To get the true Golden ending in Persona 4 Golden, you need two things: the game’s true ending, which depends on specific decisions in December and on the final day in March, and Golden’s extra content, which requires maxing Marie’s Aeon Social Link before you clear the December dungeon and then rescuing her in the Hollow Forest in February. Miss Marie’s deadline and you can still see the true ending, just not the full Golden version. Below we cover Marie’s route first (it is the one people miss), then the true ending steps, with spoilers kept vague and flagged.
Spoiler warning: the true ending section below names dates, dungeons and the kind of decisions involved. It does not name the culprit, but it does reveal that the story continues past the point where it seems to end.
Which Version This Covers
This guide is for Persona 4 Golden, sold today on PC (Steam), PlayStation 4 (playable on PS5 through backward compatibility), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. Marie, the Hollow Forest and the Golden epilogue do not exist in the 2008 PS2 original, which has only the bad, normal and true endings. If you are playing the PS2 version, skip to the true ending section: the core steps are the same.
Part 1: Max Marie’s Social Link Before the Deadline
Marie’s Aeon link is the gate for all of Golden’s extra ending content. Per the community wiki:
- Start date: as early as April 18. Enter the Velvet Room, choose “Check on Dwellers”, then “Listen to Marie’s request.”
- Where she is: on free days she often waits outside the Velvet Room entrance in the Central Shopping District, when you are not in the middle of a rescue.
- The mid-game wall: the link cannot go past Rank 4 until July 24, so do not panic if she stalls in early summer.
- The hard deadline: the link stops progressing once you clear Magatsu Inaba and its boss in December. That dungeon’s own deadline is December 24, so the latest you can max Marie is December 23. In practice, max her before you enter Magatsu Inaba for the final push.
- Rank 10: she needs extra time spent with her before the final rank triggers, so do not leave it to the last day.
Maxing her link also gives you an Old Bamboo Comb, which unlocks the Kaguya fusion.
Part 2: Find Marie and Clear the Hollow Forest
With Marie maxed and the December dungeon cleared, Golden adds a new winter arc:
- Visit the Velvet Room on January 2. Marie is missing. Margaret offers to look for her; accept.
- Take Margaret’s calls in January. She gives updates on the search over the following weeks.
- The February ski trip. During the trip, a scene sends the team into the Hollow Forest, the Golden-only dungeon where Marie has sealed herself away. Per the community wiki, the team arrives on February 12 and the dungeon’s deadline is February 13, so go in prepared.
Hollow Forest Rules
The Hollow Forest is ten floors and plays differently from every other dungeon. Per the community wiki:
- You can only use items and equipment found inside the dungeon. Your normal inventory and money come back when you leave.
- Anyone who acts in a fight has their SP halved afterward, so special equipment and Shuffle Time Cup cards found inside matter a lot.
- Traesto does not work. You leave with Sacred Branches, dropped by Shadows or found in chests.
- There are two mini-bosses before the final boss.
Clear it, and Marie’s story gets its conclusion in the Golden epilogue.
Part 3: The True Ending (Spoilers Below)
The true ending is the same in Golden and the original, and it hinges on three moments.
Early December: The Hospital Decision
At the hospital in early December, the team has to decide what to do about a suspect. Pick the options that calm everyone down and question whether you have the right person. Player guides single out the last choice, “Calm the hell down!”, as the one that matters most. Taking revenge here ends the game early with a bad ending.
A Couple of Days Later: Name the Real Culprit
The team meets at Junes to reason through the case and you are asked who the real culprit is. Pick the correct name from the list. Guessing wrong, or failing to convince the team to keep digging, leads to another bad ending. Then clear Magatsu Inaba before its December 24 deadline.
In Golden, meeting at least the normal ending conditions extends daily life to February 14, which is what gives you time for Marie’s arc.
March 20: Do Not Go Home
On the last day, the game offers you a clean goodbye, and taking it gives you the normal ending. To continue, refuse to leave. Player guides describe the sequence: decline to go home, return to the Junes food court, decline again, and choose “I’m not finished yet” and “There’s something missing.” The team then retraces the case from day one.
After that, per the same player guides, talk to Dojima and Nanako at the riverbank, then visit the Velvet Room, where Igor gives you an orb. If you are also chasing the superboss, this is the moment our guide on how to fight Margaret tells you to re-enter the Velvet Room. Finally, clear the last dungeon, Yomotsu Hirasaka, and its final boss to see the true ending.
Which Ending You Get
| What you did | Result |
|---|---|
| Bad choices in December | Bad ending |
| Right choices in December, went home on March 20 | Normal ending |
| True ending route, Marie not maxed | True ending |
| True ending route, Marie maxed and Hollow Forest cleared | True ending with the full Golden epilogue |
Sources differ on whether a shortened epilogue plays without Marie’s arc, but they agree that her scenes need the Hollow Forest.
Tips to Stay on Track
- Plan Marie early. She shares the calendar with every other link. Our Courage guide and part-time jobs guide help you keep social stats moving without wasting days.
- Keep a save before each decision day. Early December, the Junes meeting and March 20 all have wrong answers that end the run.
Persona 4 is also being remade; our Persona 4 Revival news covers what is confirmed, and endings there have not been detailed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline for Marie’s Social Link? You must max it before clearing Magatsu Inaba in December, so December 23 at the very latest, per the community wiki.
Is the Hollow Forest required for the true ending? No. It is only needed for Golden’s extra epilogue content with Marie.
What happens if I go home on March 20? You get the normal ending. Refuse to leave and push the team to keep investigating to reach the true ending.
Does the PS2 Persona 4 have the Golden epilogue? No. Marie, the Hollow Forest and the epilogue are Golden additions.