What Do Major Arcana Cards Do In Persona 3 Reload?

Though the arcana of the tarot has always been a prominent part of the Persona games, Persona 3 Reload brings them about in a far more prominent way. By collecting the Major Arcana cards throughout P3R after completing challenges like Full Moon operations or Monad Passages, you’ll unlock a wealth of power-ups to use in Tartarus.

With the Major Arcana cards also available through Shuffle Time after battles in Tartarus, choosing them as your prize results in a number of different boosts, whether it’s additional EXP gains, more items from enemies, better boosts in the Velvet Room, or much more.

Updated on March 8, 2024: With all the cards at our disposal now, we’re back to give our Persona 3 Reload Major Arcana cards guide a bit of a facelift with some extra info and the remainder of the Major Arcana cards.

What Are Major Arcana Cards?

In Persona 3 Reload, you’ll be introduced to Major Arcana fairly early in the game – as soon as you begin triggering Shuffle Time after battles when you begin exploring Tartarus in the earliest days of your stay in Iwatodai.

These cards look markedly different from regular Shuffle Time cards, since they appear initially as the standard blue tarot card, only to flip over once the cards spread on your screen to display a single arcana, each of which will be tied to a unique boost only applicable by choosing that particular card.

When you first begin encountering Major Arcana cards, you’ll only have a few to choose from, but you’ll unlock new Major Arcana cards after major battles in P3R.

The biggest and most immediate of them will be the Full Moon Shadow battles, which are conveniently named after the Major Arcana card you’ll receive to add to your deck back in Tartarus. However, to cover the missing tarot, you’ll also receive a new Major Arcana card as a prize for clearing every Shadow from within a Monad Passage beginning in the third block of Tartarus – the Yabbashah block.

After obtaining a Major Arcana card, that specific card is then put into your deck and may come up anytime after that during Shuffle Time, from the time you obtain it through the end of the game.

You’ll notice in the bottom-left of your screen on the Shuffle Time selection screen an outline of tarot cards, some of which may be filled in, depending on your choices so far. This is how many Major Arcana cards you’ll need to trigger an Arcana Burst. This new mechanic provides a one-level bump to all Shuffle Time cards for the remainder of your time in Tartarus that night, and you’ll also get to choose a card immediately as a prize for triggering it.

In the earliest days of P3R, it can be helpful to rush through the few Major Arcana cards you’ve got in the hopes of triggering that Arcana Burst earlier to max out your rewards, but later, you’d do well to be more selective. Not
needing
to choose every card you pull can change how you approach Tartarus for the night. Once you’re able, choose more carefully to sharp-shoot which perks you’d like to have that night.

When choosing a Major Arcana card from Shuffle Time, the perk lasts until you leave Tartarus for the evening, meaning you can safely return to the entrance or change your party without worrying about impacting your Arcana Burst.

Unlock Monad Doors With Major Arcana Cards

While we’ve already mentioned how Monad Passages are a great way to earn new Major Arcana cards in Persona 3 Reload, it’s also prudent to note that you’ll need specific Major Arcana cards to unlock the Monad Passage when you find it.

The game doesn’t typically give you one you can’t open at the moment (until the end, when you’ll need to complete a special request), but it’s important to keep in mind as you get new Major Arcana cards throughout the game.

All Major Arcana Cards And What They Do

In the table below, we’ve kept track of all the information you’ll need on every Major Arcana card in P3R. This includes the name of the card, how you get it in the game, and what perks it offers when chosen from Shuffle Time.

Every Major Arcana Card And Its Effects In P3R

All of your bonuses stack and accumulate, and you’ll retain any of the HP/SP changes you make to your party through Major Arcana cards when beginning a NG+ save of P3R.