Board 8 > My impressions as I play Octopath Traveler for the first time.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Within the game itself, I think 4 Chapters make stories too brief, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed in the potential missed opportunity to intersect the stories and bring all 8 characters together for a final confrontation on a shared threat. I can only hope that I feel satisfied when these stories conclude.

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Something else I've noticed is that I actually almost find the game exhausting when I'm not doing Story things. I tend to only play for about an hour a day now lol.

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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Within the game itself, I think 4 Chapters make stories too brief, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed in the potential missed opportunity to intersect the stories and bring all 8 characters together for a final confrontation on a shared threat. I can only hope that I feel satisfied when these stories conclude.

I won't spoil this but I will just encourage you to keep pressing on.

As far as finding the game exhausting when not doing stories... I mean yeah. So just do stories for a while, lol.

Therion, Chapter 3
Party used: Therion (T/H), Olberic (W/A), Cyrus (S/M), Ophelia (P/D)

Ghosts of Companions Past, Part Deux! Darius made a slightly surprising entrance in this Chapter for me as I figured I'd be more than likely seeing him in Chapter 4 instead. I was also impressed that I was unsuccessful in claiming the Dragonstone this episode as I figured it would be a pretty formulaic way to progress Therion's Chapters.

I opted to run all the way back to town to Steal from the Bartender instead of grabbing a mask from nearby Black Market patrons, so I'm not sure how that might have affected the playthrough of the Chapter in any significant way, but I will say that I spent a lot of time fighting things since I did a lot of backtracking during this Chapter. The enemies here were rather annoying too, so I wasn't really happy about this decision after a bit lol.

The Darius backstory is playing out exactly as I assumed it would have, as is the Cordelia Ravus comforting Therion bit. I still think she might be a bit sweet on Therion, but I would be surprised if he has a change in character and ever shows some real emotion back to her. Therion is a rather boring character in this regard, and I feel like though he has some kind of redemption to be had, it's focused in the wrong area as he wants to get the better of Darius and not necessarily wanting to be a better person.

I dislike Therion as a character in general. He's an asshole to the party during Banter moments, and he's got very few likable qualities to show for during his Chapters thus far. I actually like Heathcote and Cordelia way more than I like Therion, and I'm not holding my breath that his Chapter 4 is going to change that impression for me.

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Indeed, Therion is the worst Octopath Traveler.

Ophelia, Chapter 3
Party used: Ophelia (P/D), Therion (T/H), Olberic (W/A), Cyrus (S/M)

Better late than never. Ophelia's story finally starts to pick up steam in Chapter 3. Antagonists to her adventure have made themselves known, and my leafs are on Mattias as the Savior because, well, he's really the only possibility her story has provided.

Lianna's bit at the end was a huge curve ball I hadn't seen coming which is actually a good thing, and Ophelia's spirit is admirable. Therion's banter just moments earlier foreshadowed Ophelia's kindness as being a weakness, however her resolve to do what's right is her greatest strength and the trait I always admire most in my main characters (I love Healers and Paladins in most RPGs).

Ophelia has a bit of a motherly badass streak going, and finally she has a Chapter that actually has me chomping at the bit for her resolution. Prior to this Chapter, I wasn't aware anyone could actually take the Ember away, so this story just got good.

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Just noticed I had like 16,000+ JP on my characters lol, so I unlocked a few more passives from other jobs. I'm keeping the subjobs the same since I've gotten used to using them and like the setups, but it's nice to have a few more passives that help tighten the play.

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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Ophelia has a bit of a motherly badass streak going, and finally she has a Chapter that actually has me chomping at the bit for her resolution. Prior to this Chapter, I wasn't aware anyone could actually take the Ember away, so this story just got good.

Yeah, up to that point I had just been doing the stories in level order, with the exception of Therion, who I prioritized since he was my main character. For the fourth chapters, I went in order of how urgent I believed their final chapters would be in character, and Ophelia's took the cake there.

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Unrelated, I just got ? Block status today! Not sure how much karma I've lost over the years, wasn't sure I'd ever see this status lol.

*Shameless back pat and topic bump*

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Cyrus, Chapter 3
Party used: Cyrus (S/M), Ophelia (P/D), Therion (T/H), Olberic (W/A)

In a reveal that shocked absolutely everyone, except the player audience, Headmaster Yvon is a bad guy! Who else was surprised? Anyone? Anyone?

