Synthesis skills are Metaphor's combination attacks — powerful moves that require two specific party members with the right Archetypes acting together. They cost a full turn but deliver huge damage, big heals or fight-changing utility, so setting one up for a boss's vulnerable window can win the fight outright.
How they work
🔗 Two-character combos
Each Synthesis needs two party members with specific Archetypes equipped — pair them up before the fight.
💥 Big payoffs
Synthesis effects range from massive multi-target damage to a full-party heal or a guaranteed status.
⏳ Turn cost
They consume the turn, so time them for a Break window or an emergency rather than on cooldown.
Using them well
- Keep a known Synthesis pair in your active four so the option is always available.
- Save damage Syntheses for staggered bosses — the multiplier on a Break is enormous.
- Use utility/heal Syntheses to reset a losing fight in one turn.
- Unlock more pairings by levelling different Archetypes across your companions.
Setting up
Because Synthesis availability depends on which Archetypes your characters currently run, plan your loadout with a combo in mind — for example keep an elemental caster and a striker paired so their Synthesis is ready. Scout a boss's weakness, then bring the two Archetypes whose Synthesis exploits it.
Types of Synthesis
- Damage Syntheses: massive single- or multi-target hits — best on a staggered boss.
- Support Syntheses: full-party heals or revives that reset a losing fight in one turn.
- Utility Syntheses: guaranteed status or buffs that set up your next big turn.
- Which you can use depends on the two Archetypes equipped, so plan pairs ahead.
Duo and Trio, and what they cost
Synthesis skills are cooperative attacks, and which ones you can use is decided by the
Archetypes your party has equipped — not by the characters. A Duo needs one
matching ally, a Trio needs two.
| What it needs | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Duo: one ally with the right lineage | Extra Turn Icons, plus MP, HP or money from everyone taking part |
| Trio: two allies with the right lineages | The same, from three people at once |
| Some also need a prerequisite skill | Which comes from raising that Archetype’s rank |
The cost is the part to plan around. Turn Icons are the currency of press-turn
combat, so a Trio that misses is expensive in a way a normal skill is not. Two examples of how the pairings work:
Samurai wants a Warrior, Brawler or Berserker alongside it; Tycoon with a Thief, Faker or Merchant unlocks All Reset.
Which lineage sits with which Follower is on the Followers page.
Still to verify
How Duo and Trio requirements and costs work, and the example pairings. Written from public sources, not from a playthrough.