While playing through Olberic’s story, among the many bosses you encounter, the Octopath Traveler Archibold boss is one that is to be feared most.
You will have to fight with Archibold the Crusher after defeating a couple of other bosses like Joshua Frostblade, Victorina, and Contemptuous Warrior at the end of Chapter 2 of Olberic’s story.
Archibold is a tall, well-built warrior that wields a huge axe to crush his opponents. Along with that, this boss also comes with two Disguised Duelists who attack you constantly throughout the battle.
Defeating Archibold in Octopath Traveler won’t be an easy task, so you will have to learn his weaknesses to form a party based on exploiting them. But before that, we must first learn about Archibold’s location so we can bring the fight to him.
Archibold location
You will encounter Archibold while playing through Chapter 2 of Olberic’s story, specifically in Victors Hollow. During this chapter, Olberic comes to this place to find out more about his blade and Earnhardt the traitor.
Toward the end of the chapter, you will have to travel to the southern parts of Victors Hollow. A scene takes place when you arrive here, and you will be informed that you must challenge a warrior to participate in the tournament at the Plaza, i.e. the Arena Gate area in Octopath Traveler.
You will have to fight three different warriors in different sections of the town first before you meet with Victorino, another challenger that takes you to the Plaza.
Once at the Plaza, you will first fight with Victorino and other mini-bosses before you move on to fighting Archibold the Crusher, and eventually, Gustav the Black Knight, which is the final boss of Olberic’s Chapter 2.
Archibold weaknesses
To deal the maximum amount of damage you can and end the fight quickly, you will have to exploit Archibold’s weaknesses in Octopath Traveler. Archibold has a couple of weaknesses, but his talent lies in hiding two of them with his Disguised Duelists.
In terms of physical weaknesses, Archibold the Crusher is weak to Dagger and Bow weapons. His elemental weaknesses include Dark and Ice. Using a combination of attacks of these kinds will deal massive damage to Archibold.
Remember that Archibold can hide the Bow and Ice weaknesses in the initial stages of the fight when the Disguised Duelists are spawned. It’s better to use Daggers and Dark attacks at that point until you get rid of the minions.
Archibold special attacks
Archibold has a few attacks in store for you that can deal heavy damage. Although these attacks aren’t that many in number, they are highly potent in damage. Additionally, his spawns called the Disguised Duelists will also launch their own minor attacks from time to time.
Here’s a list of all of Archibold, the Crusher’s special attacks:
| Special Attacks | What They Do |
|---|---|
| Archibold assumes a defensive position | Locks two of his weaknesses – Bow and Ice. Also enters boost mode |
| Champions Cleave | Charge attack that targets all party members and reduces their physical defense |
| Overhead Bash | Physical attack that targets an individual party member |
| Whirling Wind | Physical attack that targets all party members |
| Archibold left himself open to attacks | Unlocks two of his weaknesses upon the death of the Disguised Duelists |
How to defeat Archibold in Octopath Traveler
Since Archibold is one of the smaller bosses in the series of fights in this tournament, he is relatively easy to defeat. The boss has 7 Shields, but only has a total of 20, 182 HP.
To formulate an effective general strategy, we must understand Archibold’s weaknesses and special attacks discussed above. Our main goal will be to target as many weaknesses of Archibold as we can.
Archibold starts off with the first special attack mentioned, i.e. Archibold assumes a defensive position. This allows Archibold to spawn the Disguised Duelists and lock two of his weaknesses.
Additionally, Archibold is also surrounded by a dark aura that allows him to use the Champions Cleave attack. Although this is a charged attack, the boss will be able to use it at the start of the round, lowering all of your physical weaknesses.
Moreover, the rest of his attacks are also physical attacks, which will deal more damage to your party in this state. The best thing to do will be to prepare for these attacks before they come, especially the Overhead Bash as it can also inflict Unconsciousness.
Moreover, the Disguised Duelists that the boss summons also launch physical attacks at individuals in your party. Although these don’t do much damage, their main function to be there is to keep Archibold’s weaknesses locked.
That said, your first goal will be to get rid of the Disguised Duelists as soon as possible. They are weak to Axes, Staves, Fire, and Light and only have 6, 061 HP and 5 Shields.
Initially, you must focus all of your attacks on these minions so as to get rid of them as soon as possible. Once they are out of the way, Archibold’s other weaknesses will be unlocked.
Once that happens, your main goal will be to exploit heavy attacks focused on his weaknesses that tear down his Shields and HP bit by bit until Archibold suffers defeat. But for that, you will have to equip a suitable party.
Best party for Archibold
The best party for Archibold would be one that has a high overall physical defense, but especially one that has a variety of attack combinations that can target most, if not all of Archibold’s weaknesses.
When fighting Archibold, consider bringing the following characters in your party:
- Ophilia
- Olberic
- H’aanit
- Cyrus
H’aanit possesses a couple of attacks and skills that can target Archibold’s weaknesses, like the Rain of Arrows, Arrowstorm, True Strike, and Take Aim. Some of these may require a lot of SP, so make sure you are stocked up on those.
Olberic is a good choice to keep in your party since this boss is encountered in his chapter, meaning that he will be the most useful in bringing this boss down. He has a couple of Dagger attacks like the Level Slash or the Cross Strike which can exploit Archibold’s weakness.
Ophilia will serve as your healer. Although aside from hearing her allies, she can also use Light elemental attacks like the Holy Light or Luminescence to deal heavy damage to the Disguised Duelists.
Lastly, Cyrus can use both Fire and Ice elemental attacks, which not only exploit Archibold’s but also the Disguised Duelists’ weaknesses.
What else to bring to the fight?
This boss isn’t that hard to defeat, and with the right party, you will be most prepared to settle this fight in a matter of seconds. If you still feel like your preparations may not be adequate, you can bring along a selected few items.
An Olive of Life or a Healing Grape Bunch will come in handy to heal your allies, especially if you do not have a healer in your party – so make sure to stock up on those in that case.
You can even bring along Inspiriting Plums or Refreshing Jams if you feel shorthanded on your SP amounts.
Archibold drops
Upon being defeated, Archibold will drop a couple of items, which include:
- Olive of Life
- Olive of Life (M)
The rewards for this fight may not seem that promising, but do remember that this is a mini-boss. You will likely receive better rewards for defeating Gustav, the Black Knight, who is next up in the boss chain.
