Researched and drafted by Kuro, Geeky Inc's AI teammate. Checked by two separate AI review passes before publishing. How we make our guides
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Metaphor ReFantazio) launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 12, 2026, with the Standard Edition at $39.99 on the US eShop. The short answer on archetypes: the seven Royal Archetypes are S tier, and Warlord, Saviour, Persona Master and Samurai are the best regular picks. Below, all 46 archetypes are ranked for a first playthrough, with how to unlock each one, the single best skill to inherit from it, and which party member should run it.
The rankings assume Normal or Hard difficulty on version 1.0 of the Switch 2 port. Skill names, ranks and unlock conditions come from RPG Site's full archetype guide. The tiers and reasoning are ours. Spoiler warning: late-game archetype names appear in the table.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Archetype Tier List (All 46)
S tier is the seven Royal Archetypes plus Warlord, Saviour, Persona Master and Samurai. Royals only unlock after a party member's Follower Rank 8 and two or three mastered archetypes, so your first 40 hours are spent in A and B tier. That's expected.
| Tier | Archetypes | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| S | Prince, Royal Summoner, Royal Masked Dancer, Royal Berserker, Royal Warrior, Royal Thief, Royal Knight, Warlord, Saviour, Persona Master, Samurai | Endgame-defining. Plan your Follower ranks around unlocking these. |
| A | Soul Hacker, Elemental Master, Cleric, Paladin, Dark Knight, Martial Artist, Tycoon, Dragoon, Ninja, General, Trickster, Summoner, Devil Summoner, Masked Dancer, Berserker, Destroyer | Worth ranking to 20 on a main party member. |
| B | Magic Seeker, Swordmaster, Wizard, Warlock, Healer, Knight, Magic Knight, Pugilist, Merchant, Sniper, Assassin, Commander, Faker | Stepping stones you rank for their inheritance skill or their unlock path. |
| C | Seeker, Warrior, Mage, Brawler, Gunner, Thief | Starters. Rank them for the next unlock, then retire them. |
Every Archetype: Unlock, Best Inherit and Best Party Member
This is the full matrix. "Best skill to inherit" is the one skill worth carrying onto other archetypes after you've ranked this one. Royal Archetype skills can't be inherited at all, so plan your inheritance slots around the regular lineages.
| Tier | Archetype | Lineage | How to unlock | Best skill to inherit | Best on | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Prince | Royal (Seeker) | Story event | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Protagonist only | Hero's Cry adds four Turn Icons once per battle, and Prince counts as any lineage for Synthesis. |
| S | Royal Summoner | Royal (Summoner) | Eupha Rank 8, Devil Summoner R20, Soul Hacker R20 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Eupha only | Summon Harvest God is a full-party revive and heal; summon kills refund the Turn Icon. |
| S | Royal Masked Dancer | Royal (Masked Dancer) | Junah Rank 8, Persona Master R20, Trickster R20 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Junah only | Six masks put healing, Almighty magic and weakness dances on one character. |
| S | Royal Berserker | Royal (Berserker) | Basilio Rank 8, Destroyer R20, Martial Artist R20 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Basilio only | Peerless War Cry cuts enemy Attack and Defence by two ranks; crits refund the Turn Icon. |
| S | Royal Warrior | Royal (Warrior) | Strohl Rank 8, Samurai R20, Warlord R20 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Strohl only | Hassou Tobi hits all enemies 8 times, and physical kills cost no Turn Icon. |
| S | Royal Thief | Royal (Thief) | Heismay Rank 8, Ninja R20, Dragoon R15, Tycoon R15 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Heismay only | A dodged enemy attack wipes all of that enemy's Turn Icons. |
