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In many ways, Octopath Traveler 0 is quite different from its predecessors. While the original Octopath Traveler and its excellent 2023 follow-up told stories centered around eight main characters—with a notable story arc in the latter—this prequel focuses on three villains and the dark forces behind the scenes.
It’s also a new version of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, the popular mobile gacha game where the story of 0 originated. These versions offer a very different gameplay experience, so even if you’re familiar with the series, it’s helpful to keep these tips in mind.
Know Your Place
You can bring up to eight characters into battles at once. However, most characters behind the front line can’t be commanded directly. This can make them seem like they’re not useful. But you can and should switch your fighters between the front and back rows as needed. Sometimes enemies are better handled when your characters are in the back, but you can call them forward when necessary.
Swapping characters replaces the one whose turn it is, and you have to wait a full turn before you can switch again. Moving a front-line character to safety when they’re low on health is also a good idea. There are healing skills that cover the entire back row, which can make your backups ready to fight again.
There’s a Skill in Selecting Skills
Don’t spend all your JP points on skills listed in the “Learn Skills” menu. Instead, also invest in unlocking Battle and Support Skill slots. Filling these slots with Masteries you find along your journey can significantly boost your party’s strength.
This may cost quite a bit, but it’s usually worth it. Attack Skills and Masteries can give you better elemental coverage for casters and more powerful melee attacks. Support Masteries like Eye for an Eye, for example, deal passive damage by reflecting physical hits at foes, especially when equipped to damage dealers.
Kill Those Caits
This tip is useful for all Octopath titles, but especially so in Octopath Traveler 0. In many areas, you’ll encounter a monster called a Cait—a small, cat-like creature. While I love cats, these are dangerous because they tend to run away and are hard to hit. They have low health and take little damage from attacks.
Like Metal Slimes in Dragon Quest, it’s best to defeat them before they escape. Caits give the most experience points of any enemy in the area. For example, at levels 12-13, I defeated my first Cait and gained three full levels from just one battle. Although this is an exception—since game levels vary—killing Caits usually results in a lot of experience.
Jump Between Quests—and Keep the Rekindling the Flame Going
This game features a new town-rebuilding questline called “Rekindling The Flame,” which offers many rewards. It’s a full story arc with recommended levels for each section. It’s helpful to progress through these quests alongside your main tasks, but you don’t have to do everything at once.
If you wait to complete a specific quest until you have a higher-level party, you might face battles clearly meant for lower levels. You could demolish enemies now, but the treasures gained won’t be as useful later.
Later in the game, after finishing Master of Power, Wealth, and Fame quests, more storylines open up. Still, the “Rekindling The Flame” quests remain available as side content to enjoy.
Don’t Break the Bank on Path Actions
Path Actions are a major part of the series. Exploring each settlement, talking to NPCs, and engaging in their unique activities—such as Inquire, Invite, Contend, Impress, Purchase—makes the game meaningful and fun.
However, completing some actions, like Purchase or Haggle, costs leaves (money). It can be tempting to buy everything, but be careful with your cash reserves. Sometimes it’s best to ask yourself if a high chance to haggle is worth spending your money on items like healing grapes or gear. Focus on better items or stat boosters when they’re affordable; small purchases add up, and saving money can be more beneficial overall.
Blue Chests Are Not a Bother
Blue chests are scattered across the world, but you don’t need to worry about opening all of them immediately. The game will eventually give you a checklist or map markers showing where they’re located.
Instead of taking screenshots or trying to memorize every spot early on, wait until you unlock the checklist. Then, collecting their rewards will be much easier without guesswork.
Those Elite Enemy Difficulty Levels Are All Relative
When you first face enemies that appear directly on the field, the game introduces “elite enemies,” categorized by color to show their strength—weak (blue), average (yellow), or strong (red).
But these markers aren’t always accurate indicators of difficulty. Sometimes a red enemy is easier than a blue one, depending on your party composition. For example, at level 26, I defeated an elite enemy in less than two turns. The game doesn’t gauge its own content perfectly; experience shows that you shouldn’t judge enemy strength solely by their color.
It’s a Blessing in Disguise, Really
The “Blessing in Disguise” gear removes negative side effects from certain equipment pieces. I haven’t found it yet, but from the description, it’s valuable because it clears curses or detrimental effects that hinder gear’s usefulness.
Always look for potential hidden benefits in gear before selling or discarding it. Some items may have weaker stats but carry perks worth considering—so check thoroughly before making decisions.
Why Not Wishvale?
In every town, there’s an inn, but in this game, you can skip paying for a rest. Just fast travel back to Wishvale and sleep in your own bed, which is available after completing the early parts of the “Rekindling The Flame” questline.
This saves precious leaves (the game’s currency) and is much cheaper than staying at an inn for full HP and SP restoration. It’s a smart way to conserve resources as you explore.
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