The Best Sub-Job For Each Character

Octopath Traveler was a breath of fresh air when it came out, and time has done absolutely nothing to dull its appeal. Even though a sequel exists that improves upon its predecessor’s basic formula and a new console entry will arrive in December 2025, the original game persists as one of the best turn-based JRPGs of the last decade. If you are craving an old-school throwback to the days when Final Fantasy produced magic on the SNES, Octopath Traveler is pretty much a must-play. Along with its HD-2D art style, the battle system is arguably the JRPG’s strongest feature, even though it is very clearly inspired by its ancestors. Octopath Traveler‘s secondary jobs are crucial to its success, as they open up a whole range of customization possibilities for not only the individual characters but also the party as a whole.

Octopath Traveler with Leaf (in-game currency)

Octopath Traveler: 12 Side Quests That Give Amazing Rewards

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler has many engrossing side stories to tell, some of which hand out amazing rewards such as weapons and armor.

So, how does this work? Well, Octopath Traveler has eight playable characters, all of whom start with their main job. This aspect cannot be altered as it is a defining part of each Traveler’s persona and is directly tied to their Path Action and Talent; however, you are free to assign a secondary job to the characters. Although you can assign them as you wish, some jobs are clearly better suited for certain characters, and they even receive stat bonuses. Therefore, let’s highlight the best secondary job for each Octopath Traveler playable character.

Updated January 11, 2026, by Mark Sammut: Octopath Traveler 0 has been out for a month now, and the prequel has mostly gone down well. If you happen to be new to this franchise and are looking to jump into the first game after completing Octopath Traveler 0, this article could offer some guidance. I have added a section discussing whether secondary jobs are important.

How Important Are Secondary Jobs In Octopath Traveler?

Octopath Traveler key art of main characters

Now, we have already outlined that sub-jobs are a vital part of Octopath Traveler‘s appeal, as they are central to the game’s customization options. So, secondary jobs are important for Octopath Traveler‘s success as a JRPG, but how crucial are they in-universe? Can picking the wrong sub-jobs doom a playthrough? Or, can you mostly just go with whatever you want and not worry too much about messing things up?

OK, this answer is actually harder than it seems on the surface. Secondary jobs are treated as important by Octopath Traveler‘s combat system, and your team will be notably weaker if you end up assigning poor fits to all the party members. However, the campaign is not difficult by the genre’s standards, so you don’t have to optimize every single aspect to have a chance of finishing all the stories. Honestly, as long as you don’t go with an absurdly unbalanced team that has obvious blind spots, you should mostly be OK. Just make sure you have a decent magic DPS and a healer. That said, some of the optional fights can be quite difficult, and a few bosses can be painful if your team lacks a strong magic caster.

Where picking the best sub-jobs for each character can make a difference is in the grind required to defeat some of the harder enemies. Optimized sub-jobs means you don’t need to have the greatest gear or to power-level and brute-force battles. It allows for a more balanced experience with fewer stalling and frustrating moments.

Olberic Eisenberg

The Warrior/Apothecary

Adds the use of Axes as a weapon.
Gains access to healing abilities, helping him better protect the team.
Increased HP befits a tank.
Useful skills (both standard and support): First Aid, Inspiration, Hale and Hearty, Heightened Healing, and Last Stand

Olberic Eisenberg is a renowned knight. He used to serve the king of his home country, protecting him with his life, but they were betrayed from within, and the country fell. The player follows Olberic’s story, years after his life changed, in the village of Cobbleston. He is a Warrior, using swords and polearms (and straight-up brute force) in combat.

The best sub-job for Olberic that complements his Warrior status is Apothecary, as he is already physically strong. By adding this sub-job, Olberic will get access to axes and abilities that heal. Most importantly, though, he’ll gain boosts to HP, Critical, Attack, and Defense, which elevate his usefulness as a tank. Inspiration is also a fantastic support skill for Olberic, helping to boost his SP, one of his weaknesses.

Cyrus Albright

The Scholar/Merchant

The Rest skill helps Cyrus restore SP.
Boosts to Elemental Attack and SP.
Useful skills (both standard and support): Rest, SP Saver, Grows on Trees, Sidestep, and Hired Help

Cyrus Albright is a teacher from Atlasdam, and a passionate one of that. While smart, he lacks common sense. The player meets Cyrus on his quest to find a missing book stolen by a coworker from his library of study. He is a Scholar, determining his enemies’ weaknesses and then using elemental spells to tear them down.

