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Octopath Traveler II |OT| Can't We Talk This Over Like Normal Adults?

Exentryk

Member
Finished Ochette's story. Was fairly straight forward, and I was expecting a little more. Still, I did enjoy Ochette's laid back personality.

Might finish off Throne next so I have more flexibility in my team building as Throne is my starting character.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
I researched this in the past and can't say for certain since I don't own either game. But I did find this page about how to do it Octopath Traveler II. It seems to ruin some of the lighting effects, but I'd personally take it over the blurriness.

In my opinion the original looks better and more atmospheric, but I can understand that the blurriness will bother some people.
 

Gandih42

Member
Couldn't help myself and started the game last night. Will have to balance playing this and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 simultaneously for a while. Could take me the whole year, hahaha. But at least the very episodic nature of Octopath lends it quite well to be picked up in shorter sessions.

Started with Castti and now in the middle of Hikari's chapter 1. Loving it so far, combat still feels excellent and really happy with my choice of starter character.

Castti latent power makes it so much more satisfying to use the Apothecary skill, which I was way too conservative with in the first game.

I would consider myself one of those people worried it'd be too similar to the first game, but my first impression is that it holds up perfectly well with the smaller and larger improvements they've made.
 
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Oberstein

Member
I totally understand the critique that this game isn't a large epic like some old school JRPGs but it does scratch a more digestible itch. I know I can knock out a chapter or two in a set time frame which each have their own beginning middle and end.

Aren't people tired of epic world endings with the true real boss manipulating everyone from the beginning? We've had so much of it already that I'm more interested in down-to-earth storylines, especially since we don't have the Nomura & co. writing.

Now, I'm not far enough away to say it won't happen somewhere at the very end, but I like this orientation. Besides, the intro of Temenos defuses well the bombastic side of these sequences.
 
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Gandih42

Member
Aren't people tired of epic world endings with the true real boss manipulating everyone from the beginning? We've had so much of it already that I'm more interested in down-to-earth storylines, especially since we don't have the Nomura & co. writing.

Now, I'm not far enough away to say it won't happen somewhere at the very end, but I like this orientation. Besides, the intro of Temenos defuses well the bombastic side of these sequences.
Agreed, it's like a lot of mainstream media has an obsession with ever increasing stakes. For me, that's why I don't really watch the Marvel stuff after Endgame. There needs to be a cooldown period, otherwise the world and characters become completely unrelateable.

So it's refreshing to have smaller scale and/or more personal stories. I think the post-game of Octopath 1 was a fun way of to still tie things together and give an epic conclusion to things, while still having these smaller stories.

Iterating on that would hit the sweet spot for me.
 
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Exentryk

Member
Completed Throne's and Hikari's story. Really loved both of them, and maybe enjoyed Hikari's a little more. Well done!

I really love the way Team Asano makes their dungeons. I love them in Bravely games and I love them in Octopath as well. The dungeons are short and sweet with enough offshoot paths for treasure. And love their clever game design that lets you know where the main path in the dungeon is (highlighted by torches). The last thing you want with random encounters is to get lost in some labyrinthine dungeon and then keep getting annoyed. So none of that to worry about here.

Finally got my last job as well now. But it doesn't feel like it'll make the cut in to my current team for now.

Will see what to do next. There are a few random dungeons I haven't been to yet, so might get a few done before resuming other character stories. There is just so much to do in this game that it just never ends lol.
 

Labadal

Member
I now have a four man party. I was planning to get Hikari as my fourth member, but since I took the ferry to an island with her close by, I just opted to get her. I don't really have a bow user, so another weapon weakness covered is helpful.

The game looks gorgeous, and the soundtrack keeps delivering banger after banger. This is not a 7/10 OST, like someone else wrote.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Completed Osvald 3, Partitio 1, Temenos 2, Throne' 2, Castti 1.

