A Beginner's Guide to Not Sucking at Digimon Story: Time Stranger
Welcome to the digital world. It's confusing, it's grindy, and it will punish you for not knowing its secrets. Let's fix that.
So, you’ve dived into Digimon Story: Time Stranger. You were probably expecting a chill monster-taming adventure, a cozy trip down memory lane. Instead, you've been dropped into a surprisingly complex and punishing RPG with more hidden systems than a government server. The in-game guides are vague, the learning curve is steep, and if you play it like you played the old games, you're going to have a bad time.
Don't panic. I've sifted through the noise, done the testing, and compiled the essential, no-bullshit tips you need to get started. This is the guide I wish I had when I first booted up the game.
The Absolute Basics: Combat and Exploration
Before we get into the crazy stuff, let's cover the fundamentals. The combat is turn-based, and the turn order is determined by your Digimon's Speed (SPD) stat. It has a simple rock-paper-scissors system for attributes: Vaccine beats Virus, Virus beats Data, and Data beats Vaccine. Always analyze your enemies to exploit their weaknesses.
While exploring, spam the Analyze function. It reveals hidden items and breakable objects that open up new paths. It's a simple thing, but you'll miss a ton of good stuff if you forget.
The Secret to Getting Strong: The 10% Rule
This is the most important part of this guide. The game does a terrible job of explaining its most crucial mechanic: how you actually make your Digimon stronger permanently. It's not just about leveling up.
The secret is the 10% Stat Bonus Rule. When you Digivolve or De-Digivolve, your Digimon gets a permanent bonus to its base stats (the blue numbers in parentheses). This bonus is equal to 10% of the stats it gained from leveling up in its previous form.
Here’s the simple version: the more levels you gain before you change form, the bigger the permanent stat boost will be. If you evolve a Digimon at level 10, you'll get a tiny bonus. If you grind it to level 50 before evolving, you'll get a much bigger one.
De-Digivolving is Not a Step Back, It's the Whole Point
This brings us to the next crucial tip. It feels counter-intuitive, but you need to De-Digivolve your Digimon constantly. Every time you hit a max level, you should devolve it back to its previous form. Doing this raises its Talent stat, which increases its maximum level cap, allowing you to grind even higher and get an even bigger "Stat Gap" for that sweet 10% bonus on the next evolution. This is the core gameplay loop. Level up, De-Digivolve, level up again, Digivolve. This is how you build a monster.
Myths Debunked: Bond and Talent
The internet is full of bad advice on this. Let's clear it up.
Talent: This stat only affects your Digimon's maximum level cap. It has zero effect on the 10% bonus formula itself.
Bond: This is just an on/off switch. As long as your Digimon's Bond is greater than 0%, you will get the full 10% bonus. A Digimon at 100% Bond gets the exact same bonus as one at 1% Bond. Stop wasting time grinding Bond to 100 before every evolution. Just make sure it isn't zero.
The Grind is Real, So Do It Smart
You are going to be grinding. A lot. To speed things up, find a good spot near a map exit. When you leave an area and come back, all the enemies instantly respawn. Kill everything, pop out, pop back in, and repeat.
As you level up your Agent Rank, you'll get points to spend on Agent Skills. Your first priority should be to unlock every skill that increases the amount of experience you gain. The sooner you get these, the less painful the grind will be.
Your Other Tools: The Farm and Your Phone
Don't neglect the Digifarm. This is where you can leave Digimon to train specific stats to meet evolution requirements. Pro-tip: write down the stats your Digimon need on your phone or a piece of paper before you go to the farm menu. You can't see the evolution requirements from inside the farm, and it's a pain in the ass to go back and forth.
You'll also get messages on your Digiline. Answer them. Some will let you restart a Digimon's training on the farm without having to go there, which is a massive time-saver.
Final Tips to Get You Started
Burn Your SP: Don't be afraid to use your skills in battle. Your SP regenerates quickly just by standing still in the world.
Support Cross Arts are Your Best Friend: Your agent has special abilities called Cross Arts. Early in the game, the support and healing skills are far more valuable than the offensive ones, especially in boss fights.
Always Convert at 200%: When you scan a Digimon to 200%, the one you create will have a higher starting Talent. Always wait for the 200%. Don't be impatient.
Make Dupes: Having multiple copies of the same Digimon is a good thing. It lets you explore different evolution paths. You can also sacrifice extra Digimon via Load Enhancement to give a massive XP and stat boost to your main monsters.
This should be enough to get you started on the right foot. The game is a marathon, not a sprint. Embrace the grind, understand the systems, and you'll be building god-tier Digimon in no time.