Soul Hackers 2 Soul Matrix Guide

Soul Hackers 2 is the new JRPG from Atlus and a new addition to the Soul Hacker sub-series of Shin Megami Tensei. Players get to form a team of Devil Summoners and take to a series of dungeons to try to save the world but when they're not progressing through the main story of Soul Hackers 2 they also have the option of visiting the optional Soul Matrix sub-dungeon. In this Soul Hackers 2 Soul Matrix Guide we'll cover the purpose of the Soul Matrix, what your characters will earn as you progress through it, and some of the optional quests that you'll come across in it.

Quicklinks: Soul Hackers 2 Party Members Abilities | Soul Hackers 2 Floor Guardians

What is the Soul Hackers 2 Soul Matrix?

If you've played Persona or Shin Megami Tensei this dungeon is likely comparable to Tartarus or the Labyrinth of Amala. There are three separate dungeons, each for one of Ringo's party members. As you work your way through the floors you'll need to obtain a high enough Soul Level with each of your party members while also completing the story to obtain new levels. Each doorway you open in the dungeon your party member will have a choice of abilities to select. These are some of the most useful abilities that your party will obtain so it's well worth ranking them up to earn these.

You'll obtain flashbacks and character stories up to the end of the 4th floor of every character's dungeon but if you want to obtain every skill they could possess then you'll want to get their Soul Level well over 100 to unlock and explore the 5th floor.

How do I level up a party member's Soul Level?

You can increase your Soul Level with your party members through the following means:

• Selecting dialogue options that favor that character through the main story
• Taking the character on Hangout events

Every time there's a chance via dialogue to improve a Soul Level the game will tell you exactly who that Soul Level will affect, and how much they'll obtain. You unlock more hangout opportunities by completing side quests, exploring dungeons and talking to Demons, and by progressing through the story.

In New Game + your Soul Link will increase even faster, this means that where you'd normally get 10 Soul Link you can now get 20. It pretty much ensures full completion of the Soul Matrix on subsequent playthroughs.

What are each character's upgrade abilities in Soul Hackers 2?

As you open the different Soul Link gates you'll get access to different characters' innate abilities. These won't be abilities that deal damage like Demon abilities but can give them increased chance to heal, ways to add faster to the stack, or map abilities to make traversing dungeons easier or harder. You'll always have a choice of learning certain options, whichever option you don't pick will still be an option next time you choose to upgrade so don't feel like you're missing out on anything, you just have a choice to prioritize where you want.

For each 10 Soul Link that you obtain for all three party characters, Ringo will also have the chance to learn a new move. This means all characters have to be at least 10 Soul Level for the first ability, and at least 30 Soul Level for the Third Ability, etc.

Below is a list of each character and all of the abilities they can learn, this list might be in a slightly different order than what you obtain based on how you selected the upgrades. I have bolded the abilities that will contribute to a higher stack count. It's also worth noting that certain character members gain extra affinity in certain elemental stacks. It's always worth ensuring Ringo can use Electricity abilities, Arrow can use Ice abilities, Milady can use Fire abilities, and Saizo can use Force abilities so capitalize on your stack potential.

Ringo Upgrade Abilities

• Traesto - Instantly escape a dungeon and return to the City Map
• LUK Hack - LUK increases by 3
• Optimize Process - When using skills in battle, there is a chance you won't spend MP
• Electricity Stack - When striking a weakness to Electricity, 1 demon joins the Stack
• Physical Stack - Physical skills ass 1 demon to the Stack when striking an enemy weakness
• Estoma - For a given distance, enemies 3 levels below Ringo will not appear
• Demon Skill Unlock 1 - Increases demonic allies skill slots by 1
• Recursive Processing - Low chance of increasing action count by 1 at start of turn
• Initiator Stack - When an ally's Bonus Attack succeeds, 1-2 demons join the Stack
• Demon Skill Unlock 2 - Further increases demonic allies' skill slots by 1
• Critical Stack - When you score a critical hit, 1 demon joins the Stack
• VIT Hack+ - VIT increases by 4
• Shortcut Command - Decreases turn cost of Commander Skills by 1
• Weakness Stack+ - When striking a weakness, chance of 1 demon joining the Stack

Arrow Upgrade Abilities

• Adept Healer - Strengthens the healing power from demons on recon
• Int Hack - INT increases by 2
• Vengeful Opportunist - When guarding, slightly recover HP
• Gunfire Stack - Gunfire skills add 1 demon to the Stack when striking an enemy weakness
• Wild Uproar - Higher stack counts in battle provide higher EXP bonuses
• Ice Stack - When striking a weakness to Ice, 1 demon joins the Stack
• Treasure Hunter - Demons on recon may acquire additional rare items
• Brotherly Guidance - Increases EXP gained by demonic allies on standby
• Deathblow Stack - When an enemy is slain, 1 demon joins the Stack
• Riberama - For a given distance, enemies appear more often
• Critical Stack - When you score a Critical hit, 1 demon joins the Stack
• LUK Hack+ - LUK increases by 4

Milady Upgrade Abilities

• VIT Hack - VIT increases by 3
• Carmilla's Echo - When an enemy is slain, slightly recover MP
• Coercive Glare - For a given distance, enemies cannot ambush you easily, and Bonus Attacks become easier.
• Fire Stack - When striking a weakness to Fire, 1 demon joins the stack
• Assassin's Eye - Increases chance of material/item rewards from enemies slain in sabbaths
• Physical Stack - Physical skills add 1 demon to the Stack when striking an enemy weakness
• Meditative Breath - Increases MP recovery rate in battle
• Sublime Massacre - Higher Stack counts in battle provide higher money bonuses
• Ailment Stack - When you inflict an ailment on the enemy, 1 demon joins the Stack
• Critical Stack - When you score a critical hit, 1 demon joins the Stack
• STR Hack+ - STR increases by 3

