Metaphor: ReFantazio Skullduggery Quest Guide – How to Avoid Bugs and Complete the Quest

Key Takeaways:

1. Efficient Side Quest Management: Completing the Skullduggery quest efficiently involves collecting eight Mortaskulls while avoiding a potential bug by completing it alongside the Haunted Heirloom quest.
2. Maximize Battle Strategies: Use Light and Strike damage against Skeleton Soldiers and Malmorta to easily defeat them and gather the required items for the Skullduggery quest.
3. Bug Solution and Workaround: If the Skullduggery quest becomes bugged, reload a previous save or wait for the quest deadline to pass, allowing you to continue the game without further issues.

If you’ve been exploring the vast world of Metaphor: ReFantazio, chances are you’ve come across the Skullduggery side quest. On the surface, this quest seems like a straightforward task: collect eight Mortaskulls from Skeleton Soldiers in the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum and return them to the Nervous Guard. However, there’s more to this quest than meets the eye, including a pesky bug that can prevent players from completing it.

But don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step of the Skullduggery quest, how to avoid the infamous bug, and strategies to ensure you collect the Mortaskulls with ease.

What Is the Skullduggery Quest in Metaphor: ReFantazio?

The Skullduggery quest in Metaphor: ReFantazio is a side quest issued by a Nervous Guard standing at the entrance of the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum in Grand Trad. After unlocking fast travel using the Gauntlet Runner, this dungeon becomes accessible, and so do the quests associated with it.

The guard tasks you with collecting eight Mortaskulls from the catacombs below the Grand Cathedral. But here’s where it gets tricky Skeleton Soldiers, the enemies that drop these items, are not your regular foes. They spawn randomly from coffins inside the Mausoleum, making it a bit of a grind to collect all eight Mortaskulls.

How to Start the Skullduggery Quest

Starting the Skullduggery quest is easy. After progressing in the main story and unlocking fast travel, head to Grand Trad, where you’ll find the Nervous Guard standing outside the entrance to the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. This quest can only be initiated after 06/29 in the game’s timeline, so make sure you’re past that point in the story.

He’ll plead with you to collect Mortaskulls for him, although he won’t explain why until you bring them back. The quest must be completed by July 30 (in-game time), so you have about a month to wrap it up.

Pro Tip: Double Up on Quests

To save yourself some time, accept the Haunted Heirloom quest from the Resentful Noble on Sunlumeo Street before you begin Skullduggery. Both quests take you to the same dungeon, allowing you to knock out two birds with one stone. Plus, completing both quests together helps you avoid the common bug associated with Skullduggery (more on that later).

How to Collect Mortaskulls in the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum

Once you’re inside the Mausoleum, your task is to hunt down Skeleton Soldiers and gather eight Mortaskulls. These skeletal enemies spawn randomly from wooden coffins scattered throughout the dungeon. To make them appear, walk close to a coffin and wait for the Skeleton Soldier to jump out.

Skeleton Soldiers’ Weaknesses and Battle Strategy

Skeleton Soldiers are weak to Light and Strike damage. If you’re using a Healer or Brawler Archetype, you’ll breeze through these encounters. Focus on using abilities that deal Light or Strike damage to defeat them quickly.

Here are some specific Archetypes that perform well in this dungeon:

• Healer: This Archetype is ideal for dealing Light damage to Skeleton Soldiers.
• Brawler: Perfect for dishing out heavy Strike damage, which the Skeleton Soldiers are particularly vulnerable to.

Once defeated, the Skeleton Soldiers will automatically drop Mortaskulls. Continue battling these enemies until you’ve collected the required eight Mortaskulls for the quest.

Battle Tips:

• Position yourself near coffins: Coffins line the walls of the Mausoleum, and Skeleton Soldiers can pop out at random. By sticking close to them, you’ll maximize your chances of encounters.
• Equip Light-boosting accessories: Accessories like the Phantasmal Doll can boost your Light damage output, making it even easier to defeat the Skeleton Soldiers.

Once you’ve gathered eight Mortaskulls, Gallica (your follower) will chime in, indicating you’re ready to turn in the quest.

