Summary
Following suit with most of Atlus' other RPGs,Metaphor: ReFantaziois an unapologetically long game. It’s early hours could constitute a shorter game in itself, and throughout this portion of the game there are plenty of side activities, dungeons, and bonds to work through.
This is when you’ll be getting to grips with all of the different systems and mechanics that make the combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio so enjoyable. While there are different ways of tweaking the archetype system, and using different items to make your experience as smooth as possible, it’s also good to know what the best weapons to look out for are.
8Bone Pulverisers
Brawler Lineage
The Brawler achetype is unlocked when you first help out Catherina at the start of the cathedral dungeon, and it’s a great one to invest in, especially for dungeons, because the abilities drain HP instead of MP, making it aperfect early-game methodof conserving this resource.
If you want to get the best numbers when using this classes' skills, then the best weapon for this in the early-game is the Bone Pulverisers. Not only will you get an impressive +5 to the user’s strength stat, but the weapon will also deal extra damage to the giant class of enemies.
7Fortune’s Bludgeon
Healer Lineage
It’s easy to overlook just how useful the more passive archetypesare in the early-game,since strategy is slightly less important than it becomes later in the game, but if you don’t want to worry about your party falling mid-battle, then investing in the Healer archetype is well worth doing.
If you’re looking to have one of the best-equipped Healers for the early game, then investing in the Fortune’s Bludgeon is worth trying. This weapon will not only buff all of the user’s stats by two, but will also recover the user’s MP after finishing every squad battle.
6Sleepy Eyed Katana
Thief Lineage
The Thief is one of the slightly more complicated archetypes to get to grips with, but thanks to its high speed stat, and unique set of skills, it’s one that you’ll want to try out for some more unconventional results.
One of the main issues with the Thief archetype is that sometimes the numbers you’ll get from attack skills will be disappointing. That’s why investing in better weapons is a good idea. The Sleepy Eyed Katana leans into the strengths of the Thief’s unique skill set, and makes it so the normal attacks with the weapon have a chance of inflicting sleep.
5Thrifty Abacus
Merchant Lineage
If it wasn’t for More’s mission to try out using the Merchant archetype, it would likely be one of the least used archetypes in the game thanks to how awkward it sounds. However, if you do try it, you’ll realize just how overpowered this archetype’s abilities are.
Even though you can get some fantastic results with the Merchant’s abilities just by using normal weapons, if you want to get even better results, you can use the Thrifty Abacus. This weapon will boost the luck of its user, but will also lower the cost of the attacks that charge money to use.
4Fishing Harpoon
Knight Lineage
The Knight is one of the more complicated archetypes to learn how to use in the early game thanks to its almost entirely passive set of skills, but if you lean into just how overpowered these skills can be, your party will manage to come out of most fights with barely a scratch.
If you’re looking for your Knight to deal more damage in the early game, then you’ll want to buy the Fishing Harpoon. This lance will automatically buff the user’s attack at the start of any fight, saving precious time for your buffing characters.
3Kamaitachi Blades
Faker Lineage
The Faker is one of the easier-to-miss archetypes in the early game, since it requires helping out the slightly off-putting Alonzo, but if you go to the effort to get to know him, you’ll be rewarded with a fun bond to work through, but also one of the most useful archetype lineages as well.
The Faker is mostly focused on debuffing, but they can also deal some pretty impressive damage if you know how to inherit the right skills for them. To get the best results with an early-game build for a Faker, try getting the Kamaitachi Blades, since they not only give the user an impressive agility boost, but also buffs every party member at the beginning of combat to increase hit rate and evasion.
2Weeping Blood Staff
Mage Lineage
One of the earliest archetypes you’ll get in Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Mage, after you build a formal bond with Gallica. This is one of the most versatile classes thanks to how many different elemental skills you can unlock so quickly, and with the right build, you can deal some impressive damage too.
To inflict some great damage with the Mage, you’ll want to look out for the Weeping Blood Staff. While it isn’t as flashy as some of the other good weapons, it’s simple buff of magic +3 is a great way to deal some bonus damage with your magic attacks.
1Guillotine Blade
Warrior Lineage
One of the more simple but still effective archetypes that will carry you through plenty of encounters during the early game isStrohl’s Warrior lineage. The powerful attacks will make short work of most early-game encounters, and you can easily build up all of the abilities thanks to how easy it is to progress through Strohl’s bond.
Thanks to its impressive stats, the Guillotine Blade is an easy choice for party members who are using this archetype, and it’s even better at attacking giant-type enemies, with its passive buffing damage against this specific enemy class.
