If you just booted up Metaphor Refantazio for the first time, you’re probably equal parts excited and overwhelmed by how much the game throws at you right out the gate. The vibrant art style, deep skill tree, and quirky cast of characters make it easy to spend hours messing around in the starting town without touching the main story. But once you finally start the first main quest, the first real test most players hit is the metaphor refantazio first dungeon, a winding, trap-filled ruin that can stump even seasoned JRPG fans if they don’t come prepared. I spent three hours fumbling through it my first run, missing half the loot and dying twice to the end boss, so I put together all the lessons I learned to save you the frustration. This guide skips the fluff and gives you exactly what you need to clear it smoothly, no walkthrough spoilers for later content included.
Key Preparations for the Metaphor Refantazio First Dungeon
A lot of new players assume they need to grind for hours before stepping into the dungeon, but that’s not true at all. You only need to do a few quick prep tasks to set yourself up for success, no unnecessary level grinding required. First, make sure you’ve picked up the basic healing salve recipe from the town apothecary. It costs 100 gold, and lets you craft healing items for half the price of buying them pre-made. You’ll go through at least 8 salves during the dungeon run, so crafting them will save you a ton of cash you can use for better gear later. Second, swap out your starting weapon for the iron dagger or staff from the town blacksmith. The starting weapon only deals 2-3 damage per hit, and the upgrade costs less than the gold you get from the first three overworld enemies. Third, make sure you have at least one party member with the trap detection passive skill unlocked. You get this by spending 2 skill points on the exploration skill tree, and it will save you from losing half your health to hidden spike traps scattered across the dungeon floors.
Before you walk through the dungeon entrance, double check you have these items in your inventory:
- 3-4 crafted basic healing salves, plus 2 emergency revival crystals from the item shop
- One upgraded weapon per active party member, no need for armor upgrades yet
- At least one party member with the trap detection passive skill unlocked
- 1 empty inventory slot for the hidden rare relic you’ll find mid-dungeon
Don’t skip this check. I forgot the empty slot my first run and had to leave a rare crafting material behind, and I still regret it.
Navigating the Dungeon Floors Without Getting Lost
The first dungeon has three total floors, and none of the layouts are randomized, so you don’t have to worry about different paths on every run. Most branching paths lead to small loot caches, so it’s always worth exploring them before you head for the marked main path. That said, don’t make the same mistake I did and wander into every side path without checking your health bar first. The enemies on floor 2 deal poison damage that lingers for 10 seconds, so if you go into a side path with less than half health, you’re likely to get jumped by two enemies at once and wipe.
Keep an eye out for glowing blue mushrooms on the walls, those are free crafting materials for higher tier healing items you’ll need later in the game. They only spawn in this first dungeon, so grab every single one you see, you won’t find more until you reach the third main area of the game. You can also find a hidden relic on floor 2 behind a cracked wall, you just need to hit it with a basic attack three times to break it open. The relic boosts your party’s magic defense by 10% permanently, so it’s well worth the 30 seconds it takes to find. If you do get lost, just follow the sound of the running water, the main path always runs alongside the underground stream that cuts through all three floors. You can also mark points on your in-game map if you want to come back to a specific path later, though I never found that necessary for this short dungeon.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During Your Run
I made almost every possible mistake during my first run of the dungeon, so I can tell you exactly what not to do to save yourself the headache. First, don’t run past enemies to save time. Enemies respawn every 5 minutes, so if you run past a group, they’ll likely chase you and catch up when you’re trying to open a loot chest, leading to a surprise battle you aren’t prepared for. It’s far better to fight every enemy you see once, you’ll get enough XP to level up once before the boss, which makes the fight way easier. Second, don’t use all your revival crystals on regular enemy battles. If you lose a party member to a trap or a strong enemy, it’s often better to reload your last save if you’re only 10 minutes into the run, rather than wasting a crystal that you’ll need for the boss fight.
Third, don’t forget to save at the glowing stone statues on each floor. There’s one at the start of every floor, and one right before the boss room, and it only takes 2 seconds to save. I lost 40 minutes of progress once because I forgot to save before fighting a mini boss on floor 3, and I still kick myself for it. One other small tip: you can turn off the random encounter music in the settings if it stresses you out, it won’t affect any in-game mechanics at all. I play with it off almost all the time, and it makes exploring way more relaxing.
Beating the First Dungeon Boss Without Wiping
The first dungeon boss is a giant stone golem that has two attack phases, and it’s way easier to beat than you might think if you know its weaknesses. First, the golem is weak to fire damage, so make sure your magic user has their fire spell equipped before you walk into the room. The first phase of the fight only has two attacks: a ground pound that deals damage to all party members, and a single target rock throw that deals enough damage to one shot a low health party member. When you see the golem start to lift its leg for the ground pound, have your healer cast a group defense buff right before the attack lands, it will cut the damage in half.
Once you get the golem down to 30% health, it enters its second phase, where it starts throwing exploding rocks that leave fire pools on the ground. Don’t stand in the fire pools, obviously, but also don’t waste your turns attacking the golem while it’s charging its big explosion attack. Spend that turn healing your party to full health instead, it will save you from having to use a revival crystal. The best trick I found for this fight is to focus all your attacks on the golem’s core on its chest, that deals 3x more damage than attacking its arms or legs. If you do this, you’ll beat the boss in less than 10 turns, even if you’re underleveled. Once you beat the boss, you’ll get a rare weapon for your main character, and unlock access to the next area of the overworld.
At the end of the day, the metaphor refantazio first dungeon is designed to teach you the core exploration and combat mechanics of the game, not to punish you for being new. If you follow the prep steps, avoid the common mistakes, and use the boss weaknesses we covered, you’ll clear it on your first try without any unnecessary frustration. Once you’re done, take 10 minutes to sell any extra loot you picked up and restock your healing items, you’ll need them for the next set of overworld quests. There’s no rush to beat the game as fast as possible, so take your time exploring and enjoying the little details as you go.