5 December 2025

Octopath Traveler 0 Beginner’s Guide: Tips & Tricks

By newsgame

Octopath Traveler 0 invites players to Osterra once more, to a time when greed and civil unrest almost caused society to collapse. Seeking the power to stop the advance of the twisted Ring Holders, a hero rises up to the challenge.

Players will need to discover a lot of things for themselves, but for those who are a bit curious or in need of help, here’s an introductory guide to some of the key mechanics of Octopath Traveler Zero, as well as some useful advice on how to progress with the adventure as smoothly as possible.

Break Mechanic, And Enemy Special Moves

The first thing newcomers need to know is that the Octopath series has a similar mechanic ot that of the Bravely Default franchise, where players use the enemy weaknesses and break their defenses to interrupt their attacks, or turn them vulnerable for a few rounds.

Each type of enemy has a certain Weakness, and knowing when to drop their defenses (represented by a shield icon next to their name) is crucial for two reasons: Bosses are extremely powerful and become progressively more difficult the longer the battle lasts, and they also prepare Special Attacks charging for one turn, and if their ‘shield’ is not broken on time, they will unleash a killer move upon the party.

Knowing when to act is the safest route to navigate Octopath Traveler 0’s combat without a hitch. Plus, as the story progresses, and players overcome new challenges, they will soon face even greater enemies. Knowing how to break their defenses is going to require a lot more than just releasing certain techniques on time.

A Weapon For Every Occasion: Weaknesses & Team Comp

Every Job and, consequently, every Companion player will find during their journey, has a set of two weapons they wield to attack. Besides Magic, Skills, and Path Actions, players have to consider which weapons (alternated during combat with the direction arrows) they will use for each enemy. In that sense, it is quite similar to other JRPGs.

All enemies have certain weaknesses, be it to elemental attacks or weapon-type damage. Some are weak to Swords, some are weak to Spears, while others are weakened by hits with the Staff. Being weak to a certain attack means their shield will break down with every hit from that source, and sometimes, enemies can have more than one weakness. Pay attention to the small squares below the enemy bar; if there is at least one of them, it means that the enemy is weak to one type of damage.

Boost & Ultimate Moves

As the combat progresses, and at the beginning of each round, characters will accumulate BP (Boost Points). If players hit the ‘R’ while their characters have Boost Points, they will enter an enhanced state that will empower their skills and attack. Characters can accumulate up to five BP, and unleashing certain skills with a max Boost will turn them into Ultimate Moves, which cause more damage and render targets even more vulnerable (provided that the unboosted Skill lowers their stats, for example).

Boosted Regular Attacks will increase in damage and number of hits according to how many BP were invested in the turn. There are other types of Ultimate Moves, unlocked as the story progresses, but that’s a bit spoilery, so players should discover them for themselves. One thing is for sure: Learning how to correctly time boosted attacks and skills is the correct path to victory.

Equipment & Know Your Stats/Skills

The basics of the basics: Each Stat Value in Octopath Traveler 0 alters the way characters fight, defend themselves, and act during combat. Since in Octopath Traveler 0 characters can act as the Vanguard or the Rearguard, it is important to know what’s what and which skills intervene in every case.

Vanguard characters will use all their active skills and some of their passive skills, while characters assigned to the Rearguard will recover a certain amount of HP and SP, and also bank BP depending on certain Passive Skills they have equipped. Both Vanguard and Rearguard characters can swap between them at any point during combat.

A balanced equipment (that is, Helmet, Armor, Weapons, and Accessories) will increase the appropriate stat for each class. Mages should prioritize SP, Physical Resistance, Melee attackers, Attack, and Magical Resistance. Some Jobs require a little bit of tweaking, balancing HP, Speed, and also prioritizing Defense over damage, while other Jobs (like the Hunter) should prioritize critical, attack, and speed over all things.

Picking A Job, Mastery & Desire

Unlike other Octopath Traveler games, players will have a lot of personalization options that can be picked prior to establishing the main Job of the character. That means they will have to pick certain things like Starting Skill, Favorite Dish, and some Belongings (limited to three items). Whatever they pick in this case will determine how the story starts, and later, after finishing the introductory quest, players are given a few more important choices.

They will have to pick a Job, Mastery Skill, and Desire. Mastery skills work as passives, and they will greatly increase their chances of succeeding in combat. The Jobs are the same as in other Octopath games: Scholar, Thief, Warrior, Hunter, Dancer, Cleric, Apothecary, Dancer, and Merchant. Then, their inner Desire will determine which starting path they will choose. Players need to pick either Power, Riches, or Fame, but this choice doesn’t lock them out from any of the other options. The same can be said about picking a Job: players will later be able to switch between them with their main character.