The Break and Boost combat system makes its return in Octopath Traveler 2 to spice up the combat gameplay. Both mechanics essentially aim to increase your damage output, just through different means.
In summary, the Break combat system works by weakening your opponent team’s defenses while the Boost combat system buffs your team’s abilities.
To fully understand the workings of the Octopath Traveler 2 Break and Boost combat system let’s discuss them in greater detail.
How the Break combat works in Octopath Traveler 2
The Break system essentially works by weakening your opponent’s defenses, which in turn will increase the damage that you can then deal to your opponent.
To execute a successful break, you must keep a few things in mind.
Firstly, you must turn your attention toward the Shield Symbol visible next to every opponent you face. Below will be a number that indicates the strength of your opponent’s defenses.
The higher the number the stronger the enemy’s guard. This number can be cut down to size by effectively exploiting your enemy’s weakness.
Now once this number successfully reaches zero a Break is executed on your opponent. Immediately after a successful break, your opponent will be stunned and unable to move. His defenses will also be weakened leaving him susceptible to a devastating attack.
We suggest waiting for this moment to unleash your strongest attack like your Latent Powers.
The best party member for stacking up breaks is Osvald since his innate Talent helps him identify the weaknesses of your opponents.
At the start of the battle, you are to use his Scholar’s Analyze. This move uses up 1 SP; however, it then will reveal the health status of the enemy and one of their weaknesses.
How the Boost combat works in Octopath Traveler 2
The Octopath Traveler 2 Boost mechanic essentially achieves the same goal of increasing your damage output but with the completely opposite approach.
You use this mechanic to improve the capabilities of your party’s attack at the start of every turn. The Boost points add up for each of your characters as they gain one every turn for a maximum of five bonus points.
The enhancements to your attack are varied depending on the type of attack. Magic Abilities receive a simple damage buff to increase total damage output while physical attacks increase the number of times the attack is delivered per use.
Boost Points also increase the capability of your normal attacks to reduce shield points quicker. This allows you to break and stun your opponent more easily.
We suggest that you build up your Boost Points to their maximum capacity of five before using them since it will grant your characters the most buff this way.
You must also note that Boost Points do not carry over to your next battle. Therefore, fully utilizing them in the present fight is important.
Of course, you can always save up your Boost Points and wait until you successfully execute a break. You can use the stunned effect from the break to your advantage and deliver a special attack like your Latent Powers.
This coupled with your stored Boost Points can deal a devastating amount of damage to your opponent.
Although, at other times you may find yourself outclassed where using your boost points often may be the only way to buy yourself a window of opportunity.
