Octopath Traveler is a popular, deep, and nuanced JRPG that harkens back to classic turn based JRPGs of the past, with its unique pixel graphics in a gorgeous, 3D world. The game also features multiple jobs for players to mix and match between the game’s eight playable characters, starting with the eight basic jobs that each character comes with, as well as some special bonus jobs.
Each job offers different in-game and passive skills that can be unlocked with Job Points in any order you wish, making the gameplay experience flexible. Some skills, however, should definitely be unlocked as soon as possible. Here are the best skills, passive and active, to prioritize unlocking and using.
10 Surpassing Power (Warrior)
Surpassing Power is one of the Warrior class’s passives, meaning Olberic starts with this class, but once you discover the job shrine, you can equip it on other characters, too.
This skill comes in handy the further you progress in Octopath Traveler. What it does is raise the character’s damage cap to 99,999 instead of 9999. As you near the endgame, the enemies you fight will have more and more health, and your party will be dealing massive amounts of damage. You don’t want them to be held back by a damage cap. Besides, seeing the huge numbers is satisfying in its own way.
9 Leghold Trap (Hunter)
Perhaps one of the more underrated skills in the game, Leghold Trap is a combat skill available for the Hunter job, meaning H’annit and whoever else gets the job after you find the Hunter class shrine.
Leghold Trap pushes the turn order of the enemy around. It makes the targeted enemy only able to attack at the end of the turn, for two turns. As fights get more and more frantic and the enemies begin to debuff your team, this skill proves invaluable in getting your party some breathing room to heal up and get buffs.
8 Revive (Cleric)
Cleric is the job that Ophilia starts with. Essentially a white mage class, most of this job’s skills are focused on healing, with some skills for light magic damage. Revive as a skill has a little detail that players may miss at first glance.
Revive costs a hefty 50 SP, but it revives every single downed party member in battle. That means it gives you the ability to turn a losing battle completely on its head, into a winning one. If the enemy hits your party hard with an AOE attack that levels your party, your cleric can get everyone back up again in one single action with Revive.
7 Saving Grace (Cleric)
Saving Grace is one of the Cleric class’s passive skills, and it has the potential to be useful on your entire party. What this skill does is allow the character that has it equipped to be healed beyond their HP cap. That means your potions and healing spells won’t be wasted, and in battle, your party members can have a higher temporary HP than their regular HP.
Saving Grace is especially useful on your healers, since they can buff up their HP so high that massive attacks may not down them, letting you pick up the party again with a quick Revive, saving yourself from defeat.
6 Amputation (Apothecary)
This skill, part of the Apothecary’s skillset, is essentially a super powerful axe attack. While Alfyn is the first traveler to have this job, this skill can be useful for any of your other characters intent on dealing a massive amount of raw damage, such as the Warrior.
If you come across powerful enemies that are weak to axes, you can use both the axe weakness as well as their other weaknesses to break through their shield before landing a critical strike using the Amputation skill.
5 Bewildering Grace (Dancer)
Bewildering Grace is a unique effect, and that’s why it’s on this list. Though it takes some risk, the potential rewards are incredibly great and they make the game more fun and exciting.
Bewildering Grace causes a random effect to happen during combat. This can range from simple things such as elements striking the enemy, to explosive actions such as knocking your whole party down to 1 HP or multiplying your JP or EXP by various multipliers, including 30. These can change the tide of battle and add a gamble to the encounter. Plus, it can help you level up faster if you get lucky enough.
4 SP Saver (Merchant)
The Merchant class is one that lets you amass more and more money, either by making things cost less, or by simply making you acquire more, either through collecting from enemies and finding it in the overworld. The SP Saver skill lets your characters do a different kind of saving, though.
With this passive skill equipped, skills cost half their usual SP. This makes SP Saver a must have skill for offensive mages in your party, because the more powerful the magic spell, the greater its cost. SP Saver helps mitigate those costs so you can focus on striking your enemies down.
3 Physical Prowess (Warmaster)
This skill is acquired through the Warmaster job, which is one of the game’s secret classes. You’ll need to find the shrine for it and beat the boss before you can use it, but like the other secret jobs, it’s one of the most powerful jobs in the game, with incredible skills.
Physical Prowess is just one of Warmaster’s great skills. It applies an automatic and indefinite buff on the character using it, increasing their physical attack and defense. This skill saves you the turns that it would otherwise take to keep buffing your physical attacker while ensuring they’re in top form for every battle.
2 The Sorcerer’s Magic Skills
While Scholar is a powerful magic class in its own right, Sorcerer is even more powerful, which makes sense, since it’s another one of the game’s secret jobs. Sorcerer takes what Scholar provided and makes it more deadly.
The Sorcerer class’s magic spell skills are not to be trifled with. This job offers spells for each element, including Light, Dark, and Wind, which the Scholar did not account for. Plus, each skill deals three strikes, meaning you can break through the enemies’ shields with little difficulty. The Sorcerer class can be difficult to unlock, but it’s a good idea to keep working towards it.
1 Celestial Intervention (Starseer)
Celestial Intervention is a skill available once the third secret job, Starseer, is unlocked. The Starseer class combines the Dancer class’s buffing and debuffing role with that of a cleric, letting you heal allies and hinder enemies.
This skill in particular can be cast on allies or enemies. When cast on the enemy, it prevents them from receiving buffs for two turns. When cast on allies, it prevents them from being debuffed for two turns. As the game progresses, more and more bosses buff themselves to gain the upper hand, and can quickly turn a winning battle into a losing one. Celestial Intervention helps prevent that from happening and lets you stay in control.
NEXT: Octopath Traveler: How To Unlock The Post-Game Dungeon
