Persona 5 Phantom X Phantom Idols Explained

Persona5: The Phantom X functions differently from the mainline series in many ways to adopt the gacha mechanics. While the actual mechanics of the game have changed, things in the story and exactly how the Metaverse also have changed to help explain these different mechanics.

The idea of Phantom Idols is introduced to players early into the game when they are already getting a lot of information, along with the actual explanation being fairly brief. Even after revisiting the topic with Cattle later on, a clear explanation isn’t fully given to Wonder, and by extension, the player. Here’s exactly what Phantom Idols are and how they fit into the gameplay.

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What are Phantom Idols in P5X?

In terms of gameplay mechanics and what the player needs to know, Phantom Idols are characters that appear in the Metaverse to act as party members. This allows the gacha system to reward players with any number of Phantom Thieves without needing to worry about introducing their character into the story. Gameplay-wise, the difference between Phantom Idols and Phantom Thieves is just semantics, with every character you pull being a full party member in the Metaverse.

In the game’s world, Phantom Idols are cognitive beings that exist in the Metaverse, born of people with a strong will, even though they haven’t awoken to a Persona. This explains why some Phantom Idols are people you meet in the game who don’t have a Persona, along with members of the original Phantom Thieves who do exist somewhere in the Metaverse, with their wills being strong enough to create a cognitive copy of themselves.

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What Happens If You Pull A Future Party Member in P5X?

There’s always a chance in the gacha system that you end up pulling a character who is a party member who is later unlocked through the story. If this happens, you can end up getting party members before they get their Persona in the story, which may be a slight spoiler that is unavoidable. If this does happen, you’ll still get an additional reward when they do get their Persona in the story: a free Awareness Shard for that character. Awareness Shards can be used by:

Opening the Thieves menu and going to that character.
Select Training.
Along the left side of the screen, switch to the Awareness menu.
Use the Awakening button in the bottom right if you have a shard.

Awakening a Phantom Thief gives them a bonus effect depending on the character, along with a percentage boost to their stats. While leveling up a character boosts their stats a lot, Awakening characters will be the long-term way of making the best party.