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all physical attacks
-
This is a plain awesome skill. You'll be next to invincible against most
demons with this O_O.
--
Void Fire - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Fire attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Fire, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Ice - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Ice attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Ice, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Elec - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Electric attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Elec, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Force - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Force attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Force, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Mind - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Mind attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Mind, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Curse - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Curse attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Curse, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Nerve - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Nerve attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Nerve, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Void Expel - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Expel attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void to Expel, this is worth it.
--
Void Death - No HP/MP Cost
Nullifies
all Death attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void to Death, this is worth it.
--
Repel Phys - No HP/MP Cost
Repels all
physical attacks
-
This is a plain awesome skill. You'll be next to invincible against most
demons with this O_O.
--
Repel Fire - No HP/MP Cost
Repels all
Fire attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Fire, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Repel Ice - No HP/MP Cost
Repels all
Ice attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Ice, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Repel Elec - No HP/MP Cost
Repels all
Electric attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Elec, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Repel Force - No HP/MP Cost
Repels all
Force attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Force, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Drain Phys - No HP/MP Cost
Drains all
physical attacks
-
This is a plain awesome skill. You'll be next to invincible against most
demons with this O_O.
--
Drain Fire - No HP/MP Cost
Drains all
Fire attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Fire, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Drain Ice - No HP/MP Cost
Drains all
Ice attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Ice, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Drain Elec - No HP/MP Cost
Drains all
Electric attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Elec, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Drain Force - No HP/MP Cost
Drains all
Force attacks
-
Unless the demon in question already has void/drain/reflect to Force, this
is definitely worth it.
--
Fire Boost - No HP/MP Cost
Increases
Fire attack damage
by 50%
-
If you can get this on a demon with Fire spells, you have a veritable
powerhouse on your hands. It's worth the trouble.
An especially good demon for this, due to his attack being Fire elemental
and having Ragnarok, is Surt...
--
Ice Boost - No HP/MP Cost
Increases
Ice attack damage
by 50%
-
If you can get this on a demon with Ice spells, you have a veritable
powerhouse on your hands. It's worth the trouble.
--
Elec Boost - No HP/MP Cost
Increases
Electric attack damage
by 50%
-
If you can get this on a demon with Elec spells, you have a veritable
powerhouse on your hands. It's worth the trouble.
--
Force Boost - No HP/MP Cost
Increases
Force attack damage
by 50%
-
If you can get this on a demon with Force spells, you have a veritable
powerhouse on your hands. It's worth the trouble.
-------------------------------------------------
-Conversation Skills:
Note: Conversation skills are usually absurdly high priority when it
comes to transferring skills to demons. If you're looking to transfer
a particularly powerful attack skill or something when fusing; make
extra sure there are NO conversation skills in the skill slots of the
two demons you're fusing. It will save you a LOT of time and much
aggravation.
-------------------------
Scout - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
Right...don't bother.
--
Kidnap - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
Okay.
--
Brainwash - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
'Recruits'? It appears to have a very high recruit rate without going
through any of the negotiation.
--
Wooing - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
I'd assume this is most effective against female demons, but I've no way
of telling o_o.
--
Seduce - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
Ditto. Only, this is effective against men.
--
Dark Pledge - No HP/MP Cost
User recruits enemy
Most effective at
new Kagutsuchi
-
If you must make a demon entirely for recruiting- then this is a must.
Otherwise, there are far better conversation skills out there.
--
Intimidate - No HP/MP Cost
User persuades
an indecisive enemy
-
These skills are usually the best of the conversation skills. They work
very often and tend to cut bribe-sessions short. If you're to get any
conversation skill, this is it.
--
Nag - No HP/MP Cost
User persuades
an indecisive enemy
-
These skills are usually the best of the conversation skills. They work
very often and tend to cut bribe-sessions short. If you're to get any
conversation skill, this is it.
--
Flatter - No HP/MP Cost
User persuades
an indecisive enemy
-
These skills are usually the best of the conversation skills. They work
very often and tend to cut bribe-sessions short. If you're to get any
conversation skill, this is it.
--
Arbitration - No HP/MP Cost
User soothes
an angry demon
-
Keeps a demon from leaving if you don't happen to want to give up a certain
item. Quite useful, IMO.
