Moon Phases Guide

The moon in Persona 3 Reload (P3R) plays a vital part in the story and affects the game in different ways. Find out more about what the moon phases mean, when they happen, and the effects they have in the game in this guide!

How Many Full Moons

There Are 10 Full Moons

Including the first battle, there are a total of 10 Full Moons in Persona 3 Reload's in-game calendar. However, do note that note that not all Full Moon days will require you to proceed with a fixed boss battle. For a full guide on all Full Moon Bosses, refer to our Full Moon Boss Guides.

List of All Full Moon Bosses

How Many Moon Phases Are There?

There are 9 Full Moon Phases in Total

The moon in Persona 3 Reload follows the phases of the moon in real life, with 9 phases in total. Each phase lasts for approximately 2-4 days unless an anomaly within the Dark Hour ensues. Players can ascertain the next moon phase by looking at their calendar.

Since the moon, sun, and planets move constantly, each moon phase comes with a variation. For instance, a crescent may be a bit larger or smaller than yesterday, but it is still considered a crescent.

All Moon Phases and What They Mean

Moon Phase	Meaning
New Moon	• Of some significance. • Start of a new phase. • May affect certain skills. • May affect battle and exploration. • Fusion Accidents occur more often.
Waxing Crescent	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.
First Quarter	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.
Waxing Gibbous	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.
Full Moon	• Great significance. • "Due date" before the story progresses. • Heralds the coming of a powerful Shadow outside of Tartarus. • Has significant impact on the story. • May affect certain skills. • May affect battle and exploration.
Waning Gibbous	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.
Third Quarter	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.
Waning Crescent	• No great significance. • May affect battle and exploration.

Moon Phases Effects

Focus on Full Moons

Full Moons have a significant impact in Persona 3 Reload's story, for it is during Full Moons that powerful boss Shadows appear outside of Tartarus. Find and eliminate these Shadows to unlock more areas in Tartarus and enable further exploration.

Full Moons act as due dates, which means you need to explore Tartarus until you get to the locked gate and do as much as you can regarding your Social Links, Quests, and Social Stats before a Full Moon arrives.

List of All Bosses

Fusion Accidents are More Frequent During New Moons

Fusion Accidents are strange occurrences in the Velvet Room wherein the resulting Persona of a Fusion is different from the one originally intended.

These occurrences happen more often during New Moons, so keep an eye out for them if you wish to take advantage of Fusion Accidents!

Fusion Accidents Guide

Affects Certain Skills

Attention!	This section currently uses information based on Persona 3 Portable.

Certain skills receive bonuses depending on the moon's current phase, most specifically New Moons and Full Moons.

More skills in Persona 3 Reload may be affected by other moon phases. We will update this section once we have more details, so stay tuned!

Persona 3 Reload Related Guides

All Tips and Tricks

Daily Life Tips

All Daily Life Tips and Tricks
Social Stats Guide	Quizzes and Exam Answers
How to Use the Computer	Fortune Telling Services
How to Increase Courage	How to Increase Charm
How to Increase Academics	What Happens if You Sleep
How to Use the Kitchen	Film Festival Dates and Results
All Part Time Jobs

Social Link Tips

All Social Links Tips and Tricks
Fix Reversed Social Links	All Romance Options
Best Social Links to Max First	All Clubs You Can Join and Their Schedules

Exploration and Battle

All Tartarus Tips and Tricks
Battle System Guide	Tartarus Exploration Guide
Theurgy Skills Guide	How to Shift Guide
Moon Phases Guide	Status Ailments Guide
Shuffle Time Bonuses	How to Open Locked Chests
How to Summon the Reaper	All Characteristics and How to Get
Fusion Skills	How to Get All Major Arcana Cards
Great Clock Guide	How to Beat Rare Shadows
How to Give Direct Commands

Persona Fusion and Leveling Tips

All Persona Fusion and Leveling Tips and Tricks
Fusion Guide: Normal and Triangle Fusion	Can You Inherit Skills?
All the Best Personas	Fusion Accidents
How to Increase Persona Slots	How to Skip Fusion Animation

Farming Guides

All Farming Tips and Tricks
Twilight Fragments Farming Guide	Gem Farming Guide
Money Farming Guide	How to Level Up Fast

Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks

All Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks
Best Names for the Protagonist	How Long to Beat
Can You Change Soundtracks?	Best Difficulty Settings
Can You Still Use the Bathroom?	All Trophies and Achievements
Missing Persons Guide	How to Fix the Broken Machine
Can You Save Shinjiro?	Ghost Investigation Questions and Answers
How to Use Rewind	How is Experience Shared?
How to Escape the Hot Springs	Does Persona 3 Reload Have Auto Save?