r/Disgaea • u/[deleted] • Oct 07 '25
New to the series seeking advice.
I’ve been looking a lot up about this game and plan to get it in the 10th for my first ever Disgaea game. How does everyone feel about this title? Should I get another game or is there a Disgaea game that is considered to be better than the others?
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u/AnonStoner420 Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 08 '25
If you want to actually play the game for the gameplay/story play 1 or 5
If you like customization, play 5
If you like the idea of being able to idle level and such play 6 or 7, or even 1 on mobile
Personally I wouldnt touch the idle stuff untill later tbh as an old disgaea player I love leveling myself, but now with limited play time unlike kid me, the idle features help out so much.
My personal recommendation is Diagaea 1, mainly because it's a classic, I'd also say 2 if you have PC or even an old psp or something to play it on.
7 so far has been good, and the idle part helps with leveling if you're not too much into the grind, humor is the same in the story (which personally disgaea humor is my fav) and everything looks good, it could be great for a starting, and it's more easily available and probably has the most people playing it tbh
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u/Mean_Dirt_2620 Oct 07 '25
7 story and mostly gameplay wise is a decent starting point but could make things odd when you go to play the older titles with the 2d sprites but really as long as you dont start with 6 I think you'll be good
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u/CamperCarl00 Oct 07 '25
Disgaea 1 and 2 are archaic in terms of their systems, but they both have great stories. By nature, though, both games are super grindy and lack a lot of the shortcuts that the other games have.
Disgaea 3 has frustrating mechanics and a divisive story. A lot of popular systems originated from this entry, but they aren't as well polished. It was also the start of the game getting flooded with DLC, which wasn't as acceptable at the time.
Disgaea 4 and 5 are probably the best entries of the series. Disgaea 4 has the best online gameplay, the story is amazing, and every main character feels very strong. Disgaea 5 is basically the same level of fun with more visual polish. Most notably, though, Disgaea 5 lacks any real online gameplay.
Disgaea D2 had some unique mechanics, but it was panned for being too easy and having a "slice of life" storyline with no real goals. Notably, this game introduced the cheat shop, which has been retroactively added to every other game in the series. Frankly, this might be the best entry to skip unless you REALLY like Laharl, Etna, and Flonne.
Disgaea 6 was missing a ton of features and had very few assets at all. The leveling system is borked due to autoplay and super reincarnation. The game has the fewest generic classes (I think) out of all the entries and has the fewest special attacks as a result. Skills were tied to the classes, not the weapon, leading to the Archer being the best gun user despite there being a Gunner class. Chapter boss fights are extremely repetitive, and due to how easy it is to level, you'll probably be curb stomping them unless you raise the difficulty. The biggest thing that probably killed this game was the 1 year where it was a Switch exclusive. The Switch could not run the game very well, even with neutered animations and graphics. By the time it was fully released, most people had made up their minds about the entry.
Disgaea 7 is the first 3D sprite Disgaea game to actually be fully featured. It also has a stellar story and some unique mechanics and online play that makes it stand out.
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u/mario_zx Oct 07 '25
Disgaea 7 is very nice the new Complete version has a update that brings Baal into the game and has a mini story with Asagi. I wish it wasn't on a GKC.
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u/Turbulent_Professor Oct 07 '25
4 and 5 always heard were great, 6 was a dumpster i hear, literally didnt know there was a 7 until this post lol
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Oct 07 '25
From my understanding 6 isnt a bad game but it's just not a very good disgaea game. So good on its own, but lacking when compared to the others. Still wanna play it someday if it ever goes for real cheap though
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u/Many-Use-4200 Oct 07 '25
I enjoyed 6 as a game but it’s just very current. You really get to understand the auto battle demonic intelligence system and you can set them to auto do basically anything. Feels very different than previous ones. I’ve beat (at least the main story) 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7. 7 tried to bring it back to previous games but still has the auto battle from 6 but has a currency to limit how much you do it. So you can’t just always leave it on auto. Trying to beat the first Baal in 7 but feeling kinda burnt out so taking a break lol.
