In Persona 4 Golden, Social Links can help you get closer to your friends, as well as power up your Personas. The higher the level is, the more bonus experience you can get when you form Personas of that Arcana. Your party members will benefit from higher Social Link levels too, since they can learn new abilities. But because of the limited time you have in Inaba, you have to plan your schedule wisely lest you end the year without maximizing your bonds.
Because some Social Links will unlock another one, or will no longer be accessible after a certain date, you will need to make sure you adjust the order you do things. It’s honestly easier to try and max out all of the Social Links on a NG+. This is because you will start the game with all of the Social Stats from before. Since weather can affect whether or not a character is available to interact with, you should keep an eye on the weekly forecast when you decide how to spend your time.
As a reminder, you will not be able to access party members’ Social Links on investigation days. You also cannot interact with the majority of them if it is raining. Here are the locations of all of the non-story-related Social Links in Persona 4 Golden:
Yosuke Hanamura (Magician):
Yosuke’s Social Link automatically starts on April 16. On Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, he is in Classroom Building 2F. On Sundays or days off you can find him at Junes. However, you cannot hang out with him if it is raining.
Yukiko Amagi (Priestess):
Yukiko’s Social Link automatically starts on May 17. She is in Classroom Building 1F on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On days off, she is in front of the bookstore. You will not be able to find her on certain Sundays. She is also not available on rainy days.
Margaret (Empress):
You can access Margaret’s Social Link from May 19, but she will not care about you unless you have Level 3 Knowledge. Margaret’s Social Link can be done in a fairly short timespan if you want to focus on other people. This is because she is always available and merely requires you to show her the Persona that she requests.
Kanji Tatsumi (Emperor)
Unlike the first three party members you get, you need to manually start Kanji’s Social Link. It is available from around June 9. To start it, you need to talk to a female student in Classroom Building 2F. After, go to Kanji in Practice Building 1F, which then unlocks the Emperor Social Link. Kanji is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. He hangs out in Practice Building 1F on weekdays and in front of Tatsumi Textiles on days off. If it’s raining, he is unavailable.
Ryotaro Dojima (Hierophant)
Dojima’s Social Link automatically begins on May 6. You can talk to him at home during nighttime. However, you will need to finish the dungeon first so that he can actually get home from work on time. If Dojima is home when you are gardening, you can get bonus points. Also, on days that Nanako’s Social Link is available, you will not be able to hang out with Dojima. Certain ranks (1-2, 3-4, 4-5) are locked unless you meet the requisite Level of Expression.
Rise Kujikawa (Lovers)
Rise’s Social Link automatically begins on July 23. She is available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can find her in Classroom Building 1F on weekdays, and the South Shopping District near Marukyu on days off. You cannot hang out with her if it is raining.
Chie Satonaka (Chariot)
Chie’s Social Link automatically begins on April 18. You can find her on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On weekdays, she is on the roof of Yasogami High, and on days off, she is in front of Daidara in the Shopping District. She is not available if it’s raining.
Nanako Dojima (Justice)
Like Dojima, you can hang out with Nanako at nighttime in the Dojima house. However, if Dojima’s Social Link is available, Nanako’s isn’t. Nanako’s Social Link automatically starts on May 3. Like Dojima, she does not have set days that she’s free, even though she’s literally home all the time. But she is available more often if you do not have an active dungeon you are exploring at the moment.
Incidentally, Ranks 3-4 and 5-6 are inaccessible unless you have the requisite Level of Expression. If you are trying to max out Social Links, your time limit for Nanako is October 31. So I recommend using gardening to get points to reduce how many times you have to hang out with her.
Fox (Hermit)
The Fox’s Social Link automatically begins on May 5, and it is available every afternoon. Like Margaret, the Fox’s Social Link is unique in that you need to complete quests to advance it. When you visit the Shrine, you can get an ema request. This does not eat up a time slot. However, once you finish the quest and report it, you will hang out with the Fox for the rest of the afternoon. Quests usually require several days to complete so it is best to start them early.
Naoto Shirogane (Fortune)
Like Kanji, you need to manually start Naoto’s Social Link. On October 21, talk to Naoto and then go to the Shopping District to talk to a man near Aiya. You will need Level 5 Knowledge to answer him and Level 5 Courage after you report back to Naoto. If you meet these requirements, then you can start Naoto’s Social Link. You can hang out with Naoto on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On weekdays, you can find Naoto in Classroom Building 1F and at Samegawa Flood Plains on days off.
Kou Ichijo/Daisuke Nagase (Strength)
From April 19, you can join either the soccer club or the basketball club, which then starts the Strength Social Link. No matter which team you choose, you hang out with both of them. You can hang out with Kou and Daisuke on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On occasion, they are available on Wednesdays. You can find them in Classroom Building 2F. As a reminder, the sports club does not meet if it is raining.