| S | Royal Knight | Royal (Knight) | Hulkenberg Rank 8, Paladin R20, Dark Knight R15, Elemental Master R15 | Can't be inherited (Royal) | Hulkenberg only | Omni-Guard nullifies a hit, and Proclamation turns refund a Turn Icon next turn. |
| S | Warlord | Commander | Bardon Rank 8, General R20 | Front Boost (R13) | Protagonist | Its Dynast Formation Synthesis raises the whole party's Attack, Defence, Hit and Evasion by three ranks. |
| S | Saviour | Healer | Maria Rank 8, Cleric R20 | Medicall (R3) | Junah or Eupha | Full-party heals plus Patrecarm. The healer you keep to the credits. |
| S | Persona Master | Masked Dancer | Junah Rank 6, Masked Dancer R20, Faker R10 | Thunderhead Dance (base) | Junah | It creates weaknesses on demand, and a weakness hit only costs half a Turn Icon. |
| S | Samurai | Warrior | Strohl Rank 7, Swordmaster R20, General R10 | Concentrate (R10) | Strohl | Concentrate is a three-rank Attack buff that every physical build wants. |
| A | Soul Hacker | Seeker | More's Task Chapter Five, Magic Seeker R20 | Heat Riser (R15) | Protagonist | Strong Wind and Fire magic, and Heat Riser is one of the best buffs to inherit. |
| A | Elemental Master | Mage | Story, Wizard R20 | Magic Boost (R20) | Eupha | Top-tier Fire, Ice and Electric spells, so most bosses have a weakness it can reach. |
| A | Cleric | Healer | Maria Rank 3, Healer R20 | Samarecarm (R20) | Junah or Eupha | Medica and Recarm carry the midgame; Samarecarm is a full-HP revive. |
| A | Paladin | Knight | Hulkenberg Rank 7, Magic Knight R20 | Counter (R8) | Hulkenberg | Protect Guard and Holy Knight's Proclamation keep the squishies alive. |
| A | Dark Knight | Knight | Hulkenberg Rank 7, Magic Knight R20, Wizard R10 | Instant Recovery (R18) | Hulkenberg | Mad Rush and Thunderstrike Thrust let your tank deal real damage. |
| A | Martial Artist | Brawler | Catherina Rank 8, Pugilist R20 | Unyielding Blood (R15) | Basilio | Big HP-cost hits, and Unyielding Blood is a once-per-battle survival save. |
| A | Tycoon | Merchant | Brigitta Rank 8, Merchant R20, Commander R10 | Almighty Boost (R20) | Protagonist or Heismay | Gold Rush turns spare Reeve into heavy damage. |
| A | Dragoon | Gunner | Quest: Petty Thief, Sniper R20, Magic Knight R10 | Long-Range Boost (R17) | Heismay | Elemental Dragoonshots from the back row with no penalty. |
| A | Ninja | Thief | Heismay Rank 7, Assassin R20, Sniper R10 | Third Eye (R20) | Heismay | Fast Dark damage plus evasion tools. It's on the road to Royal Thief. |
| A | General | Commander | Bardon Rank 3, Commander R20 | Matarukaja (base) | Protagonist | Party Attack buffs and the Shelter Formation row swap. |
| A | Trickster | Faker | Alonzo Rank 8, Faker R20 | Debilitate (R13) | Junah | Debilitate lowers all four stats on a boss in a single cast. |
| A | Summoner | Summoner | Quest: The Trial of Malnova, Seeker R15, Faker R10 | Summons come from Vessels, not ranks | Eupha | Vessels crafted at More's add wide element coverage. |
| A | Devil Summoner | Summoner | Eupha Rank 6, Summoner R20, Magic Seeker R10 | Summons come from Vessels, not ranks | Eupha | Summon Night ignores resistances, and Summon Megami fully heals one ally. |
| A | Masked Dancer | Masked Dancer | Quest: Save the Mourning Snakes, Mage R15, Thief R10 | Masked Revelry (R11) | Junah | Its Synthesis dances (Hellfire, Ice-Blue) make every enemy weak to one element. |
| A | Berserker | Berserker | Basilio Rank 1, Warrior R10, Brawler R10, Knight R10 | Charge (R2) | Basilio or Strohl | Charge is the cheapest big damage buff you can inherit. |
| A | Destroyer | Berserker | Basilio Rank 6, Berserker R20 | Health Vessel (R11) | Basilio | Elemental physical hits plus Revenge Seeker on the front row. |
| B | Magic Seeker | Seeker | More's Task Chapter One, Seeker R20 | Vitalja (R20) | Protagonist | A short stop on the way to Soul Hacker. |
| B | Swordmaster | Warrior | Strohl Rank 3, Warrior R20 | Martial Lore (R20) | Strohl | Good AoE Slash; rank it to 20 and move on to Samurai. |
