Metaphor: ReFantazio follows in the footsteps of previous games from ATLUS, providing players with a deep and meaningful story filled with complex characters, as well as an intuitive turn-based combat system.

During combat, players and party members can transform into large fighters known as Archetypes, who have powerful, unique abilities.

Each Archetype represents a different class and will level up as players use them, much like normal skills. Within each class, Archetypes contain a Tree of different tiers, with Elite Archetypes representing the pinnacle of each class.

Though they all serve their own special purposes, some Archetypes are certainly more powerful than others, and which can be considered generally more useful throughout the game.

Archetypes can also be swapped between characters, but keep the character’s base skills in mind when assigning them an Archetype to ensure that it maximizes each party member’s existing strengths.

16 Martial Artist

Brawler Lineage

Brawlers might not seem like the most useful Archetype in a world where mages and heavily-armed combatants also exist, but they do have several characteristics which can be useful when used properly.

The Brawler’s role is to engage the enemy from close range, combining powerful punches with life-draining abilities and passive healing to ensure that they can be a damage sponge.

The Battle Master skill is a great example of this, providing Martial Artists with complete resistance to Poison, Malady, Paralysis, Hex, Burn and Frostbite damage.

In terms of Synthesis skills, Martial Artists and indeed the entire Brawler Lineage as a whole fall short when compared with some of their counterparts. With that said, the Bodhisattva’s Palm is still a very powerful attack which can be used to target a single opponent.

15 Samurai

Warrior Lineage

The Samurai Archetype can be unlocked as the highest tier of the Warrior Lineage, and is best used in an attacking role.

The Barge Past passive skill will enable players to move past enemies without triggering turn-based combat even when struck, which can be especially useful for getting back through dungeons you have already cleared or passed through before.

Most of the Samurai’s best skills are, unsurprisingly, related to combat. With several passive skills to regenerate health and increase Attack, the Samurai makes an excellent team member, and also has a number of support abilities.

Samurai may not have as many Synthesis skills as some other classes, but the ones they do have are very powerful. Wind Blade in particular, which can be used in combination with Seekers, Knights or Commanders, will cause strong wind damage to all enemies.

While there are certainly more powerful Archetypes than the Warrior, it can be an easy Lineage to level through fast with Strohl as he is an early-game follower. When leveled to its maximum potential, the Samurai is certainly a formidable Archetype.

14 Ninja

Thief Lineage

What’s better than a highly-leveled Assassin? That’s right, a Ninja! Ninjas specialize in stunning and weakening enemies, as well as stealing items from them, too.

Along with their unique Pickpocket ability, Ninjas can also help out during battles with several skill moves. The Agitator’s Art will cause the Rage effect on all enemies, making them susceptible to more damage though slightly increasing their attack power in the process.

The Ninja’s only Synthesis skill is the Ice Art ability, which can apply heavy Ice damage to one opponent when combined with a Seeker, Mage or Healer.

Overall, Ninjas are a relatively weak Archetype for the Elite level, even though they do possess the unique Pickpocket ability.

13 Savior

Healer Lineage

The Savior is the Elite Archetype of the Healer lineage, and is best used as a Rear Rank defender, providing power and healing to allies. The Support Recovery passive skill will regenerate health in the overworld whenever an attack is landed by a party member.

Healers will only be effective in a supporting role, and won’t be suited to combat, but their regenerative abilities can be extremely useful in fights, enabling stronger combat Archetypes to remain in the fight for considerably longer than they would otherwise be able to.

Saviors have several important and powerful skills related to healing, but the most powerful by far is the Godly Blessing skill. This can be triggered when a Mage, Summoner, or Masked Dancer is also present and will revive all KO’d allies.

As the most advanced type of Healer, Saviors can be invaluable when facing off against some of the game’s harder bosses. Maria is the follower most suited to the Archetype, and she will initially unlock it after talking to her at the Hushed Honeybee Inn.

12 Tycoon

Merchant Lineage

Tycoons are the Elite Archetype of the Merchant Lineage, giving players better prices, more power and item effectiveness, along with better battle rewards following combat. This Archetype can be very valuable when trying to level up, or for providing an extra edge to powerful items during battles.

Most of the Tycoon’s abilities are passive effects, such as Luckier Find and Item Connoisseur, which will increase the likelihood of finding rare items and multiply their effectiveness.

Saviors can be especially powerful with regard to their Synthesis skills. Acting almost like mages, their abilities like All Reset and Golden Soldier can be devastating to entire groups of enemies at once.

The most benefits can be gained from Tycoons when it comes to increasing overall income and making use of items. Brigitte is the most adept to take on this role, as she is also the character who introduces the Merchant Archetype.

