In many ways, Octopath Traveler 0 differs greatly from its predecessors. While the original game and its brilliant 2023 sequel told the stories of eight key characters, this prequel focuses on a trio of villains and the dark forces behind the events that follow.
It’s also a reimagined version of the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent , from which the story originates . All these changes promise a completely different gaming experience, so even experienced players will find the following tips helpful.
Know your place
Borrowing mechanics from Champions of the Continent (and unlike previous mainline games in the series), up to eight characters can be brought into battle simultaneously . However, there’s a catch: with rare exceptions, characters in the back row cannot execute commands .
This can make them seem like useless dead weight. However, synergy is key: you can and should actively move fighters between the front and back rows as the situation dictates. If an enemy is better attacked by a character initially positioned in the back, you can always call them forward.
When swapping, a character takes the place of the current player’s turn, and a full turn must pass before the next swap. This technique is also useful if a frontline character is about to die —they can be temporarily sent to the safety of the rear. Some healing skills affect the entire back row, allowing you to quickly revive reserve fighters and get them back into the fight.
The Art of Choosing Skills
Don’t spend all your JP (skill points) on learning the skills listed in the “Learn Skills” submenu. It’s worth spending some JP on unlocking slots for combat and utility skills . Filling these slots with all the masteries acquired during your journey often yields an equally significant boost to your party’s strength.
It won’t come cheap, but it’s worth the effort. Offensive combat skills and masteries can provide useful elemental coverage for casters and more powerful melee attacks . Utility masteries like Eye for an Eye , when equipped on a warrior or other combatant, deal massive passive damage thanks to a 50% chance to counterattack .
Kill those Keiths
This advice is relevant for all series veterans, but it’s worth repeating for those whose first encounter with Square Enix’s HD-2D franchise began with Octopath Traveler 0. In many locations, you’ll occasionally encounter a monster named Kate . As the name suggests, it’s a cat-like creature.
I love cats, but these cats are dangerous. Well… not really; they tend to run away. They have low HP, but they take very little damage from your attacks . Like similar JRPG regulars, like the Metal Slimes from Dragon Quest , you need to kill them before they escape .
Keiths give incomparably more experience than any other creature in the zone where they can be found . To put this into perspective, my party was level 12-13 when I encountered the first Keith. After defeating him, each character gained three whole levels . This is a bit of an atypical case due to the low starting level, but generally, you’ll get a ton of experience when they’re defeated.
Switch between quests – and don’t forget about “Rekindling the Flame”
This advice applies to the entire series, but Octopath Traveler 0 has its own unique twist. This remastered version of Champions of the Continent adds a ton of new content, including a city-rebuilding quest chain that unlocks a wealth of valuable rewards .
It’s called “Rekindling the Flame” and is a full-fledged story arc with recommended levels for each section. Progressing through these quests alongside the main ones is very important, although not required. In general, it’s recommended to complete all quest chains simultaneously , as your party levels up.
Is it terrible not to do this? Not exactly. It’s just that if you, for example, put off Master [X]’s Chapter 1 mission until you’ve completed everything Master [X]’s other line offers, you might find yourself taking on a level 6 recommendation mission with a level 40+ party. Yes, it’ll be a disaster, but the treasures you get will have long since lost their value by then.
Later in Octopath Traveler 0 , after completing the Master of Power/Wealth/Glory questlines, a more unified quest chain will open up, bringing the story to its conclusion. However, “Rekindling the Flame” will still run alongside it.
Don’t go broke on Path Actions
Path actions are the hallmark of the Octopath series , and, at least for me, they can be incredibly engaging. Traversing each settlement, interacting with people, and using a unique set of options—in 0 ‘s case , “Interrogate,” “Invite,” “Fight,” “Impress,” “Buy,” and so on—makes every named NPC an important part of the game.
But they can also be horribly expensive to implement .
The “Buy/Bargain” Path requires leaves, or money . While it may be tempting to buy everything in sight, keep a close eye on your cash reserves . I’ve learned more than once that no matter how much I earn in adventures, my funds can quickly run out if I don’t restrain myself from shopping with every NPC I meet.
Think first. Is even a high chance of a successful trade worth it? Do you really need another Healing Berry ? If you see a nut that boosts stats or a great piece of equipment , then by all means, spend a ton of money on it if you can afford it. But those berries, they accumulate…
Blue chests are not a problem
Don’t worry about blue chests . I don’t mean don’t worry, because a way to open them will appear later—that goes without saying. I mean don’t worry, because the game will eventually include a checklist of sorts marking their locations .
In other words, you don’t need to take screenshots like the one I did at the beginning of this section. Therefore, I don’t need to write a guide to blue chests, even though I was sure I would have to when I started my adventure in Octopath Traveler 0. Just wait until you have this list, and you’ll easily know where to go to collect their rewards .
The difficulty ratings for elite enemies are quite relative.
When you first approach one of the many enemies that appear directly on the map , you’ll see a tutorial message introducing elite enemies . These monsters, stronger than normal ones, as the pop-up explains, are divided into three color categories, indicating whether they are relatively weak, average, or especially strong .
But the thing is…
Don’t let those (literally) red flags indicating tougher enemies deter you from attacking. The game doesn’t mention that it’s frankly not very good at assessing the difficulty of its own content . A blue-flagged enemy gave me some trouble, while red-flagged enemies were often easy pickings. This partly depends on your squad composition, but overall, it’s all relative .
For example, my squad was already level 26 when I completed the first Master of Wealth mission . The elite enemy there was defeated in less than two turns.
This is a Blessing in disguise, and it’s true
At the time of writing, I hadn’t yet found the “Masked Blessing” gear , but thanks to the publisher’s materials, I’m already familiar with its properties. And it’s worth mentioning for good reason: “Masked Blessing” removes curses from several individual pieces of equipment, which would be excellent if not for their side effects .
The point isn’t just to pay attention to this specific item. Rather, always look for hidden potential in gear before hastily selling it . Many items have somewhat weak stats but offer useful bonuses worth considering.
Why not Vaishveil?
Every town has a tavern. But why anyone would spend money there is a mystery to me. With rare exceptions, you can simply fast travel to Vashveil and sleep in your own bed . This requires completing the first couple of quests in the “Rekindling the Flame” chain , but it’s done in the blink of an eye.
There’s no compelling reason to part with your leaves when you can settle into your humble abode in seconds.
These costs add up, so skip the inn and settle in for a full HP and SP refill for next to nothing.
