Metaphor: ReFantazio has been out for less than a week and already sold one million copies, but how do you swap archetypes? ATLUS’ latest JRPG follows in the success of their iconic Persona titles. This ‘fantasy turned reality’ story is more than just a cast of quirky anime tropes, it is a riveting story about class divide and politics.
The game’s unique Archetype system is akin to the previous Persona entries. But instead of characters straight from myths and legends, it is based on the Archetypal model of Psychologist Carl Jung’s works.
Swapping Archetypes is not as easy if you came in from Persona 3, 4, and 5. You can’t switch them mid-battle. This is Metaphor: ReFantazio’s biggest change in combat. This brings more room for preparation when dealing with tougher enemies, especially on larger dungeons that continuously deplete HP and MP.
In this guide, we talk about how to optimize swapping between Archetypes.
The Press Turn System
Before we explain how swapping Archetype works, let’s talk about why it isn’t as convenient as Persona 3, 4, and 5.
Metaphor: ReFantazio removes Persona 3, 4, and 5’s ‘one more’ mechanics in favor of the classic ‘Press Turn’ system. Fans of Shin Megami Tensei games are familiar with this.
click to enlarge
+ 5Basically it gives the party more turns when they perform beneficial actions such as exploiting weaknesses or scoring a critical hit. However, it will also spell doom for your team if those extra turns fumble. For example, whiffing a magic attack or mistakenly using a spell against a resistant enemy will remove those turns, triggering the enemy phase.
Unlike Persona’s seamless swapping, Metaphor leaves you with one turn for each party member active. There are no Baton Passes here, so you’re forced to rotate on which member of the team has the best kit for a specific encounter.
Swapping Archetypes
To swap an Archetype, players must enter the Akademia. This place serves as your ‘imaginary hub’ when learning about Archetypes and unlocking more. It is unlocked automatically when playing through the story, more specifically after your awakening.
click to enlarge + 5Talking to its lone resident, More, will let you swap Archetypes with ease. However, this isn’t as easy a task. You must forge bonds with other people across your journey to unlock new and powerful iterations of Archetypes. For example, Gallica can bestow you the Archetype of the Mage, whereas Strohl can grant you the power of the Warrior.
click to enlarge + 5Once unlocked, you can simply swap between them when inside the Akademia. Unlocking an Archetype for the first time costs MAG, so it’s best to prepare yourself with these magic currencies before committing to your next Archetype. Once done, a slick animation will trigger, awakening your character to its new power.
Ranking Up More
More’s presence is a complete mystery. However, his knowledge of the arcane is beneficial for our journey.
click to enlarge + 5Increasing More’s bond level to Level 2 will make swapping Archetypes easier. This enables you to access the Archetype Tree directly from the Main Menu. Pressing Start will take you to the Akademia without having to visit his Phantom.
click to enlarge + 5This will save you a lot of time, so it’s best you rank up More as early as possible. His requirements are a tad bit more work though, as you need to Reach the Healer Archetype to Level 10. This is Maria’s special bond and one you should also unlock as soon as possible.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides page.