Octopath Traveler 0 Beginner’s Guide | Gameplay Tips & Tricks

Getting a strong start in Octopath Traveler 0 makes the rest of the game much easier. In the early hours, you will unlock Path Actions, recruit powerful allies, and turn Wishvale into a solid base. 

This guide focuses on clean, simple tips so you can grab great gear early, choose strong jobs, build a good formation, and learn how to manage BP and weaknesses in battle without wasting time.

Learn Path Actions And Influence Quickly

Path Actions are one of your most important tools. Any time you see the Path Action prompt appear over an NPC, you should try using it. 

With Path Actions you can pull information, request consumables or equipment, steal or seize items, or invite NPCs to move to Wishvale and help rebuild your hometown. This gives you access to free gear, extra help in town, and sometimes new features.

Your success with Path Actions depends on three influences: Power, Wealth, and Fame. These rise as you clear main story events, recruit companions, and keep progressing. 

Higher influence means better success rates when you Entreat items or recruit strong NPCs. At the start, many chances look low, but they climb over time, so actions that once felt risky become reliable later.

Use The Save And Reload Trick For Early Power

If you want rare gear while your influence is still low, you can use a simple save and reload trick. Imagine you see a weapon like Magic Eater with only a 3% success chance on Entreat. Before trying, save your game and confirm you still have all five reputation attempts in that town. 

Then attempt the Entreat up to five times. If all five fail, close the game and reload your save. Your reputation resets, and you can repeat until you succeed. This method lets you pick up high-level items very early and become overpowered if you have the patience.

Because of this trick, it is usually better not to spend many leaves on gear in shops at the beginning. Instead, focus on buying Plums and other recovery items, and gather equipment for free with Path Actions and exploration.

Spend Leaves On SP Recovery, Not Shop Gear

In the opening chapters, SP is often more limiting than HP. Strong skills can clear fights quickly, but only if you have SP to use them. You should spend most of your early leaves on Plums and other SP restorers. 

This lets you push deeper into dungeons and tackle harder enemies without constant trips back to town. Meanwhile, you can fill out your equipment by targeting NPCs with Path Actions and opening chests in the field.

Explore For Towns, Dungeons, And Residents

Octopath Traveler 0 rewards players who explore every corner. Many side dungeons hide powerful weapons, armor, and accessories. Some areas lead to new towns, even if the recommended level is slightly above your current party. If you move carefully and use healing items well, you can still reach them early.

While exploring, you should invite NPCs to Wishvale whenever possible. Some residents boost crop yields, some help manage the barn so you can raise livestock, and others unlock helpful facilities or passives. 

On top of that, food dishes give strong temporary buffs. You can gain increased EXP or JP, improved drop rates, or extra positive status effects. Combining resident passives with good food buffs makes grinding and farming much more efficient.

Do Side Quests And Keep Simple Notes

Side quests often guide you to new locations, hidden NPCs, and valuable items. You should accept them whenever you can, especially in the early game. Many side quests also highlight NPCs that are worth revisiting later for stronger Path Actions.

Because there is a lot to track, keeping simple notes is helpful. You can write down high-level NPCs you want to challenge later, interesting side dungeons you had to skip, or locked chests you could not open. When you return with better jobs and gear, those notes save time and keep progress smooth.

Recruit Alexia And Viator As Soon As Possible

When the world map opens up, one of your top priorities should be recruiting Alexia, a powerful Scholar. You can find Alexia in Theatropolis inside the library. Use Entreat on her book, and she will join you afterward. 

Her lightning and dark AoE spells hit hard and make early random encounters and bosses much easier. With Alexia in the party, you can clear groups of enemies quickly and Cover key elemental weaknesses.

You should also recruit Viator, a durable warrior who uses a sword and shield. He waits in Valore, in the pub near the town entrance. To recruit Viator, you need a Crested Key in your belongings. 

If you picked the Crested Key as a starting keepsake, talk to the bard in the pub while holding it to catch his attention and invite him. If not, you can get a Crested Key as loot in the side dungeon Serpent’s Burrow. Viator’s high HP and defense make him ideal for absorbing physical hits and protecting squishier allies like Alexia.

Choose A Strong Starting Job For Your Protagonist

There is no truly wrong starting job, because you eventually unlock all main jobs by learning five skills in each. However, some choices make the early game smoother. 

The Scholar job is strong because it offers fire, light, and wind AoE spells. Combined with Alexia’s elements, you can hit every basic weakness and control random fights.

The Merchant job is even more efficient for long-term growth. Mystic Shot hits all enemies and restores SP to the front row based on the damage dealt, letting you keep casting skills with fewer Plums. 

Arrow Of Fortune converts a portion of its damage into JP, giving you excellent JP farming in the early game. With this, your protagonist can unlock and max other jobs quickly, opening strong builds and support skills sooner.

Use Smart Formation, Weakness Targeting, And BP Management

Combat in Octopath Traveler 0 revolves around the front and back row system, enemy weaknesses, and the BP gauge. When setting your formation, avoid pairing two healers together. 

For example, if you use Macy and Thea as healers, keep them in different pairs so they can both act in the same full round. This effectively gives you two heals before enemies act again, which is very important in tough boss fights.

You also want to spread weapon types across your pairs. If an enemy is weak to axes, placing Macy and Stia together wastes potential, because they only act in the same turn order. Instead, you can arrange your formation so Phenn, Macy, and Stia all act separately. 

That way, you can hit the axe weakness multiple times in one round, Break enemies faster, and then unleash boosted attacks for massive damage.

BP management ties everything together. You can store BP up to three points, then spend it to power up attacks or heals. You should save BP for turns when an enemy is about to be Broken or has just been Broken. 

You know you are using maximum Boost when “Max” appears near the skill or your character glows with a bluish aura. By combining good formation, smart weakness targeting, and careful BP timing, you can crush even difficult early encounters and enjoy a smooth start in Octopath Traveler 0.

Also, check our Octopath Traveler 0 Review and other guides below:

• Octopath Traveler 0 Guide | Best Starting Job Tier List For Early Game
• Octopath Traveler 0 Guide | Best Jobs and Best Job Order