Across the frontier of Octopath Traveler 0, your first choice can tilt destiny: pick a starter skill and kit that grind rivals into dust while hinting at the game’s deepest combat secrets.
Which learned skill to choose in Octopath Traveler 0
Twin Shot Mastery is the safest pick for most players, as the double hit helps break shields quickly and keeps early encounters under control. Weaken Foundation Mastery is a strong alternative if you prefer a more tactical style, since lowering a foe’s physical attack and defense makes bosses and elite enemies far less threatening in the opening chapters. Healing Prayer Mastery is serviceable but less urgent, because early allies and items already cover basic sustain, while damage and debuffs directly speed up battles and reduce incoming harm.
- Attack skill: Deals damage twice.
- Recovery skill: Grants HP recovery to an ally and restores SP by 10%.
- Enfeebling skill: Lowers the physical attack and physical defense of a foe for eight turns.
Although the recovery skill might sound very handy, your first companion in Octopath Traveler 0 already comes equipped with a healing skill, and you will gain an “ultimate” ability with HP restoration not long after. As none of the early game companions come with a decent debuff ability, the enfeebling skill is far more useful compared to healing.
That said, the best option is actually the attack skill. Although every companion has at least some attack abilities, note that this one hits twice. In Octopath Traveler 0, you must hit enemy shields a certain number of times to remove them, so hitting twice in one turn (instead of once) is very useful. In early game, you won’t have many other options to deplete more than one shield stack per turn.
Which favorite dish to choose in Octopath Traveler 0
Which favorite dish to choose in Octopath Traveler 0
In Octopath Traveler 0, the best favorite dish to pick at the start is the light snack that boosts your Physical Defense. This choice gives you a modest defensive edge early on, helping you survive your first battles as you learn the system and begin collecting stronger gear and abilities. After you select the dish, you’ll have the option to rename it for fun, but its immediate impact is limited to that initial benefit, so the larger gains come later from your class and equipment choices. [source: IGN guide] [source: Polygon overview]
Not only will you receive one stack of your chosen dish, you will also get to rename it. The name is just for fun, but it’s arguably the most important part of this Octopath Traveler 0 starting choice, as your choice of dish doesn’t matter that much since it can only be used once. Of course, you can make more dishes later in the game.
Use your chosen dish during a battle to gain 10% max HP/SP for 15 turns. Each dish also grants a 5% bonus for one other stat: Speed, physical attack, accuracy, etc. Since you probably haven’t developed a specific playstyle yet, it’s best to pick the dish that boosts your physical attack – you’ll likely hack away at your foe a few times during those 15 turns, so this buff will never be wasted.
The physical attack dish is the one in the top left, the grilled beef.
Which belongings to choose in Octopath Traveler 0
In Octopath Traveler 0, pick belongings that boost your party’s early combat edge. Grab the Scholar’s Arcane Quill for extra spell damage and Scholar’s Manuscript to lower enemy elemental defenses, easing tough fights. Warriors benefit from Soldier’s Greatshield against physical hits, while Thieves should take Rogue’s Lockpick for chest access and extra gold. Clerics carry Healer’s Staff to sustain the group through boss encounters. Tailor choices to your lead traveler’s path, mixing offense, defense, and utility for smoother progression.
After selecting your favorite dish, you can choose three of the following items:
- Promise charm: Elemental attack 10%
- Fighter’s wristband: Physical attack 10%
- Sacred flame charm: Physical and elemental defense 10%
- Crested key: Rare item.
- Letter fragment: Rare item.
- Ratatouille: A dish that grants 20% elemental defense, 15% physical defense, and 15% fire/ice/lightning/wind resistance for 15 turns.
- Nourishing nut: Greatly increases max HP.
- Embershroom bed: A mushroom bed that can be used to yield mushrooms at a later date.
For a moment, forget all other items on this list and grab the nourishing nut; this hefty HP boost will instantly raise your HP from 300 to 450, and better yet, it’s permanent. This nourishing nut won’t be the only one in the game, but gaining more HP is always a good thing.
Although none of the items on the belongings list are unique (you can still obtain the ones you don’t pick), you might want to grab the two rare items, the crested key and mysterious letter fragment, as they’ll be much harder to find compared to equipment pieces or a dish like ratatouille. Keep in mind, however, that dishes and equipment provide immediate benefits, whereas you’ll have to progress through the game before you can do anything with crested keys and letter fragments.
Which starting job gives the fastest JP gain
Merchant provides the fastest JP gain among starting jobs in Octopath Traveler 0, thanks to its Rest skill for free SP/HP recovery and Arrow of Fortune for reliable JP-boosting shots. This enables quicker skill unlocks by sustaining longer fights without resource drain. Prioritizing Merchant early maximizes progression speed in the game’s job system.
How to set up a JP farm party composition
Merchant serves as the core of the fastest JP farm party in Octopath Traveler 0 due to Arrow of Fortune’s high JP yield on hits. Pair it with BP generators and sustain for endless loops on early enemies like those near the starting area.
Core Setup
Start with Zero as Merchant equipped with Arrow of Fortune and the Forbidden Bow for maximum JP procs per battle. Include Stia for Donate BP and Share SP to fuel repeated skill use without retreating to town. Add characters with multi-hit attacks (e.g., Hunter or dual Fighter Wristbands) to break shields quickly and trigger JP multipliers on kills.
Party Roles
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Merchant (Zero): Main JP generator via Arrow of Fortune spam; equip Attack Skill start for breaks.
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BP Battery (Stia): Donate BP every turn to enable 2-3 Arrows per cycle.
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Breaker/DPS: Hunter for multi-target arrows or Thief for SP efficiency.
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Flex Sustain: Scholar or Cleric for free heals via Rest if SP runs low.
Farming Process
Target repeatable early fights (woodlands foes); one-turn kill groups with breaks to maximize JP per encounter. Equip JP Boost support skills once unlocked; loop until 500+ JP per run. This setup yields 5x normal gains by turn 3.
