Octopath Traveler: All Chapters RANKED!
Octopath Traveler is one of the most fun and unique RPGs when it comes to how the stories are told, and I hope that this series goes on even past the second game due to the sheer awesomeness of this concept. I love getting to play through each and every one of these great chapters in Octopath Traveler, and though I like the majority of the chapters, some are much better than others. With 32 chapters in Octopath Traveler, I was ecstatic to make this tier list for Octopath Traveler II. Now without further ado, RPG Ranked presents: Octopath Traveler: All Chapters RANKED!
32. Olberic's Chapter 1 - F Tier
While I love Olberic's story so much as a whole, quite simply, this is the most mediocre and underwhelming chapter in the game. Unlike other boring chapters like H'aanit 1 or Therion 2, this has a very captivating beginning, teasing greatness. But it instantly throws away all of the hype and tells a very boring story about saving a kid. Overall, I would rather have a boring chapter any day over a boring and disappointing chapter, so this goes in last place on this list.
31. Therion's Chapter 2 - F Tier
For me, this felt like a rehash of the already mediocre Therion 1. With a much less interesting mansion, much worse characters, and possibly the longest fetch quest in the game, this chapter is just all-around bad. You have to backtrack and steal so many times, artificially lengthening and padding out a chapter that would already be a slog. At least I expected this chapter to be pretty boring, and it didn't crush my hopes like the previous chapter on this list.
30. H'aanit's Chapter 3 - D Tier
My least favorite chapter of my least favorite story was bound to be quite low on this list. I liked Susanna and Aliac's story, but that primarily took place in a side quest, so I can't really count that as part of H'aanit's story. During this story, these two slightly-fleshed out characters are the highlight. Outside of these two characters, this chapter just bored me to sleep. This chapter was just another fetch quest—go to a forest, kill a beast, get an item. This chapter was just very boring and one-note, so overall, it just couldn't go any higher on this list.
29. H'aanit's Chapter 1 - D Tier
The introduction to H'aanit and her master is done rather well (especially with the awesome music in the background), but the rest of the chapter? A boring slog through a forest with almost no personal motivations toward actually defeating the boss at the end. While her relationship with her master still trumps her relationships with Susanna and Aliac, overall, this chapter is marginally better than her third chapter.
28. H'aanit's Chapter 2 - D Tier
Yet another D Tier H'aanit chapter, this chapter is a little bit more driven than her first and third chapters. This chapter tops the others for me because it has wittier dialogue and introduces the dominant character motivation of her story—saving her master from Redeye. However, this chapter still struggles to be free from the mediocrity of H'aanit stories: find a town, talking to some people, going into a forest, and killing a beast. It is just not very appealing to me, and for that, it is just C Tier in my eyes.
27. Tressa's Chapter 1 - C Tier
Thank the eight gods! No more D Tier H'aanit chapters! To be honest, the majority of this chapter is about as mid as an Octopath Traveler chapter can get. However, what saves this chapter from being D Tier is the end of the chapter—the beginning of the Tressa's awesome relationship with Captain Leon. I loved how we got to see who Tressa truly is, as while she is a merchant, she values the knowledge of exploration and mercantilism over silver and gold—a very interesting place to take her character. However, outside of this very short exchange at the end of the chapter, it is really quite boring... and Tressa taking on a whole group of pirates by herself and succeeding as a 18-year-old merchant? It just is not that believable. Overall, the last two minutes of this chapter are peak Octopath Traveler storytelling, but the rest is quite boring.
26. Therion's Chapter 1 - C Tier
I will say, this chapter is very cool if you start the story as Therion. It truly shines in setting up Therion's story and character, and the twist is a nice touch. However, there are two things that I do not like about this chapter 1) I think Therion is annoying as heck and 2) this chapter has debatably the biggest plot hole in the game—why would any of the other pure-hearted travelers join Therion in just robbing a mansion because he feels like it? Though I did start with Therion and it was not a big deal, thinking about this chapter's implications in the greater context of the game just left a sour taste in my mouth. Overall, I don't love Therion's character or his motivations, so I just really don't love this chapter. Luckily, I felt like this was fixed so well in Octopath Traveler II with Throné's chapter.
25. Cyrus's Chapter 3 - C Tier
This chapter just didn't do it for me. The plot twist was too obvious and uninteresting for me, and killing off the twist villain and replacing them with another twist villain? Seemed kind of cheap, and was not very great writing in my eyes. And if we are going to be trapped in prison for a bit, at least make it more interesting. This may be super controversial, as I know a lot of people thoroughly enjoyed this chapter, but this chapter just was not for me. I did think the boss and the idea of going to find who bound the book were both very interesting however, and if a couple things were fixed, I truly would have found this to be an amazing chapter. But as-is, this chapter just didn't cut it for me.