I will admit, I did think it was Therese following us, and was not expecting Lucia. She mysteriously disappeared though, so she's probably the true puppet master since I fought Yvon a Chapter earlier than anticipated. I did spend a good 3 minutes in that pit too thinking I was supposed to find an exit before finally taking the "Wait and see" option.

Cyrus is extremely glib, and kudos for Therese for lying their in physically weakened condition listening to him ramble and not once professing any sort of affection to her. She has quite the resilience

Cyrus's Chapter 3 wasn't half bad all in all. It even managed to surprise me.

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Main Party Chapter 3 Rankings

Ophelia - 8.5/10
Olberic - 8/10
Cyrus - 7/10
Therion - 5.5/10

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Ophelia, Chapter 4
Party used: Ophelia (P/D) Level 51, Therion (T/H) Level 50, Olberic (W/A) Level 48, Cyrus (S/M) Level 49

So... Ophelia's final Chapter. That was something. Mattias was exactly as expected, and the story was surprisingly strong. I really enjoyed the momentary pauses in the Boss battle to have the banter between Ophelia and the Boss. And I'm not gonna lie... he kicked my face in the first time. He used the magic sealing ability on me, I was heavily reliant on Cyrus for breaking him, and I just spent too long trying to figure out how to work around the situation.

Round 2... he kicked my face in again, but not entirely lol. Cyrus was dead. Therion was dead. Olberic was dead. Ophelia was still silenced. I used an Olive of Life on Olberic, and then the unit I had out that I was Guiding attacked and killed the Boss. Ecks...Effing...Dee...

The power of a Sister's love saves us all, and it showed that every detail, no matter how minor, was important in the story's telling. I don't remember where I heard it before, but I have heard that in short stories only relevant information should be presented, even if it doesn't seem relevant immediately. Ophelia's story seemed to embody this method of story telling as everything came full circle to the very beginning and her origins as an orphan being brought into a new family.

My biggest complaint about her story is that she didn't really have an antagonist until the end of Chapter 3, so the pacing and urgency didn't seem strong for what should be considered a short story. Ophelia is very likable character, as were most every character in the story, or despisable in the case of the villains as we want them to be so.

I was a bit shocked at the immediacy of the credits rolling the moment I lit the Flamesgrace Flame. I was fully not expecting them to be right then and there given I still had other Chapters to do, nor did I feel that Ophelia's Chapter really concluded in the manner I had hoped it would. On the note of the credits, however, I did like that the game remembered the order in which I recruited members, the party I used to fight their bosses, and even the killing blow recorded on the boss. There were lots of gaps in the credits where these scenes didn't play out, which seems obvious that to be because I have yet to finish half of the Chapter 2s and 3s, and all but Ophelia's Chapter 4.

Luckily, after the credits rolled, I picked right back up in Ophelia's Chapter 4 finale, and wrapped up the things exactly that I thought needed to be wrapped up. I also screen capped the Finale wallpaper of Ophelia and Lianna, two young and naive girls with much love for each other and their dear father.

I do not regret choosing Ophelia as my main character, and thus far she has sufficed as this game's main character, in so far as the first 4 Chapters have seemed to be presented. Let's see how the rest of this plays out.

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yeah, the credits rolling after OG character chapter 4 is kind of a weird design choice but I guess it makes sense. took me by surprise too.

Don't want this purging just yet.

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Tressa, Chapter 2
Party used: Tressa (M/P), H'annit (H/W), Primrose (D/S), Alfyn (A/T)

An education in Capitalism. Going all the way back to Chapter 2 again, I wanted to get the other four members caught up to Chapter 4 before finishing all other stories.

There's not much to say about this Chapter, Tressa teaching us she has an eye for excellence and can turn a profit from one person's trash. Ali was an interesting character; I wasn't sure what to make of him at first. He seemed rude in both first meetings, opened up a bit, and then became almost instantly likable when Morlock reared his head. I was pretty sure Morlock was going to the boss here, and that Ali was going to be our story foil and probable final boss, but Olaf was the boss, and Ali likely a comrade of something or other by story's end.

