List of Octopath Challenge Runs v2.0

I thought it could be fun to compile a list of challenge runs for Octopath, and I figured other Octopath fans might be interested. Some of these are from the Octopath discords, other Reddit posters, Gamefaqs, or maybe other places. (I posted this a while back, but this is the updated version.)

**Character Restricted Runs:**

- Solo - use any 1 character but may not recruit any of the other 7 characters.

- Duo - use any 2 characters but may not recruit any of the other 6 characters

- Trio - use any 3 characters but may not recruit any of the other 5 characters

- Quad - use any 4 characters but may not recruit any of the other 4 characters. This includes sub-categories of Nobles Only, Rogues Only, Males Only, and Females Only runs.

The main goal of these runs would be to complete all available chapters. Some good side goals would be to complete any other possibly available bosses and/or side quests, like Devourer of Men and maybe Mánagarmr. (Mánagarmr requires doing Ophilia and either Cyrus/high-level Alfyn).

**Other Run Ideas**

- No Sub Jobs, Yes Sub Passives - original 8 jobs only (but you're able to use passives from other jobs)

- No Sub Jobs (includes No Sub Job Passives) - original 8 jobs only and your base job's 4 passives

- No Passives - may never put on a support skill (but may freely switch jobs and learn skills)

- No Advanced Sub Jobs - sub jobs allowed but none of the 4 secret jobs

- No JP - no spending any JP at all (so none of the 4 passives or unlockable skills/divines). Jobs may still be used and switched around.

- No EXP - requires modding so mainly for PC players

- No Equipment Change - may not enter equipment menu at all (so whatever you have on when you get a character is permanent).

- Locked Sub Jobs - each character may select a sub job once but is locked into that job for the whole game. Secret jobs would be allowed for this

- Locked Sub Jobs (No Secret Jobs) - each character may select a sub job once but is locked into that job for the whole game. Secret jobs would NOT be allowed for this

- Random Sub Jobs - each character gets one random sub job and only that job for the game (roll D8 or D12 to determine and go in OCTOPATH/Starseer/Runelord/Warmaster/Sorcerer order)

- Elemental Run - only use magic or elemental attacks/skills (optional stipulation: armor/weapons must be elemental in nature, i.e. affect elements or elemental attack/defense stats)

- Physical Run - only use physical attacks/skills (optional stipulation: armor/weapons must be non-elemental in nature)

- Limited Weapon Run - only use a specific weapon(s) and skills related to that weapon (ex Sword Run would allow Cross Strike, Hired Help Veterans, etc)

- No Items in Battle - may not use Item command in battle

- No Items at All - may not use item command in battle or item command in menu

- Danger Level Restriction - may not enter optionals above your level to prevent good loot, may only enter chapters above your level (maybe be -5 levels of boss dungeon so you dont overlevel)

- No Heals/Grinds - may not use Inns, Grapes, Nuts, Plums, Heal Wounds, Steal HP/SP, or anything else that would make an HP/SP number go up. No grinding is added to ensure players don't just grind a level before each boss.

- No Breaking - may never break any enemies

- No Boosting - may never boost an attack. [Example 1 combined with no Breaking](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2btgFWdKtQ)

- No Chests - may never open any treasure chests

- No Path Actions - may not use Path Actions except to advance a chapter or quest for a boss

- Summons Only - may only use summonable NPCs, Beast Lore, or Hired Help to deal damage. May still use non-offensive skills like healing, buffing, etc.

- No Optional Talents - may not use optional Talents like Concoct, Summon, Capture/Beast Lore, Pick Lock, etc. Eye for Money and Study Foe are mandatory and allowed.

- No Shops/Steals/Purchases - may not use these three methods to gain items

- No Side Stories - no side quests may be completed except for Galdera and other boss specific ones

- No Buying/Stealing - no purchase with Tressa, no steal with Therion, and no buying from item and weapon shops or anywhere else.

- Permanent Death - a character who dies may not be revived (so you would no longer be able to do that character's Path Actions or fight in battle, with an exception being to progress story or quest bosses)

- Super Solo/Duo/Trio/Quad - same as ones in the beginning using 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 characters but using those character(s) to complete the entire game of all chapters and/or Galdera. (KO non-used characters in their chapter 1 and only revive briefly to unlock chapters or boss quests. Challenges/Provokes with non-used characters should be done with Soulstones or other resources, not by grinding. Press Y in tavern to deposit 7 members and keep the 1.)

- Switched Solo - Same as a solo run but using one character to do a different character's chapters (ex start with Ophilia but use her to do all of Primrose's chapters)

- Switched Duo/Trio/Quad - Same as above but using the characters to complete different characters' chapters

- Clock Challenge - may only go in clockwise direction to towns around you and grind/get items from there.

