Octopath Traveler Beginner FAQ - Best grades, breaks and boosts, and path actions explained (2023)

What isbest grades? Asbreaks and reinforcementsworking? What is asti handling? These are just some of the questions we intend to answer in thisoctopath traveler Beginner's guide FAQ.

Square Enix kindly graced the Nintendo Switch with an epic new JRPG with the release of Octopath Traveler last week. It artfully blends old-school aesthetics with modern embellishments to revitalize one of our all-time favorite genres.

While not the hardest JRPG to get into, those new to the genre may still feel a little out of their depth when diving in for the first time. That's why we're here to guide you through the first few hours. .

Octopath Traveler - Which is the best character?

There isn't much of a better character in Octopath Traveler, but there are some that stand out for being more beginner-friendly. We will categorize them below.

Starting Characters - New to JRPGs

Intermediate Characters - Played a JRPG before

Expert Characters - Played a lot of JRPGs

Octopath Traveler - How does combat work?

While combat in Octopath Traveler feels like standard JRPG fare with its turn-based attacks, use of abilities, spells, and item consumption, there are actually quite a few new mechanics you'll need to learn if you want to survive the game's many challenges. . These are:pause,reinforcementsevulnerabilities.

Attacks, Skills, Items and Defenses

Just before we get into the new features, let's quickly recap the more standard JRPG combat mechanics. After all, this could be your first JRPG!

An attack is a standard hit with your weapon, and the damage is determined by your weapon's damage rating. These are typically your weakest form of attack, but they cost nothing to perform.

A skill requires SP points and can perform a variety of effects, from damaging enemies, weakening them, or empowering you in a variety of ways. SP recharges when you rest, level up, or use a certain item.

You can buy items from shops, and their effects are wide and varied. They can heal you, recharge your SP, or heal a negative status effect. On the other hand, they can also have negative effects on enemies, ranging from dealing direct damage to inflicting a negative status effect. When used right, they can do almost anything you make them - especially when you use Alfyn, who can combine elements to create entirely new elements.

Defense is as the name suggests - for a single turn you will take reduced damage when attacked. Therefore, it is best used when an enemy is about to hit you with a powerful attack and you cannot break it. Your next turn will also be faster after a save.

vulnerabilities

As the name suggests, vulnerabilities are attack types or weapons that enemies are particularly weak against in Octopath Traveler. Typically, you'll need to attack an enemy with a weapon or skill they're vulnerable to to learn their weaknesses, but certain skills and characters (Cyrus) can make this a bit easier.

When we say weak against, we mean that these enemies will take extra damage from these attacks. Not only that, but hit them with a weapon they're weak against and you can trigger pause - one of the most vital combat mechanics in the entire game.

pause

Breaks are incredibly useful because they temporarily stun an opponent and allow you to deal much more damage to them. They're great for interrupting a boss's powerful attack, which can take a few turns to charge up, and for opening an enemy up for a heavily boosted attack - possibly finishing them off in a single attack.

To trigger a break, attack an enemy with a weapon or attack they are vulnerable to the number of times represented by the shield icon in the lower left corner of their sprite. If the shield shows a '1' you only need to hit it once, while a '4' requires 4 hits.

reinforcements

Simply put, boosts increase the power of your attacks, spells, and abilities. Standard attacks, abilities and spells that deal damage will simply have their damage increased, while buffs and debuffs will last a few more turns when increased.

To perform a boost, you need boost points. You get a single point for every turn you don't use a boost. So you can attack, use a skill, cast a spell, defend, or use an item to gain a boost point - as long as you don't increase any of them.

You can also choose the strength of your boost, from x2 to x4. The attack's damage, or the number of turns a buff or debuff will last, increases incrementally with the strength of your boost.

The maximum number of boost points you can hold at any one time is five, and the maximum you can spend on a single boost is three.

Octopath Traveler - What are path actions?

Path actions are special abilities that you perform outside of combat for a variety of purposes. Each character has a different road action they can perform.

Octopath Traveler - How often should I update my gear?

The rule of thumb here is: as many times as you can call. But having enough restorative items is arguably more important as it's what will keep you alive longer in dungeons.

A good rule of thumb is to regularly stock up on HP and SP recovery items (you want a solid baseline of maybe five each) and some healing for any negative status effects you might suffer during a dungeon, then spend the excess . on upgrades.

If you're up for it, you can grind money to spend on the latest gear upgrades when you first encounter them. This will also help you progress faster in future zones.

Octopath Traveler - How often should I heal and save?

You really want to save and heal as quickly as possible in Octopath Traveler. While not as punishing as certain classic JRPGs, it is modeled after them. You don't want to be caught with your pants down, so to speak.

Be sure to heal as soon as your health drops by at least half, and literally save at every opportunity. If you die, it's game over and you can lose a lot of progress if you're not careful.

If you're in real danger, you can fast travel out of dungeons to heal, stock up on supplies, and rest. We recommend doing this rather than risk reaching the end. Chances are, if you struggle at this point, the boss will take you out anyway.

Octopath Traveler - I'm lost and don't know where to go, what should I do?

If you get stuck, consult your journal immediately. This keeps track of all your most important quests so you can easily see where to go next. Alternatively, you can check out the world map, which will help you decide where to go next and the recommended level to get there.