What strikes me odd about Tressa's story is that she claims to be a Merchant, but really she isn't (but still is at the same time). She has obvious martial prowess, especially considering she has mastery in two weapons, like all the physical fighters, as well as an element, putting her on equal footing with H'aanit and Therion. Only Cyrus has more individual weakness coverage in a single job. Additionally, Ali makes it clear that Merchants fight with their words, but are not reknown for their physical prowess. In this Chapter, she gets out-Merchanted by the Merchant, but proves she is by far the better combatant.

So is Tressa really a Merchant? I feel like she closer to a Bard. Someone who is charismatic with a keen eye, but can fight with the best of them. The only thing she doesn't do is sing...

On a side note, I absolutely destroyed this Chapter considering all my Chapter 3 and 4 gear I've acquired through towns and dungeons. I also had to rerun Morlock's Manse with Therion in the party (I just ran from everything), so that I could get the Purple Chest I left behind. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing quite a bit of that.

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Primrose, Chapter 2
Party used: Primrose (D/S), Tressa (M/P), H'annit (H/W), Alfyn (A/T)

Stillsnow has some shady business going on. Let's suspend some disbelief that Arianna recognize Primrose who was like 9 the last time she saw her. I'm starting to see a recurring theme of a revenge seeking Dancer helping the down and trodden local females everywhere she goes. At least Arianna's fate turned out better.

I had to borrow Therion again for some locked chests again...twice lol. Not much difficulty still either, as I'm sure will be the case until everyone gets to Chapter 4. After all, everyone has 200 attack on there weapons lol.

While the story was fairly standard, it was quite good. Rufus made for a good villain, Primrose's backstory fleshes out more in good ways, and I am just as vested in her progression as I was in Chapter 1. So far, Primrose's Chapters haven't been a let down at all.

I'd like to know more about Primrose's father's past. I have a suspicion that he might not be all that great an individual either, and Primrose might realize this at some point and question her motives. I hope we haven't seen the last of Ariana either.

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Alfyn, Chapter 2

I'm thankful for the "The Story So Far..." segments when I start a new Chapter. I'll be honest, I completely forgot what brought me to Goldshore for Alfyn. I guess I'm just wandering aimlessly for his story.

Alfyn's Chapter 2 narrative had me quickly thinking this was going to be mirrored closely to Tressa's story about a rival in his job that becomes a close friend. I even briefly thought that Vanessa might be a love interest. H'aanit's already hitting on Alfyn in travelling banter, and Primrose teases him as well. Luckily Alfyn's no Cyrus with the ladies, and is apparently a scruffy looking (Nerf herder) apothecary.

This Chapter, more than the last, really showcases how sweet an individual Alfyn is. He's great with kids, has a heart of gold, and goes above and beyond in his hippocratic oath. Vanessa as a villain was refreshing. There haven't been many (any?) female villains yet, so it's nice not to keep fighting these chauvinistic bureaucratic lowlifes and dark despots of society, and instead just fight an unscrupulous female for a change.

Much like Ophelia's (and Tressa's to some extent) story progressed, I haven't felt much of a sense of urgency in Alfyn's adventure. Chapter 3 seems to be where the foil tends to occur for these less pressing stories, so we'll see where it goes... and also see if we can make Alfyn cry again.

Side note: it'd be kind of neat if H'aanit actually is crushing on Alfyn.

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Alfyn is best boy

(Also - your "side note" is exactly why the story in OT is actually good, because it's up to you if you want to read that into the story or not).

H'aanit, Chapter 2

So, Z'aanta wasn't getting drunk somehere. He wasn't losing all his money in Victor Hollows. No... He was off in some forest getting stoned. Poor guy. I love that he had the good sense to pen his thoughts before he was fully transformed lol.

I can't rightly explain it, but I have a great appreciation for H'aanit's story thus far. It's simple, yet there has always been a sense of urgency and mystery to it. I probably didn't rate it well enough in Chapter 1, but having now completed all Chapter 2s, I really think that H'aanit and Primrose stand shoulders above the other stories in their delivery.

I was at first thinking there was going to be more to do with this Nathan fellow that we first encountered in town, but after exploring a bit, I saw he was also a standard NPC that you could use all Path Actions on, and he was still present out of the story segment. His Inquire suggests he might actually be part of a side story actually. H'aanit's Chapter 2 Boss ends up being another beast of the woods, and all clues point to Redeye being our final destination (and I might need some anti-petrification preparation).

