Metaphor Refantazio: Best Skills to Unlock First

Metaphor: ReFantazio might let you unlock and inherit pretty much anything from your Archetypes, but you want to focus on the best skills first.

After all, leveling up the Archetypes to unlock the skills takes time. On top of that, you always have to pay a Magla fee when inheriting the skill to use it with different Archetypes. This is especially true early in the game when you are most limited by time and resources!

Fret not, though, our guide will tell you which skills are absolutely the best to prioritize from the start.

Best Skills to Unlock First | Metaphor: ReFantazio Early Game Guide

First Aid

You can get First Aid when you reach Rank 4 with the Knight Archetype. Simply put, it’s one of the best first skills you can get for healing in Metaphor: ReFantazio.

It only provides a fairly weak heal to a single target, admittedly, but it only costs 2 MP to cast. This extremely low MP cost makes it a must-have early in the game when you’re most struggling to keep your MP topped up. Plus, it’s easy to get and the healing it offers is pretty decent for the early game.

Medi

As you make progress in the game, single-target Recovery skills start to lose their luster. After all, enemies love targeting multiple party members with their AoEs! That’s where Medi comes in. You can unlock this skill by reaching Rank 3 with the Healer Archetype.

It provides better HP recovery than First Aid and also spreads it to the whole party, although it has a much higher MP cost of 10. Nonetheless, it’s highly recommended to get Medi on at least one character as soon as you can. It’ll help keep your whole party alive when you start dealing with tough enemies that have AoE attacks, like the minotaur Guptauros.

Patra

This is the last Recovery type skill we’ll mention on this list, we promise! Patra definitely deserves a mention, however. You can unlock it when you reach Rank 5 with the Healer Archetype.

Patra, unlike the previous skills on this list, doesn’t provide HP recovery. Instead, it will heal all status ailments for a single character. Considering how devastating certain ailments (like Malady) are, this is a must-have. Plus, it will save you some money from having to buy recovery items.

Lucky Find

This is a pretty simple passive that you unlock by reaching Rank 2 with the Merchant Archetype. However, it’s very costly to inherit, as you’ll need a whopping 5000 Magla.

Nonetheless, the skill itself is simple: it increases item drop rates from battles by 20%. This effect even works when you instakill enemies while exploring without initiating proper turn-based combat!

Enemies often drop lots of useful consumables on top of materials and even weapons, so getting more drops early on can help you a lot in the long run. Plus, you can always just sell any surplus items you get for some Reeve.

Tarukaja

This is one of the earliest skills you can unlock in Metaphor: ReFantazio, and also conveniently one of the best. Tarukaja is unlocked once the Seeker Archetype reaches Rank 4.

Anyone who’s played some of ATLUS’ previous games, particularly Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, will know how this works. You can cast Tarukaja on an ally to increase their damage for 3 turns. This effect can also stack up to 3 times, with each stack resetting the duration.

Fully stacking 3 Tarukajas on your designated attackers makes it possible for you to quickly turn the tide of battle, so make good use of it!

Knight’s Proclamation

A must-have for any character you wish to have as a tank! Knight’s Proclamation is an innate skill for the Knight Archetype.

This skill is best used by characters in the back row, as its caster will draw the enemy’s attention to take attacks instead of allies. Now, mind you, some attacks do completely ignore the effect, but that’s rare. Either way, it allows you to have one character tank damage to minimize the damage dealt to your whole party.

As a bonus tip, pay attention to the different resistances of your Archetype while using this!

Gold Attack

If you’re flush with cash and wish to flaunt it, this is the best attack for you! Gold Attack is an innate skill for the Merchant Archetype.

Uniquely, this attack doesn’t consume any MP or HP when used. Instead, it costs 500 Reeve. It also shines because it deals weak Almighty damage to one target and has a high Critical Rate. Remember, landing a Critical Hit means you get an extra turn! Pair that with the fact that Almighty damage can’t be resisted and you have a surprisingly versatile skill.

Slicer

One of the strongest early-game attack skills. You unlock Slicer by leveling up the Warrior Archetype to Rank 8.

This attack deals 2 to 4 Slash-type hits to a single target, which works extremely well when dealing with single foes. If you want to make it even more devastating, remember Tarukaja as we mentioned before. Stacking Tarukaja and then using Slicer while buffed is one of the best ways to deal damage to single enemies!

Poison Shot

The last skill on our list of the best skills to unlock first in Metaphor: ReFantazio has to be Poison Shot. You learn it when the Gunner Archetype reaches Rank 3. This skill is pretty unique, compared to other early-game attack options!

The first thing to note is that it can only be used from the back row. While that’s a bit odd, it also means that it’s exempt from the usual damage penalty melee attacks suffer in the back row. It deals good damage regardless, making it one of the best options for melee characters while in the back row.

The second thing to note is, as its name implies, it can inflict Poison on enemies. Poison in this game is surprisingly effective, as it deals a considerable percentage of HP damage each turn. It can also be applied to a lot of bosses in the game, so it can shorten fights considerably if you get lucky.

That’s the end of our list, so now you know which skills we consider the best to unlock first in Metaphor: ReFantazio! We hope this helps you take on all the fearsome humans you’ll encounter in your fantastical journey!