If you’ve ever found yourself rushing through Metaphor Refantazio’s main story to hit the next big boss fight, you’re far from alone. I did the exact same thing on my first playthrough, blowing past random NPCs with speech bubbles and ignoring all optional markers to get to the end as fast as possible. It wasn’t until I hit a wall at the penultimate boss and had to grind for hours that I realized how much value I’d left on the table by skipping metaphor refantazio side quests. After three full playthroughs and 80+ hours of game time, I’ve learned which side quests are worth your time, which you can safely skip, and how to fit them into your run without derailing your main story progress.
What Makes Metaphor Refantazio Side Quests Worth Your Time?
You might be tempted to write off side quests as generic filler, but Atlus built them to be a core part of the game’s world and progression system, not just an afterthought. For one, they give you access to exclusive arcana upgrades you can’t get any other way. These upgrades unlock passive buffs for your entire party, like 10% extra XP from all battles or reduced MP cost for healing spells, that make every part of the game easier long term. They also give you character bond level boosts that reveal more backstory for your party members, and even unlock new combat abilities for them as the bond level rises.
That’s not all, either. Some side quests unlock secret story beats that change the main ending of the game entirely. I didn’t realize this on my first run, but if you complete specific bond side quests for all party members before the final act, you’ll get access to a true ending that adds three extra hours of story content and a far more satisfying conclusion to the game’s core conflict. Even smaller side quests often give you rare crafting materials, fast travel points, or extra gold that saves you hours of grinding later on.
How to Prioritize Side Quests Without Derailing Your Main Playthrough
The biggest complaint most players have about side quests is that they take too much time away from the main story. That’s a fair concern, especially since Metaphor Refantazio runs on an in-game calendar, and some story progress locks you out of older content permanently. The good news is you don’t have to do every single side quest to get all the best rewards. You just need to know which ones to prioritize first, and which you can leave for later or skip entirely. I use this simple priority list on every playthrough to get the most value with the least time waste:
- Quests marked with a blue bond icon first, as they permanently raise your party members' stat boosts for the rest of the game and unlock unique combat abilities
- Collection quests that reward crafting materials for endgame gear, as these are almost impossible to farm from regular enemy drops even in late-game areas
- Time-limited quests tied to specific in-game calendar weeks, as they disappear permanently once you move to the next story arc and often unlock exclusive content
- Filler fetch quests with only gold or XP rewards last, as you can grind those resources far faster by clearing repeatable battle stages in the open world
I learned this the hard way on my first playthrough, when I skipped almost all bond quests to push the main story, and ended up struggling with the final boss for over an hour because my party didn’t have their passive group heal upgrades. Never ignore time-limited quest markers, either. I missed a quest that unlocks a secret playable character on my first run because I advanced the main story a day too early, and I didn’t get to try that character out until my second playthrough 2 months later.
If you’re worried about running out of in-game days, try to knock out 2-3 short side quests every time you complete a main story mission. That way you’re not falling behind on progression, and you’re still getting all the best rewards from the optional content. You don’t have to spend 5 hours wandering the world every time you finish a story beat, even 30 minutes of side content between main missions adds up fast.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Completing Side Quests
Even if you’re prioritizing the right quests, there are a lot of small mistakes that can make your side quest grind far more frustrating than it needs to be. The first one I see all the time is don't turn in collection quests before you loot all bonus chests in the quest area. A lot of players grab the required item and immediately head back to the NPC to turn in the quest, but if you spend 5 extra minutes exploring the full quest zone, you can get extra rare materials, skill books, or even hidden side quest triggers for free.
Another common mistake is skipping NPC dialogue after you turn in a quest. Most players just hit the skip button as soon as they see the reward pop up, but many NPCs will give you follow-up quests with far better rewards if you sit through 30 seconds of extra conversation. I once got a quest for a legendary endgame sword after turning in a simple fetch quest for a blacksmith, just because I didn’t skip his little speech about how he wanted to thank me for helping him find his lost hammer.
You also want to don't do high-level side quests before you upgrade your main weapon. I tried to take on a level 32 side quest when my party was level 28 on my second playthrough, because the reward was a really cool armor set I wanted early. I wasted 45 minutes wiping over and over, and I ended up getting the exact same armor set 2 hours later as a reward for a main story mission anyway. If a quest is 3 or more levels above your current party level, just leave it for later, it’s not worth the frustration.
Finally, don’t just pick the first dialogue option you see during side quests with branching choices. Many of these quests have choices that change the fate of the NPC giving the quest, and some even lock you out of better rewards if you pick the wrong option. You don’t have to look up a guide for every choice, but take 10 seconds to think about what you’re picking if you care about the story or the reward. Most casual players don’t realize how much thought went into Metaphor Refantazio side quests, so they end up missing out on all these small details that make the experience so much better.
Hidden Side Quests Most Players Miss On Their First Run
One of the best parts of Metaphor Refantazio’s side quest system is how many unmarked hidden quests are scattered across the world. These quests don’t have map markers or notifications, so you have to seek them out by talking to NPCs repeatedly or interacting with random objects in the world. The rewards for these quests are almost always way better than the marked ones, so it’s worth taking a little time to look for them. These hidden Metaphor Refantazio side quests are designed to reward players who take the time to interact with the world, instead of just rushing through the main story markers.
The most useful hidden quest I’ve found is the old book seller quest in the central square. He won’t give you the quest automatically, even if you talk to him once. You have to talk to him three separate days in a row, for a few seconds each time, before he’ll mention he’s missing a rare book he’s been looking for for years. The reward for returning that book is a spell that lets you reset all your skill points for free, which is a game changer if you messed up your build early on and don’t want to restart your entire playthrough.
Another fan favorite hidden quest is the stray cat feeding chain. The cat feeding side quest chain unlocks a secret post-game dungeon that has some of the best loot in the entire game, including a unique persona that lets you one-shot most regular enemies. 90% of players never find this quest, though, because you have to feed the stray cat outside the tavern every day for two in-game weeks, and there’s no marker telling you to do it. I only found it on my third playthrough, when I was waiting for a friend to join my co-op run and decided to mess around with the random cats wandering the map.
There are dozens of other small hidden quests scattered across every zone, from the fisherman who needs help finding his lucky hook to the little kid who wants you to find his lost toy. Most of them have small but fun rewards, and they add a lot of depth to the game’s world that you’ll never see if you only follow the main story markers.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to 100% every single optional mission to enjoy Metaphor Refantazio, but taking the time to work through the high-priority ones will make your playthrough far more enjoyable and rewarding. Metaphor refantazio side quests aren’t just filler content to pad out the game’s run time, they’re a core part of what makes the game’s world feel so alive and immersive. Even if you only have a few extra minutes to play each session, try to knock out one or two small side quests between main story missions. You’ll save yourself hours of grinding later on, and you’ll get to experience far more of the game’s incredible story and world building. I still find new small side quests every time I boot up the game, even after 80 hours of playtime, so don’t be afraid to wander off the main path every once in a while. You never know what cool rewards or fun stories you’ll find.