Octopath Traveler is the kind of JRPG with a lot to consider before you begin. The obvious point is that the game has four separate characters in it, and picking one to start off your adventure with is a tall order, but that’s hardly the only thing you’ll have to think about over the course of playing through this adventure.
In this guide we’re going to go over the things you need to know about Octopath Traveler before you start. We’re going to briefly break down some battle system tips and how you should build your party. Other than that, Octopath Traveler is the kind of game where you are able to make your own decisions on where to go next and which part of the story you should progress, so just keep these tips in mind and you’ll soon have a team of eight powerful warriors.
Battle Boost
In a mechanic heavily inspired by the Bravely Default series, your characters in Octopath Traveler can take more than one turn at a time, allowing them the edge in battle when against tough opponents. Each character has BP, or Boost Points, and these points can be spent to have your character perform a certain move two, three, or four times, instead of just once in a single battle.
You’ll get one BP for each turn that passes, unless you use it, of course. Boost Points can help you take down threatening foes early to make long battles easier to deal with, but using too many can leave you vulnerable when the need to heal up arises. Choose wisely.
Breaking Enemies
Enemies in Octopath Traveler will all have shield points, and while this might seem like it would help them, it actually gives you a clear indicator of how to abuse them. If you use an attack an enemy is weak to it’ll shed one of their shield points, and knocking them all out will have your enemy break. Once broken your enemy will have its turn reset, putting their next move right to the back of the queue, leaving them open for an assault.
If an enemy has an elemental or weapon weakness and three shield points, for example, you can use your advantageous weapon or element and spend a few boost points in order to attack multiple times, wiping out their shield points and leaving them wide open for an attack. Time your shield point assaults with when their next move is due, which you can gauge by the turn order at the top of the screen.
Elemental Abuse
You won’t instantly know what your enemies are weak to, instead you’ll just have to guess until you get it right. Luckily enemies of similar types with have similar elemental and weapon weaknesses, so that makes things easier. Mages with a variety of spells that hit all opponents can help you identify weaknesses, and Tressa’s Hired Help ability will allow you access to mercenaries which have a variety of weapon types, making it easier to identify what weapons to use.
Choosing Your Party Members
Choosing your party members is tough, but especially tough in the early part of the game. There are just so many options, and you will only be able to pick up one at a time. In reality there’s no wrong answer (as long as you fill out your party before attempting to progress the character stories too far), but some characters are certainly more helpful than others.
To get started, we’ve got a guide to the four best characters in the game which make up a powerful party, but as a beginner tip, just pick Tressa to start with. She’s great.
Choosing Job Classes
When you first assemble the eight party members you won’t have to think about job and classes too much, but as you dive deeper into the game it’s what separates you from winning and losing. But try to build your team with an MMO-like mindset.
You should certainly have a tank ready to take on all incoming damage, a mage for elemental spells, a cleric for heals, and then a character ready for all-out DPS damage. This is the general class set up you want to aim for, though certain bosses and encounters may call for an altered strategy.