Late-game party members aren’t new to thePersonafranchise, andPersona 4 Goldenis no exception. Naoto Shirogane is the final playable character to join the Investigation Team (IT). The protagonist and the others can spot her as early as May 16th, but she’ll take on a supporting role for the majority ifP4G.

Once Naoto is seen on the Midnight Channel, players will need to do a series of investigations around Inaba before the Secret Laboratory dungeon can appear. It’s recommended to be aroundlevel 55before facing off with Naoto’s Shadow. Although Shadow Naoto is far from the most difficult boss inPersona 4 Golden, battling her without a strategy will have consequences.

persona 4 golden tam lin

Shadow Naoto: Best Skills and Persona

Shadow Naoto’s dungeon (Secret Laboratory) unlocks onSeptember 16thand has a deadline onOctober 5th. If players are at the right level (lvl 55), they can swoop in and complete the entire dungeon in one sitting. However,if this is a first playthrough, players may want to wait untilSeptember 21stbefore tackling Shadow Naoto. This is due to aFusion Forecastfor the Sun Persona,Tam Lin. If players fuse Tam Lin on September 21st, it’ll learn theAmritaSkillandreceive bonus XP and stat-increases.

The protagonistmust be level 53 or higherin order to fuse Tam Lin. Players can XP farm by fighting the Golden Hands on the 6th floor of the Secret Laboratory.

shadow naoto persona 4 golden

Tam Lin can only be created via Special Fusion (Square). Players will need the following Persona of theSun Arcana:

While notrequired, players are advised toget the Sun Social Linkto a higher Rank (ex: Rank 8-9) if they’re unable to reach Rank 10 before September 21st. This will increase the XP gained from fusing Tam Lin and any other Persona of the Sun Arcana. If player’s Sun Social Link isn’t Rank 10 by September, then focus on the IT’s Social Links since they’ll be far more useful in battle.

Team Set-Up

Players are advised tobring in a healer(ie: Yukiko) and someone who cancast buffs for the entire team(ie: Teddie) ornegate enemy buffs(ie: Yosuke with Dekaja). Make sure the protagonist has a strong magic-attacking Persona, and make sure that it hasMind Chargeand a -dyne tier Skill(recommended: Ziodyne). There are Persona with stronger Magic than Tam Lin, such as Dis or Surt.

Teddie and Yukiko are useful against Shadow Naoto thanks to theirAmritaSkill. This will cure any status condition except Down or Unconscious.

Any characters that players bring into the fight with Shadow Naoto should have amaxed out Social Linkor at least a Social LInk around Rank 8-9. If a character has their Awakened Persona, then add them to the lineup. At this point inP4G, players should at least haveYosuke or Chie’s Awakened Persona. Once a Persona reaches its Awakening, it will learn a Passive Skill that increases theevasion rate of its Affinity Weakness. Since Shadow Naoto will target Affinity Weaknesses, having this Skillstacked with an Accessory that increases Evasion, is highly recommended.

Be sure to have Rise’s Social Link leveled up as well. Rise is more likely to buff allies (ex: Mind Charge) if the Lovers Social Link is at a higher rank.

Buy HP or SP restoring items from Shiroku Store or use the gardening box outside the Dojima Residence. If players tune into the Shopping Network onAugust 21st, they can get x5 Hiranya Cabbage. These cureall status ailmentsbesides Down and Unconscious.

If using the garden, consider getting the Tetracorn and Makaracorn from the garden, too. This will grant both Tetrakarn and Makarakarn to its user. Buy theBarrier Cornfrom the lady atJuneson June 25th, and plant them as soon as possible. Tetracorn and Makaracorn takes8 in-game days to grow.

If playersdon’thaveAmrita Sodaitem, they should bring inat leastone party member (protagonist not included)that knowsAmritato cure any status ailments.

Shadow Naoto Strategy

Shadow Naotodoesn’t have any Affinity Weaknesses, but for some reason,she takes more damage from Electric-based Skills. She also has access to every elemental Skill (-dyne tier). This means targeting the party’s Affinity Weaknesses won’t be an issue for her. This is whyTam Lin is recommendedfor her boss fight. It hasno Affinity Weaknesses, willNull Electric and Bless, and isStrong against Physical and FireSkills. It alsohasZiodyneas an innate Skill.

She’ll start by using single-target Skills such as Agidyne or Garudyne. If she manages toDownsomeone, she’ll follow up by usingHeat RiserorDebilitate. If she uses Heat Riser, useDekajaor aPurifying Wateritem to nullify the stat bonus. If she uses Debilitate, negate this withDekundaorPurifying Salt. Alternatively, casting a Support Skill that increases any of the stats (ie: Evasion/Accuracy, Attack, and Defense) will cancel out at least one of the effects of Debilitate.

There arethree unique Skillsthat Shadow Naoto will use over the course of battle:

Shadow Naoto will start using these Skills the closer she gets to half-health or if she manages to Down someone. If hit withGalgalim Eyes, cure it withAmritaand heal withDiarahan/Mediarahanas soon as possible. If hit withMute Ray, have someonenot Silenceduse Amrita. Finally, to combatElement Zero, players can either use Skills that add elemental resistances (ex: White Wall), or they can just wait out the effects (lasts three turns).

Have characters like Teddie or Yosuke cast -kaja buffs to increase Defense, Attack, or Accuracy/Evasion. Yukiko can be in charge of healing and using Agidynewhen not playing the support role. The protagonist (and the last party member) should be focusing on dealing Mind Charged or Charged attacks. Repeat this strategy, and Shadow Naoto will eventually go down.

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