24. Ophilia's Chapter 2 - C Tier
Said by many to be the worst chapter in the game, this chapter had just enough heart and substance to make me like it more than the former chapters on this list. This self-contained and unimpactful chapter still was quite emotionally resonant, reminding me of the innocent days elementary school friendships I had. I actually liked seeing this fun, little story play out, even if it had almost no impact on Ophilia's story outside of showing she was good with kids. I felt like this took the ideas of Olberic 1 and heavily refined it to be more interesting. While I still think Alfyn's second chapter did the "help a kid" idea so much better than this filler chapter, I still thought this was a cute chapter.
23. Tressa's Chapter 2 - B Tier
This chapter was a whole lot of dumb fun, centering around Tressa and Ali's rivalry, as well as having a story centered around the idea of a monopolized economy where merchants cannot truly thrive. My biggest complaint with this otherwise fantastic chapter was the villain, who was too cartoony to be menacing to truly make an impact on me or the story. While I loved this story, overall, the good could not outweigh the goofy villain for me. Luckily, the pulled this idea off phenomenally throughout Partitio's whole story in the sequel.
22. Cyrus's Chapter 2 - B Tier
Coming off hot after the intriguing revelation of From The Far Reaches of Hell, this chapter builds mystery and intrigue quite well. The whole missing people plot with the blood crystals and the very fitting music was dramatic and well-done. However, after finishing the game and being pretty underwhelmed by Cyrus's Chapter 3, the set-up in this chapter is something I look back on much less fondly. I truly was a well-done chapter, but overall, this chapter wasn't exactly groundbreaking, and it was not backed up by emotion or driven by character growth—something all my favorite Octopath Traveler chapters possess.
21. Cyrus's Chapter 1 - B Tier
At first, this almost would've reached S tier. It fantastically introduces Cyrus and his character motivation to begin his journey. However, there are two things that bring this chapter down for me: 1) the From The Far Reaches of Hell storyline being so much less intriguing than I expected it was going to be and 2) Therese. Therese, while a character that helped us define Cyrus as a character, just absolutely pissed me off. The whole subplot with her accusing him of misconduct just felt very unnecessary and personally felt too contradictory and stupid for me to give two craps about anything she said. Overall, while I loved a lot about this chapter, my disappointment and anger brings it down to the B Tier. Geez, I'm getting worked up about a scholar with a bad haircut... what has life come to.
20. Alfyn's Chapter 1 - B Tier
This chapter takes a very simple save-the-kid plot and adds a lot of emotional weight to it, as well as character setup of Alfyn. This takes the boringness of saving a kid and elevates it to the next level. It introduces us to Alfyn, his village, his hero, his best friend, his sister, and his role in the world as an apothecary. This chapter, while simple, made me instantly like Alfyn's personality more than any other traveler in the game. Overall, I like its emotional weight and setup, but it was basic and executed much less well than Ophilia's first chapter...
19. Therion's Chapter 3 - B Tier
This chapter has some iconic moments. Playing dress-up is quite fun, Darius is a little interesting, and finally, we get to learn some things about Therion's life. While I do not like Therion as a character, his backstory was compelling and made me sympathize with him a little more. The idea of there being a black market was intriguing, and chasing down Darius lends for some cool moments here. However, while the execution here was good, overall, there wasn't enough emotional backing or groundbreaking story moments for this chapter to go any higher on this list. Besides, the boss of this chapter was almost as inconsequential as some of H'aanit's chapter bosses, which is kind of embarrassing...
18. Therion's Chapter 4 - B Tier
My favorite part of this chapter was Heathcote running into save Therion, I loved that scene. However, while this chapter wasn't personally my favorite, there were some other great moments. Being wanted was cool, sneaking into Darius's headquarters was pretty good, and the fact that Darius was betrayed after betraying Therion was an impactful story moment filled with juicy karma. However, overall, this chapter doesn't do anything too special, and it is outclassed by many other chapters that just do this idea better.
17. Olberic's Chapter 2 - A Tier
This chapter is astronomically better than Olberic's first chapter. This chapter is full of fun, wonder, and more bosses than any other chapter in the game. While the plot relevance of this chapter was basically just to find a MacGuffin, it was exciting and full of life! Besides, I'm just a sucker for coliseum segments in RPGs... what can I say?
