Octopath Traveler Tier List: Best & Worst Characters

Excel in the Former Masterpiece JRPG in No Time!

Are you obsessed with the fresh Octopath traveler release after reading our Octopath Traveler Champions of the Continent tier list? If yes, then you ought to give time to CotC’s elder brother, the Octopath Traveler turn-based JRPG, and our  Octopath Traveler tier list too!

The game manifests single-player aesthetics that channels the bygone Final Fantasy era in a retro style. Besides the solid gameplay, Octopath Traveler features a rich plot as players maneuver with one of eight available units that are steering through the globe with their own goals.

What’s most interesting? Players get to experience up to eight unique playthroughs in order to reach the endgame finally. The eight characters also differ in terms of battling, with some being more powerful and ultimately proving more user-friendly than the rest.  

In case you don’t ever get to start with a character who tends to fizzle near the end, ranked in tiers below are all eight Octopath Traveler champions. 

Key Highlights
  • Keeping its character collection short, Octopath Traveler features only 8 playable options for all its players. 
  • Offered utilities, along with the overall performance of each character, are parts of our primary criteria behind grading the Octopath Traveler minimal list. 
  • H’aanit and Therion are the top two best characters in Octopath Traveler. Both employ the most viable Octopath Traveler weapons paired with solid base stats and utilities that pull up a massive power show. 
  • There is no worst character, but Primrose is the weakest Octopath Traveler unit, we would say. She is a little too niche-specific and limited to being used by an experienced player only.

Octopath Traveler Tier List

Octopath Traveler tier rankings
Octopath Traveler Characters Ranking

We have graded characters of the Octopath Traveler tier list into three levels based on their overall performances and utilities on board. Our ranking stops as low as B-tier only as we don’t think any of the eight playable game characters are deficient enough to be graded any lower. 

That said, our ranking begins with the S-tier, which houses all the powerhouse units from amongst the caste. Following is the A-tier that places worthy units with some minor flaws that consequently push them a tier down from the top level. 

Last but not least is the B-tier of Octopath characters carrying niche-specific heroes. The B-classed units will prove awesome for players with related playstyles but not enough for most. So without wasting any more time, let’s see how the characters rank as well as get in touch with a little insight about all. 

TiersOctopath Traveler Characters 
SH’aanit, Therion
AOphilia, Tressa, Cyrus, Alfyn
BOlberic, Primrose

H’aanit

The huntress class H’aanit is undoubtedly the best character on the tier list. The capable character hails from one of the most interesting storylines in the game and employs arrows and bows to charge the enemies directly. 

She also possesses a couple of lightning attacks to shock her foes, putting up a great combat show for players to experience. The most interesting part of H’aanit’s arsenal, however, is her capability to tame massive beasts to her side.

Yes, H’aanit could actually capture wild animals and monsters of the Octopath Traveler realm and make them serve by her side in battle. The coolest of them all is her snow leopard companion. H’aanit couples this with her strategy of provoking NPCs which further weakens the overall grind

Together the strength opens up an extensive array of tactical options for the employing player. However, unlike Olberic, who too depends on provoking duels, H’aanit can not fight herself, but that’s ok given the capable animal companions she summons. 

Being a Huntress, H’aanit possesses yet another great ability by which she can acquire some of the deadliest passive skills throughout the story. For instance, she has got one that adds an extra strike to the attacks made via her weapon. Here’s a table discussing more of H’aanit’s skills: 

H’aanit’s SkillsShort Description 
Mercy Strike The skill involves hitting the target with a bow. Doesn’t knock down enemies, instead leaves them hanging on the cliff with one only one HP. 
ThunderbirdDishes some robust lightning hits to the enemy. 
True StrikeInflicts critical damage to opponents.
Rain of ArrowsDishes out 5-8 consecutive hits on a random enemy via a bow.
Second Serving50% boost to all normal attacks.
Eagle Eye50% boost to character crit rate.
Heighten SensesOffers chances of making the first attack.
Draefendi’s RageDishes an impactful attack to all enemies via a bow. 
Take AimIncreases party accuracy and critical rate for two turns.
Patience25% increase in re-attack at the end of turn

Therion

Peculiar villain yet an exceptionally capable thief, Therion can swoop away from enemies, their health, SP, steal items, and everything that seems useful. Therion doesn’t spare even townsfolk as he can rob NPCs to gather a ton of valuable loot, including weapons as well as in-game currency–only if you don’t get caught. 

Players might feel a little guilty when stealing from children and widows but don’t let that put you down, as Therion’s theft skill is a must-have utility, in our opinion. Plus, Octopath Traveler will make you pretty used to doing that. At last, what else does a thief do if not steal?

