Kick up more leaves than an Autumn breeze
Some say money is the root of all evil. If that’s true, consider us the villains you need.
Leaves are an essential resource in Octopath Traveler 2. Strong equipment can make several sections of the game a cinch, especially if you visit the Black Market early on. That said, if you use Path Actions like Hikari’s Bribe or invest in materials for Castti to Concoct, you could quickly run low on funds. How are you supposed to afford everything you want when there’s so much in the game worth buying?
Fortunately, Octopath Traveler 2 has plenty of options for players who want to boost their income. In fact, some of these options are available from the earliest points in the game! Here are five things you can do to maximize your money.
Option 1: Recruit a Merchant
To do any money farming at all, this is the default step. The very first passive skill available to Merchants is Grows on Trees, which increases the money you get whenever you win a battle. In other words, from virtually the first moments in the game, you have the option to improve your gains. Don’t ignore this opportunity!
The easiest way to access the Merchant class is by recruiting Partitio. He is located on the western continent in the Wildlands. If your protagonist starts on the eastern continent, you’ll need to ride a boat to access the other side of the world. Don’t worry, you’ll need to go this way to progress the main story, so you’ll get here eventually.
If you don’t want to use Partitio specifically, you can still access the Merchant class later in the game. In the Western Crackridge Wilds (located northeast of Cropdale), you’ll find the Merchant’s Guild. This will allow anyone in your party to use the Merchant class as a secondary job, thereby granting them access to Grows on Trees. You can receive up to three licenses from the Merchant’s Guild by buying them outright, meaning you could theoretically use Partitio and three other characters with the Merchant secondary job. However, you’ll have to weigh whether or not the potential gains here are worth the investment of 400,000 leaves total, especially since Grows on Trees does not stack if multiple characters equip it.
Fortunately, the first license is free, so the guild is worth visiting regardless.
Option 2: Obtain the Prosperity Charm
Similar to Grows on Leaves, the Prosperity Charm is an accessory that passively increases the money you receive. This is available incredibly early in the game, though you’ll need some specific Path Actions to snag it.
In Cropdale, you’ll find a side story called The Soused Nobleman located in the Tavern at night. The objective here is to calm down the Drunk Aristocrat whose textboxes keep involuntarily appearing on your screen. To resolve this, use Throné’s Ambush or Castti’s Soothe to calm him down. The Drunk Aristocrat only appears at night, so daytime Path Actions won’t work here. Your reward for resolving this quest is 4,000 leaves and the Prosperity Charm.
Though Grows on Leaves won’t stack if multiple characters have it equipped, the ability does stack with Prosperity Charm. Use both of these in conjunction to earn a hearty boost to your income!
Option 3: Spam Collect
Collect is a basic skill in the Merchant’s move pool. It works similarly to the Thief’s Steal, except it grants bonus money when it connects. There’s no doubt that you can soak up bonus cash by using this skill. That said, you’ll have to take its opportunity cost into account.
Money isn’t the only resource you’ll need in this game. Experience Points and Job Points are valuable too. While Collect does give you extra money, that’s one turn you could have spent taking down the enemy party instead. Is it worth slowing every battle down just to make sure you collect from the enemies before defeating them? My take is “not necessarily.”
Personally, I say if your party can rely on two or three characters to take out enemies, it’s not a bad idea to let an otherwise idle character use Collect if their turn happens to come first. You can also bring Partitio alongside at least one other Merchant to Collect from enemy parties quickly. Do note that Partitio can hire certain NPCs that increase the amount of money you receive from Collect if you choose this route. Which brings us to our next point.
Option 4: Strategize around Partitio’s partners
Partitio’s night path Action Hire is frankly incredible. Not because the NPCs you’ll pay money to recruit are necessarily helpful in battle, but because they come with some amazing perks for saving and making money.
In the early game, you’ll find NPCs who can give a wholesale 20% discount whenever you buy anything with Partitio in the party. You might have to spend some money to hire them, but you’ll make it back easily after just a few purchases. Near the Merchant’s Guild, Partitio can hire a merchant who provides a 30% discount. It’s like everything you want is on sale!
Additionally, some NPCs you can hire will award bonus money for items you sell. This presents an intriguing opportunity. You’ll find loads of items worth good money throughout the game. If you stockpile your goods until you recruit an NPC with a powerful sales perk, you can dramatically increase the money you’ll receive for a relatively low cost. Even if this doesn’t necessarily count as gold “farming,” these tactics could negate your need to farm to begin with. This leads us to our final option.
Option 5: Keep advancing the core story paths
The world of Solistia is full of secrets to uncover. Whether it’s hidden treasure chests in dungeons or loot you can steal, you’ll find opportunity after opportunity to score some bonus cash. If a shop carries something you can’t afford, maybe the best option is to just leave it and come back for it later. Who knows, you may find something better for free elsewhere!
There are so many ways to save and earn money in Octopath Traveler 2 that we could be here all day listing them. For example, did you know a low-level Temenos can wholesale replace using Bribe as Hikari? Also, you could use the Hunter’s More Rare Monsters passive ability to increase the rate you encounter Caits and Octopuff Travelers that give ample rewards when defeated. Numerous strategies and playstyles are viable, so find the method that works best for you. Long story short, don’t sweat your money too much. Keep playing and it’ll come one way or another.
