Persona 4 Golden: How To Beat Happiness Hands

Conquering Happiness Hands in Persona 4 Golden: A Comprehensive Guide

Golden Hands are formidable foes in Persona 4 Golden, appearing randomly in dungeons, both in the overworld and lurking within chests. Each encounter presents a progressively challenging battle, making them some of the toughest enemies you'll face. However, their defeat yields substantial XP rewards, making the challenge worthwhile. This guide focuses on defeating Happiness Hands, the Golden Hands found in Yukiko's Castle, early in the game.

Happiness Hand Weaknesses and Strategies

Happiness Hands exhibit strong resistance to all 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, they're unavailable early on. Happiness Hands inflict minimal damage and may even skip turns, but they'll flee if given the opportunity. A weakness exploit or critical hit will trigger their escape. Therefore, prioritize targeting a single Happiness Hand if multiple appear; defeating even one is a significant achievement at this stage.

Essential Persona: Orobas and the Hysterical Slap

The most crucial element in defeating Happiness Hands is fusing Orobas. Orobas possesses the invaluable skill Hysterical Slap, a two-hit attack with a chance to inflict the Rage status effect. Rage prevents Happiness Hands from fleeing, forcing them to repeatedly use their basic attack. Orobas can be fused using the following Persona combinations:

• Apsaras + Forneus
• Apsaras + Slime

Battle Tactics: Maximize Physical Damage

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 even one Happiness Hand provides substantial experience points for your party.

Crucial Note: If you manage to knock down a Happiness Hand, avoid using an All-Out Attack unless you're certain of a kill. Otherwise, the enemy will recover and escape.