Pierce (Mechanic)

Pierce is a recurring mechanic in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Overview

Pierce is a property of certain skills that allows them to ignore certain resistances and behave as if the target was Neutral against the attack; generally phrased as the skill "ignoring resistances" in its description. Piercing excludes Weak, allowing them to still inflict additional damage and provide Press Turn benefits.

Mechanics by Game

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax

Pierce ignores all resistances except Repel.

For the Demi-fiend and his Demons, Pierce is granted only to Strength-based attacks by the Pierce Passive. For Dante and Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV, all of their attacks can pierce with their respective Son's Oath and Raidou the Eternal Passives.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

The Spearhead sub-app allows all of the party's attacks to pierce all resistances for the rest of the turn. The Lucifer Sword gives the protagonist's basic physical attack the ability to pierce all resistances as well.

The only skill that innately pierces resistances is the enemy-exclusive Dawn Chariot.

Shin Megami Tensei IV

Pierce is granted to individual Attributes by their respective "Pierce" Passives. The only skills to innately pierce are the unique magic attacks used by the Archangels.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Repel affinities can now be pierced ― this includes both innate resistances and the effects of Tetrakarn or Makarakarn.

Skills that can pierce while the user is Smirking were introduced, along with skills that grant pierce to a specific Attribute for the user's party.

Shin Megami Tensei V

Pierce exists both as a property of skills and as a buff that can allow for any of the user's skills to pierce, such as Impaler's Animus.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Several Innate Skills interact with Pierce: Vinyl Bomb and Might of Dawn activate when their user is hit by an attack that Pierces, while Impenetrable Purity prevents attacks from piercing the user's resistances if they are guarding and have maxed Defense buffs. In addition, Qadištu Cohort allows the user and any Qadištu allies to pierce the resistances of any enemy with status ailments, and Dawn of Demise allows the normal attacks of all allies to pierce resistances.

Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2

Some passive skills and Panel completion bonuses allow all of the user's attacks of a given element to pierce resistances, with some covering multiple elements. Some damaging skills also pierce as an innate effect. In both cases, Resist, Null, Repel, and Drain affinites are usually bypassed.

In addition to standard Pierce, there are "weak Pierce" passive skill available from Skill Genome banners. These passive skills allow attacks of a given element to pierce, but reduce damage by 70% if piercing a Null, Repel, or Drain affinity. Leveling up the skill decreases the percentage of damage reduced.

Some passive skills can negate Pierce -- as long as the user is alive, enemies will be unable to pierce a particular affinity of any party member. These passive skills generally prevent Repel or Drain affinities from being pierced, with some protecting both simultaneously. Pierce negation for Null affinities is only provided by the enemy-exclusive Hell Shield.

Soul Hackers 2

Phys/Gun Pierce allows the user's Physical and Gunfire attacks to bypass Resist, Null, and Drain affinities.

Hellish Geyser bypasses Resist and Null affinities to Ice.

Persona 3 Reload

Pierce is innate to all damaging Theurgies.

Devil Survivor series

Pierce ignores all resistances except Repel.

Pierce is only a property of Physical skills, either innately or via the Pierce Passive. In Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker, Shizuo's unique Defenseless Passive behaves identically to Pierce.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE

There are two passives that grant Pierce properties to the user's physical attacks. The first one, Pierce, only ignores the damage reduction from having that attack Resisted. The second, Penetrate, works for all affinities except Repel.

Some skills can also pierce resistances as an innate effect. This piercing effect is equivalent to what's granted by Pierce.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning