In the follow-up to the 2018 Nintendo Switch hit (sometimes RPGs are just better on small screens), you’ll have to navigate through countless battles as you play through Octopath Traveler 2. The battle system is simple but endlessly refined. It borrows from Japanese RPGs with a few twists.
To make the most of these battles, you’ll need the very best weapons that Octopath Traveler 2 has to offer. You’ll come across many weapons in the game with some notably better than others. We list some of the very best weapons you can find in the game, to help break your foes and beat your enemies.
7 The Battle-Tested Dagger
You can obtain the battle-tested dagger by going to Winter Bloom, where you will locate a building to the north. On the building’s second floor, you encounter Lord Melia, which leads to the side quest, “Melia Afterwards.” This involves you going to another building further north and seeing that Yukito from Bandit Black is returned to Lord Melia. This then returns Bandit Black to Gardener Black, who will have the dagger in his inventory.
The dagger offers 380 physical attack, which is not the highest out of any battle-tested weapon. The weapon does grant 120 evasion, though. You can also use the target to reduce your enemy’s accuracy, so you have added time to heal your team. While it isn’t the strongest, if you have a character with a low HP stat, the dagger’s evasion can be helpful.
6 The Battle-Tested Bow
You can obtain the battle-tested bow by going to Kenonomo Village and looking for Chief Kozahe during the day. If you go during the night, the Chief will not appear. The bow can also be obtained from the trainer NPC by going to New Delsta, visiting its inn, and interacting with the trainer positioned in front of it. The box can be purchased for 95,000 leaves, or you can wait for the NPC to drop it, but there’s a two percent chance of this happening. You can also defeat the trainer.
The Bow grants 390 attack power as well as +120 critical. The bow also offers the ability to lower an enemy’s physical defense. There’s nothing particularly worthwhile about the bow, but its +120 critical keeps it from being the worst battle-tested weapon. The main reason you might want to use the battle-tested blow is against enemies with physical defense debuff. After this, though, you will need to follow up with stronger physical attacks to maximize damage.
5 The Battle-Tested Blade
You can grab the battle-tested blade from Vanderham, who you can find wandering Crackledge Harbor. You often can find him by going to Cropdale, heading to East Cropdale Forest Road, and heading northwest until you bump into Vanderham.
The best part of the battle-tested blade is its strength, with 400 physical attack and 120 critical bonus. The blade can also raise the effectiveness of physical skills by 30 percent. The battle-tested blade is not higher on this list due to two shortcomings. First, you get the blade relatively late in the game. (You’ll need to complete Hikari Chapter 5.) If you choose to purchase the weapon, it’s also expensive, and there are better ways to get more bang for your buck than paying the 95,000 leaves required for the blade.
4 The Battle-Tested Spear
A great weapon that can either be purchased or obtained in the overworld after speaking to the NPC, Senior Retainer Benkei, in the Hinoeuma Region of Ku Country. To get the spear, you should talk to a female in the northeast section of the area to start the side quest, “Then Mikka.” Senior Benkei will then appear, and you can either steal, mug, or purchase the spear from him.
The battle-tested spear offers 390 attack power (comparable to other battle-tested weapons). Its particular strengths are that it offers +120 speed and the potential to blind your enemy. If you implement the right strategy, this is a great weapon. You should utilize it quickly before enemies can react. Because blind enemies are less likely to hit, the weapon also increases your survivability.
3 The Battle-Tested Axe
While you can purchase this weapon for 95,000 leaves, you can also obtain it as an item dropped from a nonplayable character. The battle-tested axe is obtained by going to the Winterland Region’s Cold Cape Pub, where you can spot a hooded villager standing close to the pub. Make sure to save your game before attempting to obtain the axe because there’s approximately only a two percent chance that the villager drops the axe. If the axe is not dropped, you can reload your save and replay until it is. After grabbing the axe, you must then defeat the villager. You can also obtain the battle-tested axe by going to Na Nasahi Village, walking to the northernmost area, heading down a ladder, and grabbing the axe from an NPC.
The battle-tested axe is powerful for characters who can utilize multi-target elemental attacks. The weapon increases lightning and ice attack damages, giving 400 attack power and +250 element attack. In addition to good attack power, the axe is especially helpful for challenging enemies using ice or lightning.
2 Serpent Slayer
First, you will need to have seven characters active at the same time. This means that at least 3 of your characters will need to recruit someone. You can later change your team after getting to the Infernal Castle, which is located in the Winterlands' Southern Stormhail Snows. At the top of a tower in the Castle is a chest that holds the Serpent Slayer.
The Serpent Slayer is one of the more powerful weapons in the game. If it were based on its 420 accuracy alone, the sword would be at the top of the list. The downside is wielding the Serpent also leads to -75 accuracy and -150 critical.
1 The Battle-Tested Staff
The battle-tested staff can be obtained by defeating the trainer at Canalbrine’s northeast church. You can also obtain the staff from Vice President Rock in Wildlands Region’s Oar’s Rush. This is another weapon with a two percent chance drop or a 95,000 leaves purchase price. So decide if you feel like reloading a lot of spending that amount if you want the staff.
The staff grants 200 attack power and +400 element power. The weapon also offers the side effect of lowering the speed of enemies. When it comes to the most powerful weapon in the game (or at least among the battle-tested weapons) for fighting a large group of enemies with elemental attacks. The speed effect on the staff is just an added bonus.