Yakuza: Like A Dragon takes a distinctly JRPG approach to the usual beat-em-up combat style of the series. Along with this unusual style comes a greater focus on leveling up your party by fighting enemies in the world. There are two major areas to level up: in dungeons and in the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
While the game’s underground dungeons, like the introductory one in Isezaki Ijincho, present a couple of floors worth of enemies to battle, the Sotenbori Battle Arena boasts several floors of back-to-back battles. If you’re looking to level up without running around to encounter new groups of enemies, then check out the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
What And Where Is The Sotenbori Battle Arena?
The Sotenbori Battle Arena is a training location where you can fight against various groups of enemies, progressing through 30 increasingly difficult floors to the top.
You need to reach Chapter 12: The End of The Yakuza to enter Sotenbori, thus gaining access to the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
As Ichiban prepares to track down his enemies and confront the Omi, you are presented with the Sotenbori Battle Arena as a spot where you can train against tougher foes than you’ve encountered up to this point.
Head to the river and follow it to the red crossed swords that indicate the Sotenbori Battle Arena’s location.
Once you arrive at the entrance, you’ll be greeted by Yappi, the Battle Arena’s resident host robot.
Speak to Yappi to hear some details about the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
Sotenbori Battle Arena Preparation
Before you enter, make sure you stop by Tsuruha Drugs in the north to stock up on key healing items, like Staminan Royales, which restore your HP and MP by 500.
Once you’ve finished stocking up, prepare your strongest party and equip your best gear before heading to the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
Many enemies in the Sotenbori Battle Arena are weak to elemental skills, particularly Electric.
If you want to make things easier on yourself, change your character’s jobs so that they can learn cross-class skills, thus gaining access to various elemental attacks.
For the male characters, change them to Foreman (Fire), Host (Ice), and Fortuneteller (Electric) to learn an elemental skill of each type.
For female characters, change to Hostess (Ice) and Nightqueen (Fire) to gain those two elements, though these characters likely won’t be relied on to attack.
You must level up your character’s jobs to the requisite level in the Skill menu to learn the elemental skills.
In addition, take some time to complete the Ichiban Confections minigame, so you can gain access to the Essence of Orbital Laser, an extremely powerful Electric skill.
Once you are happy with your skills, you are ready to enter the Sotenbori Battle Arena.
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 1-5
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
|
Win Within Ten Turns |
Golden Moth |
|
|
2 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
Golden Butterfly |
|
|
3 |
|
Win Without Tagging Out |
Golden Rhinoceros Beetle |
|
|
4 |
|
Win Without Skills Or Poundmates |
Golden Mantis |
|
|
5 |
|
Win Within Ten Turns |
Viking Helmet |
|
These first five floors should be straightforward, but you must be careful if challenging this area for the first time.
Congratulations on clearing the first batch; now, the challenge will begin to pick up.
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 6-10
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
|
Win Without Using Recovery Skills |
Golden Spider |
|
|
7 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
Golden Scorpion |
|
|
8 |
|
Win Without Tagging Out |
Golden Dragonfly |
|
|
9 |
|
Win Within Seven Turns |
Golden Stag Beetle |
|
|
10 |
|
Damascus Ladle |
|
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 11-15
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
11 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
High-density Metal |
|
|
12 |
|
Win Without Using Recovery Skills |
Silver Ingot |
|
|
13 |
|
Win Without Reviving Allies |
Gold Ingot |
|
|
14 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
Pearl |
|
|
15 |
|
Win Within Seven Turns |
The Prestige |
|
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 16-20
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16 |
|
Win Within Seven Turns |
Raw Platinum Ore |
|
|
17 |
|
Win Without Using Recovery Skills |
Raw Ruby Ore |
|
|
18 |
|
Win Within Seven Turns |
Raw Sapphire Ore |
|
|
19 |
|
Win Without Reviving Allies |
Raw Diamond Ore |
|
|
20 |
|
Win Within Five Turns |
Violence Guitar |
|
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 21-25
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
21 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
Empty Cough Drop Tin |
|
|
22 |
|
Win Within Five Turns |
Beat Anklet |
|
|
23 |
|
Empty Cough Drop Tin |
|
|
|
24 |
|
Win Without Tagging Out |
Revival Microphone |
|
|
25 |
Win Within Five Turns |
Empty Cough Drop Tin |
|
Sotenbori Battle Arena: Floors 25-30
|
Floor |
Enemy & Weakness |
Special Condition |
Special Reward |
Tips & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
26 |
|
Win Without Reviving Allies |
Electric Whip |
|
|
27 |
|
Win Without Using Recovery Skills |
Empty Cough Drop Tin |
|
|
28 |
|
No Allies Knocked Out |
Dragon Boots |
|
|
29 |
|
Win Within Five Turns |
Dragon Kinagashi |
|
|
30 |
|
Win Within Seven Turns |
Dragonhelm |
|
Farming The Sotenbori Battle Arena
Once you’ve completed all 30 floors in the Sotenbori Battle Arena, you’ll be crowned the champion.
Return to Yappi at the front of the Arena to choose from a list of checkpoints if you want to go back to a certain floor to claim the bonus reward or simply farm materials.
Identify the material(s) you need, then locate the floor(s) where it can be found to narrow down where to begin your farming.
With a powered-up party, you should now be able to clear these floors without issue; happy farming.