Anyways, Therion does all this stealing and stuff via his stock of daggers, swords, and fire magic. Together the arsenal enables him with an extensive array of offensive options. 

Furthermore, the unit knows how to debuff enemies to weaken their attacks and armor, ultimately creating an even sweeter spot for you in battles. On the downside, however, Therion is very quick to go down as soon as an enemy hits him. 

Don’t worry, though, as it hardly ever happens as he is pretty difficult to get caught. Whatever the case, probably this uncertainty is what doesn’t let Therion earn the number one spot. That said, he is still one of the most recommended companions of the Octopath Traveler tier list that you just can’t afford to miss. 

Therion’s SkillsShort Description 
HP ThiefGets 50 % of total rendered damage in the form of HP of the target if attacked twice with a dagger. 
WildfireInflicts massive fire hots to an enemy.
StealSteal valuable loot from an enemy.
Armor Corrosive Shrinks an enemy’s physical defense rate in 2 turns. 
Shackle FoeShrinks an enemy’s physical attack rate in 2 turns.
Incidental Attack Induce 50% attack capacity even if employing a non-damaging move.
Share SPGrants an ally 50% of SP.
Steal SPGets 50 % of total rendered damage in the form of SP of target if attacked twice with a dagger.
Aeber’s ReckoningThe more the damage rendered by a dagger, the more the speed.
Insult To InjuryPenalties and status effects on attributes will be increased to an extra turn.
SnatchSwells the loot collected via the Steal or any other collect-based skill by a whopping 2 times.
Fleetfoot Increased Character speed by 50.

Ophilia

The noble and well-menacing soul and very firm in her abilities, Ophilia is the best healer on the tier list. Unlike most characters, Ophilia possesses the ability to heal a bunch of teammates all at once, proving to be a must-have life savior in the toughest of OT battles.

Furthermore, Ophilia can boast her healing capacity as the player accompanies deeper into the game with her, so you know you are signing up for a great investment if you take Ophilia on board. However, damage rendering-wise, she is not very useful.

She can, though, prove decent if paired with the right combination of parties. Nevertheless, Ophilia does house a couple of elemental attacks in her arsenal, including Light elemental ones, so players aren’t left entirely stranded. It is further combined with her fascinating ability to lead around NPCs and summon them in tough combats. 

Most of the recruited army knows how to hit the foes hard, while others deal solid status effects to put opponents down. One or two might even support by inflicting strong buffs and debuffs. What’s more interesting about Ophilia? She can ‘guide’ characters while patrolling around the Octopath Traveler world. 

This way, more characters will tag along with the team as allies and can be later called for support in battles. Ophilia’s best skills include the following:

Ophilia’s SkillsShort Description 
Heal MoreRestores substantial HP of all teammates. 
LuminescenceInflicts decent light damage to all enemies.
Sheltering VeilIncreases a teammate’s elemental defense strength for two turns.
Holy LightInflicts decent single target light damage.
Heal WoundsRestores some HP of all teammates.
Inner StrengthBoosts max SP by a whopping 50.
PersistenceStatus effects are extended to an extra turn.
Aelfric’s AuspicesThe skills of an ally will work 2x times more for three turns.
ReviveRevive dead allies.
Reflective VeilEnables a teammate to deal with a single elemental hit.
Saving Grace Enables Ophilia to heal herself above her max HP.
Evil WardIncreases fleeing chances for the entire team.

Tressa

Those who don’t gravitate towards merchant class characters might pick one this time. Yes, Tressa is undoubtedly worth your attention, even if her playstyle doesn’t seem to fit you. Also, if you are someone not up for employing Therion’s stealing skills, Tressa’s ability to steal-in-disguise will amuse you. 

The character tends to barter with NPCs for useless accessories rather than robbing. Though this way, you will hardly end up with something handy, it still proves pretty exciting if you are lucky enough to get something that’s surprisingly valuable. 

Plus, this way, she is able to assemble a massive stream of income for you to purchase something useful in return, hence also making up for the unreliability. Nevertheless, sparing your conscience by being a decent alternative to Therion is not the only specialty possessed by Tressa. 

