For many gamers, dropping the word Persona will trigger way too many feelings inside of them. When Atlus announced a different project, fans were excited, rightfully so, if you look at the track record. And now that we are playing Metaphor ReFantazio, our excitement was justified. There are many ways to mess up an RPG game, but Atlus always makes sure to create the right point, that hits old veterans and newcomers. Metaphor ReFantazio seems to encapsulate the magic of persona into a brand new world for us to get lost in.
Catherina Overview
In a game made by Atlus, you are never going to feel alone in your journey. In Metaphor ReFantazio features plenty of characters to keep you comfy in your adventure. Catherina is one of the best options in the game, here is her overview.
Start Date: 6/12
Archetype Lineage: Brawler
Unlock Quest: A Friend in Need
Location: Mausoleum Catacombs
Bond Requirement: Automatic progression during the main quest.
How To Unlock Catherina In Metaphor ReFantazio
You must finish a side quest titled A Friend in Need to unlock Catherina in Metaphor ReFantazio.
Catherina unlocks very early in the game, once you complete the prologue quest in Metaphor ReFantazio where you defeat the Undead Grius. Here you need to make your way back to the Mausoleum Catacombs to trigger a cutscene with Paripus Woman, who we later learn is Catherina. She is not missable, as the area is part of the Necromancer Takedown main questline.
How To Complete A Friend In Need Favor
Once you talk to her, she will ask you for a favor to find her friend in Regalith Grand Cathedral. Here’s a brief guide to finish her quest.
- After talking to her take the closed door to the right. Take the stairs, defeat the enemies, then take the doors right of the room. Here you will transported to Regalith Grand Cathedral.
- Keep heading straight, you will soon eavesdrop on two guards talking about the particular key on a desk. It’s the key that we need to grab from downstairs, as it will unlock all the hostages in the room.
- Grab the key, and unlock the door to free the hostages. This kind of act will automatically complete the A Friend in Need quest.
That’s how we unlock Catherina in Metaphor ReFantazio. Completing her quest also takes our follower Rank from 0 to Rank 1.
Catherina Bond Guide
It is not going to be a walk in the park, when it comes to raising Catherina’s bond level, it takes a while. Especially taking her bond to the max level will only happen near end game. While it can be a bit confusing to navigate through Catherina’s Bond requirement, the table below will guide you through everything you need to know or do to raise her Bond level.
| Rank Level | Unlock Conditions | First Ability | Second Ability |
| Rank 1 | A Friend in Need Quest (Automatic from 6/12) | Brawler Archetype – The party can now study the Brawler. | – |
| Rank 2 | Defeating Catherine’s Gauntlet Runner, the Pink one during the free time of 7/2 | Brawler Enlightenment – Decreases the MAG cost to study Brawler Lineage. | – |
| Rank 3 | Defeating Catherine’s Gauntlet Runner, the Pink one during free time on 7/19 | Brawler Archetype: (Adept) – unlocks Pugilist to study | Bounty Bonus: Raises the bounty bonus of the Recruitment Centre. |
| Rank 4 | Defeating Catherine’s Gauntlet Runner, the Pink one during free time on 7/23 | Scion’s Skill: Skill inheritance slots for the Brawler raise to 2. | – |
| Rank 5 | On a free day, just talk to Catherina at night. | Item Tracking – You can now see any item’s location in unexplored areas. | Brawler Veneration – Decreases the MAG cost of the Brawler Lineage study. |
| Rank 6 | * Tolerance Rank 5 Required * Spend an entire full day, then in the next full day talk to Catherina at night. | Scion’s Skill: Skill inheritance slots for the Brawler raise to 3. | Streetwise Negotiator – Lowers prices at General Store. |
| Rank 7 | Spend an entire full day, then in the next full day talk to Catherina at night. | Treasure Hunting – Shows the Location of treasure chests in unexplored areas. | Comrades in Battle – In certain dungeons, you can now expect Catherina’s support. |
| Rank 8 | Talk to Catherina at night after spending an entire Full Day before. | Brawler Archetype: (Elite) – Martial Artist Open for Study. | Scion’s Essence: Skill inheritance slots for the Brawler raise to 4. |
Note: Always pass by her Gauntlet Runner on the word map, it’s in the color pink on the map. Skipping the side content is not a good idea, if you want to raise her bond level. You must cross off her initial 3-phases of Gauntlet Runner on the list. While the rest of her rank-up happens automatically by simply talking to her at night.
From Rank 5, you will just have to talk to her at night but only after waiting an entire day. Another thing you should focus on here is the Tolerance Level, it needs to be over 5.
Why Should You Raise Catherina’s Bond Level?
Seeing Item and Treasure locations in a map, when you are on an unexplored location is a skill you don’t want to miss in an RPG game. Catherina also reduces the General Store prices in cities and makes the bounty reward system better. So you save more money and make more off bounties.
Out of all the best skills, we have to put the money on the Comrades in Battle. So what does Comrades in Battle actually do in the game?
Here Catherina will show up in side dungeons and deliver a powerful attack on the first turn even on a boss. She hits hard, and you will feel it, as you see over 5000 HP disappearing off the enemies that took the blow from Catherina.
Note: Catherina will not show up in any main story dungeon, only side dungeons, where you see her delivering a fatal blow to the enemies.
Many of her useful skills and abilities make her one of the best choices for our adventure in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Also check out our guide on an early side quest in the game on how to complete the Help the Hushed Honeybee.