16. H'aanit's Chapter 4 - A Tier
Finally! A fantastic H'aanit chapter! And it is set in a cave this time! This really ups the stakes and emotional weight, introducing that you have to save not only H'aanit's msater, but also, an entire town of people! This chapter adds suspense with Redeye beings a very interesting threat—not just a generic, uninteresting, nameless beast! Redeye is my favorite boss in the game, and the emotional moment when Z'aanta comes back is a pretty good and emotional moment. Saying this chapter is not one of the best in the game is a testament to how much I love this game! I just like fifteen other chapters better, but that by no means this is bad.
15. Tressa's Chapter 3 - A Tier
Okay, I will admit the boss of this chapter is entirely forgettable and I can't even remember what the heck the boss was. But Captain Leon's story? That's just some of the most interesting storytelling in the game. The tale of these two best friends and how they and their motivations changed over time was very intriguing, and gave a lot of backstory to a character I didn't expect would get so much development. After this chapter, Captain Leon became one of my favorite side characters in the series. This was simply a fantastic chapter in my eyes.
14. Cyrus's Chapter 4 - A Tier
While I was not interested by the villain herself, I found the mental battle between Cyrus and the villain over knowledge was a very smart and fitting place to take Cyrus's story. This was a great finale, and brought Cyrus's story to a close very well. The idea that knowledge of darkness is not inherently bad, but it is only if wielded by the wrong person? That was a very interesting place to take the story, and I was totally down for it. Using Scrutinize on the bookshelves was also pretty epic to do, I found that interesting, and it was set in one of the more interesting dungeons in the game. Overall, I did really like the chapter, but a story is only as good as its villain... and this villain did almost nothing that a random NPC on the street couldn't have done.
13. Tressa's Chapter 4 - A Tier
Like her third chapter, the final encounter was iffy at best. However, the friendships between Tressa and Ali/Noa just took this chapter's story to great places. The core ideals of this chapter were very powerful, as the ideas is that moments of wonder and exploration mean so much more than monetary gain, something that so many people have a hard time coming to terms with. Noa choosing the notebook led to a fantastic conclusion to Tressa's story, coming back around full circle and showing that wonder is the world's true source of worth. Overall, this chapter is fantastic, but the random villain held this chapter back.
12. Primrose's Chapter 2 - A Tier
This chapter is dark, gritty, and full of revenge-filled emotional tension. This was a very interesting chapter, coming off the coattails of the amazing first chapter and keeping all of the powerful character motivations of Primrose. While it wasn't quite as interesting as Primrose's first chapter, it was still fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable to play through. It was a little much for me, though, I will admit... got a little too gritty to the point some of it felt overbearing. But that is probably just me. Still a great chapter.
11. Ophilia's Chapter 3 - A Tier
With an epically revealed hostage situation and an insane plot twist, this chapter is epic and effectively sets up the final chapter of Ophilia's story in an impactful and interesting way. While not entirely phenomenal on its own, when paired with Chapter 4, it is absolutely amazing. Still, as a standalone story? I still loved it.
10. Ophilia's Chapter 4 - S Tier
After the great setup of the previous chapter, this one knocks it out of the part. The flashbacks and character moments of Ophilia and her sister fantastically fulfill Ophilia's arc in a satisfying way, coming back around full circle from the amazing first chapter of her story. The villain here was also rather interesting, and so was the environment of the surrounding town. Overall, this chapter knocked it out of the park and ended Ophilia's story with a bang.
9. Olberic's Chapter 3 - S Tier
This chapter starts with a lot of intrigue, finally paying off the nugget of gold in an otherwise crapulous mass that was Olberic's first chapter. It reintroduces Erhardt, Olberic's best friend—and traitor to the crown—introducing him as a hero to the town. This is a very interesting development, showing Erhardt's true colors. After two incredibly tense boss fights, it is revealed that Erhardt never truly meant to hurt his country, and his intentions were truly some of the most deep and powerful storytelling in the game. This brotherly bond was very powerful, and the chapter was full of both huge stakes and personal moments, and I definitely think it deserves S Tier.
8. Alfyn's Chapter 4 - S Tier
This chapter finishes an awesome two part story set up in Alfyn's Chapter 3! We get a deep story of tragedy, rage, and loss. We see Alfyn's pure light and innocence. We see Alfyn mature and more fully understand the truth of what it is to be an apothecary. We learn of Alfyn's hero and how he remembers how to save Ogen. This is one of the most personal stories in the game and is really emotional. It really finishes Alfyn's arc in a very meaningful way and shows Alfyn's character growth. For this, Alfyn's Chapter 4 is one of the best in the game.