Its honestly one of my favorite JRPGs ever made. Excels in combat, OST, characters / story, graphics, pacing, exploration. I feel like everyone is far too subservient to older games to ever compliment current games at the level they deserve. This blows away so many other RPGs. The main HD2D team is on fire. I felt like few people were ready to speak up about Triangle Strategy as well at first.

I get how the simple, down to earth tone of the stories can be boring to some people. If you don't like that, or the hard transitions between stories in this anthology, that's fair. But the game does so much at a high level. It has its own identity and isn't just another Final Fantasy.

P.S. so far Temenos is my favorite but I honestly really like all the characters.
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Completed Osvald 3, Partitio 1, Temenos 2, Throne' 2, Castti 1.

Its honestly one of my favorite JRPGs ever made. Excels in combat, OST, characters / story, graphics, pacing, exploration. I feel like everyone is far too subservient to older games to ever compliment current games at the level they deserve. This blows away so many other RPGs. The main HD2D team is on fire. I felt like few people were ready to speak up about Triangle Strategy as well at first.

I get how the simple, down to earth tone of the stories can be boring to some people. If you don't like that, or the hard transitions between stories in this anthology, that's fair. But the game does so much at a high level. It has its own identity and isn't just another Final Fantasy.

P.S. so far Temenos is my favorite but I honestly really like all the characters.
icegif-1609.gif
 
Completed Osvald 3, Partitio 1, Temenos 2, Throne' 2, Castti 1.

Its honestly one of my favorite JRPGs ever made. Excels in combat, OST, characters / story, graphics, pacing, exploration. I feel like everyone is far too subservient to older games to ever compliment current games at the level they deserve. This blows away so many other RPGs. The main HD2D team is on fire. I felt like few people were ready to speak up about Triangle Strategy as well at first.

I get how the simple, down to earth tone of the stories can be boring to some people. If you don't like that, or the hard transitions between stories in this anthology, that's fair. But the game does so much at a high level. It has its own identity and isn't just another Final Fantasy.

P.S. so far Temenos is my favorite but I honestly really like all the characters.
Awesome post my dude, bravo. It's not often you find others who feel the magic of a game the same way. Temenos' starting area is beautiful, much like Throne's city. I love the way the music always seems to convey the tone and atmosphere of the region. I remember the first time I went to Sunshade, the music just stuck with me.

Also love the way most of the boss battles make you work for that victory. These Octopath games have it all for jrpg lovers like me: that old school look with care in every detail, and quality of life gameplay that far exceeds the playability of the old jrpgs we love from days past.
 

Graciaus

Member
I've been taking lesser equipment and have had the lowered encounter rate on all game. Found it to be fairly easy but now that I'm on the final chapter of my 4 I'm getting slapped around. This is unexpected.

The hunter class was something in the first I ignored but Ochette is a lot of fun to use. Up until recently she was carrying my team.
 

sigmaZ

Member
Completed Osvald 3, Partitio 1, Temenos 2, Throne' 2, Castti 1.

Its honestly one of my favorite JRPGs ever made. Excels in combat, OST, characters / story, graphics, pacing, exploration. I feel like everyone is far too subservient to older games to ever compliment current games at the level they deserve. This blows away so many other RPGs. The main HD2D team is on fire. I felt like few people were ready to speak up about Triangle Strategy as well at first.

I get how the simple, down to earth tone of the stories can be boring to some people. If you don't like that, or the hard transitions between stories in this anthology, that's fair. But the game does so much at a high level. It has its own identity and isn't just another Final Fantasy.

P.S. so far Temenos is my favorite but I honestly really like all the characters.
Indeed. There's times when I've been playing the game where I was like if I played this when I was younger, it would've blown my mind. I haven't been this engrossed in an RPG for a long time. And the music is definitely top tier.
 
Incredible game. I'm at 37 hours and it feels like I'm just getting started. So many cool dungeons and secrets, interesting side quests that require a bit of thinking, shared stories, Partitio's "Scent of Commerce", additional challenges and locations when you buy your own ship.

