Should you choose wealth, power, or fame in Octopath Traveler 0?

Making the right influence selection in Octopath Traveler requires understanding how this pivotal decision impacts your gameplay experience. While the game presents wealth, power, and fame as mutually exclusive paths, the reality offers more flexibility than initially apparent.

The choice between wealth, power, and fame in Octopath Traveler represents your character’s primary motivation, but contrary to first impressions, this selection doesn’t lock you into a single storyline. The significance lies not in narrative restrictions but in the mechanical advantages each influence provides throughout your adventure.

During the Prologue mission following the festival disaster in Wishvale, you’ll encounter the “select what you seek” prompt. This moment occurs after initiating renovation works, marking your first major narrative branching point. While the presentation suggests gravitas, the practical implications are more nuanced than the dramatic framing implies.

Each influence path offers distinct benefits and narrative flavors, though all remain accessible regardless of your initial commitment. Understanding the nuances helps optimize your early game strategy.

Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via Polygon

• Choosing wealth: This path grants +1 wealth influence and sets “The Master of Wealth” as your active quest. You’ll pursue Herminia, the Covetous Witch, in Valore’s forest region. Wealth-aligned characters respond better to purchasing and bargaining path actions, making item acquisition more efficient. This is particularly valuable for players who prefer economic dominance over direct confrontation.
• Choosing power: Selecting power provides +1 power influence and activates “The Master of Power” questline. Your target becomes Tytos, the Scarlet Tyrant, located in Emberglow’s frostlands. Power influence enhances combat-related path actions, including challenging NPCs to duels and intimidating them for information. This benefits players who favor martial solutions to obstacles.
• Choosing fame: This option awards +1 fame influence and begins “The Master of Fame” quest. You’ll confront Auguste, Genius Playwright, in Theatropolis flatlands. Fame improves social path actions like persuasion and recruitment, making it easier to build your party and gather information through charismatic interactions.

Despite the initial weight placed on this decision, the game’s structure allows remarkable flexibility. You can pursue all three primary questlines simultaneously, switching focus as your preferences evolve. The initial selection primarily determines your starting stat bonus and introductory cinematic.

Quest flexibility is a core design feature – selecting “power” doesn’t prevent you from immediately pursuing the wealth or fame questlines. This design encourages exploration and allows players to follow their interests rather than being constrained by an early decision. The parallel storytelling means you won’t miss content based on this choice.

The +1 influence stat point represents the most tangible mechanical impact. This bonus affects your success rate with corresponding path actions throughout the game. Since these actions are essential for resource gathering, information collection, and party building, the stat boost provides a subtle but persistent advantage in your chosen domain.

Wealth, power, and fame directly influence path action success rates – your attempts to obtain items, information, and assistance from NPCs. Every character aligns with one stat, and your influence level determines effectiveness when using corresponding interaction methods. Higher influence means better prices from merchants, more successful challenges against warriors, or easier persuasion of celebrities.

Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via Polygon

Many players overestimate the long-term consequences of their influence selection, leading to unnecessary restarting or decision anxiety. Understanding these common pitfalls will enhance your gameplay experience.

Avoid restarting over your choice – since all content remains accessible, there’s no “wrong” decision. Each path offers unique advantages, and the game balances them effectively. The time spent restarting would be better used actually playing through the content.

Don’t neglect path actions aligned with your chosen influence. The +1 stat bonus provides an early advantage that can snowball into significant benefits. If you choose wealth, prioritize merchant interactions; if power, challenge appropriate NPCs; if fame, use social manipulations frequently.

Remember that influence stats can be increased through equipment, skills, and story progression. Your initial +1 provides a head start, not a permanent advantage. Later game mechanics allow substantial influence growth regardless of your starting selection.

For players seeking optimal early game advantage, consider your preferred playstyle: wealth for economic players, power for combat enthusiasts, fame for social strategists. However, the difference is minimal enough that personal preference should guide your decision more than min-maxing concerns.

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