Welcome to our beginner’s guide for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. In this article, we will provide you with all the necessary information to unlock every achievement and conquer the challenging Godborn difficulty level. Get ready to become a true Godborn with our comprehensive guide!
Prelude
In this guide I will frequently make reference to “CoV” Canon of Vengeance, and “CoC”, Canon of Creation. You are on the CoV route if you took the girl’s hand at the start of the game and Yoko is present in the story, and you are on the CoC route if not. These two routes have different stories, areas, and unlocks, and to get all the achievements you will need to play both, as well as get every ending (but not necessarily on separate playthroughs, if you get creative with saves).
Achievements That You Get From Just Playing
Finish the Prologue and fuse with Proto-fiend Aogami.
Learn 5 Miracles. Do this at the World of Shadows by selecting “Apotheosis” then “Learn Miracles”, which you unlock by defeating Abscesses, using glory from finding Miman and Amalgams.
Find and defeat a Mitama. Mitama spawn in set locations across Da’at, and can also rarely replace normal demon spawns. Without DLC, my favorite way to find Mitama is with the Ippon-Datara navigator. He has the highest chance to find encounters at resource points, which have a high chance to reveal Mitama.
Strike 100 Enemy Weaknesses
Defeat a Magastuhi Demon. Magatsuhi demons can rarely replace normal versions of themselves, and they drop rare items. You can tell if a demon is a Magatsuhi demon because they will glow a violent red. They are much stronger, and can access Magatsuhi skills which can one shot even at higher levels. To find them, you mostly just have to keep playing, and they will rarely spawn. Because they are rarer and harder to kill than Mitama, I would not recommend farming them.
Complete 5 subquests.
Complete 90 subquests. Subquests are easy to find, enjoyable, and largely straightforward, so I will not painstakingly write out how to complete all of them in this guide (Except those with achievements tied to them). I will say that you can complete this achievement between multiple NG+ cycles, so there’s no pressure to do every subquest in one file.
Use 20 Magatsuhi Skills. Skills that you can use with a full Magatsuhi bar, I.E. Omagatoki:Critical
Evade, Null, Repel, or Drain 50 enemy Attacks.
Examine 100 Search Points. Search points are not vending machines, they are the points a navigator like Amanozako finds for the player.
Trigger a fusion accident. Fusion accidents are completely random events that gives you a random demon instead of what you were trying to make during fusion. You can increase your chance of getting a fusion accident by fusing demons during a full or new moon, and later in the game by using the Mutative Element Miracle. It’s unconfirmed, but in previous SMT games using a dead demon in a fusion recipe also increased the chance of accident. I would recommend holding off on trying to get fusion accidents, (and the fusion accident exclusive demons: Hare of Inaba, Amabie, and Kinmamon) until you have the Mutative Element Miracle.
Recruit 30 demons through the talk action and subsequent demon negotiation during battle
Perform Essence Fusion (Skill inheritance / Affinity inheritance) 20 times.
Max out 10 or more demons friendship stats. Just play the game and check in with your demons in the haunt whenever they have an exclamation point icon in the party or stock. To expedite the process you can use gifts in the demon haunt.
Destroy 24 Abscesses. To get this achievement you need to destroy just about every abscess, or 24 across multiple NG+ cycles.
Give 20 gifts to demons in the demon haunt
Lose 100,000 Macca to Dormarth’s Macca Beam Give out 100,000 Macca to demons during negotiations
Collect relics from 400 vending machines
Obtain 50 Amalgams (The big apples that give glory).
Examine 19 Demon Stautes
Examine 20 Aogami Husks.
Learn 120 Miracles.
Collection Achievements
Seeker of Lost ChildrenFind 100 Miman.
Find 200 Miman. The easiest way to find all the Miman is by finding all 4 Cirronups, who mark all the Miman on your map for a small fee. Or find easier Mimans between multiple NG+ playthroughs.
Collect 36 different talismans. To get all the Talismans, you will need to do various quests, and talk to various npcs.
