Those who've never played Persona 4 Golden before may be wondering what lineup of Personas would be best to take on the first boss. Unless this is NG+, the types of Persona and fusions that the protagonist can obtain/make are very limited. The protagonist also can't carry more than a set number of Personas, which may be complicated for some.
In Persona 4 Golden, there's a feature called Shuffle Time that pops up at the end of most battles. Unlike Persona 5/Royal, the protagonist selects a Persona card instead of interrogating them. The cards are randomized, but each dungeon has its own obtainable Personas. For Yukiko's Castle, it's recommended to face Shadow Yukiko at level 15, which will allow P4G players some flexibility when constructing their team.
5 Eligor
- Level: 12
- How to get: Ghoul (Death) + Apsaras (Temperance)
While Eligor's Agi (Fire) Skills are ineffective against Shadow Yukiko, P4G players will want Eligor for its Strength and Endurance. It has weak Physical Skills such as Poison Skewer, but depending on which Personas were used to fuse Eligor, it could gain access to Cleave or attack-enhancing Support Skills, such as Tarukaja. Keep in mind that Eligor isn't meant to be a powerful magic attacker, despite gaining access to Maragi and Agi.
At level 14, Eligor will learn Arm Chopper, which deals light physical damage to one enemy with a slight chance of inflicting Fear. Poison Skewer and Arm Chopper can't inflict status ailments on minibosses or bosses, but Eligor's useful against Shadow Yukiko because of its Endurance, allowing the main character to take a few hits without losing too much HP.
4 Slime
- Level: 2
- How to get: Shuffle Time, floors 1-7
Slime may be one of the first Persona that players can obtain. Its stats aren't that great, but it's good to keep on hand simply for its Red Wall Skill, which it learns at level 4. Red Wall is a Support Skill that will reduce the damage and negate weaknesses to Fire. This is perfect to cast for Chie, who has Bufu (Yukiko's Affinity weakness) when battling Shadow Yukiko.
Remember that while Slime has an advantage with its Red Wall Skill, it's worth leveling up stronger Personas (such as Eligor) for the first dungeon. Its Evil Touch Skill is completely ineffective against bosses, despite having a high chance of inflicting Fear. Slime can be used later on to fuse another Persona.
3 Valkyrie
- Level: 8
- How to get: Shuffle Time, floors 5-7
Valkyrie is an all-around Persona, which may not seem useful, but its Strength and Magic are good for a first dungeon. It learns Bufu, which deals Ice damage to one enemy. It will also learn the debuff Skill, Rakunda, which lowers the Defense of its target for 3 turns. If P4G players keep it on the team long enough, it can learn Media at level 10. Media is a Healing Skill that restores a small amount of HP to all allies.
While Valkyrie can be earned from Shuffle Time, it can be fused with (example) Angel (Justice) and Forneus (Hermit). By fusing Valkyrie, some of the Skills from Angel or Forneus. In the case players have Eligor, they may not need Valkyrie, who works better as a physical attacker. However, Valkyrie's Rakunda and Media skills can come in handy. Just keep an eye on SP, since it's extremely easy to burn through SP in the beginning dungeons.
2 Saki Mitama
- Level: 11
- How to get: Senri (Empress) + Ukobach (Devil)
Saki Mitama has three great Skills: Dia, Bufu, and Sukunda. While P4G players will have Yosuke for healing, it's better to use him for his Sukukaja Skill, which increases a target's evasion/accuracy for 3 turns. Saki Mitama's Sukunda instead lowers its target's accuracy/evasion for 3 turns. With Sukunda and Dia, Saki Mitama is a great Support Persona, and its high Magic means it can make good use of Bufu as well.
P4G players can choose between Valkyrie or Saki Mitama if they want their protagonist to have an Ice Skill. It's recommended Saki Mitama handle magic offense and buffs while Valkyrie is used for physical offense. One Passive Skill that Saki Mitama gets at level 13 is Alertness. This will lower the chances of the party being ambushed.
1 Sylph
- Level: 11
- How to get: Pixie (Magician) + Nata Taisha (Chariot)
Although Sylph has poor Endurance, its Strength, Magic, and Agility are worth the trouble. Sylph can't be gained from Shuffle Time in Yukiko's Castle. However, several of the Persona needed for its fusion (Pixie, Nata Taisha, Yomotsu-Shikome, Ukobach, etc) are all obtainable on various floors. Players will want to make sure their level is high enough so that they can fuse Sylph without worry.
Sylph's main element is Wind (ie: Garu-Skills), but it also has Me Patra and Regenerate 1. Me Patra will dispel Confusion, Fear, and Rage for the entire party at a cost of 6SP. Regenerate 1, which Sylph learns at level 12, will restore the protagonist's HP by 2% at the end of each turn. It goes without saying why Regenerate 1 is a useful Passive Skill - especially for the first dungeon.
Persona 4 Golden is currently available on PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.