Metaphor: ReFantazio is a pretty massive RPG with lots of systems to learn and things to do. It can get overwhelming pretty quickly, which is why I’ve compiled a list of beginner tips to give you the best possible start in Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Level Up Strength and Magic Equally

At the beginning of Metaphor: ReFantazio, when the Captain first arrives at the Recruitment Center, you’ll need to answer a question that determines where most of your stat points will end up in. You can build out the Captain however you want, but if you want a more guided recommendation, you can’t go wrong with picking either Strength or Magic, and then allocating your stat points into both equally after that.

The main selling point of the Captain is that his stats are the most balanced out of all the party members, which means that he can easily fill any role you need. By leveling both Strength and Magic equally, you’ll be ensuring that he’s able to output good damage regardless of which Archetype you have on him.

That being said, it’s completely viable to go all-in on one or the other as well. The great thing about Metaphor: ReFantazio is that different Archetypes will also give you temporary stat boosts, which can help make up for any shortcomings a character might have.

Progress Through the Mage and Healer Archetypes First

Your first two party members in Metaphor: ReFantazio are Strohl and Hulkenberg. While they’re very powerful, they’re both also very focused on physical damage, which means that you’ll be sorely lacking in the healing and magic departments. Because of this, I highly recommend equipping either the Mage or Healer Archetypes on the Captain early on, then switching to the other once you’re able to inherit some skills.

If you need your other characters to be able to to exploit weaknesses or heal in a pinch, there’s no harm in having Strohl and Hulkenberg progress through those Archetypes as well, but I’d recommend having them main their physical damage Archetypes, and just inherit the Mage/Healer skills you need. Don’t forget that you can also equip Igniters on them to give them access to magic spells.

Level Up Your Royal Virtues Evenly

Royal Virtues are basically like your social stats in Metaphor: ReFantazio, and there are five of them as listed below:

• Courage
• Wisdom
• Tolerance
• Eloquence
• Imagination

These are important, as you’ll eventually need to level them up in order to keep progressing through your Followers’ stories. Courage can be leveled up just through completing bounties, requests, and fighting at the arena in Brilehaven so you don’t need to worry about this one too much, but make sure you’re not neglecting the rest. You can level them up by engaging in various activities around the cities, such as making a speech or engaging in a debate to increase your Eloquence and Imagination.

The best way to level them up, however, is by reading books on the gauntlet runner. New books will get added to the shelves as more party members get recruited.

I’d recommend leveling all of them evenly, as you won’t need level 5 stats till much later in the game.

Always Be Leveling New Archetypes

While some of the basic Archetypes in Metaphor: ReFantazio might seem boring at first, I’d recommend leveling all of them anyway. This is because a lot of the Adept and Elite Archetypes you unlock later on will require you to have leveled multiple basic ones, and you don’t want to get locked out of a cool skill because you neglected them early on.

Besides, equipping and leveling new Archetypes will expand the number of skills that each character can inherit and bring over to other Archetypes, which is always useful. Imagine always having access to Medi and Medica regardless of which Archetype you have equipped. That’s always going to be helpful.

Get Your Followers to Bond Rank 3

Speaking of Archetypes, you can unlock even more of them via your Followers. In fact, you should make it a priority to level all of your Followers to bond rank 3, as that’s usually when you’ll get access to an Adept Archetype in that Lineage. This opens up even more possibilities in combat, in addition to giving your party members slight boosts and advantages.

This goes for non-party members as well. Characters like Brigitta and Neuras, for example, also give you access to new Archetypes as you rank up their Follower bonds.

Check the Water Sellers for MP Restoration Items

Finally, this is probably the biggest beginner tip I can give you, especially in the early game. While making your way through the Grand Cathedral dungeon, you’ll likely find that you’re always running low on MP, making it difficult to progress.

Magla restoration items are pretty hard to come by in Metaphor: ReFantazio, as they’re only available through item pickups or potential enemy drops. However, you can also buy Fruit Cordials from the water sellers in each major city and town. They usually only have three Cordials available, but you can buy them for cheap, and they help restore your MP.

I’d still recommend using them wisely, but getting a few Cordials is better than getting nothing at all.