PSA: Some Persona 3 Reload Social Links Can Be Missed

There are a number of Persona 3 Reload social links, and some of them can be missed due to various circumstances. Well, really only one could be totally passed by, but there are two others where you could end up missing out on a chance to finish them.

Which Persona 3 Reload social links can be missed in the game?

The big one to remember is Andre Laurent Jean Geraux, aka Bebe, who is the Temperance social link. There are three blockades to becoming friends with him as soon as possible. The first is you need to unlock the Bunkichi and Mitsuko social link, which is the Hierophant one at the Iwatodai Mall Bookworms book store, and get it to the third rank. During that event, Bebe will come up, find Bunkichi’s missing wallet, and introduce himself. 

Next is that your need your Academics level to be at rank 2, which is Average. This is because you need to check the Home Economics Room on the first floor of the school and be able to read the note. If you have that level unlocked, it will note you can stop by on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the After School period to participate in the Fashion Club and socialize with Bebe.

However, due to events in Bebe’s life, the final requirement is you must meet him and join the Fashion Club by June 8th. If you don’t, you miss your chance to access this social link. Since he’s there Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, that means you should go by June 5th.

There are two more people you should keep an eye on in addition to Bebe, however. These are the Hierophant Bunkichi and Mitsuko and the Hanged Man Maiko Oohashi. While both are very easy to start and appear in April and May, respectively, each one can end abruptly. This is because one optional element in the game involves rescuing people who happened to find their way into Tartarus. If you don’t do so by the next Full Moon, they’re lost forever. 

Bunkichi will be the first to end up in Tartarus in September, and you need to rescue him before October 4th. If you don’t, the Hierophant social link becomes permanently inaccessible for the rest of the run. 

Maiko is the second social link NPC in Persona 3 Reload to end up in Tartarus. She ends up lost in there in October. As such, you need to get her out before November 3rd. If you don’t, the Hanged Man social link ends.

You’ll know if you missed saving both characters from Tartarus. In class after the full moon, you’ll hear one of your classmates note at the start of the After School phase that an old man or a little girl went missing. You can also check the signboard outside the police station at Paulownia Mall to see their names listed there among the missing.

Which Persona 3 Reload social links have special requirements?

While some social links in the game are really easy or obvious to find, others aren’t! They involve getting to certain ranks with other characters, getting your social stats to certain points, or waiting until specific times. 

Here’s a list of ones to be aware of, aside from Bebe.

• Akinari (The Sun): Get the Hanged Man social link with Maiko to Rank 3. Get your Academics to Rank 4: Smart. Go to the shrine on Sunday during the Afternoon in August to find out he lost a red fountain pen. Go back to the dorm and check with Koromaru to get the pen. Give the pen to Akinari.
• Fuuka (The Priestess): Max out your Courage to Rank 6: Badass and talk with her After School starting in June.
• Mitsuru (The Empress): Max out your Academics to Rank 6: Genius and talk with her After School starting at the end of November.
• Mutatsu (The Tower): Get the Strength social link with Yuko to Rank 4. Get your Courage to Rank 4: Tough so you can enter Club Escapade at Paulownia Mall during the Evening and talk to the monk. Note that you’ll also have to get some drinks for the bartender before he’ll give serve Mutatsu his drink once your courage is high enough. The person on the left near the stage wants oolong tea, while the one on the right near the stage wants a Screwdriver. Of the two women talking to each other, the one in the striped shirt wants a Bloody Mary and the other a Margarita.
• Nozomi (The Moon): Get the Magician social link with Kenji to Rank 3. Get your Charm to Rank 3: Confident. Answer Pheromone Coffee, Red, and Hagakure Bowl to his three questions. Then, give him an Odd Morsel, which is found in chests in Tartarus’ earliest floors.
• Tanaka (The Devil): Get the Hermit social link with Maya to Rank 4. Get Charm to Rank 4: Smooth. After that, go to Paulownia Mall in the Evening for three days when he is there, giving him 20,000 yen, then 10,000 yen, then finally another 10,000 yen. After giving him 40,000 yen, talk to him again to start the social link.
• Yukari (The Lovers): Max out your Charm to Rank 6: Charismatic and talk to her After School starting in July.
• Yuko (Strength): Get the Chariot social link with Kazushi to Rank 3, while also asking her to walk home at Ranks 2 and 3. 

Persona 3 Reload is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.