The best Summoner archetype challenge in Metaphor: ReFantazio

One of the reasons why the turn-based combat never gets old throughout Metaphor: ReFantazio is the fantastic archetype system. An attribute of the archetype system that helps it stand out from other JRPG job systems is the variety of classes available.

When you add Eupha to your party, you unlock the Summoner archetype line, and it stands out from most other archetypes in that it offers you to unlock more summons through special experiments with More instead of unlocking new abilities by leveling up. However, not all of these challenges are created equal, so should you unlock the first one?

7

Summon Kishin

Archetype ability

One of the main strengths of party members using the Summoner archetype is the wide variety of magic damage types they can deal. This of course includes electrical damage. If you have the Devil Summoner archetype, you can use the Summon Kishin ability to deal impressive damage with electric magic.

This ability summons Thor, a recurring character in the Shin Megami Tensei series and all of its spin-offs, and deals medium electrical damage to a single target two to four times. It's a great way to damage a single electric vulnerable enemy, but its only weakness is that you leave it up to chance, with the difference between two and four hits being quite significant.

6

Call of the King of the Undead

Archetype ability

One of the reasons Summoner is so useful is that they will have access to damage types that are relatively rare when you consider what is available in the archetype tree, and one of the most difficult types to access is – it's dark magic damage.

When you unlock Summon Undead King, you gain access to this fairly rare damage type, and the sheer amount of damage dealt is perfect for taking out high HP enemies. The ability has a chance to potentially kill targets in one hit, but it's usually ineffective against bosses. However, for normal enemies it can save you time and help you get the Unscathed bonus.

5

Invoke Rage

The ability to synthesize

If you want access to Summoner's most powerful attacks, then you should keep an eye on what fusion skills you can use, especially if you have move icons. There is only a small selection of synthesis skills for the Summoner, but they are quite versatile.

For example, the Summon Rage ability will deal an extreme burst of magic damage to all enemies on the field, and will debuff Attack and Defense for three turns. This will usually be an effective attack that costs MP and turn cost, but make sure none of the enemies on the field are immune to the hit, as this is common in the late game.

4

Summon Fairy (Changed)

Archetype ability

If you put a lot of proactive effort into creating a pool of summons that the user of your Summoner archetype has access to, you can develop summons that are augmented versions of previously unlocked summons, labeled as modified summons.

One of the most effective modded summons is the modded ability Summon Fairy. This will deal massive ice damage to all enemies on the field and inflict Frostbite, one of the most debilitating status ailments as it reduces damage taken.

3

Summon the God of the harvest

Archetype ability

It's easy to focus on all the damage-dealing abilities Summoner has access to, as it's easy to make them one of the most powerful party members on your team, but sometimes this archetype can be incredibly useful for healing as well.

Despite the high cost, using Summon Harvest God can completely turn the tide of the battle. Even if your Summoner isn't fully built, switching it into combat to use this ability will fully revive any fallen party members with full HP. So if you're happy to keep Summoner in your reserves, this is one option worth investing in.

2

The tyrant's challenge

The ability to synthesize

Chances are, the fusion ability you'll get the most use out of Summoner, Summon Tyrant, will almost always be an effective option that's worth the turns and MP you'll have to sacrifice to do it.

Summoning Beelzebub will deal serious almighty damage to all enemies on the field, and also has a good chance to cast a spell effect. It's almost impossible for enemies to counter almighty damage. Hex will cause the enemy to take damage every time they deal damage, and will also make them more susceptible to Darkness damage.

1

Summon the Dragon God (changed)

Archetype ability

Summon the Dragon God is one of the first abilities your Summoner will have access to, but it's one you'll definitely want to go out of your way to upgrade to its altered form.

The altered Dragon God will deal stunning fire damage to every enemy on the field, and lower their attack and defense by three turns. In addition to fantastic damage, this is a great way to soften up either bosses or regular enemies early in an encounter to help the rest of the battle go in your favor.