All 46 Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes and how to unlock them

The Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes each provide a unique skillset that will enrich your tactical options, and here's all you need to know.

What are the Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes? Doing away with the monster-hunting elements found in Persona and the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, Metaphor ReFantazio’s abilities are locked behind different classes known as ‘Archetypes.’ There are 46 Archetypes in total, each providing a distinct suite of abilities, as well as their own strengths and weaknesses.

As we state in our glowing Metaphor ReFantazio review, “Archetype design is tight,” so you’ll want to use the ‘Inherit’ feature to bring over skills from multiple unlocked jobs. Certain Archetypes require specific combinations before they can be tapped into. Additionally, each Archetype awards a permanent stat bonus to the character it’s maxed on. As such, tracking down the best Metaphor ReFantazio farming spots and taking your time to level as many as possible is crucial to making the most of the Metaphor ReFantazio cast at your disposal. To learn all you need to know about the RPG’s Archetypes, including the recommended unlock order for each character read on.

Please note that we mention specific characters throughout this guide. Meanwhile, the final seven Archetypes aren’t unlocked until the late game and represent major story spoilers, so we’ve listed them in a separate section below the main Archetype list and unlock order headings. This is your spoiler warning.

Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes

Here are the Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes and how to unlock them:

It should be noted that MAG costs may fluctuate depending on how far into its respective character’s social link you are. This is because certain Bond breakpoints reduce the cost of researching Archetypes.

Metaphor ReFantazio Archetype unlock order

As the best Archetypes in the game all have specific dependencies, there is an optimal way to level them to help your characters unlock their final forms as quickly as possible. Some Archetypes are gated behind Bond ranks or story beats, so you can use this list, as well as our Metaphor ReFantazio Bonds guide, to figure out which social links are worth working on sooner rather than later.

• Protagonist – Seeker > Magic Seeker > Soul Hacker.
• Strohl – Warrior > Swordmaster > Commander > General (Rank 10) > Samurai.
• Hulkenberg – Knight > Mage (Rank 10) > Magic Knight > Paladin > Wizard (Rank 10) > Dark Knight.
• Heismay – Thief > Assassin > Gunner > Seeker (Rank 10) > Sniper (Rank 10) > Ninja.
• Junah – Masked Dancer > Faker (Rank 10) > Persona Master.
• Eupha – Summoner > Seeker > Magic Seeker (Rank 10) > Devil Summoner.
• Basilio – Berserker > Destroyer.

With the primary Archetypes for each character now maxed, you’re free to work on other Archetypes that can help accentuate your strengths and salve your weaknesses. For example, if you’re running a magic-focused build on the protagonist, then the Max MP permanent bonuses from the Mage and Summoner lines are crucial to your resource management.

You can also opt to finish up half-leveled Archetypes that served as dependencies for others. Strohl, for example, can finish up the General before leveling through the Warlord Archetype (provided you have Bardon at Rank 8 at that point). For Strohl, we’d also recommend taking the Brawler line as it opens up access to hard-hitting physical moves that cost HP rather than MP. This makes him a far more economical character to use in the early game, especially when you unlock the Emergency Aid ability through the Knight line to keep his health topped up out of combat for cheap.

If you’re heading into the late game, then you want to make sure you’ve completed the dependencies checklist for each character’s final Archetype – more on those below. Do try and bear these sorts of things in mind as you think about other Archetypes you want to invest in.

Metaphor ReFantazio Royal Archetypes

Once the main quest to awaken the prince from his slumber has been completed, you’ll gain access to the Royal Archetypes. These are unique in that, while they possess monstrous power, their abilities cannot be inherited by any other Archetype. What’s more, the ‘Prince’ Royal Archetype can act as a support for all synthesis skills, reducing the need to bring specific Archetypes into a battle to use them.

Here are the Royal Archetypes and how to unlock them:

If you want to level your Archetypes optimally so you can unlock the Royal Archetypes as soon as they’re available, take the following route:

• Protagonist – Not applicable, automatically unlocked.
• Strohl – Warrior > Swordmaster > Commander > General (Rank 10) > Samurai > General > Warlord > Royal Warrior.
• Hulkenberg – Knight > Mage (Rank 10) > Magic Knight > Paladin > Wizard (Rank 10) > Dark Knight > Mage > Wizard > Elemental Master (Rank 15) > Royal Knight.
• Heismay – Thief > Assassin > Gunner > Seeker (Rank 10) > Sniper > Ninja > Knight > Mage (Rank 10) > Magic Knight (Rank 10) > Dragoon (Rank 15) > Merchant > Commander (Rank 10) > Tycoon (Rank 15) > Royal Thief.
• Junah – Masked Dancer > Faker (Rank 10) > Persona Master > Faker > Trickster > Royal Masked Dancer.
• Eupha – Summoner > Seeker > Magic Seeker (Rank 10) > Devil Summoner > Magic Seeker > Soul Hacker > Royal Summoner.
• Basilio – Berserker > Destroyer > Brawler > Pugilist > Martial Artist > Royal Berserker.

While this may be optimal, don’t be afraid to take detours here and there. Metaphor ReFantazio encourages you to get creative with your strategies, so if you need to inherit a couple of skills from Archetypes not listed here then go for it. The final farmable area in the game will give you more than enough MAG and A-EXP to juice up all of your Archetypes, so if anything we’d recommend you go with your gut when it comes to leveling.

And that’s everything you need to know about Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes, how to unlock them optimally, and the permanent stat bonuses they provide. If you’re already thinking about your next Metaphor run, then be sure to check out if Metaphor ReFantazio new game plus is a thing, as well as what it might just entail.