The best Octopath Traveler secondary job for Cyrus is Merchant, which pairs well with his Scholar job. He already has access to plenty of elemental attacks, so getting bonuses to Elemental Attack (and SP) is the best move. Merchant also teaches Wind, giving the Scholar access to an element that he cannot use with his base job. Cyrus will also get access to the Rest ability, restoring HP and SP before striking back with full force. Furthermore, Merchant focuses on weapons like Bows, giving Cyrus more options that he can turn to besides Staves.

Tressa Colzione

The Merchant/Thief

More weapons: daggers and swords.
Debuff skills increase her utility.
Stealing is always a bonus.
Useful skills (both standard and support): HP Thief, Steal SP, Incidental Attack, Fleetfoot, Snatch, and Insult to Injury

Tressa Colzione is a young girl who is an experienced negotiator from the town of Rippletide. She used to enjoy a peaceful life, but Tressa’s world is turned upside down when a gang of pirates plunders her hometown. This leads her on an epic quest for treasure. Tressa is a Merchant, just like her parents, which allows her to use bows and polearms, as well as Wind magic.

15 JRPGs Perfect For Newcomers To The Genre

The JRPG genre is relatively newcomer friendly. But these titles stand out as the most easily accessible.

Octopath Traveler‘s best secondary job for Tressa is Thief. Admittedly, Thief is a poor narrative fit for Tressa’s personality, but speaking purely from a gameplay perspective, this sub-job has the most upsides. In addition to bows and polearms, she will be able to use swords and daggers. On top of being able to dodge like a maniac and use debuffs, Tressa can steal items while still being able to rake in the dough (or rather, leaves). Both Merchant and Thief are middle-ground jobs designed to give users a healthy mix of attack and support options, so they complement each other pretty well.

Ophilia Clement

The Cleric/Dancer

Gains access to buffs, perfect for a support character.
Can use daggers.
Useful skills (both standard and support): Sealticge’s Seduction, Second Wind, Panther Dance, and The Show Goes On

Ophilia Clement is a kind, caring healer from the town of Flamesgrace. She was an orphan, but the Archbishop took her in. The player meets Ophilia as she embarks on a dangerous pilgrimage to the holy sites of Orsterra (instead of letting her sister Lianna go). She is a Cleric, keeping herself and her party healthy during fights, while also guiding them and dishing out Light Magic attacks.

The best sub-job for this Cleric is, naturally, Dancer. She can already heal everyone (including herself), so she might as well buff them, too. Also, Ophilia will be able to use daggers if the party needs more damage output. Sealticge’s Seduction is a great Divine Skill that allows attacks of buffs to be applied to all foes/party members for three turns, which is a great option for Ophilia’s base skills. Beyond that, Second Wind recovers SP, which the Cleric needs plenty of.

Primrose Azelhart

The Dancer/Scholar

Elemental skills make her a valuable magic caster who can tackle multiple weaknesses.
Useful skills (both standard and support): All Elemental Skills, Elemental Augmentation, and Vim and Vigor

Primrose Azelhart is a dancer by profession, but only because she is on the hunt for revenge against the men who murdered her noble father. The player meets Primrose while she jumps on a lead, but finds herself at an impasse due to her disgusting employer, Helgenish. Primrose is a Dancer, using a dagger and Dark Magic as well as buffs and Allure, convincing NPCs to join the party and fight for her.

The Octopath Traveler sub-job that best matches Primrose is none other than Scholar. As she is one of the better elemental users in the game, this sub-job gives Primrose access to Fire, Ice, and Lightning, granting her way more options in battle beyond just her Dark Magic. Already decent at buffing herself and others, Primrose becomes a powerful wizard too. Before receiving this sub-job, this character is not a particularly strong offensive option, as Dancer is way more designed around support skills. Scholar focuses heavily on elemental attacks, allowing Primrose to become a more well-rounded option.

Alfyn Greengrass

The Apothecary/Cleric

Becomes an out-and-out healer with additional restorative abilities.
Access to Staves and some Light Magic.
Useful skills (both standard and support): Heal Wounds, Sheltering Veil, Heal More, Revive, and Saving Grace

Alfyn Greengrass is an apothecary, a path he has chosen ever since being healed by a stranger when he was young. He has a good heart but is quite naive. The player meets Alfyn in the town of Clearbrook, where he sets off on a journey to develop an anti-toxin to heal his friend Zeph’s sister because she was bitten by a poisonous snake. As an Apothecary, he uses Inquire in the overworld and collects ingredients to make potions capable of both healing and deteriorating.

