Help Partitio get the bargains of a century
As you progress through Octopath Traveler 2, each character’s individual stories will gradually unfold, chapter by chapter. But the merchant Partitio has a bit of a twist. While he has the normal run of main story chapters, Partitio also has a series of side quests dubbed the “Scent of Commerce,” which sees Octopath Traveler 2‘s merchant engaging in various mercantile activities across the land.
There are three Scent of Commerce quests in Octopath Traveler 2, and each one opens up a new piece of the game. Whether that’s background lore and music, or even a new way of getting around. they’re all very worthwhile to do. And the good news is that the content largely isn’t blocked off by levels or completion. You could, theoretically, do these quests as soon as they pop, so long as you can get to each of the areas they take place in.
With that, let’s start with the big one first: the boat.
How to get the boat in Octopath Traveler 2
The first Scent of Commerce is over in Tropu’hapu, and involves acquiring a boat. We have a discrete guide up on this over here, which can give you step-by-step instructions. Essentially, you’ll want to head over to Toto’haha and the Beasting Bay, as if you’re headed to recruit Ochette. Rather than headed south towards the village, you’ll head east to the village of Tropu’hopu.
Once there, find the shipwright Terry and watch the scene. After all of that, you’ll need to scrounge together 100,000 leaves to pay the bill for the boat. That said, once it’s paid for, you’ll have yourself a seaworthy vessel for exploring the aquatic side of Octopath Traveler 2. And given some late-game stuff seems to require some naval ventures, it’s probably a good idea to nab this one when you can.
How to get the gramophone in Octopath Traveler 2
For music lovers, there is some good news: Octopath Traveler 2 has what is essentially a music player, and it’s part of Partitio’s Scent of Commerce quest line. Head over to Winterbloom, and you’ll meet an inventor trying to get their fancy new recording device to work.
Vinyl collectors will recognize this as a gramophone, and Partitio will latch onto the business potential of this immediately by suggesting that the inventor Audley get some tunes for it. To help out, you’ll need to recruit some musicians from around the world and bring them to Winterbloom, to play for the gramophone.
In video game fashion, you’ll need three musicians. Getting them is easy enough, as you’ll just need a Path Action that adds an NPC to your party. While Partitio’s Hire might seem thematically appropriate, Agnea’s Allure or Temenos’ Guide are just as effective, with the added benefit of not costing you leaves.
We found the Guitarist over in the town of Crackridge, near the entrance during the day. You’ll seem him pretty quick as you’re doing quests like Temenos’ Chapter 3. The Pianist, meanwhile, is back where Temenos started his journey, in the Chapel at Flamechurch. And you can find the Violinist in the Tavern at Canalbrine.
Bring each musician back one-by-one, and eventually you’ll complete the quest. This will let you play music in every tavern, as well as start off your record collection. Various places will even start offering music tracks, so you can build up a little collection of your own.
How to access the Mercantile Manuscript in Octopath Traveler 2
Our last Scent of Commerce takes us to Sai, and is the most straightforward of the bunch. Here, Partitio will spot the banner of the legendary merchant Masoud, who’s said to have written a Mercantile Manuscript cataloguing all his journeys and knowledge. Masoud won’t be impressed by Partitio at first though, and you’ll need to prove you’re worthy of the manuscript.
The legendary merchant will task Partitio with finding his (Masoud’s) greatest treasure. Luckily, you won’t have to leave town to find an answer. Head back in and find the NPC named “Masoud’s Daughter.” Hire her, and bring her to Masoud. Easy enough, right?
Well, not so easy. But the good news is that you’ve done all you’ll need to gameplay-wise at this point. A few scenes will entail, and just use your Hire command on Masoud, and you’ll gain access to the archive.
The Mercantile Manuscript is a repository of information about Octopath Traveler 2‘s world, which can be extremely valuable in its own right. Much like the other side quests in this game, it will discretely and subtly point towards many activities worth undertaking later on in the game. You can basically think of this as a lore archive, with a side of hints and secrets to go poke at. Who knows what you may uncover?
That wraps up Partitio’s Scent of Commerce quests. There may be only a few, but they add some pretty worthwhile elements into your journey, and certainly make a good case for starting out with the merchant as your leader. May all your transactions go well, and enjoy grinding up the leaves for your boat.
