Being a love letter to traditional JRPGs, it’s not a surprise that Octopath Traveler 2 has a new cast of eight (8) characters with intertwined personal stories reflected in their class association. In the Octopath Traveler sequel, these characters are all simultaneously leveled up and arranged in parties where their classes are expected to synergize with each other. This approach to a personal gameplay style can help players grow more attached to the characters of their choosing.
However, what’s perhaps unique about Octopath Traveler 2 and its gameplay would be the option for a sub-job. While each character has an associated class fit for their story, players can also choose a Sub-Job that not only changes their character’s sprite appearance but also their arsenal of skills. Choosing the right sub-job can give characters a way to circumvent their weaknesses or make them even more powerful in the context of the overall gameplay. However, just which are the best subclasses for each character in the game?
8 Castti: Apothecary, Cleric
When players begin the storyline for Castti Florenz in Octopath Traveler 2, they meet an amnesiac rescued by a ship headed to a town ailed by a fainting disease. Luckily for them, the amnesiac Castti possesses greatness in her craft as an Apothecary, giving her access to the most advanced studies and skills in medicine - even if she doesn’t know where these have come from. In the context of gameplay, the Apothecary lets Castti provide a slate of effective healing on top of decent attacks, giving her the impression of a sub-DPS/Healer hybrid. However, when combined with the Cleric class, Castti becomes a support juggernaut.
With the Apothecary-Cleric combo, Castti of Octopath Traveler 2 can use her Concoct Talent to create various buffs and debuffs on top of already-potent healing abilities. Not only that, but she has other skills that allow her to maximize her status-inflicting capabilities. For instance, Drastic Measures (EX Skill) lets her dish out damage depending on the debuffs she applies to enemies, with her Latent Power even allowing her to create Concoctions without costing her any materials.
7 Ochette: Hunter, Warrior
Beastling Ochette is out to save the world from a calamitous event, and her Octopath Traveler 2 gameplay as a Hunter ensures she’s equipped to face any sort of threat in the process. As a Hunter, Ochette dominates long-ranged combat not just through powerful distant attacks but also buffs that secure her advantage. This makes the Warrior the ideal sub-class, as this gives Ochette access to most other weapons in the game (especially in melee), with the class’s support skills giving Ochette even more boosts to her firepower.
At its core, Beastly Howl (Latent Power) is a devastating debuff that reduces the Elemental Defense and Physical Defense of all opponents, on top of reducing their Shield Points. Not only that, she can even Capture monsters to use against other foes, turning the tide of combat in terms of numbers. It doesn’t help that Ochette has access to some of the most powerful skills on the get-go, with Light Revenant able to take care of most enemies from early to mid-game, the debuff Leghold Trap in the endgame, and even Indomitable Beast as an EX Skill that further intensifies her damage potential.
6 Hikari: Warrior, Hunter
Exiled from the Kingdom of Ku after a coup by his brother, the crown prince Hikari begins his journey in Octopath Traveler 2 with the hopes of obtaining allies for his quest of reclaiming his home. Despite his good-mannered nature, he is actually a Warrior, trained to become a formidable frontline attacker with a set of devastatingly-efficient melee attacks. Skills such as Incite and Vengeful Blade give him access to a faster Latent gauge and counterattacks, as well as high-damaging skills like Deal More Damage and Brand’s Blade.
The class’s additional features work well with exclusives attached to Hikari’s kit, such as Shinjumonjigiri which is likely the game’s highest-damage attack, and Path Action: Challenge that lets him learn various skills attached to different weapons. In this regard, the Hunter makes sense as a secondary class, especially with how the Hunter lets Hikari access weapons no longer covered by the Warrior, such as long-ranged armaments. Not to mention, Take Aim’s two-turn boosts to Accuracy and Critical Rate for all allies can become a game-changer for high-damage combos.
5 Partitio: Merchant, Scholar
Now on a journey to “enrich” the whole world, Partitio and his profession as a Merchant is set to prove that money can, indeed, solve everything. In his Octopath Traveler 2 gameplay, his skills as a Merchant allow him to use leaves (the game’s currency) to achieve a wide variety of effects, with a secondary job in the form of a Scholar allowing him to reach peak utility caster easily.
