Conquering Happiness Hands in Persona 4 Golden: A Comprehensive Guide

Golden Hands, formidable foes in Persona 4 Golden, randomly appear in dungeons, lurking in the open or springing from chests. Each encounter presents a progressively tougher challenge, making them some of the game's most difficult enemies. However, their defeat yields substantial XP, making the battle worthwhile. This guide focuses on tackling 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 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 sometimes remain idle, but they flee at the first opportunity. A weakness exploit or critical hit will trigger their escape. Prioritize focusing down individual Happiness Hands if multiple appear, as defeating even one before they flee is a significant accomplishment.

Defeating Happiness Hands: A Step-by-Step Approach

The most crucial step is fusing Orobas, a Persona possessing the skill Hysterical Slap. This skill delivers two hits and has a small chance of inflicting Rage, preventing the enemy's escape. Orobas can be fused using:

• Apsaras + Forneus
• Apsaras + Slime

Before engaging, ensure your party is fully healed. Concentrate solely on physical attacks that consume HP, avoiding other actions. Utilize Yosuke's Sonic Punch, Chie's Skull Cracker, and the Protagonist's Hysterical Slap repeatedly. Early-game success relies heavily on luck due to limited options, but defeating a Happiness Hand provides significant party level-ups.

Crucially, avoid All-Out Attacks unless certain of a kill. Otherwise, the Happiness Hand will recover and flee.