That's on top of the main stories which can be hit or miss but generally I like majority of them - Partitio, Temenos and Throne's the most.

Music is GOTY worthy. Graphics are amazing with cities packed full of details.

This fucking game, man.
 

sigmaZ

Member
Incredible game. I'm at 37 hours and it feels like I'm just getting started. So many cool dungeons and secrets, interesting side quests that require a bit of thinking, shared stories, Partitio's "Scent of Commerce", additional challenges and locations when you buy your own ship.

That's on top of the main stories which can be hit or miss but generally I like majority of them - Partitio, Temenos and Throne's the most.

Music is GOTY worthy. Graphics are amazing with cities packed full of details.

This fucking game, man.
Season 11 Friends GIF by Curb Your Enthusiasm
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
So I'm following this bitch ass that's crying every single tweet (literally crying btw, showing pics and shit) in regards to this game.

I'm genuinely curious, is the game this heart-breaking that you cry every 5-6 hours? What's up with this game?
 
So I'm following this bitch ass that's crying every single tweet (literally crying btw, showing pics and shit) in regards to this game.

I'm genuinely curious, is the game this heart-breaking that you cry every 5-6 hours? What's up with this game?
I'm ~20 hours in and haven't cried, so either 100% bitchass or I'm a heartless monster
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
So I'm following this bitch ass that's crying every single tweet (literally crying btw, showing pics and shit) in regards to this game.

I'm genuinely curious, is the game this heart-breaking that you cry every 5-6 hours? What's up with this game?
100% bitchass
 

sigmaZ

Member
So I'm following this bitch ass that's crying every single tweet (literally crying btw, showing pics and shit) in regards to this game.

I'm genuinely curious, is the game this heart-breaking that you cry every 5-6 hours? What's up with this game?
sad crying GIF by Underground
 

Pejo

Member
The only thing that annoys me a bit is having to grind non-main party members levels separately. I wish they'd get a share of the xp even out of the party, even if it's only like 50%. It wouldn't even be that bad if you could carry them, but there's always some solo fight/mechanic that they need to be at level for (in their own stories), so you have to separately grind the 4 non-main party characters. Thank goodness they catch up quick when you go to over-leveled areas, but still it's a mechanic that could have been easily avoided.
 

Exentryk

Member
Finished the main stories for all characters. Enjoyed the stories of Throne, Temenos and Hikari; Partitio's and Osvald's also got interesting towards the end; Castti's was cool but I already saw it coming, so the impact was less; Agnea was boring, and Ochette was pretty average.

I do feel like the devs can do better in the writing department, but it's not too bad. And getting 8 shots means they at least nail some moments and stories if nothing else.

The bosses have been pretty easy, and think I've been doing pretty much all of them in two-three turns without taking any damage. Will now move on to the end game dungeons and any optional bosses.

Still loving the experience.
 

sigmaZ

Member
Finished the main stories for all characters. Enjoyed the stories of Throne, Temenos and Hikari; Partitio's and Osvald's also got interesting towards the end; Castti's was cool but I already saw it coming, so the impact was less; Agnea was boring, and Ochette was pretty average.

I do feel like the devs can do better in the writing department, but it's not too bad. And getting 8 shots means they at least nail some moments and stories if nothing else.

The bosses have been pretty easy, and think I've been doing pretty much all of them in two-three turns without taking any damage. Will now move on to the end game dungeons and any optional bosses.

Still loving the experience.
Yeah. The potential for better writing is there, but some areas are noticeably strong than others. It's unfortunate they named the game Octopath, because they probably could have just trimmed off the lesser characters for a more solid experience. The one fundamental flaw in the design I feel is that you can only have four people in your party, so you're gonna end up spending most of the time on the ones you like the most and just do the others as an afterthought and be underwhelmed. I hope the next HD2D by them is something with a different formula.
 

