Summary
With a Compendium boasting over 200 individual Personas, trying to figure out which Personas you should fuse early on inPersona 3 Reloadcan be imposing. Not only are there three types of physical damage and the usual slew of magic, but between status ailments, passive moves, and status boosts, damage can’t be your only focus.
And with such a long game ahead of you and an imposingly empty list when you first enter the Velvet Room, finding the best early-game Personas for Persona 3 Reload can be hard. Here are our picks for Personas that should make the cut.

8
Angel(Justice)
Nekomata(Magician)
In the very first block of Tartarus, Thebel, you’ll find many Personas who end up being weak to Electric damage. And although you’ll eventually receive not one but two teammates who are capable of natively dealing Electrical damage, at least until Akihiko recovers from his injuries, it’s up to your protagonist to dish it out.
Omoikane is effective in several ways – not only does it know Zio, the lowest-level Persona you can fuse able to learn said move, but it also knows Agi for additional Fire damage on top of Junpei’s and Dia to help Yukari on the healing front.

7
Dyad Fusion Recipe
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Some of the best Personas are the ones you find early on in the game as you wander through the distorted halls of Thebel, and Apsaras is a very strong choice when she comes up in Shuffle Time after you defeat enemies in the block.

Not only does she know Bufu, providing some of your earliest access to Ice magic before Mitsuru stops navigating and joins your battle team, but Baisudi being able to clear several status ailments may prove critical in battle. Once you’ve unlocked stronger Ice magic, Apsaras, as an early Persona, makes for great fusion fodder when you’re ready to fuse something stronger.
10

Omoikane(Hierophant)
Fortuna(Fortune)
Though they’ve changed the name of Bless and Curse skills to Light and Dark, Archangel remains one of the very first Personas you’re able to fuse who’s capable of learning a Light magic skill. Kouha may only do light Light damage to one foe, but when it’s your only access to Light magic, it does the trick.
Not only that, but Archangel knows Single Shot to offer you a second type of physical damage after your default Slash attack, and he knows Baisudi, too. And since you’ll fuse him at such a low level, he’ll have plenty of open slots to use some of those Skill Cards you’ve been collecting to add additional damage types to your attack roster.

15
Silky(Lovers)
Unicorn(Priestess)
Although Fortuna is the lowest-level Special Fusion you’re able to make in Persona 3 Reload, she’s definitely not a Persona to snub! Special Fusions are called that for a reason – not only do you need more Personas to actually perform the fusion, but the resulting Persona is a stronger one with access to some pretty powerful skills.
Fortuna can be built in a number of ways, but regardless of which moves you choose to give her, she’ll know Garu, Bufu, and Patra by default, providing you with a triple-threat of Wind magic, Ice magic, and status ailment curing.

23
Gurulu(Moon)
Matador(Strength)
But Fortuna isn’t the only early-game Special Fusion Persona worth pursuing – immediately after her is Pale Rider once you hit Lv. 23 for your protagonist, and this depiction of one of the horsemen of the apocalypse can be built to pack quite a fatal punch.
Given the Personas you use to fuse Pale Rider, he’ll have some of the strongest and most immediate access to Dark magic in your Compendium. Not only can it inflict multi-target Dark magic, but with Dodge Light keeping it safer than others from its only weakness (alongside that it repels Dark magic itself), you can hardly go wrong with this spooky Persona.
Berith(Hierophant)
Inugami(Hanged)
With so many elements to cover on your own with your protagonist’s ability to carry multiple Personas, it can be pretty easy to overlook the physical damage types on offer in Persona 3. While more modern titles have streamlined physical damage, in P3, there are three types – Slash, Strike, and Pierce. And though Rakshasa doesn’t cover them all, the two it does hit can be pretty killer.
With an impressive 20 Strength stat, you’ll be dishing out Vacuum Slash, Single Shot, and Power Slash to any enemies weak to Slash or Pierce damage. Speaking of, don’t worry about Rakshasa in a physical fight, either – it’s damaged normally by Strike moves, but is strong against Slash and Pierce.
Any Persona That Matches Your Social Links
Get Those Extra Points Easy And Early
Okay, sure, this one might not be as straightforward as the others, but your social links are critical to your Personas and their growth in a cyclical way – your social links strengthen the power imbued into new Personas fused in the same arcana as their social link, whilebringingsaid Persona to hang out with said social link rewards you with bonus affinity for each dialogue choice.
Be mindful of the social links you most want to build and be sure to keep Personas matching those arcana in your stock. Early game social links include:
By bringing Personas of these arcana, you’ll be more efficient than ever at maxing your social links in P3R.