Combat

Combat is a key mechanic and a major form of play in the Megami Tensei series, which involves battle between the player party and an enemy faction.
==Profile==
=== Overview ===
Generally, the combat is divided between player turn and the enemy turn, which will generally switch between one-another. However, each faction can take multiple actions at once, generally 1 per party member, and in unique cases, give said party members additional actions. Some games in the series utilize combos, such as via the Press Turn and One More systems.
The options available during battle differ between games, but common elements include using skills, items, guarding and escaping.
The system also takes stats, levels and equipment into consideration, such as armor and weapons. In the Megami Tensei series in particular, the units' weaknesses play an essential role in deciding the flow of battle.
The combat process ends when either the player or the enemy faction's HP is depleted. In most cases, the leader of the player party, the protagonist, is enough to cast a loss for the respective faction, and hence cast a Game Over.
== Game specific changes ==
=== Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse ===
In the Shin Megami Tensei IV duology, combat encounters do not occur randomly, but by making contact with enemy symbols in the overworld. However, this is not the case for mid-bosses and boss fights. Unlike previous Shin Megami Tensei games, a game over isn't triggered when the protagonist is knocked out, but instead when everyone in the party is killed.
=== Persona 5 / Royal ===
There's a chance for a second or more waves of enemies to appear after the current encounter has been completed. This happens based on chance, only when the protagonist is attacked by a Shadow, and whether there are other Shadow symbols nearby, which includes Treasure Demons. The number of additional waves is parallel to how many Shadows are nearby, but the maximum amount is capped to 5. If the additional waves are defeated, the guards that represent these waves disappear from the map as well. Multi-wave battles can also occur spontaneously and more regularly when Security Level rises to orange and red. Shadows in these battles will never get panicked or beg for mercy before the final wave.
Additionally, angering an enemy in negotiation and having them return to the enemy phase can reset the current encounter by re-summoning any killed Shadows.
=== Persona 5 Strikers ===
As Strikers is a Musou game, combat has been integrated for the genre. While combat starts when encountering a Shadow and ends when all enemies are defeated, the combat system is that of a hack n' slash, using button combos in order to perform different moves. As such, battles now happen in real time, only pausing when using a Persona and examining the command menu.
In addition to the protagonist being always present in the party, the player is able to assign 3 party members in order to baton pass to any of them, in and out of combat. Different party members have different combos.
==Gallery==
SMT5 Combat.png|Shin Megami Tensei V
P5_EnemyReinforcements.gif|Enemy reinforcements in Persona 5.
Category:Mechanics