Exentryk

Member
The one fundamental flaw in the design I feel is that you can only have four people in your party, so you're gonna end up spending most of the time on the ones you like the most and just do the others as an afterthought and be underwhelmed. I hope the next HD2D by them is something with a different formula.
That's not really different from other RPGs that have more characters than can be in the battle party, so you still have your favourites, and the others just stay on the bench.

Having to bring in the character for their story lets the players try out different team combinations, and I think that's refreshing and lets people think about their combat options. What they could improve in is perhaps share JP/EXP with all 8 characters so those don't feel left behind when you get back to using them.

There are other HD2D games being made, so those might be more to your taste. I certainly don't want Octopath's formula changed. Very happy with 8 different stories, but I do wish they can improve in the writing department.
 

sigmaZ

Member
That's not really different from other RPGs that have more characters than can be in the battle party, so you still have your favourites, and the others just stay on the bench.

Having to bring in the character for their story lets the players try out different team combinations, and I think that's refreshing and lets people think about their combat options. What they could improve in is perhaps share JP/EXP with all 8 characters so those don't feel left behind when you get back to using them.

There are other HD2D games being made, so those might be more to your taste. I certainly don't want Octopath's formula changed. Very happy with 8 different stories, but I do wish they can improve in the writing department.
-It is different from a lot of other RPGs as they have systems in place to mitigate this by either giving Exp out of battle, allowing you to swap in battle, having characters come and go, etc. Doesn't matter end game when you just choose who you want your main party to be. That's all up to individual preference.
-Don't disagree with your second point as I think that is a good side of it.
-I don't want Octopath changed either, especially given the title. By the next title they do, I meant non-octopath.
 

Graciaus

Member
Finished Throne, Osvald, Temenos and Ochette's stories. Also did two side stories with Temenos/Throne. 41 hours in and haven't picked up the other 4 this game is much longer then I thought it would be. Ironic that I picked Throne and the theme of her story is freedom and once I finished I am free to pick someone else now.

Temenos was my least favorite in combat but I liked his personality the best. Throne had the best overall story but I really liked the start of Osvald's. Ochette was really fun to use with the monsters and I normally ignore characters like that. Throne was a monster when spec'd correctly.

Planned on having this done so I could start on Trails to Azure at release but nope.
 
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Madjaba

Member
40 hours on the clock and I've finished Osvald, Temenos, Throne and Ochette's story too ! Last chapter of Agnéa's story right now.

The game is full of hidden things, from treasure, to weapon, to temple for special abilities they have given their all on content.

A little bit fed up with Agnéa's story after seeing so mature stuff in Osvald, Throne and Temenos's stories but after all it's kind of refreshing.

Will try to platinum this my core party is in the lvl 60 so it's really easy to move forward with the others stories.

Really great game overall !
 

Gandih42

Member
Progressing at a snails pace because I'm focusing on playing through some other games at the moment, but managed to finish Hikaris chapter 1 yesterday.

The little things they've added to the game make such a big difference. The camera movements make cutscenes that much more engaging. The latent powers add another really fun layer to combat. And the character introductions and callouts during combat makes it feel much more like a cohesive adventure (even though I hear they still don't intersect much in the main story). Night and day versions of the music, my god.

Really cool sequel, so happy I bought in.
 

sigmaZ

Member
I intensely love this game. Decided I'm just rocking my first 4 as a core party then doing the 2nd 4 as a 2nd party instead of swapping constantly.

The music ...

pJjCoNn.jpg


Current character favorite ranking:
1. Temenos
2. Partitio
3. Osvald
4. Throne'
Agreed.
My first main party was
Ochette
Osvald
Partitio
Hikari
 

Exentryk

Member
Just did the "Extra story" quest after beating all the story chapters and it was really nice. Liked the story interactions and also the gameplay changes of fighting with all 8 characters together. can see this mechanic becoming more prominent in OT3.