One thing I wish I could figure out is how to improve Linde, if it's even possible. I had to Provoke TWICE in this Chapter, and I was ill-prepared for it. I had a couple of decent enemies Captured, and the Guard in the beginning of the Chapter wasn't too difficult, but the Tree in the middle of the dungeon crawl was far more of a slog of a fight. I can't use anything other than Linde or any other beasts I've Captured, and so I definitely struggled a bit in that second Provocation. Linde sadly hits like a wet noodle though, and I'll definitely need to reaquire some better beasts and use them far more sparingly between Provoking encounters.

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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

One thing I wish I could figure out is how to improve Linde, if it's even possible

As far as I know, you can't

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IIRC you can also use items.
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Full Chapter 2 Rankings, with changes to adjust for the new four...

Primrose - 9.5/10
H'aanit - 9/10
Cyrus - 8.5/10
Olberic - 8/10
Alfyn - 7.5/10
Therion - 5/10
Ophelia - 4/10

I know that long term the overall story affects my feelings on the Story rankings as a whole, so I tried to keep my rankings specific to Chapter 2 and not over alter the previous Chapter 2 rankings. Since I've already finished Ophelia's story, she has set the bar for total story, and I think that's why I held off on Chapter 3 rankings until I caught every one up, and didn't give an overall value to Ophelia's story just yet.

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Also, I had another travel banter between H'aanit and Alfyn (2 actually, one also included Tressa) that just made me feel they like each other, though I know that's just my interpretation at work.

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Team Rocket Elite posted...

IIRC you can also use items.

Yeah, I can. Using magic stones seems like a waste on Provokes, but it might be more necessary. All the same, I plan on taking a couple steps to counter this and try and spend some time Capturing some higher level beasties.

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Total time played thus far... 62 Hours, 41 Minutes.

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Trying to clean up more side quests if I can figure them out.

I did Tomb of Kings and Captain's Bane, which had two quests tied to them I was able to figure out.

I'm finding that my A Team comp of:
Priest / Dancer
Warrior / Apothecary
Scholar / Merchant
Thief / Hunter

...was much easier and comfortable to use than my current B Team comp of:
Merchant / Priest
Hunter / Warrior
Dancer / Scholar
Apothecary / Thief

The first team felt like a Healer, Tank, and two DPS. The second team feels more like two Supports and two DPS.

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I know I can swap thing around. I'm just trying to see if these can work, and I may try some other combos.

Warrior almost feels like it NEEDS Apothecary to be Tankish though.

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Knocked out 3 more sub 40 side areas and revisited some old towns which I was able to close out a few more quests which I had apparently found item or info for at some point.

I'm also trying to pay attention to what some NPCs are saying, especially if they don't have quests. Some oddly named NPCs are clues to quests I think, or they might say something that is a clue.

For example, talking to a guy in Rippletide told me how he would always need to motivate Le Mann, so I Allured him in the hopes of maybe progressing the Le Mann quest I had in Stonegard, and it worked.

I also figured out that Alluring a historian in Cobbleston was necessary to reading a monolith on one of the dungeons.

Still a lot of quests I'm scratching my head on though.

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Alfyn, Chapter 3

Alfyn's crisis of faith. This was a very good chapter, but not because it was a good story, but because it showcases the moral dilemma which is one of the better story telling tropes. In the end, it usually benefits character growth and we empathize with our character or the situation they were dealing with.

The Chapter started rather earnestly, we cut immediately to Miguel who is suffering rather than have Alfyn reflect upon what he should do now that he has arrived in Saintsbridge. Ogen appears and story telling makes us believe he is somewhat sinister with motivations, but it pieces together relatively quickly that he's been burned in the past for helping others.

I've learned that Travel Banter tends to foreshadow a lot of the unfolding things to come. Primrose basically told me that Ogen was a good man with a sad past before it was even revealed, and I knew Miguel would turn against us as a result.

Alfyn's Story is a bit of a conundrum. It's more of a series of shorts rather than one arching story line. He's the first character not to have a reason to go somewhere for Chapter 4 and seek closure. I suspect we will meet Ogen again, and he mentioned the "other like me" which would be Alfyn's role model, so we'll likely see him as well.

Best guess, Alfyn's story concludes with repaying his hero's kindness. As far as complete story telling goes, Alfyn's story continues to lack that drive and motivation for a hero's journey, but in separate bubbles the individual Chapters are good.

