Persona 4 Golden: Battling the Enigmatic Happiness Hands

Conquering Happiness Hands in Persona 4 Golden: A Comprehensive Guide

Golden Hands, formidable foes appearing randomly in Persona 4 Golden dungeons, present a significant challenge, especially early in the game. While difficult, defeating them yields substantial XP, making the effort worthwhile. This guide focuses on overcoming Happiness Hands, the Golden Hands found in Yukiko's Castle.

Happiness Hand Weaknesses and Strategies

Happiness Hands exhibit strong resistance to elemental attacks. The key to victory lies in exploiting their vulnerability to physical attacks. While Almighty attacks are effective against Golden Hands later in the game, this isn't an option early on. Happiness Hands inflict minimal damage and sometimes remain idle, but they flee at the slightest opportunity. A weakness exploit or critical hit will trigger their escape. Prioritize targeting a single Happiness Hand if multiple appear; defeating even one is a significant accomplishment at this stage.

Essential Persona and Tactics

The most crucial element is fusing Orobas, a Persona possessing the invaluable Hysterical Slap skill. This skill's dual attacks, combined with its low chance of inflicting the Rage status effect, is game-changing. A Raged Happiness Hand will continuously use its basic attack, preventing its escape. Orobas can be fused using:

• Apsaras + Forneus
• Apsaras + Slime

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

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

Repeat this cycle until victory. Success heavily relies on luck early in the game due to limited options. However, defeating a Happiness Hand provides considerable experience for your low-level party.

Crucial Note: If you manage to down a Happiness Hand, refrain from using an All-Out Attack unless certain of a kill. Otherwise, it will revive and flee.