Which Octopath Should You Play First?

Pros and Cons for both Octopath I +Easy to start and learn +Very cosy start in most chapters and get you invested immediately +Teaches you how to use Path actions +A lot more free and open as you can just make a dead sprint for every corner of the realm with nothing but random encounters to stop you +More well hidden secrets +Finding job shrines and bonus dungeons can be fun and rewarding +The “hidden” bosses are both challenging, rewarding and handled better overall +Primrose’s Entire storyline -Very Formulaic with every chapter having an obligatory dungeon and boss at the end -Little Character interaction -The overarching plot can be easy to miss -Some character’s abilities are less useful than others (e.g. Olberic’s boosting defence is made completely obsolete when you get Tressa who can side step any physical attack anyway) -Can be much more challenging and difficult for newcomers to the series -Final dungeon is hidden behind a vague side quest with a gauntlet of 8 bosses before you can challenge it with no save point before the fight Octopath II +Easy to start and learn +Major and Minor Quality of life improvements (battle speed, auto dialogue, etc.) +Narrative intertwines in a way that is easier to understand +Immediately gets you invested in every storyline +Overall quality of every story is improved and have better execution +Save point before final boss and no fear of having to fight 8 bosses just to face the final boss again +Easier for beginners +Latent Powers add a new layer of strategy +Environments look incredibly pretty and are overall more memorable (New Delsta, [REDACTED SPOILER] ‘s Island, Canalbrine, Ku and Cropdale to name a few) +Boats now make things more interesting (new secrets) +Bonus Party Members for Chapter 1’s where a support character may struggle (e.g. Temenos gets Crick) -Some characters cannot beat the game entirely alone like in the original -The extra jobs are a bit underwhelming compared to the ones in the original -Gathering the travelers is more difficult this time -The job classes being applied to multiple party members can make some bosses far to easy to cheese -The job shrines aren’t consistent in where they are scattered (some within a town, others out in the wild)

Reasons to play octopath 1: Primrose Reasons to play octopath 2: Ochette Therefore just get both :)

I've played both, and I can say that if you haven't yet played the first one, just play Octopath 2. Octopath 2 is an improvement over it's predecessor in every way I can think of. If you REALLY love Octopath 2 and if you are still jonesing for more content like it, then play the first one.

Start with 1. Because 2 will exceed your expectations after playing 1

This was very helpful, thank you!

Thanks for this. I was just debating on which one I should buy with my next paycheck.

I got 2 first because both games were full price and I assume 1 will go on sale sooner 😅 Thanks for the info! I'm loving 2 so far but eventually want 1 since I enjoy solo-running these kinds of games

My only disappointment with Octopath 2 is that it's a lot easier than the original overall. But I can't really blame the game itself for it because of all the complaints of supposed """grinding""" the first game got by bad players who can't handle a challenge and learning a game's mechanics.

I wanted to start with OT2 but accidentally bought OT1 because I was careless when buying online and selected the wrong game 😅 No regret though, really enjoying it. I will no doubt buy OT2 too!

I appreciate this video so much and after listening I’m gonna purchase OCT2 I’ve played 1 twice but stop by chapter 3 each time

I've always wanted to play octopath, I played the first demo, enjoyed it, but never bought the game now I have the second game and I'm diving in

I am currently completing the Ch3s in Octopath II, so I am far from finished. It is so enjoyable and I would recommend it over the first one for sure. Pretty sad to say, in my Switch friends list I saw many people starting the first game and maybe quitting before reaching the mid game, according to the play time. One thing I miss from Octopath I, however : the game felt more like a ,,travel'', a little journey. I adore Agneas story for that reason, the other stories are pretty grand in contrast. In the first one, it felt like a huge breath of fresh air compared to all of the RPGs with epic tales. Tressa, Alfyn, and Ophilia start out their travels for the reason of doing (mostly) exactly that - traveling. It is very nice to have something lighthearted, yet not boring.

Started with the 2, and the game is amazing. Will see if going to the 1st. Until now the game isn’t hard and I like difficult games. Great video

Definitely 1 if you're an RPG fan. 2 is a better start for a wider demographic because is more accessible in dificulty, has easier and faster grinding, and improves in a lot of things that were disliked from 1 for some of those people.

I played both and loved them. This series deserves more love. I really want them to make a third one.

Curious to hear your take on which moments in OT1 eclipsed the stories in OT2

I didn't think I would like the game (I am not an OT1 player) when I tried the demo on a whim. 50hrs in I love it so much and I am not even half way done 😊

Great video overall, you made a lot of good points. I'm about to finish the game myself, so here's my two cents : While I do agree the replayability of Octo II is limited and restricted due to many segments necessitating certain path actions, I do believe it's a bad thing leading to a very good one. The first game, while it introduced path actions, had some of them being quite useless or at least, they felt underused, sometimes redundant (looking at you H'aanit). Let's be honest: Steal and Scrutinize were just incredibly more valuable because of how they made you feel like you cheated the system to gain some really good stuff, and the rest wasn't really that worth it in comparison. As a result, despite the variety of path actions, most players ended up using the same few over and over. Octo II making a lot more path actions necessary to access stories and side quests gives these actions a lot more value, and considering who to take with me when going to the unknown has felt much more enjoyable this time around, as there was no saying who would be useful. I guess you could say Octo II trade some of its replayability for a much better first time experience, which is something I respect.

I have played both I can say story and character wise I like first 1 better (tressa best girl) but when it comes to features and game play wise I can say octopath 2 is something you should pick. (Btw this how I see it I have not seen the full video at the time am posting this comment)

I played half of Octopath 1 and lost interest. Then I picked up Octopath 2 and couldn’t put it down. I think it’s the story and the improvements in gameplay and areas to discover and voice acting.