Which Character to Start With in Octopath Traveler
Right from the start, Octopath Traveler gives you eight different characters to choose from. Every character has their own unique backstory and motivations for traveling around the world, and it’s worth noting that regardless of who you pick first, you can still recruit the other seven and experience their stories as well. However, what Octopath Traveler doesn’t tell you is that whoever you pick first will be your protagonist for that playthrough, and you won’t be able to swap them out of your party. This can be a little problematic for party compositions during the early stages of Octopath Traveler, so here’s a few characters you should start with in Octopath Traveler:
- Ophilia
- Tressa
- Olberic
- Therion
First off, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing a character, but you’ll want to pick the one whose story resonates with you the most, and has a skill set that suits your play style. There are a couple of characters that are slightly trickier to use, though, and we recommend not starting with them unless you’re very familiar with the game’s JRPG mechanics.
We recommend not starting with the following characters in Octopath Traveler:
Alfyn: Apothecary class. Alfyn starts off with the Concoct ability, which allows him to mix ingredients together to either help his party or hurt the enemy – kinda similar to Rikku’s Mix Overdrive from Final Fantasy X. He can also take on the healer role to revive and heal one ally at a time. While his healing abilities are pretty potent, it can take a while before you learn how to use Concoct to its fullest potential, not to mention the fact that you’ll also need a healthy supply of ingredients to be effective in boss battles. You might not always need Concoct in your encounters either, so Alfyn isn’t exactly the best choice to start with, at least until you manage to unlock some secondary classes for him.
Cyrus: Scholar class. Cyrus is your resident black mage, which means he’s fantastic for nuking multiple enemies at once with incredibly high damage, especially if he’s buffed and boosted. However, while he is an excellent magic damage dealer, he’s also very situational in Octopath Traveler. After all, there are tons of magic-resistant enemies in the game, and he’s not always that effective in combat, outside of analyzing weaknesses. He also consumes a ton of MP, and we really mean a ton. It’s very easy to drain his MP even in regular combat, so having him locked into your party can be rough, especially when you’re just starting out.
It’s worth noting that both Alfyn and Cyrus are still very useful characters when the situation calls for them. And once you start unlocking secondary classes, a lot of the early game woes we’ve discussed here will become irrelevant. However, if you want a more beginner-friendly start to your journey, it’s probably best to avoid picking these guys as your protagonist. As for which characters you should start with in Octopath Traveler, we’ve broken them all down on the next page.