11 Destroyer

Berserker Lineage

Destroyers are a specialized combat Archetype who excel at exploiting enemy weaknesses, as well as dealing out plenty of punishment themselves. They also have a range of Synthesis skills which can be used in combination with many other Archetypes.

Individual attacks are nothing special, especially when compared with some of the more powerful Archetypes, but the Destroyer’s Radiant Crusher and Revenge Seeker abilities can certainly still be useful.

As for its Synthesis abilities, the Destroyer’s Wild Bore and Wanton Destruction attacks can weaken enemies for several turns. The Battlecry Tackle is also useful for applying blanket damage to groups of enemies.

In general, the Destroyer is a strong Elite Archetype, but can be surpassed by some others when it comes to both dealing damage and protecting allies. The Archetype is best suited to Basilio, who can progress through the Berserker Lineage most easily.

10 Soul Hacker

Seeker Lineage

The Soul Hacker Archetype is the pinnacle of the Seeker lineage, and operates primarily in a supporting role for other attacking Archetypes. The Soul Hacker’s passive skill, Chase Support, will allow allies to attack more easily during overworld encounters.

Soul Hackers have a number of powerful abilities to call upon, such as Seeker’s Flame and Emerald Vortex, both of which will launch powerful attacks, damaging all enemies.

For this reason, Soul Hackers make an excellent support Archetype, as they can be placed on the Rear Row of a Formation and still offer reasonable damage output.

Additionally, Soul Hackers can use several powerful Synthesis skills. In combination with Warriors, the Winning Horse ability will deal a severe physical attack towards one targeted enemy, while synthesizing with Healers can enable Soul Hackers to use Trial of the Seeker against all enemies.

Overall, the Soul Hacker Archetype is a very useful one, especially as it can be unlocked relatively early compared with some others.

It is best assigned to the Protagonist, as most other followers already have powerful specializations suited to other Archetypes.

9 Warlock

Mage Lineage

The Warlock is the highest Elite Archetype for the Mage Lineage, specializing in a range of magic that can both help allies and hinder enemies equally. The Warlock can also recharge the Magic Points of allies, ensuring that they can use their own Archetype and Synthesis abilities for longer.

Warlocks don’t have a huge number of Archetype abilities, since their main strength lies in their Synthesis skills. Nonetheless, Magic Reversion and Magic Vessel are two powerful passive abilities that regenerate MP after an enemy is defeated.

Warlocks’ synthesis abilities are where they can generate the most amount of damage to opponents. Child of Death will deal extreme Dark damage to one enemy, while Netherworld Tree can be used to deal Dark damage to all enemies.

Overall, Warlocks make for an excellent support class, particularly when combined with the Masked Dancer Archetype.

8 Paladin

Knight Lineage

When it comes to the Knight lineage, there are two paths players can choose from. The Paladin Elite Archetype offers a range of strong defensive abilities, along with devastating attacks to both individual and groups of enemies.

Paladins have a total of 7 Archetype skills to use in combat, which is more than most Elite Archetypes offer. Out of these, Protect Guard and Holy Knight’s Proclamation offer the most tactical advantage, drawing in enemy attacks and offering additional protection to a chosen ally.

Paladins aren’t short of powerful Synthesis skills either. The Hammer of Justice can be used to cause heavy Piercing damage, and will ignore any resistances to it. Peerless Sanctity is also a strong ability which targets entire groups and deals physical Light damage while simultaneously lowering their Attack/Defense stats.

The Paladin is a strong Elite Archetype and its range of abilities certainly make it useful, but it is more of a jack-of-all-trades Archetype rather than a specialist in any given area.

7 Dark Knight

Knight Lineage

The Dark Knight is an alternative Elite Archetype to the Paladin, which both come from the Knight Lineage. While Paladins have more of a balanced skill-set in both Attack and Defense, Dark Knights are focussed more on dealing out Dark physical damage.

Dark Knights have many passive skills, which is one of their greatest attributes. These all stack up to make Dark Knight’s extremely powerful fighters, with Pierce Boost and Instant Recovery being among the best.

Though Dark Knights don’t have a tonne of Synthesis skills, they do have some pretty strong ones. Peerless Shadow is the strongest, dealing severe Dark physical damage to all opponents and lowering their Attack/Defense for 3 turns.

In general, it is a slightly stronger Archetype than its counterpart, the Paladin, but it all depends on how either one is used within a given group.

6 Dragoon

Gunner Lineage

The Dragoon class is the Elite Archetype of the Gunner lineage, specializing in ranged combat and support. In addition to having lots of powerful ranged abilities from the Rear Row of combat, Dragoons also have several skills which will help allies evade enemy attacks.

