Yakuza Kiwami 2

General Tips

• Eating at restaurants is a very good source of early EXP, though you won't gain anything if your stomach is full. Certain upgrades and consumables let you eat more or empty your stomach faster.

• New abilities gained from secondary sources like skill books still need to be unlocked with EXP before they can be used.

• Wrecking up a store in a fight will make you temporarily unable to visit it, but they'll forgive you eventually.

• Taxis can be used to travel between Kamurocho and Sotenbori at will once you've been to both cities.

• The bonus Majima Saga unlocks in three parts, but even put together they're about the length of just one normal chapter, so it's best done all at once. Leaving it until after beating the game is not a bad idea, though he can send some money Kiryu's way as well.

• Selling items to Kamiyama the Weapons Merchant once he's unlocked increases his available stock which includes some extremely powerful gear. If you're loaded enough, you can buy and sell back his own stuff to quickly unlock everything. You can also buy some broken infinite-use weapons from him in Premium Adventure which make things like Bouncer missions and NG+ much easier.

• During Chapter 5 you unlock battles against Street Bosses of which a new one appears every 5 random enemy groups of various types you defeat (Delinquents/Thugs/Yakuza) in each city, up to 3 bosses for all six groups. Once defeated, Street Bosses can be recruited for the Clan Creator minigame from the same spot you fought them in. Beating all Street Bosses also unlocks the Triple Quickstep ability which is handy, but not really worth the time and effort except in a completionist run.

• If you're going for all substories, save at least one mahjong cheat item (Peerless Tile) for the "Against All Odds" substory. One can be found in the office one floor below Lullaby Mahjong in Kamurocho.

• The substory "An Ancient Rivalry" requires fighting a certain opponent in the Coliseum. You can identify him before entering a tournament (Tempest Tournament works) by his listed "Jujutsu" combat style. There are only two jujutsu fighers, so you can check and back off from the tournament in the menu until you see both of them on the opponent list which guarantees getting the correct one.

Combat Tips

• The standard charged-up punch (not kick) is very useful, letting you guard break or deal a big chunk of damage right to a standard combo.

• Some of the consumable drinks bought from vending machines give really useful (and up to game-breakingly powerful) combat bonuses.

• Weapons can now be picked up and pocketed during fights, but only until the end of the fight. Unblockable weapons like katanas tend to be the most useful pickups as picking up everything quickly clogs up your inventory.

• Extreme Heat Mode which you can eventually learn from Komaki makes you unkillable for its duration and is often worth saving up Heat for. It also has some very strong Heat Actions, such as one activated after landing a standard kick.

Minigame Tips

• If you're the completionist type, it's better to wait until Haruka's requests open up before going hard on minigames as you might otherwise end up having to re-do some tough challenges (like clearing the bingo board in golf).

• The batting center minigame becomes infinitely easier with the Serene Bat, so save up for it first if you're gunning for the top-end prizes necessary for full skill completion.

• Of the Toylet games, "The North Wind and the Sun... And Me" just requires a full bladder and holding down the button, but "Milky Nose" is trickier and is actually much easier if your bladder is only partially rather than completely full.

• Cabaret Club management is for the most part unchanged from Yakuza 0, so see that page for specific help.

• Some advice for the Clan Creator minigame:
  • Don't try to control everyone individually, it'll be a total mess. Find good spots for most of your guys and park them there, then have 2-3 offense guys as your mobile response squad. Line them up next to each other in the roster for easier selection.
  • Ability-wise, prioritize global power boosts like Essence of Onslaught over positional attacks like Majima's Dragon Twister. Damage-boosting skills in general are great, arguably the most useful ability is Komaki's True Essence of Sprinting which increases both attack and movement speed. Komaki can be recruited after beating him in a Colosseum fight.
  • If all else fails, the buyable DLC gives you a super strong roster right off the bat.
  • Beating all optional missions is not required even for all achievements/trophies.