Metaphor: ReFantazio makes no qualms about scaring you in its early game. You can’t handle the fierce monsters in the opening area, the first boss will nearly kill you, and that Captain Klinger guy…okay, maybe he’s not that scary. The point is, when you see a huge dragon in front of you, you may feel inclined to heed your companion’s fears that such a beast is too much for you. But if you’re a fan of treasure—which I’m sure you are—that would be a mistake.
You are totally capable of fighting the Nord Mines dragon as soon as you see it. While you are free to ignore it by completing a stealth section instead, defeating the dragon nets you three treasures you can sell for money, and a powerful greatsword. You don’t even need to level grind either! As long as you can top off your party’s HP and enter the fight with about 40-50 MP remaining, you should be good to go, even in Hard mode.
To best this mighty foe, let’s break down the strategies you’ll need below.
How to prepare for the Fire Dragon Mauna fight in Metaphor: ReFantazio
There are two approaches you can take to build your party for this fight.
The first approach, which doesn’t involve any grinding, requires you to visit the merchant standing outside the Nord Mines rest area. Of the items he can sell you, you should get five Ice Chunks. Each of these inflict a static 100 ice damage, and you’ll want to buy all of these. As you might expect, the Fire Dragon is weak to Ice, so these items will help your physical attackers contribute to the fight.
Party Composition
Now, let’s talk about party composition. The default Seeker Archetype is unfortunately at a disadvantage for this fight, due to their weakness to Fire. As you might expect, this is bad news against the fire dragon. Meanwhile, the Warrior Archetype sports a resistance to fire damage, so you could consider swapping your Seeker user to that, to make the fight easier. If you’re already using a Warrior who knows the Heat Up passive, they’ll get a 10 percent Attack boost this way as well.
You do want at least one Mage in your party at rank two. Using Blizz to inflict ice damage is crucial in this fight. A Mage, Fighter, Fighter team will get you through the fight without any need to grind.
The second approach, if you don’t mind a bit of grinding, is to make a team of three rank two mages. This will negate the need to purchase Ice Chunks, as mages can natively cast Blizz. Additionally, if you make your main character a Mage, he can restore the party’s MP by defeating or stunning enemies in the overworld. This may leave your team relatively frail though, so make sure to plan accordingly.
How to defeat the Fire Dragon
Truthfully, there aren’t any crazy mechanics you have to deal with here. The Fire Dragon can inflict slashing damage on a party member, bashing damage against the party, and fire damage against one or more party members. To reiterate the obvious, the Fire Dragon is weak to Ice, so you’ll want to strategically exploit this. Otherwise, your success in this battle will boil down to your mastery of the game’s core mechanics.
Use the Blizz spell or the Ice Chunk items to both inflict huge damage and score extra turns. Hitting weaknesses only consumes half of a turn icon, while all other actions consume whatever remains of the next turn icon on your bar. So for best results, always start your turn with an ice attack, and try to save any moves that don’t hit weaknesses for when you don’t have at least one half-icon lined up. Passing a turn only consumes half a turn icon if there are only full turn icons remaining, which you can use to help a Mage get in an extra cast before the turn ends.
If you’re using a Seeker in the party despite my advice above (tsk), try to end turns by Guarding to prevent the Fire Dragon from exploiting their fire weakness. Otherwise, not only will the Fire Dragon inflict serious damage, it’ll also get another turn that can potentially wipe your team. Guarding nullifies weaknesses, and jumping to the back row will further reduce the damage you’ll take. You can risk it and hope the Fire Dragon just won’t target your Seeker, but your mileage may vary.
Fortunately, a Seeker can contribute by using Tarujaka on your other party members to increase their damage. This will be best used on Mages, but Warriors will benefit from this as well.
If you’re going Seeker-less into this fight, you should have enough healing items to recover from any incoming damage. You should have found plenty of Medicine on the ground by this point, and the Fairy Dust item can heal your party in a pinch. Don’t be afraid to use items when you need them.
Remember, if a character is not using a physical attack, there’s no reason for them to end a turn on the front row! Just keep chipping away at the Fire Dragon’s health, keep your party healed, and it will fall.
The reward for defeating the Fire Dragon Mauna
Upon victory, you’ll receive 263 EXP, 210 A-EXP, 1000 MAG, and 1000 Money. Additionally, you’ll find the Amethyst, Grand Iron, Glossy Fur, and Onyx treasures that you can sell for cash. The grand prize is the Dragon’s greatsword, which will be a sizable upgrade for any Warrior who uses it. And don’t forget, all your hard work will carry over into the full game when it’s released. Best of luck, dragon slayer!
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