Starting your journey in Octopath Traveler 0 can feel overwhelming with its interconnected mechanics, eight-member party system, and deep job customization. This third entry in the HD-2D series introduces town-building elements and refined combat that rewards strategic thinking. Whether you're new to the series or returning from previous games, you'll need to understand the Break system, job progression, and resource management to succeed against the three Masters threatening Orsterra.
Let's Start with Character Creation
Your protagonist's initial setup matters, but you won't be locked into bad choices. During character creation, you'll select a Learned Skill, Favorite Dish, and three Belongings. The feebling skill stands out as the most valuable early option because it reduces enemy attack and defense for two turns. You'll use this debuff constantly during boss battles, giving you a significant edge when other damage options feel limited.
For your favorite dish, focus on stats matching your playstyle. Speed, evasion, and critical hit buffs work well for aggressive players, while HP and defense bonuses suit defensive strategies. The dish name is purely cosmetic, so have fun with it.
Tip
Your belongings should include the Crested Key (unlocks an NPC later), Letter Fragment (opens a quest chain), and Nourishing Nut (permanent HP boost). These provide long-term value compared to basic equipment you'll replace quickly.
Which Job Should You Pick First?
You'll choose from eight jobs at the start, but Thief and Scholar offer the most immediate utility. The Thief grants access to stealing, letting you acquire valuable items like Olive of Life (revival items) from enemies without spending money. Your high Speed stat also helps manipulate turn order, allowing slower party members to act sooner when you swap them in.
Scholar excels because of the Analyze skill, which reveals enemy weaknesses and HP totals. Knowing exactly what breaks an enemy saves time and resources. If you want to explore the Octopath Traveler 0 Free Demo before committing, you can test different job combinations there.
To unlock additional jobs, you need to learn three skills in your current job (costing 430 JP total). Prioritize unlocking Thief first regardless of your starting choice, as stealing becomes increasingly valuable.
Explaining the Combat System
Combat revolves around the Break and Boost mechanics working together. Every enemy has shield points protecting them, displayed as icons showing their weaknesses. Hit them with the correct weapon type or element to reduce these shields. When broken, enemies lose their turns and take increased damage.
Boost points (BP) accumulate each turn, letting you spend up to three at once to enhance attacks. Boosted weapon attacks hit multiple times (perfect for breaking shields), while boosted skills deal increased damage. Here's the critical part: BP doesn't carry between battles, so use it liberally rather than hoarding.
Octopath Traveler 0 Combat mechanics
The turn order bar at the top shows upcoming actions. Breaking enemies removes their turns, but you can also manipulate this with speed buffs, debuffs, and certain skills. Learning to control turn order transforms difficult fights into manageable ones.
Warning
Boss battles often have second phases with new mechanics. Always save before major fights and keep your party topped up before finishing the first phase.
Crucial Enemy Weaknesses
Weaknesses appear in a specific order: Sword > Polearm > Dagger > Axe > Bow > Staff > Tome > Fan > Fire > Ice > Lightning > Wind > Light > Dark. This pattern helps you deduce hidden weaknesses. If you see Sword and Bow revealed with four unknowns between them, you know Polearm, Dagger, and Axe aren't weaknesses.
Testing with Lightning reveals whether Wind, Light, or Dark are viable. This systematic approach beats random guessing, especially when the Scholar's Analyze skill isn't available.
Building an Effective Eight-Member Party
The back row regenerates HP and SP each turn while still gaining BP. Characters can swap between front and back as a free action, creating tactical flexibility. Structure your party with role pairs: if Viator tanks in front, keep Celsus (another tank) in back as a replacement. When one healer exhausts their SP, swap to your backup.
Eight-member party setup
Weapon coverage matters more than avoiding overlap. You need access to all eight weapon types and six elements to handle varied enemy weaknesses. Some overlap is inevitable with eight party members, so focus on complementary skillsets within pairs.
Path Actions
Inquire reveals collection points and unlocks blueprints for town building. Entreat and Contend acquire items from NPCs, while Purchase lets you buy powerful equipment early (though it's expensive). Your Wealth, Fame, or Power rating affects success rates for these actions.
Failed Path Actions lower your reputation in that region. If you fail too often, you'll be blocked from using Path Actions until you pay 1,000 Leaves at a tavern to restore your standing. This penalty is minor, so don't be afraid to attempt difficult entreats or purchases.
Important
Always use Path Actions when entering new towns. The items and information you gather provide significant advantages, and many NPCs can be recruited to Wishvale for permanent benefits.
The Optimal Story Progression Route
After the prologue, you'll choose between three paths: Wealth, Power, and Fame. Your choice doesn't lock you out of content since you can switch freely and must complete all three eventually. The smart approach is to tackle Chapter 1 of all three paths before advancing to Chapter 2.
This strategy gives you more party members, higher levels, and better equipment before facing the tougher end-chapter bosses. You'll also unlock more of Wishvale's town-building features, which provide combat buffs and resource generation.
How Important Is Food in Combat?
Extremely important, yet easily overlooked. Cooked dishes provide buffs for a set number of turns, stacking with other effects. Early recipes grant basic stat boosts, but later dishes like Ratatouille provide +20% Elemental Defense, +15% Physical Defense, and +15% resistance to four elements for 15 turns.
You can also cook dishes that boost EXP and item drop rates, accelerating progression. Always eat before major battles, and don't skip the Hub building in Wishvale where you unlock new recipes.
Octopath Traveler 0 Food use in battle
Farming JP Efficiently
Job Points (JP) unlock skills and new jobs. The cost escalates quickly: your first skill costs 30 JP, but the fifth requires 1,500 JP. Rather than grinding randomly, target specific enemy groups that appear frequently in areas matching your level.
One effective early strategy involves fighting enemies near Wishvale that drop consistent JP rewards. Equip the Merchant's Extra JP support skill (unlocked after learning seven battle skills) to boost gains. The Dancer also has this skill, making it valuable for both jobs.
Tip
Toggle battle speed during combat by pressing Start on any controller. Faster battles mean more efficient farming when you're grinding levels or JP.
What Items Should You Steal Early?
Certain enemies drop critical items when stolen from:
- Snakes drop Plums (HP restoration)
- Squirrels drop Grapes (SP restoration)
- Plant enemies drop Olive of Life (revival items)
Olive of Life is particularly valuable since you can't buy many from shops. Boost your Steal command and damage enemies first to increase success rates. The SP and HP restoration items let you adventure longer between rest stops.
Maximizing Your Protagonist
Only your protagonist can switch jobs freely, making them incredibly versatile. Unlock Thief early for stealing, then branch into Scholar for Analyze. Once you have these utility options covered, focus on jobs matching your preferred playstyle.
The Mastery system lets you equip action and passive skills from different jobs once unlocked. This creates hybrid builds: a Warrior protagonist using Thief's debuffs and Scholar's elemental spells becomes a flexible powerhouse. Invest JP strategically to unlock skill slots, then mix abilities for situations.
Your protagonist's high customization potential means they should fill gaps in your party composition. Need more healing? Equip Cleric skills. Lacking physical damage? Load up Warrior abilities. This flexibility makes the protagonist your most valuable party member beyond just being the main character.
Starting strong in Octopath Traveler 0 requires understanding these interconnected systems, but you don't need to master everything immediately. Focus on the Break system, use your resources liberally, and explore all three paths early. The game rewards experimentation, so don't be afraid to try different job combinations and party setups as you progress through Orsterra's story.