All 46 Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio and how to unlock

Looking for a list of all Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio? There is a huge roster of Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio to choose from - a total of 46 altogether. This includes standard Archetypes and more advanced Royal Archetypes, which you can unlock as you progress through the game.

To plan your Archetypes ahead, or to simply see what's on offer, we've gathered a list of all Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes in one conclusive list. We've also included steps for unlocking every one and go into further detail on how to unlock all Royal Archetypes and the ultimate Prince Archetype.

All Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio listed

There are a total of 14 basic Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio, of which, all other advanced Archetypes come from. These are:

• Berserker
• Brawler
• Commander
• Faker
• Gunner
• Healer
• Knight
• Mage
• Masked Dancer
• Merchant
• Seeker
• Summoner
• Thief
• Warrior

To unlock more Archetypes within each of the lineages listed above, you usually have to increase the Bond Rank of the character whom you unlocked the Archetype from. As always, you can flit between Archetypes and try new ones by speaking with More in Akademia.

Click to see each Archetype and its lineage trees. There are a total of 46 to collect. We've listed each one under their respective trees along with instructions on their unique unlock requirements.

Below these, we've also gone into further detail about the special Prince Archetype and the optimal playstyle to unlock all Royal Archetypes as quickly as possible.

Berserker

The Berserker Archetype is best suited for melee, front-line attacks. It has a high resistance to physical blows and prioritises strength and endurance with skills that can also debuff enemy attack strength. The Berserker Archetype has access to powerful Strike attacks and can also buff the attack power of other party members. It has access to a possible 4 Synthesis skills, which are the Rampage Slash, Wild Bore, Wanton Destruction and Battlecry Tackle. These prioritise heavy Slash and Pierce damage whilst weakening subsequent attacks from enemies.

How to unlock the Berserker Archetype

The Berserker Archetype can be unlocked after forming a bond with Basilio. As the last playable character to collect, however, you'll have to invest some serious playtime into the main questline before unlocking this Archetype lineage.

Brawler

The Brawler Archetype specialises in melee Strike attacks and has a host of passive buff effects that increase HP, evasion and critical hit rates. It has two Synthesis Skills in total, Meteoric Fist which delivers up to 3 hits to physical enemies (requires either a Warrior, Brawler or Berserker in your party) and Energy Ray which is a heavy Light attack (requires either a Seeker, Mage or Healer in your party).

How to unlock the Brawler Archetype

You can unlock the Brawler Archetype after forming a bond with Catherina. She can be found within the Regalith Grand Cathedral dungeon.

Commander

The Commander Archetype specialises in support and Fire abilities that inflict Burn on targets. It's a great option for a passive Archetype utilised primarily in buffing the critical attack rate and standard attack rate of allies. It has four Synthesis skills in total, these are the Blusterblast Maneuver, Marakukaja, Assault Beacon and Megido. Like the standard Commander skills, these offer a mixture of buffs to teammates and increased Fire damage to enemies.

How to unlock the Commander Archetype

To unlock the Commander Archetype, you must form a level 1 Bond Rank with Bardon. He can be recruited as a follower once you complete the dungeon in Martira. After this, find him during the day in the Thoroughfare Square in Martira.

Faker

Although the Faker Archetype has the least amount of enhanced Archetypes, it has a vast range of Synthesis Skills that both weaken enemies and deal damage without consuming MP. The main ability that the Faker Archetype provides is the 'Faker's Roguery' which has a chance of inflicting Forget on an enemy (which makes Archetype skills fail). The rest of the skills revolve around weakening enemies via their defence, attack power, and other buff effects.

How to unlock the Faker Archetype

To unlock the Faker Archetype, you must reach level 1 Bond Rank with Alonzo. To do so, you need to reach Imagination Rank 2 from the Royal Virtues tree and then pick up and complete the 'A Dagger, A Ring, and A Rake' quest given by the Pompous Man outside of the Thoroughfare Square in Martira.

Gunner

The Gunner Archetype is best suited for back-row combat. It doesn't lose any of its attack power and in fact, benefits from the placement. As such, it's a useful Archetype to place on your team to cover all bases. The Gunner also has a passive skill that allows it to recover HP when enemies are stunned or defeated along with 3 Synthesis Skills: Wild Barrage, Masukukaja and Mania Bullet. Most of which, apply extended Pierce damage to enemies when performed from a back row battle position.

How to unlock the Gunner Archetype

The Gunner Archetype is unlocked when you achieve Bond Rank 1 with Neuras. To do so, you must locate Komero village (via the gauntlet runner) and retrieve the Relic there for him. Subsequent levels are also earned this way.

