Metaphor ReFantaziois full of hulking beasts and bosses that will make you think twice before entering any dungeon in this new fantasy epic. However, I don’t think many would argue against the notion that all the toughest bosses are slotted into the latter half of the game.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Dragon Temple Dungeon Guide
Strap in; this dungeon is a lengthy one.
It takes quite some time before the game truly pins you against a boss that feels like a genuine mountain to climb, and for me, that first true hurdle was Sogne The Icebound, Rella’s dragon, which you’ll take on at the Mage’s Academy.
It’s a fitting near-end-game boss that prepares you for Metaphor’s home straight. But if you want to progress and fight Louis in the battle of kings, you’ll need to know how to defeat this ice-cold killer.
When Do You Face Sogne The Icebound
The player won’t have to worry about this boss until they have wrapped up the Relic Ceremony in Altabury Heights.
Once that whole ordeal plays out, you’ll unlock your runner’s Skyrunner capabilities, and with that, you’ll be able to travel to far-off destinations.
This is just as well, as Rella requests an audience with us deep in the mountains at the Mage’s Academy. It will take you a day to travel out there, and when you arrive, you’ll be moments away from taking on this perilous foe. So be sure you’re all set before you disembark your runner.
How to Prepare For Sogne The Icebound
Sogne is a very powerful foe with a number of unique gimmicks that will make this fight a lot more nuanced than simply using fire magic. So, if you want to ensure you don’t get picked apart by this gargantuan drake, these are some precautions I would take:
How To Defeat Sogne The Icebound
The thing you should know first and foremost is that this boss fight is split into two stages, and the first stage is by far the hardest of the two.
In the beginning stages, you’ll want to get as much damage off as possible, but after the first turn, you’ll need to switch to a more nuanced and defensive strategy.
So, let’s run through each stage of this fight to make sure you’re in the best position to slay this dragon:
As mentioned, early in this fight, Sogne the Icebound will use a move calledQuartz Wall, which will act as an elemental shield blocking all elemental attacks.
However, you have the first move, so you should immediately go on the offensive and make the most of this.
Sogne is, as you would expect,weak to fire magic. So, you’ll want to use this opening gambit to perform your strongest fire-based attacks. If you’re running aMage, Summoner, or General,you should have access to some very powerful Synthesis attacks.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Every Party Member, Ranked
A diverse bunch, each vital in their own right to take down Louis, but which one is the best of all?
Because you can switch party members for the price of half a turn notch with a certain bond ability which you should have by this point, you could consider using the Faker for this first turn to gain access to a few more turn notches.
If you play your cards right, you may take out about a third of the dragon’s health. However, after this initial turn, you will need to change your tactics almost entirely. You’ll want to switch your focus to physical attacks, and supplement this with defensive buffs.
The Berserker is the ideal damage dealer in this phase, as they will have access to strong physical attacks that apply one-time weaknesses to certain physical damage types. Plus, they have a Charge skill that can make one of these attacks absolutely devastating.
Then, for efficiently applying defensive buffs during this phase, I would highly recommend using the General. TheShelter Formationmove allows you to apply a defensive buff to all party members and move them all to the back line in one fell swoop.
This not only allows you to avoid taking maximum damage, but also allows you to be offensive during your turn without leaving your party members on the front line as a result.
Then, my final offensive tip for this stage would be to haveat least one party member who has access to Almighty Magic, as this will cut through Sogne’s elemental wall.
The General archetype has access to Megidola, or alternatively, you can purchase an Igniter in Grand Trad that can give any party member access to Almighty Magic.
Then, as for protecting yourself against Sogne’s attacks. You’ll need to watch out for both Rella and Sogne’s attacks in this first stage.
Rella will either cast Almighty magic that will hit the whole group, or she will cast strong light magic attacks which will cut through any dark type specialist Archetypes.
Then, as for Sogne, they will rely mainly on ice-based magic,which can inflict frostbite.Or they will apply a variety of buffs and debuffs. They will either apply attack power to themselves, or they will use Roar tolower every party member’s stats by two notches each.
Rella isn’t a huge threat here, but Sogne very much is, as their Frostbite will prevent you from using powerful Synthesis attacks, and their debuffs will drag the fight out much longer than you’d like.
So, I would suggest you bring along aHealer or Summoner Archetypethat has the ability to remove status effects and debuffs from your party members.
Plus, if you can afford to use them, Almighty Panaceas are incredible items for this fight, as this will allow you to defrost all party members and launch a counterattack.
Just keep chipping away at this boss with Almighty and physical attacks, and you’ll eventually move into their second stage.
The second stage begins when you take the dragon’s health down to zero for the first time. At this point, Rella will lend the Dragon her powers, and it will gain all of its health back as a result.
It seems like a mountain to climb at this point, but the good news is that this second stage is significantly easier and much more tactically straightforward as Sogne no longer can rely on the protection of their Quartz Wall.
This means you can re-jig your party andstart leaning into fire-based magic attacksonce again, and this should melt their HP bar relatively quickly.
The only real difference between the dragon’s behavior in the first stage and the second is that the boss will use a move called Draconic Wrath, which will raise their attack power drastically, making them a force to be reckoned with, no matter what team you are running.
So, really, when this second stage begins, the fight becomes a bit of a slobber knocker, and it’s a race to see who can deal the most damage in the shortest amount of time.
Rely heavily on synthesis attacks in this stage, make the most of the additional half-notches gained from hitting their weakness, and don’t be afraid to use some rare consumables to allow yourself to remain on the offensive, as their Frostbite will be debilitating at times.
Hold your nerve, and you’ll defeat the dragon, making it a straight shoot-out for the throne between you and Louis. Congrats!
Rewards For Defeating Sogne The Icebound
If you manage to defeat this ice-cold Draconic beast, you will receive the following rewards for your efforts:
The main reward is obviously progressing the story closer to the grand finale, but you’ll also get a whole bunch of EXP, you’ll get a large chunk of MAG, and you’ll gain some rare consumables like Dragonblood Sap and Dragon’s Breath, which will no doubt be useful in end-game dungeons.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Every Archetype, Ranked
All are viable, but they aren’t created equal.