The best sub-job for Alfyn is Cleric, because he is fantastic at healing from the get-go. Alfyn might as well go all-out with some Holy Magic and Light Magic in addition to Concoct, his unique (main) skill. Now, in theory, Cleric sounds like a weird option for Alfyn, as his base useful is physical rather than magical. However, this sub-job turns him into a more well-rounded jack-of-all-trades character who can be a physical threat and a clutch healing option, even if he will never be among the very best healers in the game.

Therion

The Thief/Hunter

More weapons: Axes and Bows.
Debuffs let Therion debilitate enemies with ease.
Useful skills (both standard and support): Elemental Skills, Take Aim, Second Serving, and Patience

Therion is a thief, infamous across Orsterra and feared by the wealthy. He is a lone wolf who can get into pretty much any place and pilfer any item he puts his mind to. The player meets Therion on his heist at the Ravus Manor in Bolderfall, where he is in big trouble. He is a Thief, obviously, using swords and daggers as well as Fire Magic against his enemies after stealing their HP and SP and debuffing them.

The best Octopath Traveler sub-job for this Thief is Hunter. He can use a bow and an axe as well as gain more options when it comes to debuffs. The synergy is out of this world when it comes to Therion causing mayhem on the battleground. Stats-wise, Hunter nearly solely focuses on Therion’s strongest points, elevating him to even higher heights in Physical Attack and Accuracy.

H’aanit

The Hunter/Warrior

Can use Swords and Polearms.
Boosts Physical Attack, which is strong to begin with.
Useful skills (both standard and support): Abide, Stout Wall, Summon Strength, and Surpassing Power

H’aanit is a tracker and one of the last members of her class in the town of S’warkii. She can tame beasts and loves nature (as well as her master, Z’aanta). The player meets H’aanit on her quest to take care of a local monster. She is a Hunter, using bows and axes as well as Lightning Magic against her foes; best of all, though, she can tame wild animals to fight with her.

H’aanit’s ideal sub-job is Warrior. She hits like a truck, so why not allow her to bulk up and hit even harder? H’aanit will be able to use swords and spears, alongside her original affinity for axes, making her the ultimate physical attacker.

Secret Jobs

Along with the classic jobs that players can obtain in various areas in the world map, there are also several secret jobs that players can obtain after fighting certain superbosses. These bosses are no slouch, but it’s well worth the effort to fight them so that players can unlock some of Octopath Traveler‘s best secondary jobs. Here are all the secret jobs that players can unlock, coupled with Octopath Traveler‘s best characters that are suited for each job.

Warmaster

Best Suited For: Olberic or H’aanit

The Warmaster is easily one of Octopath Traveler‘s best secondary jobs for characters who can dish out the most physical damage with ease. In that regard, it makes sense that both Olberic and H’aanit would be perfect for this particular job.

Of course, when it comes to these powerful jobs, there really aren’t any restrictions. Characters like Alfyn and Therion are also great candidates. The power boost afforded by this job is extremely beneficial for characters with decent physical stats, and Olberic’s and H’aanit’s are the highest

Runelord

Best Suited For: Primrose or Tressa

The Runelord is easily the best support class in the entire game. Not only can this job allow for characters to buff party members with ease, but it also allows players to utilize the powerful Transfer Rune to magnify individual support skills.

This is exactly why this job is especially perfect for Tressa. Her Rest and Share BP skills allow every party member to enjoy the bonuses of these power-ups without any issues. This applies to Primrose as well, who has powerful abilities of her own too.

Starseer

Best Suited For: Alfyn or Therion

Most people consider the Starseer to be the weakest secondary job in Octopath Traveler. However, it’s a testament to the immense power of these secret jobs that the Starseer is still an incredibly powerful job that should be used by players in the game regardless.

Both Alfyn and Therion are great candidates for this job. However, any character with powerful magical power is a great candidate for the Starseer job due to its elemental leaning.

Sorcerer

Best Suited For: Ophelia or Cyrus

The Sorcerer is easily Octopath‘s best secondary job when it comes to elemental damage. The sheer level of damage that players can unleash with the right setup is nothing short of incredible.

It goes without saying that characters with high elemental stats should be prioritized for this job, with Ophelia and Cyrus both fitting the bill in this regard. With the proper setup, the Sorcerer can rain havoc down on the foes of Octopath Traveler without any hassle.