The Emperor Beetle can be a tough challenge in Persona 3 Reload, but this fight becomes much easier if you can exploit its weaknesses–when it has any, that is.
The Emperor Beetle appears in two different forms in Tartarus: as a Monad Door boss in Tziah and as a regular mob in Adamah. As is the case with several other mobs that return–for instance, the Death Castle–it has different weaknesses in each version.
You can avoid encountering it in Tziah by not engaging with it inside a Monad Door, but we recommend taking it on. The XP and loot are worth the effort, though, since you generally get valuable materials to make better gear at Mayoido Antiques.
Here are the Emperor Beetle’s weaknesses, resistances, and affinities in Persona 3 Reload.
What is Emperor Beetle’s weakness in Persona 3 Reload? (Tziah Monad Door)
The Emperor Beetle is weak to Fire damage when it’s a Monad Door boss, but nullifies Slash and Strike. As with any enemy that suffers more damage from fire, Junpei is the play here, alternating All-Out Attacks between him and the protagonist.
How to defeat Emperor Beetle in Persona 3 Reload
As a Monad Door boss, this enemy is weak to Fire, which creates huge openings to get All-Out Attacks. The protagonist and Junpei can exploit its weaknesses easily, but if you don’t have Junpei with you, Fire-based Gems can also work to bring the boss to its knees.
The Emperor Beetle has three main moves: Tarukaja, Revolution, and Deathbound. Normally, it will set up at least one of its two buffs before unleashing the souped-up Deathbound, threatening everyone with AoE Slash damage. This gives you more time to take it down, though: You can get in a couple of All-Out Attacks before it unleashes Deathbound, but brace for damage when it does.
What is Emperor Beetle’s weakness in Persona 3 Reload? (Adamah)
Adamah’s version of the Emperor Beetle doesn’t have any weaknesses and will nullify both Pierce and Ice damage. This version appears as a regular mob throughout the last block, so you’ll find it pretty often.
In Adamah, on the other hand, Emperor Beetle appears as a regular mob with no weaknesses and some resistances. Resistance to Pierce doesn’t mean too much since the Pierce-based damage dealers (Yukari, Aigis, and Ken) can use other abilities to damage it. Mitsuru suffers quite a bit from strength to Ice, though she still has ways to play around it–mostly through Slash attacks, targeting other enemies, or just playing support.
The Emperor Beetle in Adamah is often more of a nuisance than an actual threat. It normally appears with other base mobs, which makes it harder to exploit the entire mob’s weaknesses and get a quick All-Out Attack. If you Ambush it and cause Distress, though, you can land a critical hit easily, which lets you follow up with big damage.