Naoki Konishi (Hanged Man)
On June 8, you meet Naoki, but that does not start his Social Link. To actually begin it, you have to talk to him two more times, as well as have Level 3 Understanding. You can find him in Classroom Building 1F. However, his location changes once you unlock his Social Link. You can find him in front of the liquor store on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. He is not there on rainy days.
Hisano Kuroda (Death)
In order to start the Death Social Link, you first need to reach Rank 4 of the Devil Social Link. Hisano has very limited availability, as you can only find her at the Riverbank on Sundays or the holidays. But perhaps because of this, you pretty much increase the Social Link Rank every time you hang out with her. For 6-7, you need to find her Husband’s Letter at Daidara’s, but after that, it’s smooth sailing. Keep in mind that you cannot interact with Hisano on rainy days.
Eri Minami (Temperance)
To start the Temperance Social Link, you need to work as an Assistant Daycare Worker, which becomes available from April 23. The Social Link formally starts on your second shift. You can work at the daycare on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays so long as it is not raining. To go to the daycare, you simply need to take the bus from the Shopping District.
Sayoko Uehara (Devil)
To start the Devil Social Link, you need to work as a Hospital Janitor, which becomes available from May 25. You unlock the Social Link on your second shift. You can work at the hospital on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. To go to the hospital, you simply need to take the bus from the Shopping District. As opposed to the daycare job, you can work at the hospital even if it is rainy.
Shu Nakajima (Tower)
To start the Tower Social Link, you need to work as a Tutor, which becomes available from May 25. The caveat is that you need Level 5 Understanding to apply. Once you get the job, though, you can go see Shu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Weather does not limit his availability. To go to Shu’s house, you can take the bus in the Shopping District.
Ai Ebihara (Moon)
Once you reach Rank 4 of the Strength Social Link, you meet Ai. When Ai asks you to skip class with her, accept her invitation. You need to have Level 3 Courage to commit truancy. The Social Link begins once your perfect attendance record ends. To hang out with Ai, you can find her in Classroom Building 1F on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. She is not available on rainy days.
Ai’s Social Link is very unique, and not even in the same way as Margaret’s or the Fox’s. Depending on your dialog options, you can actually reverse the Social Link, meaning that you’ll have to waste time to get back on track. You can also straight up break the Social Link at Rank 8, which locks you out of maxing it out for that playthrough.
Yumi Ozawa/Ayane Matsunaga (Sun)
Like with the Strength Arcana, you have the option to choose which club you want to join for the Sun Social Link. If you join drama, then you meet Yumi, and if you join band, you meet Ayane. You only hang out with the girl you choose, since they are not friends. The Sun Social Link can start from April 25 after you join a club, and you can attend meetings on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. You can participate in the cultural club even on rainy days. To hang out with them, you can either go straight to the club room or find Ayane/Yumi in Classroom Building 2F.
Adachi (Jester)
Adachi is the first new Social Link in the Golden version of Persona 4. You can manually start the Jester Social Link from May 13 by going to Junes and hanging out with Adachi. After Rank 6, his Social Link advances automatically with the story (aside from Rank 8) so just focus on getting there before November 1. Unlike other people, Adachi appears on certain dates rather than being on a set schedule. In the daytime, Adachi is in Junes and at night, Adachi is near the gas station in the Shopping District.
Here are the dates you can hang out with Adachi:
- May: 13th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 30th
- June: 5th, 10th, 11th, 15th (night only), 26th, 28th
- July: 2nd, 4th, 5th, 12th, 14th, 24th, 25th
- August: 23rd, 25th
- September: 1st, 19th, 20th, 21st 23rd, 24th, 27th, 30th
- October: 6th, 12th, 21st, 24th, 26th
- November: 1st
Marie (Aeon)
Marie is the other new Social Link in the Golden version of Persona 4. Completing her Social Link unlocks an endgame dungeon, so if you want to fully experience the expanded edition of P4, you should prioritize Marie’s Social Link. The Aeon Social Link can start from April 18, and you can find her at the Velvet Room in the Shopping District. Marie is available to hang out with on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. As a side note, because the other party members show up in Marie’s Social Link, you may not be able to advance her story if a required character is stuck in the TV world. Once you rescue them and they officially join your party, you can continue the Aeon Social Link.
Because of the limited days you have in Persona 4 Golden, there are a few tricks that you can do to minimize how many times you need to hang out with someone in order to max out their Social Link. Always make sure you bring a Persona of their Arcana when you visit them, and use the Shrine at night to boost your relationship values. The Shrine in particular is useful at the higher Ranks.
Persona 4 Golden is available on the PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Published: Jan 21, 2023 01:00 pm