Unlock Catherina's Bond in Metaphor: ReFantazio! Learn her abilities, rank-up events, and how to maximize her support in labyrinths and bounties.
Catherina’s Bond is unlocked early in Metaphor: ReFantazio during the operation at the Grand Regalith Cathedral dungeon. After returning to the Mausoleum, you'll encounter her, and after resolving a mystery, her Bond begins. Ranking up her Bond takes time, with some abilities only available near the end of the game, but it's highly rewarding.
The Brawler Archetype offers excellent skills, and her Bond provides useful abilities like increased Bounty rewards and occasional support in labyrinths.
To progress Catherina's Bond ranks, you'll primarily need to encounter her pink Gauntlet Runner while traveling on the world map and defeat her in battle. After the initial Bond unlock, the first three ranks require these Gauntlet Runner encounters. Subsequent ranks involve speaking with Catherina at night during free days, with specific conditions like waiting a full free day between events and reaching Tolerance Rank 5 for Rank 6.
Catherina Rank Up Events and Abilities
There are eight Rank Up events for Catherina. After the automatic Rank 1 unlock, you'll need to defeat her on the Gauntlet Runner for the next few ranks. The table below details the conditions and abilities unlocked for each rank:
| Rank | Conditions | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automatically from as early as 6/12 | Brawler Archetype |
| 2 | Starting from the free time of 7/2, encounter her Gauntlet Runner while traveling (the pink one) and defeat her | Brawler Enlightenment (decreases MAG cost to study) |
| 3 | During 7/19, encounter her Gauntlet Runner while traveling (the pink one) and defeat her | Brawler Archetype: Adept (Unlocks Pugilist), Bounty Bonus (increases rewards from Bounties) |
| 4 | During the free time starting 7/23, encounter her Gauntlet Runner while traveling (the pink one) and defeat her | Scion’s Skill (Brawler Skill Inheritance Slots to 2) |
| 5 | Speak to Catherina at night during a free day | Item Tracking (shows item locations in unexplored areas of dungeons), Brawler Veneration (significantly decreases MAG cost to study) |
| 6 | Speak to Catherina at night during a free day (after waiting a full free day first). Requires Tolerance Rank 5 | Scion’s Merit (Brawler Skill Inheritance Slots to 3), Streetwise Negotiator (reduces price at city general stores) |
| 7 | Speak to Catherina at night during a free day (after waiting a full free day first) | Treasure Hunting (shows chest locations in unexplored areas of dungeons), Comrades in Battle (she will support the party in certain dungeons) |
| 8 | Speak to Catherina at night during a free day (after waiting a full free day first) | Brawler Archetype: Elite (Unlocks Martial Artist), Scion’s Essence (Brawler Skill Inheritance Slots to 4) |
The battles against Catherina on the Gauntlet Runner are manageable. Using a Tank to mitigate her multi-hit attacks and powerful single-target Synthesis Skills is effective. After these battles, you'll trigger her rank-up events. Remember to complete all three Gauntlet Runner battles before proceeding to the normal rank-up events.
For ranks 5-8, these events occur at night during free days. Ensure you wait a full free day between each event. Rank 6 requires a Tolerance Rank of 5. While there are no specific quests, meeting these conditions is key.
Catherina's Bond offers significant benefits: item and chest tracking in dungeons, reduced prices at general stores, and increased Bounty rewards. The most impactful ability is Comrades in Battle, which allows Catherina to occasionally join your party at the start of battles in side dungeons, potentially dealing up to 5000 HP damage to enemies, including bosses.
Ability Breakdowns
Rank 1 Ability - Brawler Archetype
The Brawler Archetype specializes in hand-to-hand combat, dealing Strike damage, which is effective against Undead enemies. Key skills include Battle Cry (increases Attack and Defense) and the passive Health Font (increases Max HP). This Archetype is foundational, as several other advanced Archetypes require investment in the Brawler tree.
Rank 2 Ability - Brawler Enlightenment
Brawler Enlightenment reduces the MAG cost required to study Brawler Archetypes. This is beneficial as there are three Archetypes within this tree, and some advanced Archetypes require you to have ranked up specific Brawler Archetypes.
Rank 3 Abilities - Brawler Archetype: Adept and Bounty Bonus
The Adept Archetype within the Brawler tree is the Pugilist, focusing on critical hits for high damage. Additionally, Bounty Bonus increases the rewards you receive from completing Bounties.
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