Metaphor: ReFantazio – Best Trio Synthesis Skills To Prioritize

Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s combat is some of the most refreshing gameplay players have seen from the RPG genre. It feels reminiscent of Atlus’ other flagship titles without being a direct copy. One of the defining mechanics setting it apart from the likes of Shin Megami Tensei or the Persona series is the Synthesis Skill mechanic. This mechanic is similar to double techs from Chrono Trigger.

Players can pair up two or even three party members to unleash powerful abilities that can turn the tide of battle in their favor. These awesome techniques are not all created equal, though, as some of them are far greater than others and should be prioritized as such.

6 Debilitate

Strong Early Option But Outclasses Later

• Description: Decrease one enemy’s Attack/Defense/Hit/Evasion for 3 turns.
• Archetype: Faker or Trickster
• Type: Support
• Mana Cost: 24 MP
• Turn Cost: 3
• First Ally Requirement: Thief, Faker, Merchant, Assassin, Ninja, Trickster, Tycoon, Prince, or Royal Thief
• Second Ally Requirement: Thief, Faker, Merchant, Assassin, Ninja, Trickster, Tycoon, Prince, or Royal Thief.

Debilitate is a Shin Megami Tensei staple. However, with the addition of other skills and mechanics, it isn’t quite as good here as it is in other Atlus titles.

This skill is available for players who need its utility without putting in the time to level up the Knight archetype tree for the much better, Peerless Shadow and Peerless Sanctity skills. The fact that this skill can be accessed with base-level archetypes makes it perfect for low-level runs of Metaphor: ReFantazio, but outside that use case, the other trio synthesis skills are just way better.

5 Peerless Shadow

Devastating Against Enemies Weak To Dark

• Description: Deals severe physical Dark damage to all enemies. Decreases their Attack/Defense/Hit/Evasion for 3 turns.
• Archetype: Dark Knight / Royal Knight
• Type: Dark
• Mana Cost: 25 MP
• Turn Cost: 3
• First Ally Requirement: Warrior, Thief, Masked Dancer, Swordmaster, Assassin, Samurai, Ninja, Persona Master, Prince, Royal Warrior, Royal Thief, or Royal Masked Dancer
• Second Ally Requirement: Knight, Healer, Commander, Magic Knight, Cleric, General, Paladin, Dark Knight, Savior, Warlord, Prince, or Royal Knight

Peerless shadow is one of the best synthesis skills and one of the best skills in Metaphor: ReFantazio — period! To gain access to this skill, players first need to unlock the Dark Knight archetype after maxing the Knight archetype. It allows for the player to deal a significant amount of damage while also debuffing their target. Multipurpose skills are just better in most cases, and while its cost is high, this ability is devastating to tough enemies who are also weak to Dark damage.

4 Peerless Sanctity

Devastating Against Enemies Weak To Light

• Description: Deals severe physical Light damage to all enemies. Decreases their Attack/Defence/Hit/Evasion for 3 turns.
• Archetype: Paladin / Royal Knight
• Type: Light
• Mana Cost: 25 MP
• Turn Cost: 3
• First Ally Requirement: Seeker, Knight, Commander, Magic Seeker, Magic Knight, General, Soul Hacker, Paladin, Dark Knight, Warlord, Prince, or Royal Knight
• Second Ally Requirement: Knight, Healer, Commander, Magic Knight, Cleric, General, Paladin, Dark Knight, Savior, Warlord, Prince, or Royal Knight

Peerless Sanctity is the Light version of the previous Dark skill. While its damage affinity may be different, it packs the same amount of punch. To use this powerful skill, players must first unlock the Paladin archetype through the Knight archetype tree, similar to Dark Knight.

This skill is powerful for the same reasons as Peerless Shadow, with its only difference being that the damage dealt is Light damage.

3 Precipice Of The Abyss

Strong & Consistent Damage For Mid-Game

• Description: Deals severe magic Almighty damage to all enemies.
• Archetype: Elemental Master
• Type: Almighty
• Mana Cost: 35 MP
• Turn Cost: 3
• First Ally Requirement: Seeker, Mage, Healer, Magic Seeker, Wizard, Cleric, Soul Hacker, Elemental Master, Warlock, Savior, or Prince
• Second Ally Requirement: Mage, Masked Dancer, Summoner, Wizard, Elemental Master, Warlock, Persona Master, Devil Summoner, Prince, Royal Masked Dancer, or Royal Summoner

Almighty damage is the best damage type in the game because it cannot be mitigated. Players don’t need to fully level the Faker archetype to use this skill, either, making it an attractive option for mid-game DPS.

Precipice of the Abyss deals a significant amount of this damage type to all enemies in battle, allowing for a strong, consistent damage option. The trade-off is, since it’s practically true damage, it cannot grant extra turns. With a turn cost of 3, sometimes it’s just better to take other actions, but if the player just needs to deal damage, they can’t go wrong with Precipice of the Abyss.

2 Miracle Cirque

Great Damage For No Mana Cost

• Description: Deals extreme physical Almighty damage to all enemies without consuming MP.
• Archetype: Trickster
• Type: Almighty
• Mana Cost: 0 MP
• Turn Cost: 3
• First Ally Requirement: Knight, Healer, Commander, Magic Knight, Cleric, General, Paladin, Dark Knight, Savior, Warlord, Prince, Royal Knight
• Second Ally Requirement: Thief, Faker, Merchant, Assassin, Ninja, Trickster, Tycoon, Prince, Royal Thief

Miracle Cirque is strong for obvious reasons. The ability to deal the strongest type of damage without a resource cost should not be underestimated.

While the player still loses three turn icons upon using Miracle Cirque, the ability to deal consistent good damage for no mana cost makes it a slightly better Precipice of the Abyss.

1 Armageddon’s Final Sire

Excellent Damage For A Royal Team

• Description: Deals 9,999 damage to all enemies.
• Archetype: Prince
• Type: Almighty
• Mana Cost: 99 MP
• Turn Cost: 4
• Ally Requirement: Royal Warrior, Royal Knight, Royal Thief, Royal Masked Dancer, Royal Summoner, Royal Berserker

To use this skill, all allies must use a Royal Archetype. Armageddon’s Final Sire is the penultimate attack of Metaphor ReFantazio. While it might not be useful against any of the late-game bosses, since their health pools extend past 9,999, it is exceedingly useful to quickly clear out regular enemies while finishing side quests or grinding a few extra levels to prepare for the final sections of the game.