Metaphor: ReFantazio is a game with an engaging RPG combat system that takes Atlus’ formula and takes it to the next level. Among the game’s many gameplay elements, the Archetype system is something that any and every Metaphor: ReFantazio player should master.
In a way, you can think of Archetypes as Metaphor’s version of the Persona system, but with some key differences. For one, the game steps away from the familiar gods/demigods/beasts of myth entities that served as your characters’ other selves. With Archetypes, they are now akin to a job class system and, while that means that there are fewer Archetypes than the Personas we’re used to, they have more involved growth mechanics. As they are the source of each character’s skills, ranking up Archetypes and choosing the right one is key to mastering the game’s combat system.
For players who are new to JRPGs, or for those who are unsure about what Archetypes to choose though, don’t worry as we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll guide you through what we think is an optimal approach to the Arcehtype system in the early game of Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Before we get started though, it’s first important to understand how they work. Note that this article may contain spoilers for the early game.
What is the Archetype System in Metaphor: ReFantazio?
As mentioned above, Archetypes enable players to use various magical or physical skills. In the story, what happens is that an Archetype embodies the character with the spirit and virtues of past heroes and kings.
In Metaphor: ReFantazio, each character in the player’s party can equip any Archetype they wish. While each character has a default Archetype that they awaken to, players can study new ones by paying Magla (or MAG for short). Characters can then switch between any studied Archetype at will. More advanced Archetypes can also be studied by fulfilling certain requirements (i.e. getting a specific rank with 1 or more Archetypes in addition to the MAG cost).
While swapping Archetypes is key, it’s important in the early game first to focus on specific ones to rank up instead of constantly changing. After all, Archetypes gain new skills as they rank up, and certain Archetype ranks are required for specific quests that give important rewards.
Another thing to note about Archetypes is that characters can inherit skills that they’ve learned from an Archetype that they’ve previously used. Note that MAG must also be paid for each skill during skill inheritance. You’ll start with one inherited skill slot, but you’ll gain more slots per Archetype as things progress. This is another thing that you’ll want to take advantage of, as we’ll discuss later with Hulkenberg.
While your party members’ Archetypes are important, perhaps the biggest thing to consider in the early game is what Archetype to choose for the protagonist.
Focus on getting the Healer Archetype to Rank 10 as soon as possible
At the start, the protagonist has the Seeker Archetype which is versatile, though you’ll soon want to switch to the Healer once available. This is unlocked by forming a bond with Maria, one of the protagonist’s first Followers.
The Healer archetype is invaluable as it features supportive abilities, along with healing skills. Making the protagonist the designated healer in the early game is a good choice given that the other party members excel more in physical attacks. What’s more, the Healer Archetype also has Light magic for offensive purposes which works to your favor as the first dungeon you can use the Healer with has a lot of Light-weak enemies.
The main reason for focusing on the Healer Archetype is to fulfill More’s quest and, in turn, ranks up your bond with him which gives two huge rewards. First, you will now get two inherited skill slots when using the Seeker Archetype. This gives you a lot of flexibility, and you can set the Seeker as your default Archetype when you don’t exactly have a specific Archetype need.
Second and most important of all, you will now get the ability to access the Archetype menu from your Main Menu which allows you to switch Archetypes on the fly versus having to look for a way to access the Akademeia to be able to do so.
The Merchant Archetype is an Excellent Choice to Get Currency
In the early game, getting extra gold is also something to aim for to get ahead of your shopping needs, be it for gear or consumables. For this purpose, ranking up the Merchant Archetype is the next thing that you should do. To get this Archetype, you’ll need to form a bond with Brigitta, another Follower, that will require you to get your Royal Virtue of Wisdom to Informed aka Rank 2.
The Merchant learns abilities that can increase the drop rate of rewards in battle and has a passive that lets you gain more money as you stun or defeat enemies in overworld combat. As such, you can equip this when you’re in a dungeon that’s not too challenging and farm to your heart’s content.
This works exceptionally well when you’re in an area where most or all the enemies are weaker than you, so you can defeat them with overworld combat and not have to go into turn-based combat. You can then go on a farming spree as you wipe out all the enemies on the map, go to More or More’s cat to go to the Akademeia, and then instantly go back which will cause all the enemies to respawn. Rinse and repeat.
Also, More gives you a quest to get the Merchant Archetype to Rank 15 to progress his bond.
Strohl – The Default Warrior Archetype is the Perfect Fit
Now we move on to the party members. For Strohl, his default Warrior Archetype is already a great fit for him. That’s because Strohl’s stats lean heavily towards Strength which favors physical attacks. By letting Strohl focus on the Warrior, you allow him to unlock a lot of the Warrior’s versatile kit. Heat Up (learned at Rank 3) boosts your physical attack damage. Slicer (learned at Rank 8) is a single-target multi-hit slash attack that’s quite strong.
The most notable one, in our opinion, is Critical Strike (learned at Rank 13) which is one of the most amazing opening moves you can abuse with the Retry / Reset function in combat. It’s a guaranteed crit but has a low hit rate so what you can do is just spam this as an opening move and retry until it hits. This lets you get a high damage hit in and, because it’s a crit, it will only cost half a turn icon.
What’s more, getting the Warrior to Rank 20 as well as raising Strohl’s bond unlocks another, more powerful Archetype – the Swordmaster – another great fit for Strohl. This Archetype specializes in multi-target attacks which is great for handling mobs and, at Rank 20, gains the ability that boosts your physical attacks by 50%. So, in our experience, Strohl shouldn’t need a change to make his role in the party more optimal.
Hulkenberg – Knight Class First, then Switch to Brawler
Things are a bit different for Hulkenberg though. She starts with Knight Archetype which excels in defense via skills that draw enemy attacks towards her. This gives her more of a tank role with her default Archetype.
While useful, we found that this defensive style needs more damage for you to have comfortable runs during the early game. Your mileage may vary, but we found that Hulkenberg works well with the Brawler class during the earlier parts of the game. This class is unlocked by forming a bond with Catherina which naturally happens over the course of the story.
Note that we only recommend switching to Brawler after reaching Knight Rank 5. That’s because this unlocks the First Aid skill – a healing ability with a low cost of 2 MP that heals a character for around a third of their health with the caveat that you can only use this skill outside battle.
The Brawler Archetype hits hard but at the cost of HP which, if managed poorly, can lead to an early death. Once it’s backed up with First Aid though, the Brawler becomes one of the most MP-efficient classes out there. Most of the early game offense skills are about 4 MP per use. The Brawler, on the other hand, can do roughly two offensive skills while the HP loss can be made up with one use of the First Aid skill. This is insanely useful when you want to stretch your MP usage as you push your dungeon runs.
Experiment as the Game Progresses
These Archetype tips are what we think would make for an effective strategy for the Metaphor: ReFantazio early game, but as soon as you rank up more Archetypes and unlock more by the mid-game, experimentation will be key.
Whether it’s to tweak your setup against specific dungeons/bosses, or if you simply have a preferred playstyle, the Archetype system in Metaphor: ReFantazio offers lots of flexibility so you can play how you want.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is out now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.