How to Metaphor: ReFantazio: Grind in Late Game

by Rian

Metaphor: ReFantazio does offer lists of side quests to level up the party to prepare for the next big battle, that is, up until the new dungeon area, Skybound Avatar, is unlocked for the final-final confrontation. At this point, I had access to few other bounties, few dungeons, and some candidate encounters. Finishing them all, aside from Dragon Trials, left my main character at level 54 with 20 days left and no other activities that would help me to prepare for Louis battle as all other NPCs were begging me to do.

Walkthrough

1. At this point, you should have access to rare ingredients in almost every shops. Prepare as many as Finisher Noodles ingredients (1 brocaded koi, 1 monster bone, and 3 pristine clearwater, all available in Grand Trad). Do be mindful you can hold only 99 of the same item, so no need to buy more than 33 koi or monster bones.
2. Fly to Skybound Avatar. A short anime cinematic would play, but it won’t lock you out from returning to other regions. Don’t forget to cook Finisher Noodles.
3. Inside the palace dungeon, you would see a garden full of Humans, including Homo Tenta, the tooth monsters. It has left and right wings as you enter; each wing takes roughly 30 seconds with Finisher Noodle effect to clear in the overworld. On the right wing, there is a room with a quest marker. Do not proceed further, as it is not needed.
4. Once it’s done, don’t bother waiting for monsters to respawn. Instead, simply leave the garden and re-enter. Rinse and repeat until Finisher Noodles run out.
   

Afterthoughts

I was surprised to find out some of the hardcore Megami Tensei fans were discouraging grinding in Metaphor. I didn’t need to up until the late game, which is definitely a plus and probably also against the JRPG tradition, but once the game ran out of side quest contents, I realized I had to find a way.

I will probably address this issue in my review spiel as well, but the experience I’ve enjoyed in Metaphor is mostly curated, like watching an Anime series or TV shows. Think of Alan Wake, with its quirky, TV-like, ”previously on Alan Wake” line in every new chapter. It’s a game delivered with well-polished craftsmanship, but once that illusion is broken somewhere, it becomes a slog fest very quick.