Cadaver’s Hollow
Element: Find 10 Miman
Avian: Find 30 Miman
Avatar: Find 45 Miman
Holy: Find 55 Miman
Fiend: Find 70 Miman
Kishin: Find 90 Miman
Genma: Find 100 Miman
Minato
Haunt: Complete “Preta Predicament”
Foul: Speak with the slime in Minato’s Hamamatsucho
Wargod: Complete “No Stone Unturned”
Brute: Complete “Talisman Hunt”
Yoma: Complete “Pollution Panic”
Femme: Complete “Demon of the Spring”
Fallen: Complete “Fallen Curse”
Raptor: Complete “Movin’ On Up”
Drake: Complete “The Ultimate Omelette”
Jaki: Speak with the Rakshasa on the Diet Building
Fury: Complete “The Destined Leader”
Shinagawa
Beast: Complete “A Wish for Fish”
Enigma: Complete “Song of Nostalgia”
Night: Complete “Kumbhanda’s Bottle”
Jirae: Complete “Chakra Chomp”
Divine: Speak with the angel in the container yard
Wilder: Speak with the Nue in the container yard
Vile: Complete “Magic from the East”
Qadistu: Progres the story CoV only
Tsukuyomi: Progress in the story CoV only
Chiyoda / Shinjuku
Lady: Complete “The Falcon’s Head”
Snake: Speak with Yurlungur in Yurakucho
Megami: Complete “The Horn of Plenty”
Kunitsu: Complete Clash with the Kunitsukami / beat the Kunitsu virtual trainer battle
Primal: Complete “The Great Adversary” CoV only
Taito
Panagia: Immediately upon arriving in Taito
Deity: Complete “The Bull God’s Revenge”
Tyrant: Complete “The Winged Sun”
Dragon: Complete “The Golden Dragon’s Arrival”
UMA: Complete “Brawny Ambitions II”
Herald: Complete “The Holy Ring”
Hall of Chaos
Chaos: Complete “Return of the True Demon”
World of Shadows
Devil: Start a Godborn mode playthrough
Collect 21 Periapts.
Minato:
Unwrit Order Periapt: Complete “Brawny Ambitions”
Treacherous Chaos Periapt: Complete “Knocking on Death’s Door”
Pixie Periapt: Talk to Pixie in West Shinbashi
Virtuous Neutral Periapt: Complete “Beastly Battle of Wits”
Servants of Heaven Periapt: Complete “The Angels Request” during the story.
Unwrit Chaos Periapt: Complete “Home Sweet Home”
Treacherous Order Periapt: Complete “In Pursuit of Knowledge”
Cardinal Deity Periapt: Complete “The Gold Dragon’s Arrival”
Mountain Gods Periapt: Complete “Sakura Cinders of the East”
Seeds of Dana Periapt: Complete “Holy Will and Profane Dissent”
Shinagawa:
Virtuous Chaos Periapt: Complete “Training Minato”
Virtuous Order Periapt: Complete “Tough Love”
Amorphous Periapt: Talk to Slime in Gotenyama
Grimalkin Periapt: Talk to Cait Sith in the Fairy Village
Treacherous Neutral Periapt: Complete “Essential Research”
Unrwit Neutral Periapt: Complete “Pixie on the Case”
Chiyoda/Shinjuku:
Shadow Warrior: Talk to Setanta near Ochanomizu in Chiyoda on CoC or West Shinjuku on CoV
Mischevious Mascot Periapt: Talk to the Lost Demon in the overworld of Tokyo on Shirokanedai street
Qadistu Periapt: On the ground after beating the Qadistu at Government Building 1
Taito:
Heavenly Kings Periapt: Defeat Bishamonten in Uguisudani
Children of Echidna: Talk to Orthrus in Ueno Park
Asgardian Kin Periapt: Complete “Rascal of the Norse” which is a request from Idunn in the Demon Haunt
Empyrean:
Siblings of Olympus Periapt: Complete “A Plot Revealed”
Exalted Seraphim Periapt: Complete “The Seraph’s Return” (Law Ending Only)
Elemental Oni Periapt: Talk to Ongyo-ki
Twinned Throne Periapt: 100% Compendium
Fill the Demon Compendium to 75% Completion.
