"Well then, let's do the first step: Knock all the enemies down, and do a Hold Up!"
Initiating Hold-Up.
Hold Up is a game mechanic in Persona 5 in which the protagonist and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts surround the Shadows and point their guns at them.
Appearances[]
Overview[]
The ability to do a Hold Up is first unlocked on April 12, during the second visit to Kamoshida's Palace when Morgana teaches the protagonist about All-out Attack. However, negotiation is still not available until the third visit on April 15, after the protagonist has obtained Confidant ability Wild Talk from Igor.
To initiate a Hold Up, the party must Down all foes, generally by targeting their weaknesses or by dealing a Critical hit. This grants the protagonist the following options: All-out Attack, Talk or Break Formation. The Hold Up is participated by the protagonist and all other active party members who are not Downed or have ailments.
A Hold Up will not trigger, even if all enemies are Downed, if the protagonist himself is Downed or suffering from an ailment or is the only combatant that is not Downed or ailing. Furthermore, the elegibility for Hold Ups is only examined if the conclusive attack Downs at least one enemy; killing an enemy with an attack that would otherwise not have Downed it alone does not trigger a Hold Up.
Getting a Hold Up while the party is being ambushed allows them to break through the encirclement and lifts restrictions such as being unable to do Baton Passes, switch out party members or escape. Raising Futaba Sakura's Confidant such that she unlocks Position Hack can cause the battle to begin with a Hold Up, even if it was an enemy ambush.
Irregular Hold Up can occur in circumstances in which enemies are Downed without One More rewarded:
- a Follow Up attack.
- a Showtime inflicts Technical damage and Downs an enemy.
- the party member becomes fainted during their attack, such as via a simultaneous repel.
- Haru's multi-target gun attack, in the case of a simultaneous Down and block, although cancels out the reward of One More, can still yield a Hold Up.
- Position Hack activated.
- Thieves Guild knocking down a Shadow making its escape.
An irregular Hold Up will also be initiated if a party member other than the protagonist manages to Down the last enemies while having an ailment, although this does not involve the loss of One More.
Options[]
All-out Attack[]
- Main article: All-out Attack
Similar to previous Persona games, an All-out Attack is a special group attack that can be initiated when all enemies are Downed. Choosing this option causes the current non-Downed teammates in battle to join the protagonist in a team attack that deals massive Almighty damage to the enemies.
As a bonus, should this attack kill all enemies and finish the fight, a special conclusion screen appears called a Finishing Touch where a party member is highlighted with a special background and dialogue. The character selected depends on which character scored the final downing hit. For example, if Morgana downs the last enemy, he will be highlighted, even if he did not down all of the other enemies himself. If the battle is followed-up by enemy reinforcements, the finishing touch will not display. If All-out Attack is chosen in an irregular Hold Up, the protagonist will be highlighted by default.
Talk[]
- Main article: Negotiation
"Remember how I taught you Hold Ups and All-out Attacks? I'll teach you their practical use now. There's another use for Hold Ups besides simply defeating enemies."
During a Hold Up, the protagonist can choose to talk to a Shadow. The enemy can be asked to become a Persona for the protagonist or to give money or items.
Break Formation[]
The protagonist can choose to cancel out the Hold Up. Usually this lets the current combatant resume battle without using up their One More. For irregular Hold Ups, the next combatant will take their turn as normal.