Learn how to unlock and master the advanced job classes in Octopath Traveler. This guide covers strategies, boss weaknesses, and essential support skills for the Archmagus and Starseer shrines.
By now, you should have a good bit of JP saved up on your characters, to the point where you might be able to get a few support skills. Although it might not be needed, but having Saving Grace (the fourth support skill for the Cleric) is very helpful, in case things go wrong. This skill allows you to heal past the max health your character has, allowing for more survivability. The two key jobs for this strategy to work will be the Cleric and Dancer. Specifically, you will want the Dancer’s Divine Skill and the Cleric to have learned Reflective Veil. Although the fights will leave for more strategy, the basics of this plan involves using Sealticge’s Seduction on the Cleric, then boosting Reflective Veil on your entire party. Since the Archmagus and Starseer are magic-focused bosses, their spells will be reflected back at them. BP is a crucial part of this strategy, so having a Merchant around to use Donate BP on the Cleric is a good idea, although you should have a health supply of Energizing Pomegranates saved up by now. Note that Alfyn is a great ally to have in these fights, due to Concoct being an all-around useful tool for healing, breaking shields, and replenishing BP.
Saving Grace will be the one support skill you will want on everyone for the following battles
Shrine of the Archmagus
First up is the Archmagus, or the Sorcerer advanced job. If you don’t remember where the shrine for this is located, it’s close to Duskbarrow. Exit the town and follow the path normally, until you see some ruins sticking out the left side of a rocky hill, with a chest to the north of it. On the eastern side of this hill is a slightly hidden path that will let you loot that chest and also find the entrance to the Shrine of the Archmagus.
Upon entering the cave, head west from the save point to your north to find a chest that contains an Energizing Pomegranate (L). Return to the save point and continue east, until you find a path that leads to your south, where you’ll find another chest (Shadow Soulstone M). Back on the main path, keep going east, bypassing the split, until you reach another chest at the dead end (20,000 Leaves). Venture all the way to the north, then look to the right to spot a chest there (Revitalizing Jam).
To the west of your current location is the main path, which will bring you to another split. The first path south will lead you back to the east, but the second path south has a chest at the end (Inspiriting Plum M). To your north will be a purple chest, holding a Wizard’s Rod. Head to the end of the dungeon, where you will find the familiar opening with the altar. Approach it and choose to step forward to begin the boss battle.
BOSS - Dreisang, the Archmagus
Dreisang appears simple on paper, but a few skills make it a lot more annoying/challenging of a fight. Dreisang will always open up the battle by using Divine Majesty. What this skill does is make it so you won’t be able to buff your entire party for five turns, although any buffs you might have gotten off beforehand will stay until they run out on their own. This is extremely troublesome, simply because Dreisang can still debuff you without you being able to do anything about it. Note that he can use Divine Majesty throughout the fight, so it’s not just a one and done deal. It also debuffs your elemental and physical attack power.
Dreisang will open the fight with Divine Majesty
The upside to the very beginning of the fight is that it can be possible to break Dreisang before he gets his first turn, but it comes down to a bit of luck. He initially begins with four shields and is weak to swords, spears, axes, lightning, and light. Upon recovering from a break, Dreisang will gain three shields, up to a maximum of ten, and change his weaknesses. He has three other sets, which are as follows:
- swords, lightning and wind
- bows, light and dark
- daggers, fire and ice
Once you initially break him, Dreisang will randomly switch to any other weakness set, so there is no order. On to his actual moves, being a sorcerer, you know he will be using elemental spells on you. All of his spells hit three times and he has the entire elemental range. Ignis Ardere is fire, Glacies Claudere is ice, Tonitrus Canere is lightning, Ventus Saltare is wind, Lux Congerere is light, and Tenebrae Operire is dark. There is no differences amongst these spells, other than their element, which doesn’t matter to your characters unless you’re wearing damage-mitigating accessories.
Outside of those elemental spells, Dreisang doesn’t have many other attacking skills. Element Break is a staff attack that will debuff a single character’s elemental defense. He also has Element Steal, which doesn’t count HP damage, but he will steal around 35-40 SP from each of your characters. One of the more annoying moves Dreisang has is called Might of the Archmagus, one that buffs his own elemental attack while debuffing your entire party’s. Needless to say, this is a huge boon for him, as his normal spells can do upwards of 1,000+ damage a hit (depending on your defense).
That’s pretty much the entire fight, barring the one new action that can happen whenever Dreisang reaches 50% HP or below. It is here that he will use Extreme Elemental Augmentation. What this does is increase the power of his elemental spells, substituting the second word in each one with Maximus. At their base, they can do around 1,000+ damage a hit, so you know they can put a hurting on your characters if their elemental defense is debuffed or the boss’ elemental attack is buffed. Luckily,
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