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H'aanit, Chapter 3

A DRAGON!

O.O;

I'd like to start with saying that little H'aanit is a-dor-a-ble! And maybe I'm just really getting into some of these stories, but other than a slight handful, I am not being disappointed by the deliveries lately.

I loved this Chapter. I might be digging H'aanit as my favorite OT. Susanna was great, Alaic is great (but sorry man, I'm already kind of shipping H'aanfyn), and for pete's sake, we fight a dragon, and H'aanit feels like she becomes a real Hunter for it.

I prepared a bit ahead of my provocations that I might have for this Chapter, but I'm not really packing those punches still and probably won't until I figure out some of the better things Capture. I did decide to ultimately swap Alfyn to Apothecary Warrior and H'aanit to Hunter Thief though because those combos feel better for party cohesiveness.

Primrose had a Travel Banter with H'aanit about Alaic's feeling towards H'aanit that she is oblivious to. H'aanit says she will settle down with a man stronger than her, which will apparently be a long while from now, so Alfyn better hit the weights.

I love how Linde is not a side character and is very much an active participant in H'aanit's story.

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The game has really started to get it's hooks in me. I wish I could dedicate a bit more time to play each day, but with my kids back in school, I'm doing more with them at home during free time.

The music though is always in my head, and I find myself whistling the Decisive Battle II song almost daily lol.

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Decisive Battle II is great, and the non-battle music is really underrated too

I have to listen to a few songs on Spotify at times lol.

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Tressa, Chapter 3

Guess who's back, back again... Knick and Knack, tell a friend. Mikk and Makk remind me of the two Pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean that are meant to serve as comic relief. I feel like there isn't enough substance to Tressa's story and they are meant to be filler though.

I'm disappointed in this Chapter. The story doesn't feel like it's Tressa's story, and is instead Leon's story. There's also the high dependence on convenience, like Leon even being here, the trading a map for a shield that was also in town, and the map leading to a buried treasure right outside of town. Convenient story telling, kind of at it's worst.

The whole Chapter could have even been washed away if Tressa could learn to keep her mouth shut and read things to herself. She probably could have bought the map outright for cheaper that trading for the shield without even realizing what it was she had gotten and stumbled into a massive windfall. The treasure being that close to town though, a town full of fighters, you'd think it'd just be easier to have the merchant lead a crew to get it himself.

You learn very little about Tressa in this Chapter. It's almost assuredly her family that's her most precious thing, but that's about the only thing we can associate to Tressa from this Chapter in total. Tressa ends up just being completely outshone by Leon on the story-telling front, and as much as I like Leon, I feel like it's a misstep since I should care more about Tressa since we have a limited amount of time to deliver her story as it is.

On a brighter side of revisiting Victor's Hollow, I found the old man ship captain that was meant to go back to Goldshore since I've started paying attention to the NPCs and their dialogues, so that's another quest in the bag. We'll see how Tressa's story wraps up, but it's starting to feel pretty weak at the moment.

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Bump

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Primrose, Chapter 3

I don't even know how to process this Chapter. Simeon kept saying Primrose was his love, but just how old was she and he when they were younger? Was Simeon a pedophile? And yet Primrose seems to care deeply for him as well.

I get that the story wants to make me feel a closer attachment to the two, but as a player, I had already mentally established that Primrose had cut ties with her past and she wouldn't have someone like Simeon really out there that she would care about, so it somewhat confused me to watch it play out and hear the Travel Banter afterwards. The fact that we never see him again after his initial introduction, and we spend more of the Chapter with Revello, made me realize he wasn't a good guy though.

I'm not at all surprised at the Albus being the Right Crow. I am a bit interested in the concept that the Right Hand of Geoffrey was also the Right Hand of the Obsidians, so my best guess is that Albus was always a bad seed and it wasn't just a matter of being bought off.

This is another Chapter where some disbelief about having other party members must be suspended. When Simeon surprises Primrose, it's rather surprising that he catches her alone. It's already a bit problematic that Revello and Primrose didn't exit together, or that Revello didn't wait or go back sooner, but party members should have also been present. Then Primrose goes into recovery for 3 days... so... what was the rest of the party doing that time?

I always had a suspicion that there was going to be more to Geoffrey than we are given information of, and that House Azelhart might not have that clean of a history. I felt like the "Faith Will Be Your Shield" motto would be questioned by Primrose later, but it seems Geoffrey Azelhart was a paragon, and really this is just a vengeful wrathful daughter.