Fill the Demon Compendium to 100% Completion. To do this you will need to finish at least 3 runs, with at least one on CoV, and one on Law, Chaos, and Neutral routes, as well as start a Godborn run. If you have done all of those already, a few typical culprits would be:
Hare of Inaba, Amabie, Kinmamon (fusion accident only)
Maria (Law quest), Danu, (Neutral quest), Innana (Chaos quest)
Just all the demons associated with quests and Superbosses.
Challenge Achievements
Omnipotent StrikeDeal over 9999 damage with one hit.
You should be able to achieve this easily and accidentally once you progress enough in the game. If you struggle, try using skills like charge or the Magatsuhi skill Impaler’s Glory that increase the damage of your next attack.
Defeat Agrat’s projection twice
In CoV, when Agrat summons illusions to attack you before her boss fight, defeat those illusory Agrats twice.
Win a battle after triggering reinforcements four times
This one gave me a lot of trouble. It’s partially RNG, but it also will not happen without the right setup. Reinforcements will almost always only occur if there are a large amount of other demons nearby on the overworld when a battle begins. The more demons around, the more possible reinforcements. You can further increase your odds by starting a battle during a full moon, and by using an attract pipe or the Riberama skill BEFORE the battle. A recommended spot for trying to get this achievement is in the cave near the start of the game, where the slimes all hop down at you.
Defeat Ishtar without destroying any of her 7 empowering towers. This is not terribly difficult, but it can be very hard on a first playthrough. With the Virtual Trainer, you can go back and re-challenge Ishtar at any time, so there is no pressure.
Endings and Superbosses (Spoilers)
The Makings of a KingComplete the subquest “Fionn’s Resolve”. To start and complete this subquest, you need to complete almost if not all of the Fairy Village related quests. This includes the quests from the Fairy Village residents, as well as a quest from the Kelpie in the third area of the game. Once the prerequisites are fulfilled, Fionn will appear at the top of the mountain in central Taito and challenge the player. Beat him to finish the quest. THIS QUEST IS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK THE TRUE NEUTRAL ENDING OF CANON OF CREATION
Complete the subquest “The Succession of Ra” This quest is CoC only. To unlock this quest, you have to do the entire Egyptian branch storyline. This means first completing “The Falcon’s Head”: quest giver Isis in the fairy village, “The Egyptians’ Fate”: quest giver Dominion in Taito Ueno, and “The Winged Sun”: quest giver Amon on the broken bridge in central Taito. After completing these quests, return to the Bethel Egypt HQ and talk to Isis to be given this quest. THIS QUEST IS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK THE TRUE NEUTRAL ENDING OF CANON OF CREATION
The first and easiest of the Super Bosses, this quest requires you to defeat Shiva in the quest “A Universe in Peril”. Shiva’s boss room can be accessed in Taito, at the place where you battle Vasuki, near the Asakusa leyline. You can only enter when you are level 80, but I would recommend that you be around level 90 with a decent build and strategy at least. The most notable features of Shiva’s boss fight is that he is weak to ice, summons reinforcements infinitely, and his unique skill, Tandava, deals almighty damage and lowers all of your party members defense to the minimum. A strong healer/buffer like Konohana Sakuya, Idun, Demeter, or Tao can trivialize this boss. THIS QUEST IS NECESSARY TO UNLOCK THE TRUE NEUTRAL ENDING OF CANON OF CREATION
Defeat the Demi-Fiend
Mr.Megami Tensei himself. You will face him at the end of the Menorah plotline, the Return of the True Demon quest, where you battle the Fiends for their Menorahs.
What you will need:
If you are not cheesing this boss by lowering the difficulty to safety or any crazy strats, you will need to have some things on your team. (FYI the accursed poison strategy that you might see on boards for SMT V no longer works in vengeance)
-Enduring Soul and Abyssal Mask on your main teammates. The Demi-Fiend has a skill that has a chance to just kill your whole party. Higher luck lowers the chance that you just die, but since he uses this skill whenever he reaches 75%, 50%, or 25% health, you’ll want some insurance. Enduring Soul is also just good in general.
