FAQ and General Information
Anything on this page which refers to buttons is based off the Switch controller. PC will have equivalent key bindings available.
Getting Started
A common question new runners have is...
Which character should I run?
All the single story runs are fairly easy to pickup, but if you want a little more information on each character:
| Character | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ophilia | Most fights are scripted, but good luck is required for optimal strats. Ch4 boss requires a lot of improv if things don't go your way. |
| Cyrus | Beginner friendly and a more detailed route available. Ch3 boss is notorious for killing runs. Most optimal route requires using Bewildering Grace for JPx5 on Ch2 boss (~8% chance). |
| Tressa | Beginner friendly, several routes available, and also the shortest run. Ch4 boss may require light improv and the Ch2 boss can sometimes cause trouble. |
| Olberic | The longest of the single stories due to the number of fights, but this also leads to some of the more unique strategies being used to save resources. |
| Primrose | Generally considered to be the hardest single story run. The early game has a lot of randomness and the final boss requires a lot of improv, everything in between is fairly standard. |
| Alfyn | The early game is arguably the worst out of the single stories due to some bad screens and a long trip to Atlasdam, but in spite of that it's easy to pickup and learn. |
| Therion | All fights are scripted, but it has a required 3% steal in Ch4, Ch4 boss needs good luck on turn 1, and also has a long trip to Atlasdam. |
| H'aanit | Another beginner friendly route. Final boss may require some improv but not to the same extent as other categories. |
Now that you've decided which run you're going to learn you must be wondering about...
PC and Switch Version Differences
PC and Switch versions are separated on the leaderboards. Switch has more competitive times at the moment.
These are the key differences:
- PC has faster loads, less lag, and runs at 60 FPS instead of 30.
- PC can copy and transfer save files, as well as being able to edit save files for easy practice and memes.
- Switch has access to the exclusive Home Buffer Glitch. The Olberic and Therion route use it and the PC Olberic route is significantly different without the glitch.
- Digital version on Switch has faster loads than Physical.
Game Options
Set your game options to the following:
- Use Japanese voices except for Olberic Single Story. Fights do not begin until characters stop talking and some go on forever in English (H'aanit).
- Set text speed to Fast.
- Save and Reload uses Save Slot 1. If you have a casual playthrough file you want to keep, move it to a different slot.
- After starting the game, load an existing save before starting a run. This will reduce the load time when starting a New Game.
Game Mechanics
Step Counter
Like other JRPGs, Octopath has a step counter. Once you take so many steps in an area you get an encounter. The step counter is only updated with distance traveled, running into a wall or getting stuck on an object will not increase it.
The following situations reset the step counter:
- Transitions, Reloading a Save, Cutscenes, Provoke/Challenge fights, Sense of Danger Prompts, and Encounters reset the step counter.
- This does not apply to transitions which have the same name and danger level as the previous room. This is most common with mansions.
- Evasive Maneuvers is a Scholar Support Skill which increases the amount of steps you can take before getting an encounter. Every run grabs this.
- Running increases the step counter more quickly if you do not have Evasive Maneuvers. If you do have Evasive Maneuvers, there is no difference between running and walking.
Running Away from Combat
You can freely run away from fights under the following circumstances:
- Provoke or Challenge fight
- All enemies are inflicted with Break
- Enemy is caught by surprise
- All enemies are asleep
- It is your 5th attempt at fleeing
Cutscenes
- Hold B to skip cutscenes. B can be held down prior to the cutscene starting.
- Running into a cutscene and keeping B pressed will maintain your run.
- Some cutscenes only have 1 or 2 text boxes. The following cutscenes are faster to skip it instead of mashing through the text:
- Tressa Ch1 outside Caves of Maiya
Menuing Tips
General
- Pressing X will close the menu. This does not apply to the shop menu.
- Pressing left or right on a list will move your cursor to the top or bottom of of the current list, respectively.
- Yes/No prompts do not have an option selected by default. Mashing A then pressing a direction is a fast way to get through these.
- OK prompts can be cleared by pressing A or B.
Fast Traveling
- Pressing - will open the Map.
- Holding down R while the map is open will increase your cursor speed.
- The d-pad is faster for moving the cursor diagonally.
- Press down on the right stick to zoom out on the map. This can be done twice.
Jobs / Skills
- Pressing L or R will change the current character you are working with.
- Skills can be taught from the Jobs menu by pressing A while hovering on a currently equipped Job.