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Chapter 3 Rankings

H'aanit - 10/10
Alfyn - 9/10
Olberic - 8.5/10
Ophelia - 8/10
Cyrus - 7/10
Primrose - 6.5/10
Therion - 5.5/10
Tressa - 2/10

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Spent the evening leveling up since my B Team hadn't even hit 40 yet. Now they are at least 44 and about 8 levels behind A Team.

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Primrose's chapter 3 I didnt like as much as 1 and 2 yeah.
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I'm figuring out that there must be post Chapter 4 content. I've found a couple more sub job shrines, but so far the bosses have been way too difficult compared to Ophelia's Chapter 4 boss. I also ran into 2 areas that were recommended level 55, which is 10 levels higher than Chapter 4 recommendations.

All party members are now equally leveled (for the most part), so it's time to finish these Chapter 4s.

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Most of the post chapter 4 stuff is just side quests. There is one big thing that sorta ties all the stories together though.

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Olberic, Chapter 4

You see the distant flames, they bellow in the night.
You fight in all our names for what we know is right.
And when you all get shot and cannot carry on
Though you die, La Resistance lives on.

Olberic's final Chapter was his darkest, and it moved very quickly in order to tie up the whole story. Werner was an asshole, he had to go. The only problem I had is that the closure didn't seem as personal as I had hoped, and it was just Olberic going and putting down a bully.

Erhardt showing up mid chapter was a pleasant surprise. I feel like there is no Olberic without Erhardt at this point, and he should be an integral part of the closure, though that closure seemed a bit light regardless. After the fighting, Erhardt goes on his way, and Olberic returns to Cobbleston. We see Philip again, but I really was hoping there would be some mom wooing going on as well, and Olberic would get into that Instant Family. I mean there's nothing stopping me from thinking that happened, but it'd be nice for the story to usher that in as well lol.

During the fight with Werner, I noticed that Olberic didn't do any mid combat dialogue, like Ophelia did. In fact it was a pretty straight forward boss fight, I wouldn't have even been able to tell the difference that it was the final fight in a character's story. I had no difficulty with this fight at all, and I'm not entirely sure if it's just because it was an easy fight, or if I really am just better at the game, but my character levels and gear weren't any better than Ophelia's boss fight, and I struggled far more with her.

I used Tressa as a Merchant/Priest, Olberic as Warrior/Apothecary, Primrose as Dancer/Scholar, and Therion as Thief/Hunter. I continue to bring Therion along solely for the purpose of opening Purple Chests so I don't need to backtrack again.

There was one thing I caught in the story telling that piqued my interest, and that was something in regards to a "Gate of Finis" that hadn't been mentioned previously, and wasn't mentioned again in Olberic's story. I assume if there is something at the end of the game, this might be relevant. I don't recall anything in Ophelia's Chapter 4 mentioning the Gate of Finis, just something about the Dark God's ressurection, but if I am tying things together at the end as @hombad46 mentioned, they might be connected, and I'll need to pay attention to the other Chapter 4s.

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Tressa, Chapter 4

Who the **** is Graham Crossford? I've almost canonized in my head that Tressa's story is just a dream and she's asleep back at home. Seriously, this little girl who is a martial arts powerhouse that has a billion leaves waiting to be collected... I don't even know how to apply logic here lol.

This Chapter brought Tressa's journey full circle, but I really feel like I didn't have many questions going into Chapters 1 through 3, and then I end Chapter 4 with a ton of questions.

First off, this journal seems super important, important enough to be stolen from us by an impromptu final boss that came completely out of left field. But then... It's worthless!? Until it's not and we sell it for a billion leaves that we then turn down initially, and set up a trust for it later.

I'm glad Tressa gets some closure and figures out what's most precious to her, which is NOT HER JOURNEY despite what she thinks, but rather selling people what they want (wake up Tressa). Noa was a nice motivation for that.

Ali was a wonderful addition to Chapter 4. In all honesty without Ali and Leon, Tressa really has no story, so these characters are very worthwhile. Esmeralda was whatever... I am still at a loss over that whole development.

So...I really just don't know what else to say. Tressa's whole story made the least amount of sense as a complete package than anyone else so far. It'd have to be a pretty awful conclusion from anyone else's story to one up it.