-Reflect, Null, Drain, or resist almost every element. I would recommend having a fairly tanky demon on the field that only resists physical however, because if the Demi-Fiend finds that he has no targets for physical skills, he will spam his almighty high crit rate Freikugel and we don’t want that.
-Bring level 99 demons. You probably won’t be fighting the Demi-Fiend on your first playthrough.
-Bring MP restoring items like Soma. Don’t waste turns Energy draining. Konohana Sakuya can really help in the MP department for this long long fight.
-Bring Piercing skills, as the Demi-Fiend Nulls all elements
During the battle:
-Take down one of his demons before he moves 6 times, because if he does move 6 times without one of his teammates falling, he will use Gaea Rage, which is a guaranteed one shot on your whole party.
-At 50% HP the Demi-Fiend will attempt to heal back to full with Mediarahan. If you can inflict him with seal right before he casts it, you can save yourself a huge headache.
Get the Law ending of CoV. If your alignment (a moral indicator that changes based on your decisions in the story) doesn’t align with your ending, you might unlock fewer demons at the end.
Get the Chaos ending of CoV.
Get the Law ending of CoC.
Get the Neutral ending of CoC.
Get the Chaos ending of CoC.
Get the True Neutral ending of CoC. To get the true neutral ending of CoC, you will need to complete the three subquests above, The Succession of Ra, Fionn’s Resolve, and A Universe in Peril. HOWEVER THESE QUESTS CAN HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN A PREVIOUS NG+ CYCLE. If you have the demon from those quests unlocked in your compendium, you are ready to go. When you are ready, to lock into this ending, play as if you are doing a normal neutral run, but at the end of the game instead of selecting “Destroy the Throne” select “Create a World for Humanity Alone”. You will then fight a stronger version of Lucifer
Defeat Masakado. This quest is CoC only, but if you play CoV first and pick up a certain item, you can face a stronger version of Masakado. To unlock this Super Boss, you need to do a quest line given to you by Yoshitsune in the demon haunt, again, only on CoC. After completing “Will of the Samurai”, and “Trial of the Seven Stars”, you will be given the final quest. To get the item that you need to fight his true form, in CoV Shinjuku, from the Kabukicho leyline go as North and then East as you can, and look behind a buried shrine to find the Kiou Sword. Finding this unlocks the option to battle the true boss in later play throughs. However, this form grants no extra reward.
Kiou Sword Location:
-He will attack with every element, so make sure you at least resist anything he can throw at you.
-He uses Diarama every turn and heals for 2k hp, so deal more than 2k at the very least
Overall this Super Boss tests the basics of single opponent boss battles, just turned up to 11. He’s harder than Shiva but completely manageable at the end of a first or second run.
Endings and Superbosses (cont.)
Right of the GodbornDefeat Satan. There is misinformation surrounding unlocking this boss, but to be clear, the only requirement is to have a save file that previously cleared CoV. This means that to unlock Satan in a single run, all you have to do is beat CoV, save in a separate slot, and then reload your original slot. When this is done, Mastema in Shinjuku will have a new quest following the quest to kill Samael (which unlocks as soon as you enter the empyrean). Upon accepting this quest, you will get to fight the Super Boss, Satan.
Before the fight:
-Bring level 99 demons with most elements nulled, reflected, drained
-Without cheese this battle will last a while, so mp restoring items are good to bring
During the fight:
-The Boss will summon allies, and occasionally consume them, healing and changing his element. This means that you can take advantage of these weaknesses to deal extra damage compared to just piercing the entire time
-The Boss will attack with megido ark, an almighty skill that will one shot the majority of demons, meaning enduring soul and revival items are good to bring to this fight, and a stock of decent demons to bring in
Successfully defeating Satan. unlocks Godborn mode, which is the games final and toughest challenge.
Godborn Mode
Before starting a Godborn run, you will likely want to make some preparations. You can live without these preparations, but they are just nice to have.
