Much like other protagonists, the main character in Persona 4 Golden can use more than one Persona in battle. He can even fuse two or more Personas at a time in the Velvet Room to create an even stronger Persona. Newcomers may be wondering how to obtain other Personas, and the short answer is: By triggering Shuffle Time.

The Shuffle Time mechanic makes a return from Persona 3, but Persona 4 Golden has added some changes from its predecessor and the original Persona 4. Not only does this gameplay mechanic potentially give the protagonist a new Persona, but it can increase the Equipped Persona's stat or even double EXP and money. Shuffle TIme can be a bit confusing at first, but it's something that P4G players will want to try and get post-battle - especially in the beginning.

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Understanding Shuffle Time & Sweep Bonus

Each time an enemy is defeated, players will receive experience, money, and sometimes an item. If they want Treasure Chest Keys, stat increases, or a new Persona, they'll need to try for Shuffle Time. This is a gameplay mechanic that occurs at the end of (most) battles - excluding boss fights. Players are given a set number of Tries. Selecting a card uses up a "Try." However, some cards will have 2 more (or 3 more) written above them in blue. As its name indicates, selecting the respective cards adds another Try to the counter (bottom-left corner of the screen).

Shuffle Times have a random chance of triggering at the end of battle. However, there are two surefire ways to get Shuffle Time:

• Defeat the last enemy with an All-Out Attack.
• Achieve Sweep Bonus during a previous Shuffle Time.

All-Out Attacks can be used if all enemies are Downed. Downing an enemy will occur if the character manages to land a Critical Hit or targets their Affinity Weakness.

If the entire row of cards are cleared during Shuffle Time, players will get a Sweep Bonus. This guarantees a Shuffle Time will occur at the end of the next battle. Players will also receive two additional Tries at the start of a Sweep Bonus. If a card in Shuffle Time is of a Persona that players already have in their party, the card will change. This also applies for cards of the Judgement and Death Arcana.

Every Card in Shuffle Time

While most cards will give bonuses (such as double Exp, restore some HP/SP), others will have consequences such as "No Money" and "No Exp." There's even a card that can End Shuffle Time if it's picked. Shuffle Time in Persona 4 Golden combines Minor and Major Arcana cards. Minor cards can double reward money or exp while Major cards have various effects including stat-raising and adding a Draw/Try to the Shuffle Time.

Here are the Minor Arcana cards and their effects in P4G:

• Pentacles: Increases reward money.
• Swords: Gives the protagonist a Skill Card.
• Wands: Increases experience gained.
• Cups: Restores some HP/SP after battle.

The "amount" of money, exp, etc gained from Minor Arcana cards will vary on the Suit number. For example, a Three of Wands will give more bonus experience than a Two of Wands, and so forth; the higher a Suit of Swords, the stronger the Skill Card.

Here are the Major Arcana cards and their effects:

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Should You Try for Sweep Bonus?

A Sweep Bonus is only good for those who are trying to farm Skill Cards, Persona stat increases, Treasure Keys, or Personas. It's possible to get continuous Sweep Bonuses if players are selecting the cards in the right order. For example, let's say Shuffle Time has a Sun, Cups, and Persona Card. Selecting the Sun Arcana first will add +2 Draws. Players can then pick up the Cups and Persona Card (which do not have a +1 Draw effect), thus obtaining a Sweep Bonus.

With the Sweep Bonus "active," the next battle will start players off with three draws/tries instead of one. This will give them the chance to pick up three cards that they want. Sweep Bonus also gives two additional cards to the Shuffle Time.

Unfortunately, to get a Sweep Bonus, players may need to select a card with more than one draw, such as the Tower Arcana (if it appears). This essentially means players will be tossing away all Experience gained in exchange for Shuffle Time bonuses.

If players are fighting low-leveled Shadows, then selecting cards like Tower and Moon to get more draws at the cost of Exp and Money will have fewer consequences thanks to the weaker Shadows. However, if players are fighting enemies such as the golden hands, which give a large amount of Exp and Money, or if they're fairly low-leveled themselves, then they're better off passing on a Sweep Bonus (or using up all their Draws).

Persona 4 Golden is available on PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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