Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth opens up a sprawling and richly layered experience across the sunny coasts of Hawaii and the neon nights of Japan. With its massive systems, character variety, and deep combat customization, it can feel overwhelming even for returning fans. And while the tutorials do a decent job of covering surface-level concepts, there’s a wealth of nuance and advanced mechanics left for players to uncover on their own. This guide focuses on those underexplained or easy-to-miss tips that can elevate your gameplay from survival to domination.

Think Before You Swing – Weapon Attacks and Positional Strategy

Weapon attacks—those dynamic moves where you grab an object while charging at an enemy—are a tempting go-to. They’re flashy, they hit hard, and can even strike multiple foes if they’re bunched together. But don’t let the spectacle distract from tactical thinking. It’s not always the best play. Instead, weigh factors like elemental weaknesses, enemy resistances, status effect potentials, and battlefield positioning.

Pushing enemies into walls, allies, or environmental hazards can often create stronger results than brute force. Grapples, in particular, are sometimes the more optimal solution—especially when dealing with shielded enemies. In rare but satisfying moments, grabbed objects can even deal elemental damage. Bottom line: stop and read the room before mindlessly charging forward.

Kiryu’s Dragon of Dojima Styles – Know When to Switch

Kiryu’s job as the Dragon of Dojima offers a three-pronged approach that smart players can use like a toolbox. Rush Style is perfect for sweeping up stragglers thanks to its double attack. Brawler is your heavy-hitter’s best friend, shining when you’re near weapons or want to pull off heat moves. Beast Style brings in grapples and guard breaks—essential for cracking those shielded enemies.

Because turn-based combat in Infinite Wealth allows you to take your time, you’re encouraged to scroll through these styles between turns. The game provides prompts for what’s possible in your current situation, so don’t be afraid to explore your options. Also, if you’re struggling with the timing-based attacks, try pressing the button a fraction early. The game appears to offer a more generous window before the circle closes than after.

Don’t Just Find Weapons—Forge Them

It’s tempting to treat found or bought weapons as one-and-done upgrades, but there’s a whole hidden layer of power here. Treat base weapons like raw materials. You’ll often collect duplicates, and these can become the foundation for customized gear at Julie’s shop. Once upgraded to level 10, weapons can be assigned Brands that dramatically shift their utility.

Want to enhance a weapon’s debuff potential? Double down on its natural traits. Prefer raw power? There’s a Brand for that too. You can even override Brands later with just a bit of cash. Breaking down weapons doesn’t give many materials unless you’re disassembling high-level gear, so resist the urge to purge your inventory—you never know when a second copy might become your new secret weapon.

Movement and Encounters – How to Gain the Upper Hand

Navigating enemy encounters has become more forgiving in Infinite Wealth. The new detection bar gives you room to slip by enemies without initiating combat, provided you don’t get too close. Even if you’re in the clear line of sight, you’ve got time to react. This lets you approach battles more deliberately.

Why does that matter? Because encounter positioning directly affects combat setup. Street battles begin with enemies in the same orientation you met them. Think of that cone of vision as a pre-fight planning window. Set up a wall slam or line up multiple enemies for an AoE strike. As your characters level up, their movement range increases, making this tactical prep even more valuable early on.

And here’s an important change from previous games: you can now run through enemies without getting knocked back, which used to cancel your attack. That restriction is gone—so plan your routes accordingly.

Chapter 4 and 5 – When the Game Truly Opens Up

There’s a massive gameplay shift after Chapter 4. It starts with the introduction of the Street Surfer—your stylish new personal Segway—and continues with the Sujimon Battles, a bizarre and oddly compelling monster-fighting side system where you recruit enemies for 3-on-3 combat. Ethical questions aside, it’s a fully developed side mode worth engaging.

Chapter 5 is when the job system finally unlocks. After conquering a lengthy dungeon at the end of Chapter 4 and progressing the story a bit more, you’ll gain access to the travel agency. Here’s where your characters can begin job switching. The first job, Aquanut, is free—but don’t miss out on spending $200 to unlock the Geodancer class for Chos and your female allies. Some jobs are tied to Ichiban’s personality traits, so visit the Onabara Vocational School soon after to begin improving those stats.

Also introduced here is the Photo Rally App, which rewards you for snapping shots of specific landmarks. It’s a light but satisfying diversion that encourages exploration.

Stat Buff Meals – Read Between the Lines

Those secret stat-boosting food combos? They’re real, and you’ll want to discover them. Look closely at the bottom-right corner of the restaurant order screen—it’ll show the name of the combination and how many ingredients are needed. But how do you find them?

The trick is subtlety. Item descriptions often contain the clues. For example, the “Up in Smoke” combo consists of Bourbon, Beef Jerky, and Smoked Cheese—all featuring the word “smoke” in their description or name. Pay attention to the language in food items and experiment. The payoff is worth it.

Status Effects – The Hidden Layer of Strategy

Status effects aren’t just gimmicks—they’re essential, and understanding them can shift the outcome of fights. Buffs and debuffs stack up to three times. If an enemy is weak to electric damage, repeatedly shocking them will stack the weakness effect, indicated by arrows on the icon.

Burn deals less damage over time, but poison ramps up the longer it lasts—so in long fights, apply poison early. Charm has replaced Brainwash as the top-tier confusion effect, and now it’s even stronger, sometimes prompting enemies to land follow-up attacks on their allies. Dive into the Help menu under Settings for a full breakdown of these effects. It’s hidden, but incredibly valuable.

Build Relationships—With Everyone

When shopping, look for items labeled as gifts or animal food. These are used to build relationships in Aloha Links, the social bonding system. You don’t want to be caught without a gift when the moment arises—especially since some bonds tie directly into character growth and unlocks. Even a humble coconut might save the day.

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth may not offer players infinite time, but it certainly rewards those who play with intention, observation, and a touch of creativity. Don’t let its sunny tone fool you—there’s a mountain of strategy under the surface. Embrace its systems fully, and you’ll find yourself not just surviving the streets, but mastering them.