Octopath Traveler: Who is the best starting character?

Octopath Traveler has some awesome characters, all of which have great stories and unique personalities. However, in terms of their battle performance, some characters are better than others. Today, I will specifically be analyzing which characters are the best to start with, and which characters aren't quite as good. Now without further ado, RPG Ranked presents... Octopath Traveler: Who is the best starting character?

8. Olberic - D Tier

I’m going to be honest, the Warrior is my least favorite job in Octopath Traveler II. Other than the Thousand Spears ability, it just feels so much weaker than the Hunter or Thief, which is odd, because usually it is the other way around. Though Olberic can survive on his own and is stronger than Primrose, he has arguably the worst Talent in the game. It is just way too situational, and not really worth the effort to build a strategy around. Though he has more survivability than, say, Primrose or Ophilia, at least the Dancer and Cleric jobs are actually good outside of just one ability! Overall, with my least favorite Talent in the game and my least favorite secondary job, it is quite obvious: Olberic is my least favorite character in Octopath Traveler II, therefore he is also my least favorite starting character.

7. Primrose - C Tier

Primrose is a very weak character on her own. With access to buffing and mediocre Dark attacks, on her own, there really isn’t all that much to do with her. And forcing a Dancer in your party until you finish her story is a terrible idea, as giving Ophilia Dancer is just a better alternative due to Primrose having such low Elemental Defense that she can’t quite excel as a Cleric. This leaves her with her high Elemental Attack, but having her as a Scholar is not really that great of an idea when Cyrus is just better than her because of his awesome Study Foe Talent. I will say, her Allure Talent is definitely better than Olberic’s Bolster Defense Talent, so at least she has that going for her. But even with Allure, throughout the entire game, Primrose is one of the weakest characters, and forcing her in your party is just a terrible idea. Though having a buffer in the party is a good idea, overall, Primrose just really is not a good pick as a starting character and giving a better character the Dancer secondary class is just a much better idea.

6. Ophilia - B Tier

Finally! A character that I think is actually a viable choice as a starting character! Ophilia is the best healer for a good portion of the game, and her Guide ability is not all that bad! Since you always want a healer in your team, being stuck with one of the best healers in the game until you finish her story really isn’t all that bad. Sure, other characters have better Talents, Path Actions, and base jobs, but I mean… I wouldn’t complain if I was forced to have Ophilia for the whole game. Though she does eventually become outclassed by Saving Grace spamming and Alfyn’s Concoct, she is a trusty ally and is a much better support character than Primrose. Overall, I wouldn’t say Ophilia is a good pick or a bad pick… she’s just kinda there, if that makes any sense.

5. H’aanit - B Tier

H’aanit is a very strong pick for the beginning of the game. Capturing beasts will make H’aanit one of the strongest characters in the early game, and she is basically just a much better Olberic! However, her Capture ability just gets worse and worse the later you get into the game, as stronger strategies will be found. Nevertheless, the Hunter has so many good abilities, so having H’aanit is really not a bad choice, and no other job class can outclass the insane utility of Arrowstorm and Leghold Trap. Overall, H’aanit just gives me the same vibe as Ophilia: I wouldn’t choose her as a starting character, but I wouldn’t complain if I had to start with her. I gave her the slight edge over Ophilia since the Hunter never really gets outclassed, whereas the Cleric does.

4. Alfyn - A Tier

Alfyn was very weird to place here. On one hand, I think he is the strongest character in the game due to his amazing Concoct ability, and I wouldn’t take him out of my party anyway, so why not start with him? On the other hand, I think he isn’t really that great until you build up a stock of ingredients. So is he good right at the start? No. But he is an amazing character to be stuck with? Yes. Alfyn is the undisputed best healer in the game, and the Apothecary has the great Empoison and Rehabilitate abilities. But his true strength is not something you can use often during the opening hours of the game. Overall, Alfyn is not necessarily the greatest starting character, but is an amazing character nonetheless, so I felt it would not do Alfyn justice to place him any lower than A Tier.

3. Tressa - S Tier

Tressa can get you so many Leaves early in the game, and Purchase gives you access to some items that you cannot Steal with Therion. Running into high level areas with Eye for Money and fleeing from battles can give you so much money, and you can break the game using Tressa. Sure, she isn’t quite as good in the early-game as Therion, Cyrus, or H’aanit, but if you really build up your coffers? You can deal insane amounts of damage with Hired Help! And having Tressa in your party is always a good thing, as the Merchant has so many insanely powerful abilities! Donate BP is also one of the most broken abilities in the early game, and using it on a Scholar will allow you to wipe out the enemy team easily. Overall, though Tressa is so powerful and can get items that Therion can’t Steal, I feel like making her good is more time-consuming and frustrating than Therion, so I gave him the slight edge on this list.

2. Therion - S Tier

Stealing is the best Path Action in the game. Period. There’s no disputing this, so that already gives Therion a huge bonus. But that isn’t the only reason Therion is good. He is the best physical attacker for the majority of the game, and he can easily survive on his own during the early-game due to the awesome HP Thief and SP Steal abilities. The Thief is a great class, and I can’t see why you would not want one in your party with their awesome stealing and debuffing abilities. On top of all of this, without Therion, you cannot open purple chests, which are found in basically every dungeon in the entire game. The biggest problem with that is that almost all the purple chests have very mediocre items that aren’t as good as what you can Steal or Purchase, so this isn’t really that much of a necessity. If you are a completionist, though, definitely pick Therion so you can get all of those chests! Anyway, I digress. Overall, Therion is a very strong attacker and can freely build up a supply of fantastic items, but I still think there is one character that is better.

1. Cyrus - S+ Tier

It is very odd that Cyrus is easily the best starting character in my opinion, because in the endgame, he is by far the weakest character due to the Sorcerer job simply outclassing him. However, his Study Foe abilities and powerful magic can trivialize almost the entire game, as he can break weaknesses and deal huge damage. Put Tressa or a Merchant in your party and use Donate BP on Cyrus, and he can kill most enemies before they can even take an action. Overall, though he falls off the map later in the game, I still find Cyrus the best starting character in the game due to his sheer strength and analyzing powers.

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