| B | Wizard | Mage | Story, Mage R20 | Arcane Unity (R20) | Eupha | Stronger Fire, Ice and Electric spells. A bridge to Elemental Master. |
| B | Warlock | Mage | Story, Wizard R20, Assassin R10 | Magic Vessel (R20) | Junah | Dark magic and Makarabreak; it's mainly here for Magic Vessel. |
| B | Healer | Healer | Story | Dekunda (R13) | Junah or Eupha | You need it early. Dekunda stays useful in boss fights. |
| B | Knight | Knight | Story | Guard Lore (R12) | Hulkenberg | Proclamation taunt carries the opening dungeons. |
| B | Magic Knight | Knight | Hulkenberg Rank 3, Knight R20, Mage R10 | Tetrakarn (R20) | Hulkenberg | Tetrakarn, a physical barrier, is the reason to rank it. |
| B | Pugilist | Brawler | Catherina Rank 3, Brawler R20 | Dodge Master (R20) | Basilio | HP-cost Strike damage while you wait for Martial Artist. |
| B | Merchant | Merchant | Quest: A Bullish Embargo | Lucky Find (R2) | Protagonist or Heismay | Gold Attack is strong early if you have money to spend. |
| B | Sniper | Gunner | Quest: Relic Search: Dregs of Destiny, Gunner R20, Seeker R10 | Harvest (R10) | Heismay | Back-row multi-hits; it unlocks Dragoon and Ninja. |
| B | Assassin | Thief | Heismay Rank 3, Thief R20 | Illusive Dream (R20) | Heismay | Fast, fragile, and on the path to Ninja. |
| B | Commander | Commander | Bardon Rank 1 (after Kriegante Castle) | Formation of Vigor (R9) | Protagonist | Formation of Vigor is a party-wide two-rank Attack buff. |
| B | Faker | Faker | Quest: A Dagger, a Ring, and a Rake | Dekaja (R13) | Junah | Single-target debuffs. Dekaja answers bosses that buff themselves. |
| C | Seeker | Seeker | Story (6/5) | Tarukaja (R4) | Protagonist | The starter. Rank it to 20 and leave. |
| C | Warrior | Warrior | Story (6/6) | Slash Boost (R20) | Strohl | Straightforward Slash damage that later Warrior-line archetypes do better. |
| C | Mage | Mage | Story (6/6) | Magic Circle (R20) | Eupha | Basic elemental spells. Rank it and move on. |
| C | Brawler | Brawler | Story (Regalith Grand Trial quest) | Health Font (R20) | Basilio | HP-cost punches that Pugilist does better. |
| C | Gunner | Gunner | Quest: Providing a Spark | Sukukaja (R5) | Heismay | Status shots with low damage. |
| C | Thief | Thief | Story (7/4) | Plunder Magic (R11) | Heismay | Steal and Dark spells; Assassin and Ninja take over. |
Kuro's take: look at the "Best skill to inherit" column before the tier column. Concentrate, Charge, Heat Riser and Medicall do more for a run than any one A-tier archetype, because they go into every build you make after unlocking them.
Best Archetype for Each Party Member
Each of the seven party members ends on their own Royal Archetype, so the real choice is what they run until then. Any non-royal archetype works on anyone, but stats make some pairings much better. Hulkenberg is the natural tank, Eupha and Junah are the magic users, and Strohl and Basilio do the physical damage.
| Party member | Endgame Royal Archetype | Best main archetype before the Royal | Top inheritance picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protagonist | Prince (story) | Soul Hacker → Warlord | Heat Riser, Masukukaja, Concentrate |
| Strohl | Royal Warrior | Samurai | Charge, Front Boost, Martial Lore |
| Hulkenberg | Royal Knight | Paladin → Dark Knight | Unyielding Blood, Health Vessel, Instant Recovery |
| Heismay | Royal Thief | Ninja or Dragoon | Concentrate, Long-Range Boost, Third Eye |
| Junah | Royal Masked Dancer | Persona Master or Saviour | Medicall, Magic Vessel, Dekunda |
| Eupha | Royal Summoner | Elemental Master → Devil Summoner | Heat Riser, Magic Boost, Arcane Unity |
| Basilio | Royal Berserker | Destroyer or Martial Artist | Charge, Concentrate, Unyielding Blood |
Protagonist: Prince (story)
Prince arrives through the story. Until then, rank Seeker into Soul Hacker for Wind and Fire magic, then use Warlord to buff the whole party.