- Speedruns - try to beat the game as quickly as possible with a goal you set (main character's C4 completion, Galdera, All Jobs, etc - your choice). See https://www.speedrun.com/octopath for examples and categories. A casual approach to this could be using the in-game timer or doing the run in segments, so it's more lenient.

- Weapon/Element Only - pick a weapon and only use that and skills based on it/buffs/debuffs. Or an element and same thing.

- No Fast Travel/Never Travel Far - may not use Fast Travel feature (thus players may be more inclined to do more difficult chapters if its close. A possible order someone came up with is: "Therion1, Haanit1, Ophilia1, Cyrus1, Tressa1, (Skip past Atlasdam), Therion2, Tressa2, Cyrus2, Alfyn1, Ophilia2, Primrose1, Olberic1, Haanit2, Alfyn2, Ophilia3, Cyrus3, Therion3, Olberic2, Primrose2, Haanit3, Therion4, Tressa3, Cyrus4, Primrose3, Ophilia4" or some variation thereof)

- Sell All - must sell every item and equipment every time you enter town

- Scavenger/Caveman/Barbarian challenge - may only enter towns to complete the chapter and can only obtain items from monsters and dungeons, no speaking to NPCs/looting chests/Inns/etc.

- Challenge/Provoke only - may only level up with Challenge/Provoke battles

- Sidequest only - may only level up/get resources from Side Stories

- Mandatory/Minimum Battles Only - only fight required battles for the chapters. [Example 1 combined with a solo](https://www.reddit.com/r/octopathtraveler/comments/9fqa86/therion_defeats_his_ch_4_boss_solo_at_level_15/)

- Level Restricted/Minimum Levels - limit characters based on levels (anywhere from level 1 to just before the Recommended Levels for the chapters or dungeons)

- Level 1 Challenge - sub-category of the above, but the main idea is to defeat some difficult boss with level 1 characters' abilities and skills. (May use other characters to farm the items/equipments/jobs/etc necessary.) [Example 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/octopathtraveler/comments/ghwnvd/defeated_tressas_chapter_4_boss_with_level_1/) [Example 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/octopathtraveler/comments/gj79d9/beat_alfyns_chapter_4_with_level_1_characters_and/)

- Region Locked - character(s) must stay in one region (either one of the eight like Riverlands/Coastlands/etc or one of the rings Ring 1/2/3). Exception: character(s) may enter chapter towns but must only do chapter-related activities and then leave (inspired from similar OSRS Ironman challenges).

- No Weapon Shops, Nightmare Chimera Only - play normally without weapon shops but must rush to beat Winnehild asap, then may only use Nightmare Chimera (may use any non-offensive skills too, just not attacks) (A casual approach to this may be to play semi normally to C3-4 of some characters, saving JP, then take on Winnehild using some combination of normal strats/speedrun strats. Then spend the JP you saved for NmCh.)

- Stat Swap Run - must play normally but rush Balogar, then must equip Stat Swap on all characters and keep on for whole game. (A casual approach to this may be to play semi normally to C3-4 of some characters, saving JP, then take on Balogar using some combination of normal strats/speedrun strats. Then spend the JP you saved for Stat Swap.)

- No Doors Run - may only open mandatory doors for story progression and cannot open any other doors otherwise

- Minimum Run - do as little to affect the world as possible, minimizing anything traceable. Ex revealing as few weaknesses as possible, never getting the quest tutorial to pop up, never getting the breaking tutorial to pop up, never using Purchase/Steal/etc to get an NPC item that can be traced if someone were to log on your file, never opening a chest, etc.

- Linear Run - "must take the most direct route towards the towns required to complete the chapters of your starting character (if there are two routes of equal distance, for example Tressa going from Rippletide to Quarycrest, then you must go clockwise), and you can only get the first 3 characters that you would meet along the way, as well as the first 4 subjobs. Grinding is not allowed, you cannot enter optional dungeons (including advanced subjob dungeons), and no characters may complete their chapters 2-4 except your starting character. So, for example, Ophilia must go directly towards Saintsbridge, and will meet H'aanit, Therion, and Alfyn along the way (you can stop in the towns in the subregions that you pass through), as well as the Apothecary subjob. From there, you must head to Goldshore, which requires you to pass through Stonegard, so you get the Warrior and Merchant subjobs. From here, you head to Wispermill, which passes through Noblecourt, giving you your final subjob of Scholar."

- Mods/Hacks/Randomizers - these can include the boss randomizer, skill/job randomizer, item randomizer, hard mode difficulty, and/or anything else that interests you.

- and any combination run of the above or anything else you come up with

It's up to the player the main goal(s) to set. The most common main goal is to just clear the relevant chapters to reach the credits, but other good goals can be to do all available chapters, side bosses (like Galdera, Mánagarmr, Devourer of Man, or any of the four Advanced Job bosses), or any other combination or goals that the player wants to set.

Do you have any ideas to add? Which runs sound the most enjoyable for you? What runs have you done and enjoyed the most?