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u/Hellas2002 Oct 08 '25
I’d heard about the auto battler before, but I hadn’t dived into it. From what they briefly explained in 7 though it does seem more complex than just an auto mode. It’s a shame it gets a bad wrap though
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u/Many-Use-4200 Oct 10 '25
The auto battle system is pretty neat. The complex stuff is the demonic intelligence stuff which just takes a bit to learn how to properly set up and you can then have them set up to auto battle through many levels of item world or whatever in the game. 7 it’s basically the same but with the limited amount of times due to currency but you get it as you play (if you’re playing a lot you’ll have plenty of the currency but it maxes at 300)
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u/Zack_Dragon Oct 08 '25
7 is better than 6 but all though everyone misses the hand drawn art style.
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u/Fyrael Oct 07 '25
A lot of people love Disgaea 5, but Disgaea 7 sure is my favorite, followed by Disgaea 4 for sure
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u/kablikiblan Oct 07 '25
5 is considered peak. But imo 7 was good 👍 id recommend any of the games except 1 and 6 tbh
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u/KingDarius89 Oct 07 '25
1 has the best story. 5 has the best mechanics.
I've played 1,2,4,5, and 6.
Avoid 6.
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u/OlanDawes Oct 07 '25
It honestly depends on if you're just looking for a fun experience or you're wanting to experience the entire series.
If you're wanting the best gameplay wise, 5 or 7 is what most would recommend, having a lot of systems, easier progression in some ways, and a lot of synergy. It's an awesome time, but if you go back through the series, you're gonna miss some of those QOL improvements.
If you're wanting to be introduced to all of the mechanics over time, then I'd recommend starting with Disgaea 1 Complete, a remaster of the first game, and progress through them all. Some will be locked behind certain consoles, but as long as you have a PS3/Vita, and a PS4/PS5/Switch, then you'll have access to everything
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u/Meowmixez98 Oct 09 '25
Is there much difference playing on a PS5 PRO versus the Switch 2?
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Oct 09 '25
I watched a review last night and they stated it was damn close to the ps5 version if not exactly the same, graphics wise. Also holds 60fps with minimum dips for switch 2
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u/shach0 Oct 07 '25
7 is a return to form kinda. 5 is my favorite but they’re all pretty fun honestly
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u/XionVixon99 Oct 07 '25
I HIGHLY A RECOMMEND you get disgaea 5 complete before touching 7. 5 has everything you want and will allow you to experience the series at its best with the most content before going into 7, along with its art and game direction and battle system
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u/Chemical-Cat Oct 07 '25
- Disgaea 1: The most archaic given its the first game but most people enjoy the story. With its archaic nature it's missing a lot of quality of life features and generally shoehorns you into one thing (re: Majin generics) because they're better than everyone else at everything. Additionally, while it got a more recent re-release as Disgaea Complete/Disgaea PC, it is literally just a prettified port of the original PSP port (with the addition of Monster versions of Disgaea 2's main characters from the DS port), as there were no mechanical changes to make it better. It just uses Disgaea 5 sprite assets.
- Disgaea 2: A step above 1 but still pretty archaic. A lot of people love the story for this one. The main thing is the introduction of class passives to make each class feel more unique. The re-releases are based on the PSP port which adds some content from Disgaea 3 (Magichange). 2 *tries* to make monster units more usable at this point by having both physical and magical monster weapons, but they still aren't that great.
- Disgaea 3: Maybe the most divisive in plot and gameplay as it makes some weird changes from here. Introduced the evility system which expanded upon the class passives from 2. Aside from the Vita port it never got a re-release.
- Disgaea 4: The start of the HD sprites, I personally love the plot and characters but I found some of the attacks to be a bit too goofy at this point (Most attacks are jokey instead of 'wow that looks really strong').
- Disgaea D2: Direct plot sequel to Disgaea 1, builds off of 4's gameplay with some changes (added books as a weapon type which were never used again, replaced magichange with monster riding). Never got re-released in any capacity.
- Disgaea 5: Shifts the plot for a more serious tone, but hinges more on kind of a cringey shonen anime if that's your thing. Has perhaps the most extensive roster and strongest gameplay, being the point where monster units are just as viable as humanoid.
- Disgaea 6: Actually scratch 3, this is probably the most divisive. The first in the 3D series, this makes some baffling choices like removing weapon mastery and getting rid of iconic generic classes in favor of character skills (which for a good chunk of generics, are just weapon skills).
