Octopath Traveler II Guide | Who To Start With
A guide breaking down each character's strengths and selecting the optimal starting Octopath Traveler II characters.
Game Guide by Ornstein on Feb 15, 2025
Your initial character in Octopath Traveler II is a crucial choice since your initial option remains in your party until you complete their respective storyline. All eight of the travelers are equally viable options, yet a few of them grant more utility at the beginning of the game, such as resource collection, combat power, and strategic placement on the world map.
The guide here breaks down each character's strengths and selects the optimal starting characters.
What to Know About the Character Options
Each of the characters in Octopath Traveler 2 boasts unique abilities, weapon specialties, and Path Actions that impact battle and explorations. Osvald, the Scholar, is skilled in magical attacks that use elements, and he can reveal enemy weakness using Study Foe, while Castti, the Apothecary, is a utility healer who can combine materials to deliver massive effects.
The cleric, Temenos, brings a light-based spell set that is coupled with excellent debuffs, making him a great support character. The Hunter, Ochette, is a melee attacker who can tame and use creatures to provide flexibility in battle.
The merchant, Partitio, has great financial benefits, such as buying items from NPCs and recruiting allies for different purposes. The Dancer, Agnea, is a specialist in providing bonuses to a party that can use Allure to recruit NPCs to battle.
The Thief Throne is a quick melee fighter who can nick objects for free, while Hikari, the Warrior, can acquire new talents from NPCs and deliver high-damage melee attacks. Each traveler begins in a different place in the entire world, which influences the time you take to assemble a balanced team.
The Optimal Starting Option is Throne the Thief
Throne is a great starting character owing to her immense flexibility in and during combat. Her Steal action allows her to acquire needed items and weapons without having to use money, making her a great resource manager in the beginning. She also begins in New Delsta, a busy city that boasts a high object count to steal from, enabling players to acquire a speedy build-up of healing material, gear, and money.
Throne is great in combat owing to her swift mobility and Leave No Trace, a move that permits her to execute twice in a turn. She is of immense use in offense or support in that she is able to strike, heal, or buff friends in quick succession.
Aside from that, she is in close proximity to other high-power recruits, such as Temenos and Osvald, which provides her with easy access to healing spells and elemental attacks. She is also in close proximity to accessing Ochette via ferry, making her one of the most strategic starting options for a new traveler.
Second-Best Option: Hunter Ochette
Ochette is also a great starting character, particularly for players who enjoy a combination of hand-to-hand attacks and utility. She is endowed with a unique gift of Capturing and Preparing hostile creatures, enabling her to craft a large set of attacks and resources.
Depending on which of two companion animals you begin with, Ochette is in a position to carry out single-target or area-of-effect attacks, providing her flexibility to handle a wide range of creatures. One issue with the starting position for Ochette is that she starts on a distant island, having players pay to ferry to the continental mainland.
Once there, she is able to immediately call Osvald or Temenos to provide magical support. Her Befriend ability also allows her to hire in high-level skilled NPCs to support in battles. If you enjoy freedom of movement and self-reliance, Ochette is a decent secondary option.
An Acceptable Substitute: Osvald the Scholar
For players that require a magical start, Osvald is a good, though more difficult, option. His Study Foe ability is extremely useful in learning weak points in enemies in battles, and his Mug is useful in getting goods in battles. Osvald's starting position is, though, somewhat restrictive in that he is a captive to start and needs to be released in order to gain complete freedom.
As a result of this, he becomes weaker armed and is limited in his interaction with NPCs, making the start of the game more difficult. However, despite these limitations, Osvald is a wonderful option for players who require high-level elemental magic to start with.
He is also in between Throne and Temenos, which makes it easy to obtain a healer and thief in a short period. Though not a great option for a new player, Osvald is a force to be used if he is given better gear and more party members.
Final Thoughts: Choosing Based on Playstyle
Ultimately, the best starting character is a matter of personal taste and play style. Throne is generally the most well-balanced character overall because of her stealing, her mobility in battle, and her ability to collect resources in the earlier stages of the game.
Ochette's monster capture capabilities and high-damage physical attacks give wonderful flexibility; otherwise, Osvald is excellent for a magical style of play. Whoever you begin with, however, Octopath Traveler 2 brings each character's story to a satisfying and immersive conclusion, making it a great one no matter where you start.
Also, check our OCTOPATH TRAVELER II Review and other articles listed below:
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