Atlus’ new fantasy social sim RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio is out today, October 11. The game’s turn-based battle system is similar to those in the studio’s past work like Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, but is built around Archetypes, which are classes that have different proficiencies and roles to take on in combat. There are your RPG standards like the sword-swinging Warrior and element-spinning Mage, gimmicky Archetypes with original mechanics like the Summoner, and support-based roles like the Commander who plays with the game’s positioning mechanic.
Each party member you recruit throughout Metaphor can use any Archetype, but you will have to unlock each of them and their upgraded stages throughout for every character. Some of these require you to level up Archetypes in other lineages, while others are kept secret and have more mysterious unlock requirements, potentially taking you by surprise late in the game after you’ve already invested huge amounts of time in specializing your characters.By the time I needed to upgrade different pathways, I had already dumped hours into other classes when I could have been spreading the experience around. Some Archetypes are also gated by Metaphor’s follower bonds, so you’ll have to meet and befriend different characters to unlock them.
If you’d like to know the requirements for each Archetype ahead of time so there are no surprises, we’ve got a list of each and their respective requirements. On top of having leveled up certain Archetypes and reached certain points in each relationship, you’ll also need enough Magla currency, which you can acquire through battle, checking in on the coronation rock in each town, taking a bath on your ship, and having conversations with your followers. The amount you’ll need will fluctuate depending on how far into the corresponding relationship you are, as the cost will lessen as you progress through the follower bond. Here’s a rundown of each:
Mild spoilers for Metaphor’s relationships follow:
Seeker:
Magic Seeker:
Soul Hacker:
Mage:
Wizard:
Elemental Master:
Warlock
Healer:
Cleric:
Saviour:
Brawler:
Pugilist:
Martial Artist:
Berserker:
Destroyer:
Warrior:
Swordmaster
Samurai
Commander:
General:
Warlord:
Thief:
Assassin:
Ninja:
Knight:
Magic Knight:
Paladin:
Dark Knight:
Merchant:
Tycoon:
Summoner:
Devil Summoner:
Gunner:
Sniper:
Dragoon:
Faker:
Trickster:
Masked Dancer:
Persona Master:
Late into Metaphor: ReFantazio, you’ll be able to unlock the ultimate Archetype for each party member, known as the Heroic Embodiment. These are the best versions of each character’s standard lineage, which means it would behoove you to spend some time on everyone’s base class while you experiment with others. These have their own requirements that span multiple other paths, so if you don’t know about them ahead of time, you might find yourself having to grind different classes just to get to each character’s “best” one. Here’s a rundown of all the Heroic Embodiment Archetypes:
Protagonist: Prince
Strohl: Royal Warrior
Hulkenberg: Royal Knight
Heismay: Royal Thief
Junah: Royal Masked Dancer
Eupha: Royal Summoner
Basilio: Royal Berserker