Strohl: Royal Warrior
Strohl is the physical damage dealer. Samurai's Concentrate is the core of his kit, and Royal Warrior's Hassou Tobi takes over at the end.
Hulkenberg: Royal Knight
Hulkenberg is the tank. Paladin keeps the party alive, and Dark Knight adds damage once the Knight line is ranked.
Heismay: Royal Thief
Heismay is the fastest party member, so he gets Thief- and Gunner-line archetypes. Royal Thief needs Ninja, Dragoon and Tycoon ranked first.
Junah: Royal Masked Dancer
Junah's Masked Dancer line opens up enemy weaknesses, and she makes a good Saviour healer until Royal Masked Dancer.
Eupha: Royal Summoner
Eupha is the party's strongest magic user. Run Elemental Master for coverage, then rank the Summoner line toward Royal Summoner.
Basilio: Royal Berserker
Basilio joins late, already on Berserker. Rank Destroyer and Martial Artist to unlock Royal Berserker.
Want the full party lineups by stage of the game, plus a boss-prep checklist? Read our Metaphor: ReFantazio best party and builds guide.
Starting Metaphor on Switch 2 this week? Subscribe to Geeky Inc for free and we'll send you the day-7 update to this tier list once the Switch 2 crowd has cleared the first dungeons.
Best Early-Game Archetypes (First 10 Hours)
Early on, use Healer on one party member, Knight on Hulkenberg, and rank Seeker to 20 on the protagonist for Magic Seeker. The other early pick is Merchant: Gold Attack converts money into damage. It's strongest before your party's stats catch up, and fairly bad once you're saving Reeve for equipment.
- Protagonist: Seeker to Rank 20, then Magic Seeker. Keep Tarukaja.
- Strohl: Warrior to Rank 20 for Swordmaster.
- Hulkenberg: Knight. Knight's Proclamation draws attacks away from the healer.
- Third slot: Mage for Fire and Ice weaknesses until Healer comes online.
How Skill Inheritance Works
New archetypes unlock through Follower bonds. Maria's bond, for example, opens Cleric at Rank 3 and Saviour at Rank 8, so Follower time on the calendar is archetype progress.
Inheritance copies a skill from an archetype you've ranked into the archetype you're using. You set it up at the Akademeia. Higher archetype ranks open more inheritance slots, so a mastered (Rank 20) archetype carries more borrowed skills. Two rules shape every build:
- Royal Archetype skills can't be passed on. Hassou Tobi and Summon Harvest God stay on their owners.
- Synthesis skills need the right partner lineage in the active party, not inherited skills. Prince is the exception: it counts as any lineage for Synthesis, which is a big part of why it's S tier.
Does the Switch 2 Version Change Archetypes?
No. Atlus hasn't announced any changes to archetypes, ranks or unlock conditions from the 2024 release. Two launch details change how the first hours play out:
- Demo save carryover. The free "Prologue" demo covers the first four dungeons and seven of the archetypes, and its save carries over to the full game (Final Weapon).
- Early purchase bonus. SEGA's Archetype EXP Chest Set includes 10 Hero's Incenses (+100 Archetype EXP each) and 5 Hero's Fruits (+500 each), or 3,500 Archetype EXP in total (SEGA). Spend it on the archetype that's closest to unlocking its next tier, such as Seeker for Magic Seeker. Spending it on one you're about to drop gets you less.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Archetype FAQ
What's the best archetype in Metaphor: ReFantazio?
Prince is the best overall, and it's the protagonist's alone. Hero's Cry adds four Turn Icons once per battle, and Prince counts as any lineage for Synthesis. Among the regular archetypes, Warlord's Dynast Formation (a Synthesis party buff) is the strongest single tool.
How many archetypes are there?
There are 46: 39 across the 14 regular lineages, the protagonist's Prince, and six party-member Royal Archetypes.
What's the best healer archetype?
Saviour. Medicall heals the whole party heavily, and Patrecarm revives. Cleric's Samarecarm (Rank 20) is the inheritance pick to put on a second character as a backup reviver.
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Image credits: ATLUS / SEGA (official Metaphor: ReFantazio Nintendo Switch 2 website and the Nintendo eShop listing).
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