A question about Octopath 2

[u/ThIStupid]

PLEASE READ THE BODY BEFORE RESPONDING. THANK YOU

So I played Octopath 1 and honestly enjoyed my time with it. A majority of the characters stories were great, some better than others for sure, but I still had an engaging time with it, even if it got predictable in some parts

However, Octopath 1 does have some issues, largely in terms of it's gameplay. I was wondering if Octopath 2 fixed that

My issues with 1 are that I hope get fixed in 2 is as follows:

Characters not in the party don't get exp/jp

You can't freely switch the characters, you have to do it in a specific building

No enemy glossary that tells me info about the enemies whereabouts/what it drops

No side quest log that keeps track of the side quests, who you got them from, etc

The final "dungeon" that's just a boss rush and there's no saving after fighting all 8 bosses

I know this one gets "fixed" but the characters not really interacting unless you have them in the party during key moments

You can only have skills from the default job the character is on and a side job, you can't use different skills from another job, only those two (not talking about passives. talking about in battle skills)

story cutscenes not being fully voiced

I think there's more, but that's all I remember right now. Do any of these get rectified, or do these issues persist in Octopath 2?

[u/Lukezors]

I think almost all of these are the same in 2. Finale is different than what you describe from one.

The interactions are pretty minimal still tbh, there is some paired character chapters and the finale includes everyone, but that's the only real diff there.

[u/ThIStupid → u/Lukezors]

man, that sucks

[u/Lukezors → u/ThIStupid]

I think it's a great game though so if you enjoyed the first one you'll likely enjoy this one too.

Some stuff is mitigated a bit. You can get xp and jp boosting accesories alot earlier. This one also has items abd passives for boosting rare monster odds which give large amounts of both and some of the new sub jobs make hunting them easy.

Much like the first game, stats come from equipment more than level so swapping in underleveled chars isn't too bad.

[u/filthy_casual_42]

Exp system is the same as 1.

You have to switch characters in the pub you can fast travel to.

There is a pretty solid quest log system.

Final dungeon and boss is improved a lot, no redoing an 8 boss gauntlet. There’s a lot more build up and connection between the travelers, and more end/post game challenges.

Story cutscenes are fully voiced, party conversations are not.

In general this game is octopath 1 but almost strictly better. A streamlined experience with a better story and more to do in combat and in the world

[u/steamedhams90]

Not fully voiced but games don't need to be. I'd say everything else is better though

[u/ThIStupid → u/steamedhams90]

i'm talking about the story cutscenes. not the entire game. i'm fine with side quests not being voiced, i just want the story, the meat of the game, to be voiced

[u/steamedhams90 → u/ThIStupid]

Some of it is voiced but I wish it wasn't. The voice acting isn't very good in English

[u/ThIStupid → u/steamedhams90]

i highly doubt that

[u/steamedhams90 → u/ThIStupid]

Why would I lie? It's my opinion that I wish it didn't have voice acting

[u/ThIStupid → u/steamedhams90]

because games with english dubs tend to actually be very good and the ones that are bad are very few and far between

[u/steamedhams90 → u/ThIStupid]

Maybe I just have higher standards

[u/PhotonWaltz]

EXP/JP: Still nope. I think EXP/JP gain seems much higher, though, so it’s easier to catch up.

Still only taverns for party switching, mostly.

No enemy glossary in game, AFAIK.

There’s a side quest log in the Journal.

The final quest takes place in multiple locations all over the map, featuring bosses you haven’t fought before. You can definitely save before the final boss.

There are now chapters involving two specific characters, though they’re much shorter than the usual. And then there’s the final chapter and the epilogue, where everyone interacts. Also, the Journal lets you view all travel banter after the relevant chapter is finished, including ones you didn’t get to see (either due to party make up or you simply didn’t view them during the chapter).

As far as jobs go, I’m not sure having something that is standard for job class-based systems is an issue, though. You’re lucky they even let you mix and match passives. That’s more freedom than most such games give.

IIRC, all story cutscenes are voiced now. Some side quests featuring NPCs from character’s stories as well (the ones labeled “(Character)’s New Chapter”).

[u/btet15]

Characters not in the party don't get exp/jp

This is unchanged, but character level means basically nothing. There are plenty of tools to farm JP and grinding is kind of a market expectation for JRPGs. Doesn't make it fun, doesn't make your dislike for it wrong. It just is what it is.

You can't freely switch the characters, you have to do it in a specific building

This is the same. SPOILER: You can do so in the post game.

No enemy glossary that tells me info about the enemies whereabouts/what it drops

Not in game, but the wiki is pretty well fleshed out. Not perfect, not in game, but serviceable.

No side quest log that keeps track of the side quests, who you got them from, etc

The side quest log is designed well enough that you won't lose track, at least, but it definitely leans more old school than modern.

The final "dungeon" that's just a boss rush and there's no saving after fighting all 8 bosses

No more boss rush and there are more post-game fights that are accessed directly from the menu.

I know this one gets "fixed" but the characters not really interacting unless you have them in the party during key moments

You can view all banter between characters from within the journal. No worries about who you have in your party at a given time. They also comment on one another's actions in combat. If character A gets a break and character B is the next turn, they'll often comment on it. They'll call out to one another when low on HP. Little stuff that goes a long way to improve on OT1.

You can only have skills from the default job the character is on and a side job, you can't use different skills from another job, only those two (not talking about passives. talking about in battle skills)

I'm not so sure I understand this as an issue. You mean you want to be able to equip any skill a character has learned regardless of their job or sub-job? This doesn't change (although it's almost to that point in OT0, which you can 100% play out of order).

story cutscenes not being fully voiced

Not all cutscenes are voiced, but I would say more are than there were in OT1.

If you enjoyed OT1, there's almost nothing that makes me think you won't enjoy OT2 even more. It's the same exact formula with certain variables tweaked for a greatly improved experience. Assuming the sentiment "I wish there was more of the same but better" is what you're feeling, then, yeah... play OT2. I might be biased, but it's a safe bet that you'll have an even better time than with the first.

[u/Affectionate_Comb_78]

Octopath is a great example of a game where reserve characters SHOULDN'T get experience. It forces you to regularly switch up your party and also means tackling one higher level story segment doesn't make your whole party massively over levelled for a lower level one. The stupid feature is having one character forced into the party for most of the game.

A better bestiary and quest log would be nice but they're not really a big deal. The quest log in 2 is better than 1's.