Much like in the latest few entries in the Persona series, MP management, and restoration in Metaphor: ReFantazio is extremely important. Unlike other Japanese role-playing games, MP restoration items are hard to come by, so you need to be extremely mindful of when to use your Skills so as not to find yourself out of MP before a battle against a powerful enemy or boss which would force you to leave the dungeon and waste a precious day that could have been used to strengthen the bonds with your Followers or improve one of your Kingly Virtues.
The first tip that can improve your MP management in Metaphor: ReFantazio may sound a little obvious, but it's very easy to forget in the heat of things. You don't have to fight every enemy you meet inside dungeons. Experience points gain falls off pretty quickly if you're fighting enemies at around your own level, so there's no risk of being underleveled for certain battles if you fight the right amount of enemies. The only reason some players may have to fight every single enemy inside a dungeon is to gain Archetype Experience to unlock more Skills and better customization options, but Archetype Experience points gain falls off as quickly as regular Experience points do, and there are way better ways to earn A-EXP, such as using the Hero family of items that can be obtained in a lot of different ways. So, no matter how you want to play the game, always pick your battles carefully.
At the start of Metaphor: ReFantazio, using items such as Magla Pills and Potions will be the only way to restore MP while inside dungeons, but thankfully, way more options become available as the adventure proceeds, and using them accordingly will allow you to grind for EXP and A-EXP if needed, or simply explore the biggest dungeons fully in a single day. The first of these options becomes available fairly early in the game but is limited to the Main Character. Every Archetype belonging to the Mage Lineage comes with a Hero Passive skill called Magic Recovery which recovers MP each time an enemy is stunned or defeated in overworld combat. As enemies that require Squad combat to be defeated can be stunned over and over in the field, this skill provides a potentially unlimited MP reserve for the Main Character, although MP recovery with this skill is very slow and is mostly useful as a last resort.
Another solid method to restore MP in Metaphor: ReFantazio can be unlocked after Heismay joins the Main Character in his quest. The Thief Archetype he embodies can learn the Plunder Magic skill, which restores a small amount of MP by consuming one to activate the skill. Thanks to the Inheritance system, this skill can be assigned to any Archetype. Enter a Squad battle, defeat every enemy but one, and use Plunder Magic repeatedly to restore MP. If the enemy is susceptible to Sleep, you can do so without having to worry about healing.
Once you unlock the Masked Dancer Archetype, the strategy above becomes even more effective with the Masked Revelry passive skill, which recovers a medium amount of the caster's MP every turn, with increased recovery if more Archetypes of the same Lineage are present in the battle party, so, if you have enough Magla to unlock the Archetype for all your party members, you can restore a decent chunk of MP by just having them participate in battle. Unfortunately, the Masked Dancer is among the last few Archetypes you unlock, so you will have to make do with other MP recovery strategies before you can use this one. By strengthening the bond with the Follower that grants access to this archetype to Rank 2, you will also be able to enjoy some light MP restoration after battle thanks to the Triumphant Hymn ability.
Equipping the right accessories is also a great way to restore MP in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Items like the Crescent Medal provide moderate MP restoration every turn, and they are a great pick for Archetypes that need a lot of MP to deal damage or provide support, such as the Mage and Commander Lineages. The Full Moon Medal, which can be obtained as a reward for the Silver I league at the Brilehaven Colosseum, provides even better MP recovery.
In case all the methods above are too slow, you can always fall back on items. MP recovery items can be found in a lot of different places, and you can even get some for free on some days with the Bardon's Care Package ability. After a certain point in the game, you can also cook Magical Bread, which grants gradual MP recovery while walking in dungeons for 60 seconds, which works great as emergency MP restoration.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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