The story of Cyrus starts in Octopath Traveler with the search for the tome stolen by a specific boss from the library. You will fight Russell during the first chapter of Cyrus’s story in the game.
You can easily defeat the boss as he’s not that powerful because it’s the first chapter of Cyrus, and you have much more to learn.
Before finding the right strategy against Russell, knowing where you can locate Octopath Traveler Russell is essential.
Russell location
You must move to the Subterranean Study in the Flatlands. After learning about his doing, you will move toward Russell’s location for the tome in Octopath Traveler.
Russell will be waiting for you at the end of the road, so it is vital to understand his weaknesses before throwing yourself into the battle.
Russell weaknesses
This Octopath Traveler boss shows apparent vulnerabilities when it comes to physical and elemental damage. You can exploit Russell’s weakness against the Sword, Daggers and Staves attack to inflict maximum damage and break down the SP quickly.
If you are looking for the elemental weakness, try using Wind and Ice abilities, as Russel is weak against such skills. You must equip party members that can use kinds of attacks to overcome the special attacks performed by Russel in Octopath Traveler.
Russel special attacks
The range of attacks for this boss is not that vast. He can perform attacks that can damage your whole party members, and some of these attacks target a single member.
| Special Attacks | What They Do |
|---|---|
| Tome Toss | Attack performed to deal high damage to a single party member. |
| Tome Tempest | Inflicts high damage to the whole party. |
| Wildfire | Attack based on fire that deals AOE damage to every single party member. |
| Intimidate | An attack that silences single party members for a turn. |
| Fireball | This attack is more powerful and is based on fire. Russell will charge this attack for one turn and then unleashes the fire on the w |
How to defeat Russel in Octopath Traveler
The best strategy to defeat Russel involves breaking down the boss’s shield as quickly as possible. You need to take on the spells that utilize maximum elemental attacks based on Ice and Wind. These attacks will ensure that you break the enemy and bring your most powerful physical attacks to drain the enemy’s health.
It is also crucial to have someone in your party that provides you with healing, as the boss can land substantial damage, and your maximum health is not that high during the start of Octopath Traveler.
You should equip your characters with swords and Daggers. Keep spamming the physical attacks whenever the option arises to deal a good amount of damage and quickly end the fight. You just have to exploit the weaknesses of Octopath Traveler Russell to end the fight in an instant.
Best party for Russell
The best party for Russell can vary depending on when you take on the boss in Octopath Traveler. If you are fighting the boss alone by starting your playthrough by selecting Cyrus, then it will be just you and your attacks.
However, H’aanit, Alfyn and Ophilia are good against Russell. These characters can exploit the physical and elemental weaknesses of the boss.
Moreover, Ophilia can provide much-needed healing during this battle to help you survive longer in the battle. So use these party members strategically to win this battle.
What else to bring to the fight?
You just need to get some healing grapes, and you are good to go against Russell in Octopath Traveler. After you put down this boss, you will receive some rewards for going through all the struggles.
Russell drops
- 1,600 Leaves
- Refreshing Jam
- EXP 50
- JP 30
