One of the earliest quests in Shin Megami Tensei 5 is a choice-based quest found in Shiba Park and one that contributes to the replay value of one of the biggest JRPGs of 2021. This quest is called the "The Spirit of Love," where the protagonist will encounter a female entity known as Apsaras. She will task the protagonist with seeking out and destroying her rival Leanan Sidhe. Alternatively, Leanan Sidhe will try and turn the tables on Apsaras to initiate the Water Nymph quest leaving the player with a choice between taking sides with either of the Femme Race Demons. This will result in one of them joining the party while fighting the other.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 will often make the player choose between one quest or another. Even though many of these choices won't have a big impact on how the story unfolds, they still offer different challenges to overcome.
The Spirit Of Love Quest
- Complete the Preta Predicament subquest first.
- The party should make their way East of Shiba Leyline Crossing to talk to Apsaras.
- Head south-west to the Tokyo Tower Leyline Crossing and find Leanan Sidhe across the river and initiate a conversation with her.
- Leanan Sidhe will try and convince the protagonist to help her instead.
- Select the "Support the other side" option.
- This option will initiate a fight with Leanan Sidhe and Ippon-Datara.
- When the fight is over. go back and talk to Apsaras and she will join the party.
The Water Nymph Quest
- Initiate the Spirit of Love quest and talk to Leanan Sidhe
- Take the party East of Shiba Leyline Crossing to talk to Apsaras.
- Head south-west to the Tokyo Tower Leyline Crossing and find Leanan Sidhe across the river and initiate a conversation with her.
- Opt to Fulfill Leanan Sidhe's Request and this will activate The Water Nymph quest.
- Head back to Apsaras and this will initiate a fight with her.
- With Apsaras defeated go back and talk to Leanan Sidhe and she will join the party.
Leanan or Apsaras?
Apsaras
Apsaras is an ice-based demon and can prove quite useful against Shin Megami Tensei 5's Hydra boss fight. However, the protagonist will likely have encountered and recruited Obariyon and Daemon, both of which have ice-based magic. She's vulnerable to fire so one will need to be mindful against fire-casting enemies like the Hydra. In addition to choosing Apsaras will reward the protagonist with 2x Health Incense.
Leanan Sidhe
Leanan Sidhe is a demon with dark powers; she can also heal the entire party with the Media +2 skill. Despite her dealing moderate dark damage to enemies at this stage of the game, it's still a powerful demon. Apsaras will likely be the only demon in the party that has access to dark magic.
Recruit Leanan Sidhe
Both Femme Race demons are useful in battle but as the first choice, one has to go to with Leanan Sidhe. She has access to dark magic making her a more powerful choice for the long term in SMT5. In addition, Leanan makes a good support party member with her healing capabilities using the Media +2 skill to cast heal on the party. One can always select Apsaras on their second playthrough with the game's New Game-plus feature.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is available now for the Nintendo Switch.