At its core, this pairing gives him access to Full Power as well as Hoot and Holler (Latent Power), giving an ally Max BP at the start of combat. This immediately puts Partitio on top of the DPS support banner, making him the most ideal BP Battery for damage-intensive builds. Not only that, his Share SP as an EX Skill can share his SP with allies, giving everyone a last resort should they need a quick way to regenerate resources. Lastly, Hang Tough and Sidestep are nifty emergency abilities that give Partitio a means of outlasting foes, especially since he’s the first target of enemies given his nature as an effective support unit.
4 Osvald: Scholar, Cleric
Wrongly accused of killing his wife and child, Osvald V. Vanstein begins his Octopath Traveler 2 storyline five years into his incarceration, with his beginning arc concluding with his escape from the penitentiary. This objective didn’t take much effort on his part as a Scholar, as this class gives him access to some of the game’s most devastating elemental kits. Just having Advanced Magic and Alephan’s Wisdom alone lets him deal massive damage, with Study Foe and Analyze allowing him to reveal his enemy’s weaknesses constantly.
With that in mind, the Cleric becomes the most ideal secondary job for him. This class in Octopath Traveler 2 will give Osvald access to the Light element, adding yet another element to his arsenal of damage-dealing abilities. Moreover, tapping into the Cleric’s Inner Strength skill can boost his Max SP by as much as 50, giving him even more access to elemental combos to maximize his DPS.
3 Agnea: Dancer, Cleric
With goals of bringing her love for music to the rest of the world, Agnea has been earning leaves while working as a Dancer in the local inn with the hopes of embarking on such a journey. As a Dancer in Octopath Traveler 2 gameplay, Agnea is built to provide a decent balance of support and fast-paced offense against enemies. Combined with the Cleric as a sub-class, Agnea becomes an efficient buffer on top of her speedy toolkit.
In turn, Agnea with a Dancer-Cleric split grants her access to a Latent Power that lets either all allies or all enemies experience certain skills. Not only that, but she gets access to a slate of efficient buffs that can cure status ailments affecting allies (All Together Now), stack attack bonuses (Peacock Strut, Lion Dance, Song of Hope), and even help everyone attack first (Stimulate).
2 Temenos: Cleric, Scholar
Good-natured Temenos Mistral spends much of his days as an ordinary inquisitor until an incident in his church has forced him to start questioning his beliefs. While his nature as a Cleric makes him an efficient healer in combat, an ideal secondary job would be Scholar to at least provide Temenos access to a decent slate of offensive spells that can aid him in emergency combat situations.
Despite his nature as the game’s staple healer, his Sacred Shield, Prayer to the Flame, and Prayer for Plenty remain lifesavers - especially in extremely dangerous situations. The Octopath Traveler 2 Cleric’s Moonlight Judgment also lets him weaken opponents as soon as battles begin, cementing his role as a solid support unit to ensure the team’s survivability.
1 Throne: Thief, Inventor
Although a member of the Blacksnakes thieving guild, Throne Anguis wants to turn back to her life of crime and instead live a life of peace - something she can only accomplish by killing the guild’s leaders. As a Thief, Throne specializes in fast-paced combat and eliminating enemies as quickly as possible. However, an ideal secondary job to fit her speedy kit would be the Inventor, as its access to non-resource utilities and turn-based crafting mechanics can match Throne’s first-to-act buffs with her high Speed stat.
Throne’s toolkit as a Thief in Octopath Traveler 2 makes her a natural damage dealer, with Surprise Attack and her first-turn tendencies making her a quick mob clearer. Moreover, her Blessing of Darkness buff at nighttime and defense-debuffing Armor Corrosive make her ideal for speed-focused sneak attacks. Not only that, but her EX Skill Veil of Darkness is a huge AOE that also lets the team dodge one physical attack.
Octopath Traveler 2 is available on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.