With over 400 Digimon to collect, train, and evolve, Digimon Story: Time Stranger offers one of the most robust monster-raising experiences in the series’ history. But if you’re new to the game—or if it’s been a while since your Digimon World: Dusk/Dawn days—you might have noticed a stat that isn’t commonly seen in other RPGs: Talent.
At first glance, it’s simple to confuse Talent for a secret bonus or personality stat. It really serves a much more functional purpose in your Digimon’s development and overall potential, though. Let’s break down what Talent is, how it functions, and how to increase it effectively.
What Is Talent in Digimon Story: Time Stranger?
Talent is essentially your Digimon’s level limit, i.e., the total number of experience that your Digimon can gain before it will no longer be able to level up anymore. You can view this stat easily on your Digimon’s profile page, right below its portrait.
This is how you interpret the stat display:
- Top Right Corner: Displays your Digimon’s current level and max level (e.g., Lv. 15 / 25).
- Below the Portrait: Shows your Digimon’s Talent, which determines the upper level cap.
The more Talent your Digimon possesses, the farther it can level up, the more powerful it gets, and the higher-level Digivolutions it can obtain.
Why Talent Matters
Talent is not just a stat—it’s the foundation of your Digimon’s long-term power development. Increasing Talent allows you to:
- Bump up your level cap for more stat boosts.
- Receive higher-level Digivolutions that require higher levels.
- Increase training rewards on the DigiFarm down the line in the story.
Raising Talent without it will make even a high Digimon eventually reach a growth ceiling, and growing will be stuck.
How to Level Up Talent
You can raise Talent through a variety of methods in Time Stranger, from combat experience to item usage. The following methods are all those currently understood in full detail.
1. Use Talent-Awakening Items
The easiest method is through consumables such as the Talent Awakening Booster. They are viewed as loot drops, battle rewards, or in certain overworld chests.
Activated, they straight away increase a Digimon’s Talent by putting a few points on its max level.
2. Efficiently Win Battles
Your Digimon’s Talent grows naturally as it fights its way through battles—especially if it performs well. The following conditions speed up growth:
- Avoid getting hurt: Digimon that come out of battles without receiving any damage receive bonus Talent XP.
- Deal enemy weak points: Utilizing type weaknesses is stacked bonus.
- Attack finishing hits: The Digimon that lands the finishing hit in combat receives bonus Talent progress.
Having clean, decisive battles often is one of the more reliable long-term ways of developing Talent naturally.
3. Train on the DigiFarm
Once the DigiFarm feature becomes available later in the story, you’ll unlock another excellent Talent-boosting avenue.
Assign your Digimon to specific training modules designed to increase their base attributes and secondary growth rates. Some modules directly improve Talent or provide passive Talent growth over time.
4. Digivolve Your Digimon
As a Digimon Digivolves, its Talent increases naturally. This is among the easiest ways of increasing the level limit of a Digimon without using items or repeated training.
Although Digimon species and stage change differentiate increase in Talent, all Digivolutions at least provide some increase in Talent.
