One of the first punchable enemies in Metaphor: ReFantazio is, undoubtedly, Zorba. I won’t go into details as to why I hate him so much, but if you’re facing the necromancer, then you already know why he has to be beaten. However, it is easier said than done because this foe has many annoying tricks up his sleeve. Plus, since it is one of the game’s first boss encounters, you might struggle a bit when trying to beat him without a proper strategy. But worry not, because as Gallica guides the protagonist, we’re here to guide you through this encounter.
Zorba Boss Guide Strategy
In truth, the fight against Zorba in Metaphor: ReFantazio isn’t a tough one, but it is tiring, and if you’re not prepared, you can run out of MP soon, making things much more complicated. Furthermore, you won’t be facing the necromancer alone, as he can use his nefarious magic to summon undead enemies to ruin your day. In general terms, here’s what you can expect from the fight:
- Zorba has no weaknesses, which will make the battle even tougher.
- After certain turns, he will summon a few undead foes to help him.
- Zorba is resistant to Wind, Fire, Ice, and Electric, making most of your spells useless against him.
As you can see, you have your work cut out for you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t beat the guy. On the contrary, there are a few ways to make the fight easier. First and foremost, use the following combination of Archetypes in your formation:
- Protagonist: Use the Seeker Archetype but inherit the Hama skills from the Healer Archetype.
- Strohl: Keep him as a Warrior, but if possible, inherit the Perfect Punch skill from Brawler.
- Hulkenberg: Keep her as a Knight.
During the fight, you’ll have to use Hulkenberg for two things. First, use the Jump Thrust Synthesis Skill on Zorba every three turns. This will keep his defense down, allowing you to do more damage. After that, have Hulkenberg taunt enemies so they focus on her. You’ll be using the Protagonist’s Hama skill to deal with the undead enemies; they are weak to Light. Strohl will be the main DPS; I recommend using Perfect Punch on Zorba when at full health and then swapping to the Slicer Warrior skill when his HP goes down. Most Brawler skills do more damage depending on how high the character’s HP is, so remember that.
Your Protagonist will only be there to heal Strohl and Hulkenberg while adding extra turns when hitting zombies with Hama. While it won’t be the fastest fight, you can have Strohl focus solely on Zorba to burn him down. Thanks to the Synthesis skills, Zorba’s defense will remain low, thus allowing for bigger DPS numbers. Also, the early spells don’t cost a lot of MP, so you should be good for the fight. Lastly, don’t enter the fight after exploring the dungeon. Find the last Magla Hollow, save, leave the dungeon to rest, and return with full MP.