Healer

The Healer Archetype specialises in HP recovery and Light damage attacks. As part of its passive effects, it can heal party members every turn and heal more if there are Archetypes of the same lineage in the group. The Healer receives 3 possible Synthesis skills when paired with other Archetypes. These are Mahama, Medica and Magical Injection and range in delivering extra Light damage, healing the party and negating status effects.

How to unlock the Healer Archetype

The Healer Archetype is acquired by forming a bond with Maria, the daughter of Grius. You'll do so naturally as you progress the main questline and first visit the Hushed Honeybee Inn at the capital, Grand Trad. Make sure you offer to read your book with Maria when offered the chance to flourish the bond.

Knight

The Knight Archetype has a healthy life pool with which it can draw enemy attacks to itself instead of other party members. This can help, especially in a pinch when you need to keep other, weaker Archetypes on the battlefield such as Mages. The Knight is proficient with defence and Strike damage with a possible 4 Synthesis skills. These are Jump Thrust, Protect Guard, Magic Guard and Hammer of Justice. These offer a range of Pierce attacks and can summon damage-absorbing barriers.

How to unlock the Knight Archetype

To unlock the Knight Archetype, you must form a bond with Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg is a former Royal Knight, protector of the prince and you'll naturally meet her and add her to your party once you progress through the main questline enough to attend the King's funeral in Grand Trad.

Mage

As you can imagine, the Mage Archetype excels with magic attacks, especially when using Fire, Ice and Electric magic. With these types of attacks, the Mage can target enemy weak points with great success and it is an especially useful Archetype to have on your team when battling elemental foes. On the flip side, the Mage is physically weaker than other Archetypes so it is best to pair it with other melee-focused builds.

The Mage Archetype has one of the most Synthesis skills available depending on your party setup. These are: Gabot, Botra, Gablizz, Blizza, Gakande, Kandera and Meteophor. These are all forms of delivering elemental damage to either one or a group of enemies.

How to unlock the Mage Archetype

The Mage Archetype is unlocked when forming a bond with Gallica. As such, it is one of the easier Archetypes to unlock and you should naturally do it as you progress through the main story and get through your first couple of enemy encounters.

Masked Dancer

The Masked Dancer Archetype is somewhat versatile. It involves the caster swapping between masks to change out their various skills and passive resistances. It also has access to some powerful Fire magic attacks when levelled. The Masked Dancer Archetype can wield a possible 4 Synthesis skills. These are Hellfire Dance, Ice-Blue Dance, Sable Dance, and Danse Macabre and mainly allow the wielder to make an enemy weak to a certain magic effect. The Danse Macabre is especially potent. It has a chance of one-hit killing all enemies and must have either a Thief, Faker or Merchant Archetype lineage in the party to perform.

How to unlock the Masked Dancer Archetype

To gain the Masked Dancer Archetype you must reach Bond Rank 1 with Junah and also have rank 15 with the Mage and rank 10 with the Thief Archetypes. To unlock a bond with Junah, you must travel to Virga Island (this usually happens on 08/18) and explore the Orbwise Path Dungeon as part of the 'Save the Mourning Snakes' questline. Make sure you create the Potion of Blight on 8/19 to spawn Junah with the quest.

Merchant

The Merchant Archetype is somewhat different to the others as it focuses on the spoils of battle. In particular, it can increase the chances of receiving items after battles and can even steal MAG from enemies when ranked to a high enough level (level 20). It is also proficient in avoiding Fire attacks and dealing Almighty damage. The Merchant Archetype has 2 possible Synthesis skills, the All Reset which removes enemies' positive buffs and Fortune Slots which has a chance to deal critical Almighty damage.

How to unlock the Merchant Archetype

To unlock the Merchant Archetype, you must form at least a level 1 Bond Rank with Brigitta. Brigitta is a merchant who sells Igniters in Grand Trad. To unlock her bond, you must complete the 'A Bullish Embargo' quest, which she will offer to you once you have attended the king's funeral in Grand Trad and have achieved at least a level 2 Wisdom rank. There is a scenery point just outside her shop, on a bench. Resting here can increase your Wisdom if you're stuck.

Seeker

As the first Archetype you unlock in Metaphor ReFantazio, the Seeker is fairly versatile and offers a range of support skills along with Wind magic and Slash attacks. The Seeker Archetype's versatility extends to its Synthesis skills, with 7 possible to choose from depending on your party setup. These are Tetrabreak, Rider of the Blade, Horse-Drawn Carnage, Gacyc, Matarukaja, Adventurer's Curiosity and Gacyclo. These range from delivering Light, Strike or Wind damage or increasing the critical hit rate for allies.

