Picture: Sq. Enix
In plenty of methods, Octopath Traveler II can really feel like a reasonably simple turn-based RPG, however while you have in mind its eight characters’ authentic mechanics, its non-linear storytelling, and the way unapologetic it may be about throwing you into the deep finish, there’s plenty of complexity beneath the hood. Whether or not it’s prioritizing recruiting get together members early or making probably the most out of sure techniques, listed below are some tricks to get you began in your Octopath Traveler II journey.
Normal PSA: You received’t miss out on any content material by beginning with one character
The primary determination you’ll make in Octopath Traveler II is which of its eight playable characters you need to play first. This has a couple of penalties in that it’ll act as an anchor level on your introduction to its world, and can decide the primary set of weapons, skills, and particular expertise you’ll have initially of the sport. Every character has a narrative introduction that takes about an hour or so to finish, however the first one you play by means of does set a sure tone for the start of your journey. Nonetheless, as you recruit the opposite seven characters throughout the sport, you’ll have a possibility to listen to their origin tales as effectively. So whereas selecting your first character is a giant determination, don’t fear about lacking out on any story content material alongside the way in which.
Screenshot: Sq. Enix / Kotaku
New characters received’t scale to match the extent of your outdated ones
There’s plenty of aspect content material to do in Octopath Traveler II, but it surely’s in all probability a good suggestion to prioritize gathering the complete get together as early as you may. Whereas some RPGs will guarantee your get together’s ranges are about the identical as you battle by means of the world, new characters in Octopath Traveler II will begin out at stage 1, no matter what stage the remainder of your get together is at. Due to this, it’s price listening to each character’s origin story while you’re prompted to at first assembly, as a result of it gives you each some context as to who this new get together member is, and provides you a chance to stage them up a bit towards enemies they’re scaled to battle. Fortunately, in the event you make some extent to recruit characters early, they may doubtless stage up pretty shortly and catch as much as characters you have already got with minimal grinding.
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The origin tales are each narrative and mechanical intros, so do them as quickly as doable
Once I first began Octopath Traveler II, I didn’t play by means of the origin tales once I recruited new get together members, as an alternative planning to play them by visiting a tavern and selecting to pay attention again to an outdated story later. I used to be busy and had tunnel imaginative and prescient on enjoying by means of Partitio’s story, who I selected once I began the sport. Nonetheless, once I lastly obtained round to listening to new characters’ tales on the tavern, it was not solely useful to lastly have funding in a number of tales, but it surely helped me contextualize how characters like Agnea and Castti’s authentic mechanics, akin to soliciting for info from a neighborhood or charming them into serving to us out, may very well be helpful. So whilst you may not be instantly involved in a personality upon first assembly, it’s nonetheless price interrupting your quest to listen to their story, as it can enrich your total expertise with each story context and information of the sport’s techniques.
Screenshot: Sq. Enix / Kotaku
Rewatch earlier cutscenes to refresh your reminiscence concerning the story
Man, extra RPGs ought to allow you to do that. As a result of Octopath Traveler II focuses on eight anthology tales, it may be straightforward to lose monitor of threads as you’re enjoying and zigzagging by means of completely different characters’ chapters. Fortunately, the sport has a helpful function that may assist you to refresh your self on large occasions, characters, and motivations: rewatching cutscenes. To do that, pause the sport, go to the Journal tab, and discover the character whose story you want a refresh on. Right here you may learn summaries of every chapter’s scenes, or rewatch them solely. Quite a lot of RPGs preserve monitor of issues by means of quest logs and codex entries, however Octopath Traveler II permits you to simply rewatch an entire storyline proper from its pause menu, and given its construction, it’s a welcome addition price profiting from as you come again to tales all through the sport.
Crank up the sport pace
Octopath Traveler II is a beautiful recreation, however you received’t lose any of that visible aptitude by making its battles go by a bit quicker. Throughout a battle, press the Begin/Choices/+ button and it’ll pace up the battle animations. That is particularly useful throughout stretches of grinding, as it can lower down on the time for every fight encounter, and because it nonetheless exhibits all of its attractive animation, you’re probably not shedding something by flipping the change.
Screenshot: Sq. Enix / Kotaku
Prioritize recruiting characters who can fill gaps in your arsenal
Once you’re selecting your first character, it won’t solely set you on a particular path for the story, however it can additionally play a significant position in what skills and weapons you’ve got within the early recreation. For instance, in the event you select to begin as Agnea, your early fights are going to be with a dagger, and that’s the enemy weak spot you’ll most simply exploit. However as is the case with each character, one get together member can’t strike each weak level on their very own. As you discover new additions internationally, you’ll naturally discover teammates who fill out these gaps, however some characters will help you make up for these deficiencies by bringing NPCs alongside for the experience for a restricted time. Agnea and Partitio each have skills that will let you recruit NPCs you meet in your travels as momentary companions, full with their very own skills and weapon units. You possibly can see these earlier than you rent them, so that you received’t be entering into and utilizing assets merely hoping a possible recruit can accommodate on your shortcomings. It’s an excellent strategic play to acknowledge what weapon weaknesses you may’t strike (or can possibly solely strike with one character who may use some assist overlaying your bases), and both beginning with these characters or recruiting them early on will assist you to exploit weaknesses you in any other case wouldn’t be capable of with out get together members you’ve got but to satisfy.
Screenshot: Sq. Enix / Kotaku
Take the guesswork out of discovering weaknesses
Quite a lot of battles in Octopath Traveler II begin with some guessing and prodding as you attempt to reveal enemy weaknesses throughout elemental injury and weapon injury. This could take up a couple of turns relying on which characters you’ve got, and is a recreation of strategy of elimination. Nonetheless, sure characters have skills that may assist you to take away a number of the thriller. Two characters specifically, Ochette and Osvald, have skills that may reveal weaknesses early on so you can begin utilizing them to do further injury, tearing down defenses, and beautiful enemies. Ochette’s is extra exact and a bit restricted comparatively, however remains to be useful. As a Hunter, Ochette is ready to summon a companion that you simply’ll decide initially of her story. Whether or not you select the lājackal Akalā or her malamaowl Mahina, Ochette can have a capability that reveals weapon weaknesses or elemental weaknesses respectively. Osvald’s isn’t restricted to both weapons or components, as a result of as a Scholar, he can use Analyze, which each reveals an enemy’s HP, in addition to one weak spot. Having at the very least one in every of these two in your staff always will shorten battles since you received’t spend early turns attempting to determine what weak factors to strike.
Picture: Sq. Enix / Kotaku
Stagger your Breaks and use BP strategically
The core technique in Octopath Traveler II’s battles is to assault weaknesses and take down an opponent’s defenses. These are known as Breaks, which is able to stun an enemy for a flip, and trigger any subsequent assaults to do further injury. Every enemy has a sure protection stage proven by a numbered defend icon, with the quantity displaying what number of extra instances it’s important to strike at a weak spot earlier than their defenses will break. On prime of this, as every character reaches a brand new flip, they’ll obtain one BP level that permits them to do another assault in a flip per level used. As tempting because it is likely to be to make use of a number of BP in a single flip to interrupt an enemy’s defenses, surprised enemies take extra injury than enemies do often, so typically it’s price it to spend extra time utilizing single assaults on a flip to slowly break down defenses after which use BP to unleash a number of stronger assaults whereas an opponent is surprised. Breaking defenses is without doubt one of the key components of succeeding in battle in Octopath Traveler II, however doing loads with the quick period of time it provides you is the distinction between chipping away at an enemy’s well being for lengthy stretches of time and doing chunks of harm in a short time.