1. Make sure you have all of the essences you might want stocked up before you start the run. Forgetting to bring Murakumo and then changing out your build can make the game much more annoying, since you wont get those essences back until way later
2. Do not grind before starting Godborne, because the enemies in Godborne drop way more cash and xp than in normal mode. However, hitting up all the demon statues for extra levels and purchasing as many Grimoires as you can (as they arent avaliable until end game) is reccomended.
Godborn mode then becomes selectable at the beginning of a NG+ cycle, and is separate from the difficulty setting. Godborn mode causes all enemies to be set to lvl 150, and when you unlock godborn mode you also unlock a miracle that allows you to raise your and your demons level cap to 150 as well.
To unlock this achievement, you must complete a Godborn playthrough.
If you wish to set the game to safety difficulty to just breeze through Godborne, you can. But I am here to tell you everything you need to know to beat Godborne hard with minimal grinding, even without the Mitama dlc.
You will notice upon starting your Godborn run that enemies in the early game can’t deal with your superior defensive affinities, and that is really good. Because enemies are level 150, they drop way more experience and macca, and your nahobino will quickly reach level 150 through normal play if you take advantage of riberama and attract pipes to get as many reinforcement battles as possible.
Make sure you seek out mitamas in any way possible as you go through the game, as they drop tons of exp, items and macca, at an absurd degree due to being level 150. Macca is more important than ever, because Gustave now sells balms and incenses (excluding the hp and mp boosting ones). Luckily, not only do enemies drop way more macca, but vending machines relics sell for way more too, which helps make the mitama dlc not super necessary.
Another really important thing to keep in mind when it comes to efficiently gathering xp and money is to just skip the xp gathering. You are probably really attached to your demons at this point, and their resistances are very helpful for getting through this part of the game, but the demon xp requirement curve is so bad that they will never level up without massive amounts of grimoires, which is not available or sustainable without crazy preparation. I would not abandon your previous demons, just keep in mind that it’s economical to bring in new ones, and maybe use your grimoires on a few passion projects from your previous runs, or demons who you’ve invested hp and mp boosters into.
Recruit and fuse demons from the ground up like it’s your first play through. Demons you get through negotiation and quests will come at a crisp level 150, and with the recalled divinity miracle, two or more demons fused at level 150 will result in a level 150 demon, meaning you can just fill out your whole compendium with level 150 demons and never worry about grinding. This also means that quest demons, like Apsaras, Konohana sakuya, Artemis, and Dagda, are available at level 150 from the start.
Matador is fusable with demons you get very early, and most importantly has the innate skill crippling blow. This gives him a chance (THAT SCALES WITH HIS LUCK STAT) to instantly kill any non boss monster that he crits or hits the weakness of. With high luck and yabusame shot, this guy is a farming and Mitama killing machine, who is also just great for getting you from boss fight A to boss fight B without having to spend years dealing with level 150 trash mobs. Fuse him already! Abaddon is frequently recommended, but it doesn’t make sense to fuse a level 70 something Abaddon who will miss and rarely proc crippling blow, when you can just as easily make a level 150 Chadador who won’t miss and one shots like crazy. Use this guy in combination with attract pipes/riberama and Omagatoki: Luck to get insane cash and xp from normal battles and mitama battles!
With the QoL and grinding out of the way, all that stands between you and beating Godborn hard is some strategizing for each individual boss, which will look different for everyone. But hopefully this gives you the basics that let you get what you need to progress smoothly.
Achievements You Get For Getting All The Other Achievements
Purger of MemoriesComplete all original mode Virtual Trainer Battles
Complete all Challenge mode Virtual Trainer Battles
These two achievements are basically just pats on the back for getting every ending. Why? Because each route has their own slightly different (Or slightly the exact same) versions of the virtual trainer battles. Meaning that to get these achievements, you have to unlock every virtual trainer battle from every route. So you pretty much need to beat the game 6 times to even attempt these. Once you unlock them though, they’re no big deal. You beat them at least once before after all.
You did it! Congratulations!
And that wraps up our share on Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance: 100% Achievement Guide + Godborn Basics. If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by TopS, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!