Many of the Dragoon’s best abilities are only usable from the Rear Row during combat, so always make sure to place them there at the start of any Party battle. Sleep Shot, Poison Shot and Hex Shot, all of which can provide considerable damage to selected targets, will only become active from the Rear Row.

In terms of synthesis skills, Dragoons are slightly limited when compared to other Elite Archetypes. However, the few skills they do have available to them are extremely powerful. Mania Bullet in particular will provide considerable Piercing Damage, which can be useful against heavily armored opponents.

In general, Dragoons and Gunners in general make a great choice for any units positioned regularly along the Rear Rank of Formations. Aside from this, their skills may feel fairly limited when compared with some of the stronger Archetypes.

5 Trickster

Faker Lineage

Tricksters are one of the most unique Archetypes in Metaphor: ReFantazio. They allow you to disrupt enemies and even cause them to miss entire turns in combat, which almost feels like cheating at times.

Tricksters can use skills like Faker’s Roguery and Pain in the Box to disrupt enemy attacks, which opens the door for other combat-focused units to swoop in and finish the job.

Tricksters also have some supremely powerful Synthesis skills. Best among them is Free Juggling, which deals Almighty damage to all enemies without losing any MP. The Vidyartha support ability can also be used to decrease the Attack/Defence of a single enemy when targeted.

Overall, Tricksters are one of the best Elite Archetypes to unlock, since their skills largely apply to entire groups of enemies, and can provide a massive strategic advantage.

4 Elemental Master

Mage Lineage

Elemental Masters are, as the name suggests, masters of the elements. Using the power of Fire, Ice, Wind and Electricity, Elemental Masters are ideal for exploiting weaknesses in enemies who may have a resistance to certain types of magic.

The Elemental Master’s main attacks: Boatona, Blizzatron and Kandeon, can be used to deal heavy amounts of elemental damage to a chosen enemy. At the higher levels, Magic Link and Magic Boost serve to increase MP and overall damage from magic attacks.

This Archetype’s Synthesis abilities are among some of the strongest in the game. Precipice of the Abyss, in particular, will deal severe Almighty damage to all enemies.

In general this versatile Elite Archetype makes for an excellent choice when choosing which pathways to study. Gallica is the most suited to the Mage lineage due to her existing magical skills.

3 Devil Summoner

Summoner Lineage

Devil Summoners are a strong Elite Archetype for the Summoner lineage which specialize in both magical damage as well as some extremely powerful Synthesis skills. They also have the useful Passive skill of Status Differential to neutralize any enemy advantages in overworld combat.

The Devil Summoner’s regular Archetype are still very powerful. Summon Deity will deal extreme lightning damage to all opponents, while Summon Fairy will cause heavy Ice damage to all enemies with a chance of inflicting Frostbite.

For their Synthesis skills, Summon Fury will deal extreme magic Strike damage, along with a decrease in the opponent’s Attack/Defense stats. Hadean Icecrag is the strongest of the Summoner’s skills, dealing extreme Ice damage to all opponents.

As a whole, Devil Summoners are slightly more powerful than Elemental Masters, but their abilities can come at a higher MP cost, so be sure to have plenty of means of rejuvenating their MP.

2 Persona Master

Masked Dancer Lineage

While a Masked Dancer may not be the first thing that springs to mind when assembling a group who plan to overthrow the government, it is actually one of the strongest Archetypes in the game. The Persona Master represents the Elite tier of the Masked Dancer lineage.

Masked Dancers mainly rely on Almighty abilities, which bypass all Physical resistances. Ruin’s Flamethrower can also be used to unleash a devastating Fire attack which also removes any buffs currently applied to enemies.

Persona Masters also command a strong set of Synthesis attacks, each based in different elements. On top of that, they also have the Danse Macabre ability, which gives the chance of one-hit killing all enemies.

1 Warlord

Commander Lineage

Warlords are the Elite Archetype for the Commander Lineage, and make for an excellent choice for the player-protagonist. The Warlord’s skills are primarily centered around giving group commands, which can act to either protect allies or enhance their attacking capabilities.

As a Commander unit, the Archetype abilities for the Warlord mostly consist of passive and support abilities such as Shelter Formation and Back Boost. However, they do have some impressive attacks of their own, such as Imposing Aura, which inflicts Wind damage with a chance to stun all enemies.

Similarly, most of the Warlord’s Synthesis skills will apply group effects to either allies or enemies. Eureka Moment will deal fire damage to all enemies, ignoring resistances while doing so, and Megidola deals heavy Almighty damage to all enemies at once.

Though best kept on the Rear Row, Warlords are an extremely powerful Elite Archetype who can greatly enhance the effectiveness of their comrades.