How to unlock the Seeker Archetype

The Seeker Archetype is the default Archetype for The Protagonist and is unlocked after achieving Bond Rank 1 with More. This will happen fairly quickly in the game after you rest and discover Akademia, the realm in which More resides.

Summoner

As the name would allude to, the Summoner Archetype utilises a unique ability to summon monsters to battle. It also has access to Wind attacks and HP recovery. The Summoner can use a possible 5 Syntheses skills depending on party set-up. These are; Summon Lizardman, Summon Undead King, Summon Eagle Lion King, Summon Dragon God and Summon Guptauros King. Each of these summons a different monster to fight alongside your party with different attack damage types.

How to unlock the Summoner Archetype

The Summoner Archetype is unlocked after forming a rank 1 bond with Eupha. Eupha can be found by following the main questline until you travel to the Virga Islands and complete the Dragon God Temple segment of the story. Afterwards, pick up the Trial of Malnova quest from Eupha. Upon completion of this quest, you'll be able to level up your Bond Rank with Eupha. Along with achieving this bond, you'll also need to reach Seeker Rank 15 and Faker Rank 10 to unlock the Summoner Archetype.

Thief

The Thief Archetype is an interesting one. Along with wiedling Dark attack damage, the Thief can steal, or 'drain' rare items, HP and MP from enemies. They also have access to up to 3 Synthesis skills, the Mamudo, Phantom Tracer and Mamudoon which offer more Dark and Slash damage attacks.

How to unlock the Thief Archetype

The Thief Archetype is unlocked after forming a level 1 bond with Heismay. This should naturally occur as you progress through the main questline of Metaphor ReFantazio. Heismay will spawn at night at the inn in Martira (although, you'll need a minimum of Eloquence Rank 2 to level up this bond more).

Warrior

The Warrior Archetype is a melee-focused build that delivers more damage when placed on the front row during battle and can deliver high-impact Slash attacks. There are 3 possible Synthesis skills to pair with this Archetype. These are the Round Slash, Bamboo Splitter and Peerless Stonecleaver which offer further enhanced Slash attack damage to targets.

How to unlock the Warrior Archetype

The Warrior Archetype is one of the first you'll unlock in Metaphor ReFantazio. It should happen early on as you explore the main questline and travel through the Nord Mines. The Warrior Archetype is unlocked by forming a bond with Strohl.

How to unlock the Prince Archetype

The Prince Archetype is the ultimate and last Archetype you will unlock in Metaphor ReFantazio. The skills this Archetype offers vary across the board, some delving into HP and MP recovery, others offering Light, Almighty and Slash attack damage.

The power of this Archetype is a secret Synthesis skill called Armageddon's Final Sire which has the power to deal 9,999 damage to all enemies. To unlock this skill, however, you need to have a full party of Royal Archetypes. Other than the Prince, the Royal Archetypes are the most powerful in the game and will require some time and investment to get (more on this below).

The Prince Archetype also has access to a possible 6 other Synthesis skills. These are:

• Wild Bore: Deals extreme physical Pierce damage to one enemy. Significantly decreases their Attack for 3 turns. (Requires Gunner, Faker, or Summoner lineages).
• Sable Dance: Inflicts all enemies with a one-time weakness to Dark. Ignores resistances. (Requires Warrior, Thief, or Masked Dancer lineages).
• Blackguard's Hammer: Deals severe physical Dark damage to one enemy. Inflicts a one-time weakness to Dark. (Requires Brawler, Merchant, or Summoner lineages).
• Wind Blade: Deals extreme Wind damage to all enemies. (Requires Seeker, Knight, or Commander lineages).
• Hadean Icecrag: Deals extreme magic Ice damage to all enemies. (Requires Seeker, Mage, or Healer lineages).
• Royal Sword: Deals severe Almighty damage to one enemy. Increases damage against human-type monsters. (Any party set up acceptable).

Fastest way to unlock all Royal Archetypes

If you're looking to unlock all Royal Archetypes to get the Armageddon's Final Sire Prince Archetype skill, or if you're looking for one Royal Archetype in particular then here's the route you'll need to take when levelling up in Akademia.

It's worth noting that to unlock the Royal Archetypes, you'll need to progress through the main campaign enough to get to the end game. By then, you'll also have to have mastered the prerequisites listed below.

That rounds up our guide on all Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio. For more Metaphor ReFantazio tips and tricks, see our guides to all cooking answers needed when helping Fabienne in the kitchen or see our guide to all Redgrass Roasted Bidou ingredients.