Nemesis Tower Walkthrough - Persona 1
The Nemesis Tower is a semi-timed dungeon which is part of the Snow Queen Quest in Persona 1. You can access the Nemesis Tower by going through the door inside of the Library. Unlike the other two towers this dungeon is not timed in the literal sense - there is still a time limit but you can't fail the dungeon by taking too long.
How the gimmick in this dungeon works is the longer you take the further you'll have to climb in the dungeon and the harder the final boss becomes. If you only take 20minutes you'll find Michiko on the 5F and you'll fight her at her weakest. Taking longer than 20min but less than 1hr means you'll fight her on the 6F at normal strength.
Nemesis Tower Time Gimmick:
20 minutes: You'll fight Michiko on the 5F at her weakest
Less than 1hr: You'll fight Michiko on the 6F at normal strength
Longer than 1hr: You'll fight Michiko on the 8F at her strongest
I actually recommend you take longer than 1hr in this dungeon because this will give you access to a treasure room on the 7F with some really good items inside of it. One of these items is a Totem called Present which will allow you to fuse the Urdr Priestess Persona. Another reason to take longer than an hour is because it's a good opportunity to grind your characters and collect some Spell Cards.
Aside from this gimmick the only other unique thing about this dungeon is the Torture Room on the third floor. Inside this room you'll be given a choice to go through the door on the right or the left. Going through the door on the right will take you back to the first floor and will reward you with a Mirror Shard, this is actually the wrong path.
The only way to collect all 12 Mirror Shards is to go through the door on the left and to beat Michiko without collecting that Mirror Shard. Once you complete the Nemesis Tower visit the Cafeteria and talk with Toro, he'll give you 2 Mirror Shards for saving him. So, by giving up the one Mirror Shard inside this dungeon you'll end up with 2 of them instead.
Nemesis Tower Key:
1F: You meet Michiko Matsudaira, the tower's guardian
2F: Armor and Weapon Shops
3F: Velvet Room and Torture Chamber
Torture Chamber: This room is the special event of the Nemesis Tower. You'll be given a choice inside of this room, you can go through the door on the right which will take you back to the first floor and reward you with 1 Mirror Shard and a tip on how to defeat Michiko. The tip to defeat Michiko is "don't waste time getting to her" (funny considering you waste time going this route). Instead of going out of your way to get the Mirror Shard and the tip you'll want to go through the door on the left and continue through this dungeon. Beat Michiko and then talk with Toro inside of the Cafeteria once you complete this dungeon, he'll give you two Mirror Shards.
4F: Trish's Spring
5F - 8F: Depending on how long you take in this dungeon you'll fight Michiko at different floors
Tip: Before challenging this dungeon it's recommended you stock up on some Dis-Stone items to make it easier.
Nemesis Tower 1F
Nemesis Tower 2F
Nemesis Tower 3F
Nemesis Tower 4F Map
Nemesis Tower 5F Map
Nemesis Tower 6F Map
Nemesis Tower 7F Map
Nemesis Tower 8F Map
Nemesis is the final boss of the Nemesis Tower and there are 6 different versions of this boss that you can face depending on what order you do Nemesis Tower in and how quickly you reach the final boss. If you do Nemesis Tower as your first or second tower then you'll get an easier version of the final boss. Saving Nemesis Tower for last will result in Nemesis being about 15 levels higher on average.
Taking more than 1 hour to reach Michiko will make Nemesis stronger too - however the difference in strength is negligible in my opinion. If you get to Michiko in under 20minutes Nemesis will be level 31 with 2230 HP; if you get to Michiko in over an hour then Nemesis will be level 36 with 2580 HP. The difference is very minor in my opinion and I personally would rather the bonus loot on the 7F than an easier Nemesis.
In my opinion Nemesis is also the easiest boss of the three towers, mostly because he is weak to all elemental damage. Fire, Ice, Wind and Earth will all deal very high numbers to Nemesis which makes this a really easy fight. Below is a little bit of information to make the Nemesis fight easier for you.
Nemesis Vulnerabilities: Fire, Ice, Wind and Earth
Nemesis Strengths: Absorbs Blast damage and Repels Electric
Recommended Personas: Janus (Star), Aonbharr (Hermit), Sati (Priestess), Phaleg (Judgement)
Defeating Nemesis will get you a Mirror Shard and either 1 or 2 Ambrosia depending on what order you did this tower in. Once you complete this tower make sure you return to Toro inside of the Cafeteria and talk with him so that you can collect two Mirror Shards from him. This will bring our total up to 3 Mirror Shards for completing this dungeon!
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