Octopath Traveler 2: Who To Start With

Choosing your initial protagonist in Octopath Traveler 2 presents a meaningful strategic decision that will shape your entire playthrough experience. Unlike many RPGs where starting choices have minimal long-term impact, your selected character becomes locked in your party until you complete their entire personal narrative arc. This creates a significant commitment that demands careful consideration of both storytelling preferences and gameplay mechanics.

The game’s opening chapters demonstrate remarkably improved balance compared to its predecessor, where certain classes created unnecessary early-game challenges. Square Enix has clearly learned from player feedback, ensuring no character places you at a tactical disadvantage regardless of selection. However, the narrative pacing and utility of path actions vary considerably between the eight available heroes.

When evaluating starting options, consider three key dimensions: immediate combat effectiveness, long-term party synergy, and narrative engagement. Characters with strong early-game path actions can dramatically accelerate your progression through gathering resources, acquiring gear, or accessing restricted areas.

Your ideal starting character heavily depends on your preferred gameplay approach and what aspects of RPGs you find most engaging. We’ve categorized recommendations based on common player profiles to help match your preferences with the most suitable protagonist.

For players who prioritize compelling narratives with strong emotional hooks, Partitio, Throné, Ochette, or Temenos deliver the most consistently engaging storylines. These characters feature well-paced character development and meaningful thematic exploration that maintains interest across all chapters.

Combat-focused players should consider characters with versatile skill sets that remain valuable throughout the game. Ochette’s capture mechanic provides incredible flexibility, while Throné’s debuffs and high damage output make her perpetually useful. Partitio’s fundraising ability can trivialize early economic challenges, allowing faster equipment acquisition.

Throné’s urban adventures provide access to unique items and NPC interactions unavailable to other characters.

Exploration enthusiasts will appreciate characters with mobility-focused path actions. Throné’s nighttime stealing ability lets you acquire powerful gear early, while Ochette’s animal companion system unlocks unique traversal options and combat advantages.

Let’s examine the four strongest starting candidates in detail, analyzing their unique advantages and how they impact your early-game experience.

Partitio’s narrative begins as a conventional merchant adventure but rapidly evolves into a sophisticated examination of economic systems and social responsibility. His journey to eradicate poverty explores surprising perspectives on capitalism and communal obligation that deepen as his story progresses. From a gameplay perspective, his Purchase and Hire path actions provide exceptional economic control and combat flexibility.

Throné’s storyline deliberately avoids optimistic themes, instead focusing on the grim realities faced by society’s marginalized populations. While emotionally intense, her narrative maintains consistent quality and relevance to the game’s overarching themes. Her Steal and Ambush abilities make her invaluable for resource acquisition and managing random encounters.

Ochette’s unique mechanics provide both narrative depth and practical gameplay advantages throughout your journey.

Ochette delivers one of the most memorable opening chapters, blending serious thematic elements with infectious optimism. Her story introduces a distinctive economic system twist while offering crucial insights into Octopath 2’s lore and the connective narrative binding all eight protagonists.

Temenos stands out as a cleric who specializes in challenging religious certainty rather than reinforcing it. Serving as a church inquisitor, he uncovers threats originating from within the institution he represents. His nighttime interrogation ability can extract vital information from NPCs that unlocks hidden quests and story elements.

Strategic Tip: Characters with complementary day/night path action pairs (like Throné and Temenos) create incredibly versatile duos for tackling various challenges.

After completing your starting character’s initial chapter, your next decisions significantly influence your progression efficiency and overall enjoyment. A strategic recruitment approach can minimize backtracking while maximizing your party’s combat effectiveness and exploration capabilities.

Your optimal path depends heavily on your starting selection. If you began with Throné or Partitio, prioritizing Ochette or Temenos creates balanced coverage of path actions and combat roles. Conversely, starting with Ochette benefits from early acquisition of either Throné for urban advantages or Partitio for economic benefits.

Common early mistakes include recruiting characters based solely on proximity rather than strategic value, neglecting to utilize day/night cycle mechanics for path actions, and failing to balance weapon type coverage in your initial party composition.

Advanced players should consider the long-term secondary class combinations when building their early roster. Some character pairs create exceptionally powerful synergies when their latent abilities are unlocked later in the game. For comprehensive party building strategies, consult our Class Guide which covers optimal skill progression and ability combinations.

Time Management: Completing all eight chapter ones typically requires 12-15 hours, but strategic pathing can reduce this to 8-10 hours while maintaining completion efficiency.

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