Scaredy Sheep

Conquer the Scaredy Sheep side story in Octopath Traveler! Learn the Direwolf Fang boss fight strategy, weaknesses, and rewards.

Alright, so you're looking to tackle the "Scaredy Sheep" side story in Octopath Traveler? This one pops up after you've finished Ophilia's Chapter 4, and it's located in the Western Wispermill Flats. The reward is pretty sweet: 12,000 Leaves and an Elemental Augmentor. To get started, head to Wispermill town and then head out the exit. You'll spot an NPC right there who's got a problem – some critter is scaring his sheep! You'll need either Alfyn or Cyrus in your party for a quick info grab here.

The farmer will tell you something's spooking his flock. Follow the trail he points you down, and you'll eventually run into a Trembling Merchant. Use Alfyn's 'Inquire' or Cyrus's 'Scrutinize' ability on this merchant to get the 'Where the Direwolf Prowls' clue. Once you've got that info, you can swap Alfyn or Cyrus out if you want to bring your usual crew back in.

Now, about the boss fight itself: it's purely physical, so really stack up that physical defense on your characters. If you're not sure where the Forest of Purgation is, it's on the western side of the Western Wispermill Flats. Look for a slightly hidden path to the left of the signpost. Once you're inside, you won't have to venture far – the direwolf is pretty much north of the entrance. Make sure you're all geared up, save your game, and then step into that clearing to start the fight.

Boss Fight: Managarmr

This fight can be a real challenge, no doubt about it. Managarmr hits hard and has some skills that can really drag things out. It starts with two actions per turn, but it'll get a third action once it drops below 50% HP. It begins with six shields, and that number jumps up by three after it recovers from being broken, capping out at twelve shields. The good news? Its weaknesses never change: spears, axes, thunder, and dark. The catch is, it can block these weaknesses when it summons Direwolves.

Direwolf Minions

Managarmr can summon these Direwolves up to three times. The first summon is just one Direwolf, then it's two, and finally three. These guys have five shields each and are weak to swords, daggers, and staves. They also have around 30,000 HP. When one Direwolf shows up, Managarmr blocks two of its weaknesses. Two Direwolves block three weaknesses, and three Direwolves will block all four! Because the boss and these wolves hit so hard, you absolutely need to get rid of the Direwolves ASAP.

Strategy Tips

• Dealing with Direwolves: Having a Warmaster with strong weapons and high strength is super helpful here. The 'Winnehild's Battle Cry' skill is fantastic. A fully boosted Battle Cry, especially with BP Eater, can often take out the Direwolves in one go (around 5-6k damage per hit). This is crucial when there are two or three of them, even if they aren't broken yet.
• Damage Output: 'Triple Slash' and 'Rend' are the only moves that hit your whole party. 'Bite' can also pack a punch.
• Focusing on Managarmr: Once the wolves are down, turn your attention to the boss. It doesn't have a ton of moves, but they hurt! 'Savage Fang' can deal about 1500+ damage to a single target and might inflict Terror. 'Savage Claw' hits your whole party for major damage (over 2,000) and lowers your physical attack.
• Debuffs are Key: 'Bestial Growl' raises the enemy's physical attack – you definitely want to counter this with 'Shackle Foe' if possible. 'Lunar Howl' deals medium damage to the party and, more importantly, removes ALL your buffs that aren't equipment-based.
• Defense Buffs: Try to keep 'Shackle Foe' on Managarmr as much as you can. Even though it can remove buffs, the more you have it on, the better. Also, buff your own physical defense with skills like 'Mercenaries' (from Hired Help), even though the boss can remove those too.
• Advanced Classes: By this point, you should have access to all advanced classes. Sorcerer, Runelord, and Warmaster are particularly useful. While Sorcerer isn't great against the Direwolves, it can help against Managarmr due to its elemental weaknesses.
• Elemental Weaknesses: Equipping Thunder or Dark Runes can help chip away at the boss's shields.
• Weapon Strategy: If you have the 'Double Tomahawk' axe, it hits twice per normal attack. Boosting it can make it hit eight times! The Warrior's 'Thousand Spears' skill is also great for breaking shields due to the spear weakness. A Runelord with 'Transfer Rune' combined with 'Sidestep' can be effective since most of the boss's attacks are physical, unless it uses 'Lunar Howl'.

After you finally manage to defeat Managarmr, it'll drop a Direwolf Fang. Just bring that item back to the original questgiver, and you'll wrap up the "Scaredy Sheep" side story!