--
Pester - No HP/MP Cost
User requests
Macca or item
-
I have yet to see this skill work the way it should. It usually initiates
a bribing session and the item or Macca you get from the demon is worth
much less than what you just spent trying to get it. Bleh.
--
Trade - No HP/MP Cost
Makes enemy eager
to barter
-
Right. This is just another version of Pester. I'd rather not trade a
Chakra Drop and a Bead for something like a Maragi stone.
--
Begging - No HP/MP Cost
User requests
Macca or item
-
Again, Pester. X_x
--
Haggle - No HP/MP Cost
User asks enemy
to lower the price
-
What an amazingly helpful description O_o. This has one of your demons
step in to ask for less money when the demon you're negotiating with wants
money. Of course, the most you'll ever see a demon ask for is 1000-2000.
Can you really live with being set back maybe two fights at most? If your
answer is no, then get this skill on something.
--
Detain - No HP/MP Cost
Prevents demon
from running away
with items
-
Quite useful for a demon made solely for this stuff; but for someone you'll
want to use in combat? It's not that good a use of a valuable skill slot.
--
Loan - No HP/MP Cost
User borrows Macca
Don't abuse this
or else...
-
I personally have never used this, as there are probably much better ways
to go about earning money...but you might have decent success.
--
Stone Hunt - No HP/MP Cost
User requests Gem
-
Okay, no complaints here.
--
Gonnection - No HP/MP Cost
User becomes more
persuasive with
enemy of same race
-
Conversation skills in general aren't very good use of skill slots, but
if you really want one; Gonnection can really make it easier to recruit
some enemies.
--
Charisma - No HP/MP Cost
Raises negotiation
success rate
-
If you're REALLY having trouble getting demons to join you, I guess.
--
Talk - No HP/MP Cost (Hero Only)
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
This is quite possibly the best conversation skill ever. Why? Because
it's on your Hero permanently and doesn't take up a skill slot.
Oh, yes :P.
--
Jive Talk - No HP/MP Cost (Hero Only)
Allows user to recruit
Foul/Haunt/Wilder
to join your party.
-
This conversation skill has a distinct advantage in that it actually
tells you what it works best on. With the others, you have to waste
your time guessing and testing to see how effective it is. That and
Fouls, Haunts and Wilders are naturally very annoying to try to get
to join. This might be worth your while to keep if the Hero has a slot
with a useless skill in it to replace.
--
Maiden Plea - No HP/MP Cost (Lady or Megami Only)
User persuades
an indecisive enemy
-
Like the other skills of this kind, but for Ladies and Megamis. I suppose
chivalrous demons can't refuse a maiden's plea...
--
Soul Recruit - No HP/MP Cost (Valkyrie Only)
User recruits enemy
to join your party
-
While it can be given to other demons, it won't work unless Valkyrie is the
one talking. It is usually quite effective against male demons and Brutes, in
particular.
--
Death Pact - No HP/MP Cost (Mithra Only)
Forces enemy to
choose whether to
join your party or die
-
If they refuse...they're petrified O_O. Well, sometimes.
--
Wine Party - No HP/MP Cost (Dionysus Only)
Liquor,
the cure-all
-
Despite the AWESOME description, this skill is a glorified Maiden's Plea,
Arbitration, etc. Dionysus allows the demon to indulge in wine, calming
it down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
4. CREDITS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This is just the section where I thank people for giving me the input I need
to make this guide more comphrehensive and overall more useful.
I thank:
-Atlus for bringing such an awesome game over to the states. It's finally
Shin Megami Tensei's time to shine XD.
-Greiger RDragon for giving me the info on his demons' skills at various
points of the game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5. COPYRIGHT AND USE INFORMATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this guide is taken directly from Atlus of America's Shin
Megami Tensei: Nocturne. I claim no ownership of the game nor any of its
content. I also claim no affiliation with Atlus whatsoever. This guide is
copyright John Peron and I give permission for everybody to use and post it
freely on any site for any non-commerical purpose, provided due credit is
given to me.
© Web Media Network Limited, 1999 - 2024 This site is not affiliated in any way with Microsoft, Sony, Sega, Nintendo or any video game publishers.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.
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