7. Alfyn's Chapter 2 - S Tier
My favorite book series of all time, Blackthorn Key, is about mysteries, apothecaries, heart-filled moments, and crazy plot twists. While not as compelling as that book series, this chapter was very reminiscent of it. I saw the twist coming, but it was still very well done. However, what makes this chapter very special is Alfyn's relationship with the little girl, and that girl's relationship with her mom. I was tearing up just like Alfyn when the little girl hands him the seashells so that he can make a difference. I just felt so many emotions in this chapter—kindness, love, and neglect. When the mom does not accept Alfyn's services? That was a deeply disheartening moment. Overall, I just adored this chapter.
6. Alfyn's Chapter 3 - S Tier
This chapter asks a very intriguing question: "is everyone worth saving?" Truly, I understood both viewpoints, and when I was compelled to keep changing who's side I was one? That was brilliant! The personal stakes and intriguing nature of this chapter are so amazing to me. WHile there are still five amazing chapters on this list that I like better, I still aodred the story this cahpter told, and the setup it did for Alfyn's Chapter 4.
5. Olberic's Chapter 4 - S+ Tier
With an epic rebellion, the best town in the game, and the grandest stakes in the series? Olberic's Chapter 4 is simply fantastic. While Warner is possibly one of the least interesting final chapter bosses, his influence across the town of Riverford was just a very interesting concept. It felt kind of like a gamified version of a Hunger Games or Star Wars plot, where a whole society is controlled by a rich totalitarian regime and there is a resistance group to take it down. Seriously, this chapter is just so insane and has super high stakes... I loved it!
4. Primrose's Chapter 3 - S+ Tier
I know a lot of people think this is a rather mediocre chapter, but honestly, I think it is almost as good as her Chapter 1 and Chapter 4. It does an amazing job at revealing her backstory, Simeon's character, and her arc's awesome plot twist. It also greatly sets up Primrose's fourth chapter! It really rounds out Primrose's character and fleshes out the town of Noblecourt a lot. Overall, while not reaching the heights of Primrose's first and fourth chapters, it is still amazing. Loved it.
3. Primrose's Chapter 4 - S+ Tier
I adore theater sections in RPGs—the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI, the opening scenes in Final Fantasy IX, the "flipping weapon shop scene" in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, the Big Sho' Theater in Paper Mario: The Origami King, Sylvando's circus scenes in Dragon Quest XI, amongst others. Not only is this one of my favorite theater sequences in an RPG, but it is also set in an awesome town and delves into the deep and maniacal thoughts of the game's best villain: Simeon. His motivation, to simply be part of an insane and interesting drama is one of the most interesting character motivations I've ever seen in an RPG—it was bat-crap crazy. This chapter was dark, gritty, and different; definitely one of the game's finest chapters.
2. Ophilia's Chapter 1 - S+ Tier
The sisterly and fatherly bonds in this chapter were just too strong for me to not adore this chapter, especially once it came full circle at the end of the fourth chapter. Each and every scene was just touching and absolutely beautiful. The scenes at the meeting spot? Fantastic. Ophilia juggling her emotions about being adopted and feeling lesser because of it? Sad, yet extremely powerful. Ophilia deciding to go on the pilgrimage in lieu of her sister so she could rest by her father's deathbed? Soul-stirring at worst. Honestly, this might just be one of the best character introductions in any RPG I've ever played, and I instantly felt a connection with Ophilia. Maybe it was because my brother is my best friend or something, but this chapter just felt so real and feasible to me. While some others felt this chapter was boring and one of the worst in the game, it was absolutely phenomenal in my book.
1. Primrose's Chapter 1 - S+ Tier
This is a perfect character introduction to Primrose, but on top of having personal stakes and telling a grounded story, it has a terrifying villain, an emotional character death, and a lot of stealth scenes. It starts the story of revenge, of the grief of her father's passing, of women being enslaved to a horrifying patriarchal society in a terrible town. It is emotional, dramatic, and compelling. This chapter truly converted me to the Octopath Traveler cult, and to this day, because of this chapter's original influence to continue playing this game, Octopath Traveler II is in my top five favorite games of all time. I am now desperately awaiting a third entry in this series (as well as a Live A Live sequel), but in the meantime? Have a great day y'all. Peace out! I'll just be sitting in my room pondering how much I am obsessed with Paper Mario: The Origami King in the meantime.