Persona 4 Golden comes to Steam today and those who haven’t played it before must understand some of the basic gameplay features. One of the main elements of Persona 4 Golden is called “Social Links.” You can consider Social Links as a reputation system that slowly grows based on your actions in the game. The main character of Persona 4 Golden can form Social Links with various other characters. You will be forming bonds with other characters to gain more powers, skills, enter relationships, and gain abilities. You can use the newly gained abilities in battle.
In this detailed guide, we will discuss all Social Links in Persona 4 Golden, and how to start them at various locations in the game.
Persona 4 Golden Social Links and How They Affect The Game
In Persona 4 Golden you can form Social Links with your party members and each time a party member’s Social Link rank increases they will gain new skills and abilities. Gained skills and abilities differ for each party member. Below you will find a complete list of Social Skills, the name of the character, Arcana type, and the locations you can find them. Persona 4 Golden has 24 Arcana that translate into Social Links. Some of them are represented by one or multiple persons while others are story-driven.
| Persona | Arcana | How to Start | Established |
| Marie | Aeon | Go to the Velvet Room and speak with Marie | 4/18 |
| Chie Satonaka | Chariot | Talk to Chie | 4/18 |
| Hisano Kuroda | Death | On a Sunday or holiday, talk to Hisano at the Flood Plainspeak with Hisano at the Flood Plains | Rank 4 on Devil S Link |
| Sayoko Uehara | Devil | Work at the hospital | 5/25 |
| Shu Nakajima | Tower | Work as a tutor | 5/25 |
| Eri Minami | Temperance | Work at the Daycare Center | 4/23 |
| Ayane Matsunaga (If you join the Band Club) | Sun | Join the Band Club | 4/25 |
| Yumi Ozawa (If you join the Band Club) | Sun | Join the Band Club | 4/25 |
| Daisuke Nagase (if you join the Soccer Club | Strength | Join the Band Club | 4/19 |
| Kou Ichijo (if you join the Basketball Club) | Strength | Join the Band Club | 4/19 |
| Teddie | Star | Talk to Teddie | 4/19 |
| Yukiko Amagi | Priestess | Talk to Yukiko | 5/17 |
| Kanji Tatsumi | Emperor | Go to the school and talk to the girl standing next to the stairs and then speak to Kenji | After 6/9 |
| Margaret | Empress | Talk to Margaret in the Velvet Room while having level 3 Knowledge | After 5/19 |
| Investigation Team | Fool | Clear Yukiko’s Castle | n/a |
| Naoto Shirogane | Fortune | Go to the Shopping District and speak with the man in black. Then go to the School and talk to Naoto while having max level Knowledge and Courage | After 10/21 |
| Naoki Konishi | Hanged Man | Talk to Naoki three times while having level 3 Understanding | After 6/8 |
| Fox | Hermit | Talk to the Fox at the Tatsuhime Shrime | 5/5 |
| Dojima | Hierophant | Speak with Dojima | 5/6 |
| Adachi | Jester | Find Adachi at Junes and do “Hand out with Adachi” | After 5/13 |
| Seekers of Truth | Judgement | n/a | Starts on 12/3 |
| Nanako Dojima | Justice | Speak to Nanako | 5/3 |
| Rise Kujikawa | Lovers | Speak to Rise | 7/23 |
| Yosuke Hanamura | Magician | Speak to Y |
The most basic way to increase your Social Link with other characters is to spend more time with them. However, the process has more to it than meets the eye. There is a hidden counter in the game that keeps track of all your interactions and selecting a specific answer while spending time with a character can add additional points to this hidden meter. If you have a Persona from the same Arcana it’ll double the points which is why it is best to carry a Persona from the same Arcana when working on a relationship. You can read more about how to rank up your Social Links.
For more on Persona 4 Golden check out the Wiki.