How to unlock the Gunner Archetype in Metaphor ReFantazio

The Gunner Archetype is one of the earliest Archetypes you can unlock in Metaphor ReFantazio—and potentially one of the first to vex you. You may hear about the Gunner before establishing the matching bond, but the good news is it’s hard to miss it.

If you didn’t browse the shelves in Akadeimia, you may first hear about this Archetype by talking to More after clearing his first request. The author tells you to “form a bond with someone more mechanically minded.” And though no one may come to mind at first, you’ll know this NPC as soon as he crosses your path. Here’s when and how to unlock the Gunner Archetype in Metaphor ReFantazio.

A statue with four arms and four legs stands in a great hall with a man in front of it. — It’s only a matter of time. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Gunner Archetype unlocks as you advance through the story, which makes it one of many near-unmissable Archetypes in Metaphor ReFantazio. This means you have to wait a bit until you can unlock it, however. For the spoiler-free answer: You’ll meet the NPC involved in this task around the end of June. Though you first make his acquaintance on June 23, it takes a few days before you can research this Archetype. After that, stop at a small village called Komero.

If you’re looking for the spoiler-laden answer, you start to unlock the Gunner Archetype after clearing the Necromancer inside the Grand Cathedral. This wraps up the first part of the Grand Trad storyline. After Sanctifex Forden’s great announcement, you and your crew will need the means to travel throughout Euchronia, and that’s where Neuras comes in.

Neuras, an Ishkia with a naval coat over his shoulders, shakes hands with the protagonist. — Neuras is the crew’s brilliant scientist. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Hulkenberg enlists the help of the former royal machinist, Neuras, who brings a Gauntlet Runner for the crew. The pilot will get you to the city of Martira, but to start his social link, you must quickly detour the nearby village of Komero to trigger his story.

The Gunner Archetype provides a relatively safe way to deal physical damage and apply ailments to your enemies. Its unique attacks all come from the back row of your formation, but you can borrow some physical abilities from a Warrior or Seeker if you want to move to the front row.

The Gunner has a few unique abilities that will help you spread status effects to your enemies, and you can also inherit them on other Archetypes after learning them. You can only use Gunner damaging abilities from the back row.

Sleep Shot (eight MP): Weak Pierce damage to one target. Can inflict Sleep.
Poison Shot (10 MP): Deals medium Pierce damage and can inflict Poison. Single-target.
Sukukaja (eight MP): Buffs one ally’s Hit/Evasion for three turns.
Aim Support (Passive): Increases hit rate by 10 percent, with bigger buffs if more Archetypes in the same lineage are present.
Hex Shot (22 MP): Heavy Pierce damage to one target with a chance of inflicting Hex.