In fact, she is also awesome in terms of dodging incoming attacks and healing allies. Tressa has access to a powerful set of polearms and bows and a multitude of other mercantile skills as well. For instance, the character can hire goons to support her in fights. Here’s more: 

Tressa’s SkillsShort Description 
Donate BPGrants one BP to an ally.
Trade TempestDishes wind damage to all enemies.
RestCures status effects and restores some SP and HP.
TradewindsDishes substantial wind damage to an enemy.
CollectCollects in-game currency from an enemy.
Grows On Trees Assembles extra in-game currency after every battle.
Bifelgan’s BountyDishes non-elemental damage to an enemy and gets as much in-game currency in return as the amount of damage dealt.
Hired HelpEmploys in-game currency to use the Hired Help utility in fights.
SidestepGrants the ability to dodge a physical attack. 
SP SaverReduced SP consumption by a whopping 50%.
Hang ToughWeakens lethal incoming attacks so that Tressa is left with at least one HP. 

Cyrus

Cyrus, the scholar, belongs to the mage class. The characters brimming with intelligence and knowledge have some mind-blowingly amazing skills that players will hardly find in any other. That said, the unit knows how to shower enemies with substantial damage, leaving them all in complete havoc. 

The unit also owns a couple of highly impactful magic spell attacks and elemental ones. What’s most worthy of your attention, however, is Cyrus’s ability to purloin knowledge of just about everything. 

For instance, Cyrus can literally scan his enemies from head to toe in order to determine what special strengths, spells, or weapons they possess. 

The character’s interrogation abilities extend even further than just the opponents hence allowing the players to earn discounts from Octopath Traveler’s stores, uncover valuable hidden items, and so much more. 

Despite all this, Cyrus still doesn’t grade higher because he’s a glass cannon and is bound to be supported by others in order to stay alive during tough combats against the enemy.

Cyrus’s SkillsShort Description 
Fire StormDishes dual fire damage to all enemies.
AnalyzeReveal a single weakness along with the HP of an enemy.
Lightning BoltDishes lightning damage to all enemies.
IcewindDishes ice damage to all enemies.
FireballDishes fire damage to all enemies.
Elemental AugmentationIncrease Cyrus’s elemental attack by 50.
Evasive ManeuversShrinks chances of a random encounter.
Lightning BlastDishes dual lightning damage to all enemies.
Alephan’s EnlightenmentTurn an ally’s multiple targeting effects to enhanced single target ones for three turns.
BlizzardDishes dual ice damage to all enemies.
Vim & VigorRegenerates Character HP for every turn.
PercipienceDecreases chances of opponents surprising the ally party.

Alfyn

If you are after a worthy healing plus fighting option on the Octopath Traveler tier list, Alfyn is the best choice after Ophilia. However, only those who are able to maneuver him the right way will be able to reap all his potential. Belonging to the apothecary class, Alfyn can cure status damages and heal wounds. 

His fighting strengths couple to make him one of the most powerful characters of OT. As said before, only players who like Alfyn’s playstyle will most prefer to add him to their parties. 

For instance, the character’s majority power revolves around Concoct potions that heal allies and provide them with the best, most robust buffs and debuffs of the Octopath Traveler.

This consequently means Alfyn needs to assemble various ingredients to churn and make valuable potions, or else he will stand not more than an average character. In short, players need to undergo experimentation to reap the most out of the Alfyn skill set. 

Those who enjoy the chores of hunting down special, most difficult to extract ingredients and recipes before fights will especially love Alfyn. That said, players are also offered much more than just potions. Alfyn is an efficient fighter, too, thanks to his solid ax hits and powerful single-character ice magic. 

On the battlefield, Alfyn can even “inquire” with Non-Player Characters to uncover precious objects as well as avail discounts in local stores. His other major skills include: 

Alfyn’s SkillsShort Description 
EmpoisonDeal Poison effect for two turns.
AmputationHit an enemy with an axe.
RehabilitateMake an ally immune to status ailments while also removing the existing ones.
Icicle DealInflict an opponent with ice damage.
First AidRestore an ally’s HP.
Hale & HeartyBoosts max HP by a whopping 500.
InspirationRetrieves 1% of dealt damage dealt as SP.
Dohter’s CharityLet’s a chosen ally share its items with the entire party.
Last StandDeals Axe attacks to all enemies; damage rendered is equal to Alfyn’s health.
VivifyRevive a teammate.
Heightened HealingBoosts Alfyn’s healing potential by 30%.
Resist AilmentsIncreases resistance to sleep, poison, confusion, silence, blindness, unconsciousness, and terror.

Olberic

Considered a solid Warrior, Olberic is a former cavalier turned mercenary of the Octopath Traveler tier list. In combat, Olberic depends on his previous strength that lists hardly anything out of the box. He hits with polearms and swords, delivering a ton of damage to the opponents and playing the role of a fine tank in the beginning levels. 

Remember our list’s number one character H’aanit’s the ability to control NPCs? Olberic owns an even advanced version of doing that, hence making up for his average fighting skills. He can challenge NPCs to lower some of the overall grinds for himself.

