Octopath Traveler 0 is the first entry in the series to feature a single main character as opposed to the eight characters of past games. This single main character can be fully customized at the beginning of the game.
During character creation, you can determine the character's appearance, Learned Skill, Favorite Dish, and three belongings. Below, you will find every option available, and the best possible choice to give the best headstart in the adventure.
For a complete list of all our guides, be sure to check out our Octopath Traveler 0 Complete Guides and Walkthrough Hub.
Appearance
| Customization Option | Available Choices |
|---|---|
| Physique | 2 different options |
| Face / Eye Color | 2 options for face, 8 options for eye color |
| Hairstyle / Hair Color | 8 hair options, 8 color options |
| Skin Tone | 8 options |
| Motions (Stance/Idle) | 3 options |
| Voice | 6 options |
Every appearance choice is merely cosmetic and has no real impact on your character. Pick any option you like best!
Learned Skill
| Skill Type | Mastery Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Attack Skill | Twin Shot Mastery | Select a Weapon and deal damage 2 times |
| Recovery Skill | Healing Prayer Mastery | Grant HP recovery to an ally and restore SP by 10% |
| Enfeebling Skill | Weaken Foundation Mastery | Lower Physical Attack and Physical Defense of a foe for two turns |
All three Learned Skills can be helpful depending on your character build and party composition, and are all viable choices, since you can also equip them to other travelers. However, considering the beginning of the game where character choice is limited, forcing you to rely mostly on your protagonist, some choices are better than others:
- If you plan on choosing any physical-oriented Job as your first Job like Warrior (which is the best starter Job for beginners) or Hunter, the Twin Shot Mastery is undoubtedly the best choice for breaking enemies more easily and deal great physical damage.
- If you plan to pick Jobs that are heavily reliant on SP to deal damage, such as Scholar and Cleric, the Healing Prayer Mastery is a very solid choice for SP regeneration without using items.
- Though useful in its own right, Weaken Foundation Mastery is the worst choice of the three, especially for a beginner. Later on, other travelers can make great use of this Mastery, but at the beginning of the game, damage and survivability should be your priority.
Favorite Dish
Each of the eight food choices grants a base bonus of Max. HP +10% and Max. SP +10% for 15 turns, plus one additional stat bonus.
The dishes are presented in a fixed 2x4 grid during character creation (four on the top row, four on the bottom). You can name these dishes anything you like, but their effects are tied to their position (reading left-to-right, then top-to-bottom):
| Dish Position (Row, Column) | Additional Bonus Effect |
|---|---|
| Row 1, Column 1 (Top Left) | Physical Attack +5% |
| Row 1, Column 2 | Physical Defense +5% |
| Row 1, Column 3 | Critical +5% |
| Row 1, Column 4 (Top Right) | Accuracy +5% |
| Row 2, Column 1 (Bottom Left) | Speed +5% |
| Row 2, Column 2 | Elemental Defense +5% |
| Row 2, Column 3 | Elemental Attack +5% |
| Row 2, Column 4 (Bottom Right) | Evasion +5% |
Over the course of the game, you will be able to cook a lot of different dishes, each with its unique effects, which will often overlap with any of these choices. Pick the one that you believe will work best with your starting Job (e.g Physical Attack +5% for Warrior, Elemental Attack +5% for Scholar).
If you are undecided, the second choice, granting Physical Defense +5% for 15 turns, is a good universal option, as many enemies in the game, including mobs and bosses, use physical attacks.
Belonging Items
You can pick three items among eight different options to own from the very start of the game.
| Belonging Item | Item Type / Effect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Promise Charm | Accessories / Elem. Atk. +10% | A bracelet you received several years back on the Day of Reverence. It was made by your childhood friend, Stia, who has one just like it. |
| Fighter's Wristband | Accessories / Phys. Atk. +10% | A wristband given to you by senior watchman Phenn. Apparently, you're supposed to wear it when you want to get fired up. |
| Sacred Flame Charm | Accessories / Phys. Def. +10%, Elem. Def. +10% | A talisman gifted to you by Deacon Laurana after you fell and injured yourself. It carries the blessing of the Sacred Flame. |
| Crested Key | Valuables / Key engraved with the crest of a dagger. | A key you picked up in the town square when you were a child. Rumor has it that a certain warrior is looking for this key. |
| Letter Fragment | Valuables / A fragment of a letter. Its content cannot be deciphered. | You vaguely remember receiving this from a mysterious kitten when you were very young. |
| Ratatouille | Items / Grants the following effects for 15 turns: Elem. Def. +20% / Phys. Def. +15% / Fire/Ice/Lightning/Wind Resistance +15% | A dish favored by a once-famous actor whose whereabouts are currently unknown. |
| Nourishing Nut | Items / Greatly increases maximum HP. | Special nuts given to you by the vegetable-loving Basil. They were simply too precious for you to eat. |
| Embershroom Bed | Valuables / A mushroom bed that can be maintained to yield a harvest of mushrooms at a later date. | A bed of mushrooms entrusted to you by a traveler from Emberglow long ago. Apparently, they're a local specialty. |
There's value in any of the belonging items, but the decision hinges on whether you want an immediate stat boost or access to a quest item that can be obtained later through exploration.
- Best Beginner Choices: The three Accessories (Promise Charm, Fighter's Wristband, and Sacred Flame Charm) are highly recommended for new players. They offer a permanent stat boost and are helpful for the early game.
- The Valuables: The Crested Key is known to unlock the traveler Viator early in the game. However, all three Valuables (Key, Letter Fragment, and Embershroom Bed) can be found in the early-game world through exploration. Choosing them is only a small convenience and is not required for 100% completion.
- The Consumables: The Ratatouille and Nourishing Nut are helpful, but they are one-time consumables. If you're looking for an early game boost, the Accessories are much better choices.
The decisions made during character creation are not determinant, but they will shape your early game, so make your choices carefully.
To master combat, learn the Job system, and start your progression through the main story, head back to our Octopath Traveler 0 Complete Guides and Walkthrough Hub.
If you want to learn more about the game instead, check out our Octopath Traveler 0 review.
NOTE: Best options verified during a 35+ hours playthrough in the Steam 1.0 version. Screenshots captured from the same version.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
