5 beginners tips to know before starting Octopath Traveler 2
Are you looking for a list of 5 beginner tips to know before starting Octopath Traveler 2? If you’re picking up Octopath Traveler 2 for the first time, congratulations! We said that this stunning game was “so good we wish we’d never played it” - JRPGs will be ruined for you forever.
But before you jump into the world of Solistia, you might want to know a few things the game doesn’t tell you. Luckily, you’re in the right place! Here are 5 beginner tips and tricks to help you out on your journey.
Octopath Traveler 2: Pick your starting character wisely
Click to enlargeFor a game that’s all about exploring eight unique stories, you might be surprised to learn that you can’t swap your starting character out of your party until you’ve completed their storyline.
There’s not really a wrong character to pick (but if you didn’t choose Throné, we can’t be friends). However, there are certainly some that will make your early-game experience much easier.
And if you’re about to write a comment calling me stupid because ‘it was the same in the first game!!!!!!!”... Stop! It’s a silly mechanic that should've been changed.
Octopath Traveler 2: Stealing is good, actually
Click to enlargeI know I just said there’s not a wrong choice, but I found Throné was actually the best thanks to her sticky fingers.
Stealing will help you pad out your wallet and snag useful items in the early game like equipment and powerful healing items.
Remember - NPC townsfolk and monsters are both fair game, but fail too many times and your reputation will take a hit.
Octopath Traveler 2: You can speed up fights
Click to enlargeOctopath Traveler 2 is a very traditional JRPG. That means you get the great stories and worldbuilding, but you also get the random encounters that sometimes drag the pace to a painful halt.
If you’re in a grind session and want to speed up battles, all you have to do is press the Start/Options button on your controller when in a battle.
If you decide, for some unknown reason, you want the battles to return to a normal pace, you can toggle it on/off in the same menu.
Octopath Traveler 2: Enemy names reveal HP bars
Click to enlargeThe Scholar’s “Analyze” ability will reveal the total HP amount of your enemies. But thanks to your 4 person team limit, you might not be traveling with a Scholar.
However, there’s a sneaky way to get an estimate. When you ready an attack, the name of the enemy will either be white, yellow, or red. If the name is white, charge up your attacks and focus on it because it’s still got loads of HP. If the name is yellow, you’ve dealt about 50% of the damage. If the name is red, it’s close to death, so don’t waste your charged attacks.
Octopath Traveler 2: Weaknesses have an order
Click to enlargeWeaknesses are displayed in order every single time. This can be super useful when trying to figure out enemy weaknesses.
The order is Sword, Spear, Dagger, Axe, Bow, Staff, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Holy, Dark.
So how can you figure out what weaknesses each enemy has?
Let’s say the enemy has three weaknesses. You’ve sussed that the first one is Bow, and the third one is Ice. That means that its second weakness has to be either Staff or Fire.
For more Octopath Traveler 2 guides, keep reading GGRecon.