Skullduggery Quest Rewards

After collecting all eight Mortaskulls, return to the Nervous Guard standing at the entrance of the dungeon. Hand over the Mortaskulls, and you’ll receive your rewards:

• 1x Brigandine: A common armor piece.
• 3,000 Reeve: In-game currency.

While the rewards may not seem particularly exciting, completing the Skullduggery quest is necessary if you’re aiming for the “Help Anyone In Need” Achievement, which requires completing all quests in the game.

Skullduggery Quest Bug: What You Need to Know

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: the infamous Skullduggery bug.

How the Bug Happens

The bug occurs when players complete the Haunted Heirloom quest without starting the Skullduggery quest. Since both quests involve the same dungeon, completing Haunted Heirloom first causes the Skeleton Soldiers to stop spawning, making it impossible to collect the Mortaskulls for Skullduggery.

This bug is frustrating because the only way to fix it is to reload an earlier save file. If you don’t have a save from before completing the Haunted Heirloom quest, you’re out of luck and will be unable to complete Skullduggery.

How to Avoid the Bug

To avoid this issue, make sure you pick up both the Haunted Heirloom and Skullduggery quests before entering the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. Completing them simultaneously prevents the bug from occurring, allowing you to finish both quests without any issues.

Skullduggery Bug Fix and Workaround

If you’ve already encountered the bug and are unable to collect Mortaskulls, there’s unfortunately no official fix. However, there are two possible workarounds:

1. Reload an Earlier Save: If you have a save from before completing the Haunted Heirloom quest, reload that save and start both quests simultaneously.
2. Wait for the Deadline: If reloading isn’t an option, you can simply let the Skullduggery quest’s deadline (July 30) pass. The quest will automatically fail, disappearing from your logs without causing any further issues.

While missing out on the rewards isn’t a huge loss, the main downside is that you won’t be able to complete the “Help Anyone In Need” Achievement if this bug occurs.

Fortunately, the Skullduggery bug has been widely reported by players, so it’s likely that a patch will be released to fix this issue in a future update.

Related Quests and How They Tie into Skullduggery

As mentioned earlier, the Skullduggery quest isn’t the only side quest involving the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. There are a few other quests that tie into this location, and completing them can enhance your overall experience.

The Haunted Heirloom Quest

The Haunted Heirloom quest, issued by the Resentful Noble in Grand Trad, tasks you with retrieving a valuable item from the Mausoleum. This quest is directly linked to Skullduggery in the sense that both require you to explore the same dungeon.

By completing Haunted Heirloom alongside Skullduggery, you can avoid the bug that prevents Skeleton Soldiers from spawning. This quest also provides you with a unique item that can aid you in future battles.

Other Side Quests in the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum

In addition to Skullduggery and Haunted Heirloom, there are other quests you can complete within the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. Some of these quests offer rare rewards and provide additional context for the lore of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Exploring every corner of the Mausoleum and completing these side quests not only enhances your character but also uncovers hidden secrets that enrich the game’s narrative.

FAQ

1. How do I start the Skullduggery quest in Metaphor: ReFantazio? You can start the Skullduggery quest by speaking to the Nervous Guard at the entrance to the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum in Grand Trad after 06/29 in the game.

2. What enemies drop Mortaskulls in Skullduggery? Mortaskulls are dropped by Skeleton Soldiers in the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. These enemies spawn from coffins scattered throughout the dungeon.

3. How do I avoid the Skullduggery quest bug? To avoid the bug, make sure to accept both the Haunted Heirloom and Skullduggery quests before entering the Grand Cathedral Mausoleum. Completing them together prevents the bug from occurring.

4. What happens if the Skullduggery quest becomes bugged? If the quest becomes bugged, the Skeleton Soldiers will stop spawning, preventing you from collecting Mortaskulls. Your only options are to reload an earlier save or wait for the quest’s deadline to pass, causing it to fail.

5. What rewards do I get for completing the Skullduggery quest? For completing the Skullduggery quest, you’ll receive 1x Brigandine (armor) and 3,000 Reeve (in-game currency).