Persona 4 Golden: Unlocking Happiness, Overcoming Shadows

Conquering Happiness Hands in Persona 4 Golden: A Guide

Happiness Hands are formidable foes in Persona 4 Golden, randomly appearing in dungeons and springing from chests. Each encounter presents a tougher challenge than the last, making them some of the game's most difficult enemies. However, their defeat yields substantial XP, making the fight worthwhile. This guide focuses on defeating Happiness Hands, specifically those found early in Yukiko's Castle.

Happiness Hand Weaknesses and Strategies

Happiness Hands boast strong elemental resistances, rendering most magical attacks ineffective. The key is to exploit their weakness to physical attacks. While Almighty attacks are typically effective against Golden Hands, they are unavailable early in the game. Happiness Hands inflict minimal damage, often wasting turns, but they flee at the first opportunity. A critical hit or exploiting a party member's weakness triggers their escape. Prioritize targeting a single Happiness Hand if multiple appear; defeating even one before they flee is a significant achievement.

The Path to Victory: Persona Fusion and Tactics

The most effective strategy involves fusing the Persona Orobas. Orobas possesses the invaluable skill Hysterical Slap, a two-hit attack with a chance to inflict the Rage status effect. A Raged Happiness Hand will continuously use its basic attack, preventing its escape. Orobas can be fused using the following Persona combinations:

• Apsaras + Forneus
• Apsaras + Slime

Before engaging, fully heal your party. Concentrate solely on physical attacks that consume HP, avoiding other actions. Utilize the following strategy:

• Yosuke: Sonic Punch
• Chie: Skull Cracker
• Protagonist: Hysterical Slap

Repeat this cycle until victory. Early-game success heavily relies on luck due to limited options. However, defeating even a single Happiness Hand provides significant experience gains at low levels.

Crucial Note: Avoid using an All-Out Attack unless a kill is guaranteed. Otherwise, the Happiness Hand will recover and flee.