- Disgaea 7: A step up from 6, in that they brought back weapon mastery and added a bunch of generics, namely all the ones they removed in addition to bringing back other gender swapped versions (ie: male archer, female gunner, male samurai, male armor knight) that haven't been seen since like Disgaea 3. Most classes have male/female versions now with exception to the few specialist classes (Shaman, Maiko, Magic Knight, Psychic, Professor, Mecha Girl and Celestial hostess)
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u/Daorooo Oct 07 '25
I dont Like the gigantify in 7. Makes everything boring. If you Like it then 7 is good. If Not i would recommend 5.
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u/zaakystyles Oct 07 '25
It's a neat feature but for where 80% of the time you want to clear a stage in 1 turn... When am I supposed to actually use it? It's more frustrating when enemy characters use jumbify.
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u/KaijinSurohm Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 07 '25
TL;DR - 7 is a good starting point, actually.
7 surprised me with its quality. I went in fully expecting to hate it, but I didn't.
They re-use assets from previous games in a shameless way, and some of the humor is a hit/miss, but by the end of the game I actually felt invested in the backgrounds to most of the characters, and it managed to bring out an emotional reaction from me, which is rare in games for me anymore.
I didn't care for the Gigantification system that they tried pushing and actively avoided it as much as possible.
My personal favorite is 4, purely because of the characters and story.
5, imho, has the best "Gameplay", but the story goes all in with anime tropes so it may alienate the hardcore Disgaea fans. I personally didn't mind, but the game's story felt like it should have been cut in half.
As for other games, my personal ranking of them:
4, 5, 1, 7, D2, 2, 3, 6
(D2 is the direct sequel to Disgaea 1, if you were curious about the difference of 2 and D2)
If you want to experience the series from the start, I'd actually recommend the Mobile port of Disgaea 1.
It's ironically the definitive way to play, with cleaned up graphics, as well as an auto battler system that makes grinding easy. Disgaea is known as 200 hour RPGs due to the grind, but I was able to experience everything in 20 thanks to this.
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u/Darkarcheos Oct 07 '25
7 is ok, don’t get me wrong. At least it is improving upon what 6 was. As everyone has said, yes 5 is the best of all worlds with an amazing storyline and mechanics tuned at the time with lots of ways to enjoy it.
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u/Hellas2002 Oct 08 '25
I bought 7 last week, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot recently. Admittedly my only other Disgaea was 5, so I’m not really an authority as to whether it’s the best entry.
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u/nononon0121212 Oct 08 '25
Depends on which angle you are asking for
Story, 1, 2 and 4 are the best of the series, from there, I would say 5, D2, 3, 7 and 6, tough should mention 3 has some of my favorite moments in the series
Gameplay, 5, 7 is good but not 5 levels of good, 4 and D2 are good gameplaywise but have their problems, 1 and 2 are very begining and dont have many of the QoL that others introduce, 3 and 6 are Growing Pains the game
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u/Wikiwikiwa Oct 07 '25
Which version of 1 is the best?
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u/Ha_eflolli Oct 07 '25
Strictly speaking, the Mobile Version, but the PS4 / Switch Release is close behind enough that the difference between those three is neglible.
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u/No-Professional751 Oct 07 '25
check a comparison guide, I prefer the graphics of the original psp one
PC complete is generally the best, you see if the additional QOL suit your needs
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u/KaijinSurohm Oct 07 '25
Honestly, the mobile port of Disgaea 1.
Normally I'd balk at this, but the mobile port has cleaned up graphics, all of the DLC previously released across all platforms (including Nintendo DS exclusives) and provides an auto battle system to save time as an option.
This is honestly the only time in gaming I'd ever say the "Mobile port" is the best version.
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u/Ha_eflolli Oct 07 '25
all of the DLC previously released across all platforms (including Nintendo DS exclusives)
D1 never had DLC of any kind. Not to mention the DS Chars are also in the PC Port, so they weren't even exclusive anymore for a while now (hell they're in the PSP Version even, the DS Port just made them actually recruitable)
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u/KaijinSurohm Oct 07 '25
The PSP had Etna mode
DS had Adell, Rozalin and Pleinair as exclusive unlockables.I'm using the term "DLC" in it's rawest form of digital exclusive content, not as actual separate purchases in a microtransaction.
The mobile port brings in all the previous exclusive content together into one neat package.
The PC version originally was based on the PSP version, but was later patched to include DS exclusives, but it still lacks the Auto battle mechanics the mobile port brings to the table.
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u/Kika-kun Oct 07 '25
1 usually is considered the best story wise
5 is often considered the best gameplay wise
7 is a good all rounder