Don’t worry, meal prep gets easier as you go. Spend enough time with one of the game’s followers and you’ll unlock speed cooking, which allows you to chef it up without losing any of your precious time.

Always Buy Information

Knowledge is power, but it will cost you. Every major city has a local informant who will sell you info about quests, monsters, ingredients, whatever. While it might seem like a ripoff at first, the informants are always worth talking to. They’ll give you good intel on which archetypes to use in dungeons or offer crucial information about quests. The game has a few secrets you can only solve with a trip to one of these sources, so if you’re stuck it’s a good idea to check with them.

Switch Archetypes Often

The great thing about Metaphor’s archetypes system is that any character can assume any role with the right prerequisites. While it might feel a little nerve-wracking at first to experiment with new, low-level archetypes you’ve just unlocked, each tree has a variety of skills worth trying out. If a boss is too hard, you might just need a different set of skills to tackle it. And while the original set of archetypes you start the game with is a solid lineup, certain characters will thrive by stepping outside their assigned roles.

Archetypes as shown in the Archetype Tree.

Courtesy of Sega

Archetypes as seen on the Equipment screen.

Courtesy of Sega

Finish Dungeons Early

In Persona games, players had deadlines. For each big mission, you had to split your time wisely to finish side quests, hang with followers, and complete a dungeon. Unlike games like Persona 5, however, where you’d lose days if you finished early, Metaphor has no consequence for wrapping up a dungeon as soon as possible. If you’re anxious about dates, knock out the dungeons as soon as possible and spend the rest of your deadline enjoying leisure time with your followers.

Lost in a Dungeon? Look Down

As a chronic map watcher, dashing through Metaphor’s dungeons usually meant I kept my eyes trained on where my character needed to be, rather than where I actually was. This meant that occasionally I found myself stumped when trying to navigate the game’s expansive dungeons. If you’re lost, the answer is probably closer than you think. Dungeons are full of hidden crawlspaces you need to look low for, whether it’s to reach new rooms or find treasure.

Gallica’s fae sight—which also allows you to check enemy levels before you get yourself in trouble—is a huge help here. She’ll highlight anything out of the ordinary for you, making it easy to find hard-to-spot holes.

Use Metaphor’s Online Features

If all else fails and you’re stuck with choice paralysis on what exactly to do with your time, you can always check how other players spent their day and what level and archetypes they used to beat dungeons. Make sure your system is connected to the internet when you start, and use the designated button to see what everyone else is up to.