Evasive Maneuvers Grind
All runs try to get Evasive Maneuvers (EM) as soon as possible. EM is a Scholar Support Skill which increases the amount of steps you can take before getting an encounter. Most runs pickup Cyrus early because of this.
EM requires 2 Scholar Skills (130 JP) to unlock.
The Whistlewood
This area is the most common method to get the JP required for EM. In a typical run where you pickup Cyrus he will have 30 JP after completing his Chapter 1, so you will need an additional 100 JP from The Whistlewood.
Below are the possible encounters you can get. It's also possible for a single enemy to be replaced by a Cait in the encounter.
| Encounter | JP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Spud Bugs | 135 (+13) | |
| 4 Howlers | 108 (+10) | Need to break with Lightning first |
| 2 Froggen V + 2 Spud Bugs | 96 (+9) | |
| 2 Froggen IV + 2 Spud Bugs | 94 (+9) | |
| 2 Froggen V + 2 Froggen III | 68 (+6) | |
| 2 Froggen IV + 2 Froggen III | 66 (+6) | |
| Froggen V + 3 Froggen III | 60 (+6) | |
| Froggen IV + 3 Froggen III | 59 (+5) | |
| Froggen VI + 2 Spud Bugs | 95 | This is a very rare encounter and you can't kill it. Better luck next time. |
Optimally you want to get the Howlers encounter or one with Spud Bugs in it, excluding Froggen VI. If you don't get the encounter you want you can opt to flee/die and try again or kill the encounter and grind the rest of the JP outside of Whistlewood. If you get ideal Atlastdam encounters you can often get 100 JP with any killable Whistlewood encounter + 2 Atlasdam encounters.
Atlasdam Flats have the following encounters if you have 2 party members:
| Encounter | JP |
|---|---|
| 3 Aggressive Ants | 18 (+1) |
| Meep + 2 Aggressive Ants | 17 (+1) |
| 3 Froggen I | 12 (+1) |
| Froggen II + Froggen I | 10 (+1) |
| 2 Froggen I | 8 (+1) |
Grinding outside of Whistlewood with only one party member takes a lot longer since less enemies spawn.
Whistling Cavern
This section only applies to Olberic Single Story.
By the time you get to the EM Grind in Olberic Story you will have a minimum of 35 JP (Olberic Ch1 + Double Ratkin I encounter). Optimally the encounter you get in Whistling Cavern will give you enough JP to learn two Scholar skills (130 JP).
Below are the possible encounters you can get. It's also possible for any one enemy in an encounter to be replaced by a Cait.
| Encounter | JP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Antagonistic Ants | 110 (+11) | Pink Ants |
| 4 River Fly | 88 (+8) | |
| 5 Dire Army Ant | 75 (+7) | Blue Ants |
| 5 Skull Roller | 75 (+7) | |
| 4 Killer Bug | 56 (+5) | |
| 3 Giant Scorpian | 114 | Giant Scorpion does not die to Soulstone (M) |
| Horse Fly + 3 River Fly | 98 | Horse Fly does not die to Soulstone (M) |
| Slayer Bug + 3 Killer Bug | 84 | Slayer Bug does not die to Soulstone (M) |
| Dark Roller + 3 Skull Roller | 84 | Dark Roller does not die to Soulstone (M) |
Optimally you want the Antagonistic Ants or River Fly encounter. If you don't get the encounter you want you can opt to flee/die and try again or you can grab the Fire Soulstone (M) in the back left of Whistling Cavern and hope for getting a second killable encounter.
On the way to Scholar Shrine in Olberic's Story you need to kill one double encounter. The encounters which Olberic can easily kill are listed below.
| Encounter | JP |
|---|---|
| 2 Flying Fish | 10 |
| 2 Ratkin I | 4 |
| 2 Birdan I | 4 |
The Flying Fish encounter provides a lot more JP than the others. Killing a few Flying Fish encounters on the way to Scholar Shrine will make more encounters in Whistling Cavern acceptable since you will need less JP.
Killing a Cait
Caits are a rare encounter which provide a lot of EXP, JP, and money. Depending on the route or when you kill the Cait, this can allow you to skip the EM grind entirely. Refer to Single Story Routes for more details on Cait specific routes.
Some characters will have an easier time killing Caits than others. Anyone with multi-hit attacks or access to Soulstone (M)s early will have a higher success rate.