The final boss was nice and I enjoyed optimising the fight so that I didn't take any damage from it.

So only things left now are the secret boss and a bunch of side quests. Might go and complete those SQs first as I usually don't like doing anything after beating the optional boss.
 

Komatsu

Member
Absolutely fantastic game. OST is absolutely fire, Yasunori Nishiki simply decided around 2017 to never write a song again that isn't a banger. I am enjoying the world Solistia more than I did Osterra (Octopath 1), though as many others have said, I'd wish the characters would actually play a bigger role in each other's story.
 

Labadal

Member
One thing that I don't have a clear memory of if is the stories were this short in the first game. I have done all chapter 1s, and doing chapter 2s for everyone, but it feels like they are super short compared to the first game?

I also entered a dungeon that had a side boss. The Monarch, I think was its name. That was a fun encounter. So far, I have had more fun exploring, than doing main stories, to be honest. It also has to be said that I really like the path actions, even if many overlap. I just like going around, exhausting all that I can. I don't really try the low level chance stuff. Everything that is 80% or higher, I go for. I could do reloading, but there is no need for me to break the game (yet).
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
One thing that I don't have a clear memory of if is the stories were this short in the first game. I have done all chapter 1s, and doing chapter 2s for everyone, but it feels like they are super short compared to the first game?

I also entered a dungeon that had a side boss. The Monarch, I think was its name. That was a fun encounter. So far, I have had more fun exploring, than doing main stories, to be honest. It also has to be said that I really like the path actions, even if many overlap. I just like going around, exhausting all that I can. I don't really try the low level chance stuff. Everything that is 80% or higher, I go for. I could do reloading, but there is no need for me to break the game (yet).
Saw a $40,000 dagger on someone I wanted badly with only 8% chance. Tried multiple times and definitely failed lol.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Dayum, you dudes are blazing through the game. I'm taking my sweet time. Just on chapter two with a second character.
I'm about 15 hours in, just started my second "chapter two" and I've only recruited 6 of the 8 characters. This game is definitely a slow burn, but it's great.
 

Croga

Member
Really enjoying this, I think it's a massive improvement on the first one.

Recruited all the characters, running through Chapter 2s for everyone at the moment and exploring the world.

Running with Throne, Osvald, Temenos as my main squad. Had Hikari as my 4th, but once I came across the Warrior guild I replaced him with Ochette using the warrior as 2nd job and it's working out great so far.

The automatic buffs and debuffs from night time battles from this party are just too good to pass up lol.
 
The last chapter is weird. It's cool how all the characters finally fully interact and how they are all a part of the same story.

But, the way they did the villans feels faked. Minor characters from the various plots have completely different roles and I don't think they were meant to have such secret double-lives. It seems they just completely decided this after, as there was never any hint or indication these characters were plotting the things they apparently were.

It's hard to discuss without major spoilers, but I'll be interested to hear others thoughts as people finish the game. I just feel it was all written AFTER they wrote the 8 stories and had to completely rewrite characters to make it fit this new, overall plot.
 

Graciaus

Member
One thing that I don't have a clear memory of if is the stories were this short in the first game. I have done all chapter 1s, and doing chapter 2s for everyone, but it feels like they are super short compared to the first game?

I also entered a dungeon that had a side boss. The Monarch, I think was its name. That was a fun encounter. So far, I have had more fun exploring, than doing main stories, to be honest. It also has to be said that I really like the path actions, even if many overlap. I just like going around, exhausting all that I can. I don't really try the low level chance stuff. Everything that is 80% or higher, I go for. I could do reloading, but there is no need for me to break the game (yet).
You don't even really need to reload. You can pay to restore your reputation for minimal money. I don't think I ever really bought anything and had well over 1 million just off 4 characters played to the end.

I do find the stories shorter than the first game. Which is good because they weren't that good in the first game and just dragged on at times.
 
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