Once you’ve completed the prologue of Octopath Traveler 0, you’re given the chance to choose between eight different possible jobs for your protagonist. Jobs essentially act as the classes that you can eventually change later down the line.
Still, it’s important to pick a job that not only fits your playstyle but also doesn’t make combat difficult during the start of your lengthy journey. We’ll help you figure out the best job to start with in Octopath Traveler 0.
Best job to pick first in Octopath Traveler 0
Out of the eight jobs available in Octopath Traveler 0, the best starting job is either Thief, Merchant, or Warrior. This isn’t to say that picking any of the other jobs is a bad idea from the get-go, but there are reasons why picking one of these three jobs will benefit your entire party.
Thief
The Thief job is what I began my journey with, and I never regretted it. It focuses on higher crit, elemental attack, speed, and evasion over everything else. The best things about this job are the skills that allow you to steal HP and SP from enemies.
HP Thief chips away at an enemy’s health while giving it back to you, killing two birds with one stone. You’ll also be low on items at the start of the game, so the Steal skill can help add weight to your bag. You get the dagger and sword weapons too, making Thief a force to be reckoned with.
Merchant
The best thing about the Merchant job is the incredible Rest ability. This essentially allows you to restore your HP and SP without ever spending SP to do so. Not only that, but the ability Arrow of Fortune lets you earn more JP based on the damage you deal.
JP is used to unlock new skills, so it’s an easy, early-game method of unlocking all skills super fast. Otherwise, Merchants excel in physical defense, elemental attack, elemental defense, and have a higher max SP.
Warrior
If you’re looking for a job that focuses more on dishing out heavy attacks, look no further than the Warrior job. The Warrior has the best HP and physical attack scores, making the protagonist a tank in battle. Their weapons are the sword and polearm, which are even better when buffed.
Right away, you get the Abide skill, which buffs your physical attack, giving you an edge in combat. Make things even worse for your opponents with Helmcleaver, an attack that lowers their physical defense. All in all, Warrior is a well-rounded but powerful job to start with.
Octopath Traveler 0 is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