Saizo Upgrade Abilities

• STR Hack - STR increases by 2
• Thrifty Habits - When you use an item in battle, there is a low chance it will not be consumed
• Slowma - For a given distance, slows enemy movement speed
• Force Stack - When striking a weakness to Force, 1 demon joins the stack
• Decadent Feast - Effects of HP recovery items used in battle are 1.5x more potent
• Gunfire Stack - Gunfire skills ass 1 demon to the Stack when striking an enemy weakness
• Slick Negotiator - Increases chance of receiving powerful Mistiques as gifts
• Recovery Stack - When recovering HP, chance of 1 demon joining the Stack
• Critical Stack - When you score a critical hit, 1 demon joins the Stack
• Freelancer's Wit - Increases chance of demons on recon introducing high-level demons

Soul Hacker 2 Floor Guardians

At the end of each character's Soul Matrix dungeon there will be a boss fight before you can progress to the next level. We've noted here each of the bosses you'll fight as well as what they're weak/resistant to, as well as a basic strategy in case they have any special conditions. After defeating each of the Floor Guardians it will then be possible to summon them during Demon Summoning.

Arrow's Floor Guardians

1st Floor

Lv 10 Take-Minakata
At half health he will summon 2x Lv 9 Cironnup

Immune to Elec and Ruin

This fight is a relatively simple one where you'll just need to keep fighting. The Cironnup 

2nd Floor

Lv 26 Divine Archangel

Weak to Ranged
Normal to Physical, Fire, Ice, Force, Electricity
Blocks Ruin

He uses "Beast Eye" to get two actions a round
Affinity Resistance changes throughout the battle where he will be able to resist everything EXCEPT one type of damage. If you have the affinity revealed then you'll be able to see what he can change it to.

3rd Floor

Lv 40 Herald Sandalphon

Normal to Phys
Weak to ranged
Resist Force, Fire, Ice, Elec

Sandalphon will summon two Principality
(Weak to Phys & Elec, Immune to Fire and Ruin)

The Sandalphon will shatter a resistance to a certain element and then attack with that element. The attack will hit the whole party but will do 1K+ damage to the one who had the resistance shattered. It's worth fully healing them and having them defend if you have the chance
 

4th Floor

Lv 56 Kaburagi
Summons a Lv 56 Leanan Sidhe and a Lv 56 Kurama Tengu

Kaburagi
Weak to ice
Resists Elec

Leanan Sidhe
Weak to Fire.

Kurama Tengu
Weak to Elec
Absorbs Force

Milady's Floor Guardians

1st Floor

Lv 15 Herald Melchizedek
Will summon 1x Lv 14 Angel at 2/3rds health, and then another one at 1/3rd health

Weak to Ranged attacked
Strong to Physical and Ruin

2nd Floor

Lv 26 Kurama-Tengu and a Lv 26 Koppa Tengu

Kurama-Tengu is weak to Electricity
Kurama-Tengu will absorb Force attacks, block Ruin attacks, resist ranged attacks

Koppa Tengu is weak to Physical and Ruin attacks

The Koppa Tengu will cover the weakness of Kurama-Tengu with a spell so try to get in some powerful attacks quickly. After that attack physically against Koppa Tengu to kill him and drop the protection field.
Kurama-Tengu will use a more, transmigration, to spawn another Koppa Tengu

Kurama-Tengu has a chance to poison all of your enemies. If they happens try to have a few Me Lourdes Balls so cure your whole team.

Once the boss reaches half health he won't summon another Koppa Tengu but instead will summon another Kurama-Tengu. Unlike other Floor Bosses where defeating the main antagonist will end the battle you need to defeat both to conclude this battle.

Make sure no one in your party has Force Reflect on, if you reflect a Force attack it will then be absorbed by the enemy allowing them to heal themselves

3rd Floor

Lv 40 Fury Asura

Weak to Ruin
Resist Phys and Ranged

Throughout the battle Asura will continually up his attacks, while lowering his defences. This boss is the definition of a glass cannon. Any Demons that you can equip that will reflect Physical damage will be a great help. 

While he can give himself additional moves his priority if he gets inflicted with a status effect like poison will be to cure himself. It gives you a chance to have him waste his power

4th Floor

Lv 56 Summoner Kubaragi
Summons a Lv 56 Leanan Sidhe and Lv 56 Genma Kurama Tengu

Saizo's Floor Guardians

1st Floor

Lv 15 Fury Dionysus

Weak to Ice and Force
Resists Ruin, and reflect Fire

Honestly one of the more straightforward battles. Just prepare with a lot of force attacks and you should have no issue.

After defeating him you'll obtain the ability to fuse him

2nd Floor

Lv 26 Fairy Jack-o'-Lantern and Lv 26 Fairy Jack Frost

The video game 'ice and fire' battle, Be sure to have both elements in your party

Use ice on the Jack-o'-Lantern and Fire on Jack Frost

Additional Jack-o'-Lantern and Jack Frost will spawn each round, and then they will all attack
It's important to kill the originals as quickly as possible as this battle is like a neverending wave

3rd Floor

Lv 40 Reaper Chernobog

Resist Phys, Rang, Ice, Elec, Fire
Weak to Force

Will cast Poisma and other attacks to poison the party. If you have any poison resist now is the time to use it. 

At 50% of health a Nekomata will be summoned, can also summon a Mothman past that
(Weak to elec, absorbs Force)

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That's it for our Soul Hackers 2 Soul Matrix Guide - check out more guides below!