Nevertheless, this will not be wholly able to make up for Olberic’s lacking as his abilities tend to loosen as the story progresses. One can eclipse Olberic by any other viable unit pretty quickly. All in all, one can equip Olberic to their team in order to mark a decent headstart but thinking of progressing with him through the end is simply not recommended. His major skills are:

Olberic’s SkillsShort Description 
InciteGains the enemy’s attention for three turns.
Spearhead Launches a polearm attack and enables early charge on next turn.
AbideBoosts physical attack potential for three turns.
Level SlashAttack enemies with a sword.
Summon StrengthBoosts physical attack potential by 50.
Cover Absorbs single target attacks incoming towards allies near death.
Brand’s ThunderHits a single enemy with a massively impactful sword attack.
Thousand SpearsHits a random enemy with five to ten polearm attacks. 
Stout WallBoosts physical defense strength for three turns.
Surpassing PowerInflicts a max of 99,999 damage.
EndureBoosts elemental and physical defenses of Olberic when inflicted with sleep, poison, unconscious, silence, blindness, terror, and confusion.

Primrose

Primrose is known to hail one of the most interesting back plots in Octopath Traveler; however, she doesn’t seem to keep that up with her performance. The character is skilled with a solid dagger and holds the specialty of accessing peculiar yet sturdy dark magic hits. 

She also knows how to strategically apply powerful buffs and debuff to the enemies as well as her ally party with the power of her eye-catching dance. For instance, Primrose can dramatically boost any ally’s as well as her element’s attack capacity, speed, and even physical attack strength.

When all this or just Primrose’s dagger right in the ribs of a foe doesn’t seem to work enough, she can try luring powerful NPC to join your party. Her sultry dance moves can provide awesome buffs to them, too, consequently making them follow her in every way and even hit opponents for her.

What’s more? Primrose is also a master in Shadow magic, opening up for players a perfect counter opportunity against any Light-type uppity beast. Now that you know what the character can actually do, you might be wondering why we ranked her the lowest in our Octopath Traveler tier list. 

Although all the above utilities seem mind-blowing, they unfortunately only prove useful if employed at the right time and by the right hands. Here’s where the catch lies for most players who, as a result, tend to struggle with her and feel more like cheerleaders as Primrose dances. 

Nevertheless, those who have grasped her playstyle would want to know more about the skills on board that go as follows: 

Primrose’s SkillsShort Description 
Night OdeDishes off dark damage to all enemies.
Mole DanceImproves a teammate’s physical defense strength for two turns.
Peacock StrutImproves a teammate’s elemental attack damage potential for two turns.
Moonlight WaltzDishes off heavy dark damage to all enemies.
Lion’s DanceImproves a teammate’s physical attack strength for two turns.
Eye For An EyeOffers a 50% counterattacking chance when hit by a physical attack.
The Show Goes OnStrengthening spells to teammates will be prolonged for an extra turn.
Sealticge’s SeductionUpgrade single targeting skills to an all enemies targeting skill for three turns.
Bewildering GraceRenders curious effect.
Panther DanceIncreases a teammate’s speed for two turns.
EncoreRevive every combatting ally automatically, granting them 25% maximum HP.
Second WindRecover SP on each turn.

Ranking Criteria 

We spent a lot of time researching the most credible sources of information in order to formulate our tier list for Octopath Traveler. Each of the eight playable characters and their bundled utilities was deeply studied to develop the best possible hierarchy.

Throughout the entire process, our team surfed through various online authoritative sources and tried collaborating with as many new and veteran Octopath Traveler players as possible. That said, our Octopath Traveler tier list doesn’t only rely on the characters’ in-game effectiveness but also on what the gaming community thinks about them. 

This way, we know most of our readers out there won’t be triggered by the ranking done above, but in case you are that unique fish of the pond, write your concerns with us in the comments down below, and we will be more than happy to discuss it with you. Remember, eXputer appreciated healthy discussions but not criticism. 

Why Trust Us? 

As a team of tier list makers at eXputer have been bringing to you one of the most definitive hierarchies related to multiple games for a while now. In fact, eXputer hasn’t spared any game of a tier list that has reached the gamers community up till now.  

That said, our main aim has always been providing players of all playstyles and eras a much-needed headstart into their favorite games. Hopefully, we have succeeded yet again with our Octopath Traveler tier list as well. 

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Tehreem Fatima


Tehreem is an empathetic writer who writes for the love of it. She couples this with her interest in gaming to inform like-minded intellects what's going on in the gaming realm. She'll mostly be catching up with her high school studies when not writing great Tier Lists.

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