I can only hope post game stuff makes me appreciate this arc more.

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Yeah the new job bosses can be tackled early, but most just go after them once the chapter 4s are done.
(and in a certain order usually)
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the post chapter 4 stuff is the best part

Alfyn, Chapter 4

Well... I get my first taste of two characters slightly intertwined as I find out who Graham Crossford is. So, the writer of Tressa's adventuring journal, and the man who saved Alfyn as a boy are one and the same!

There's quite a bit of convenience in this Chapter, similar to Tressa's Chapter 3, where what I didn't know I was going to be looking for just happened to be in the adjoining hostile area. The boss of this Chapter also signifies my first fight where I am attacking a target that is an actual antagonist to the character's story.

There's some interesting fateful mechanics at play in this Chapter, and really more of Alfyn's story as a whole. Alfyn's whole story seems more about personal growth, but the part where fate really shines is that he is saved by Graham so that he may one day save Ogen, and how everything from the personal journey down to the disease is all interconnected.

It's hard to really judge this Chapter on it's own since it really just brings the whole story together instead of being something more climactic. I did enjoy it a bit more than the closure I got from Tressa's story though. I would probably have been a tad disappointed if I had chosen Alfyn as my lead character though.

Alfyn's story isn't really that adventurous, and he had no real foil other than his self confidence. The rather abrupt conclusion to his story was a bit jarring. He just goes off to heal more people, but after the cutscenes I'm back in his hometown for no reason what-so-ever. He didn't say he was going back to Clearbrook, and didn't appear to have any business there.

In hindsight, I wish I had done Alfyn"s Chapter 4 before Tressa's. I think the diary owner reveal would have felt more impactful to me.

Of the 4 Chapters I've completed, only Ophilia's has really felt like it had a conclusive ending, which resolved more so after the credits rolled, and I'm wondering if that was because of her being the main character for my game, and that she got additional "footage" so to speak.

Now that I got my first taste of interconnected stories, I'm eager for the final 4 Chapters to conclude.


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Alfyn's a fun guy, I'd hang out with him, but I think that Ogen would have been a better protagonist.

(On an unrelated note, I think Alfyn's "gossip" path action should be the "possible consequences to your reputation" choice, while Cyrus's "deduce" should be the one with 100% reliability but a relatively harsh level requirement.)
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Alfyn is in Inquire, which just sounds like a simple question being asked. Cyrus is Scrutinize, which sounds more like Cyrus is grilling them.

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Therion, Chapter 4

Heathcote returns... and... another nod to the Gate of Finis mentioned back in Olberic's Chapter 4. I already had figured that Heathcote was a former thief, so that came as no surprise. The Ravus' being guardians to the keys that open this mysterious realm that may or may not exist is cool, and apparently the stones were giving Darius confidence to lead thieves.

This Chapter was extremely quick, and it really felt more like an extension of Chapter 3 than a new Chapter. Giving credit where it's due, it actually progressed well and felt like it completed an anti-hero's journey. The journey encompassed all the things I think make for good story-telling, and the hero in this particular case works because he learns a lesson on trust and becomes what the story needs him to be to fulfill the arc. And then old Therion returns at the end... sigh.

I liked the boss fight. It reminded me of Ophelia's where it had that very personal vibe to it, and Darius made for a good villain. Therion had those glimpses of redemption, but he's still a standoffish jack ass, and those mixes signals kept popping up when he was talking with Cordelia. I think overall, Therion is a better character than when he started, and Darius really was able to show the worst side of Therion while Heathcote and Cordelia were able to showcase the better sides.

Channeling my inner Cyrus, the characters all seem to revolve around the Gate of Finis, Graham Crossford, and Galderra, the Fallen god. I hadn't really put it together until just recently, but all the Gods of Octopath represent jobs in the game too, which includes the 8 main jobs and the 4 side jobs. I'm not entirely familiar with all the Gods or their job assignments, but I'm curious how Galderra plays into it, but my guess is that the Gate of Finis and Galdera are connected, and I suspect that Graham Crossford is an original hero of the past.

Anywho... decent Chapter. Overall, I enjoyed Therion's complete story more so than Tressa's or Alfyns from a narrative perspective, and my opinion of Therion as an antihero was elevated a bit, though he's still too much of an asshole to the party and Cordelia.

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didnt play today, don't purge

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