Octopath Traveler II: Choosing A Companion for Ochette Guide

In Octopath Traveller II, Ochette is forced to make a really important decision early on the game. Ochette gets to choose her starter companion from a selection of two different animals that offer different perks. Since it takes a while to know the strength of your companion, this page will help determine what is best for you and which Ochette companion you should pick.

For the most part, choices in Octopath Traveler don't matter too much. You can unlock the Crossed Paths stories and Secondary Classes in any order you like, for instance. But this choice is permanent and matters, as your choice of companion for Ochette will stick with you all game and cannot be reversed. Luckily, we're here to help you to choose...

Octopath Traveler 2: Ochette Companion choice guide

An important thing ton note is that regardless of which companion you pick, the animal companion that joins Ochette in her journey through Octopath Traveler 2 will be a great asset in battle, as they will both hit the enemy’s weakness within their abilities. They'll be a combat staple for you whenever playing as Ochette - and that goes for both companions.

On the flip side, by the end game your companion will inevitably be outclassed by stronger monsters you've captured - but for early game they can easily carry Ochette with their abilitles to discover enemy weakness. This is why we consider Ochette one of the best starting characters in the game, incidentally. 

The companion is also key character to Ochette's quest, so you might end up replaying the game to see the different story variations between the two companions.

What we're saying is that there's no right or wrong choice here - but the companions do differ slightly. In our play-through, we picked Akala - but Mahina, the owl, is also perfectly valid as a choice. To understand, read the differences between the two: 

Malamaowl: Mahina

Damage: Moderate

Pros:

• Provides Arcane Damage
• Triggering enemy physical weakness can be provided by Ochette.

Cons

• Does lower damage compare to Akalā.
• Enemies weak to Arcane damage don’t appear as frequent in the early game, and by late game arcane damage can be provided by specialize arcane damage dealers like Osvald and your magic user of preference.

LāJackal: Akalā

Damage: High

Pro

• Higher damage compared to Mahina.
• Cannot miss.
• Monsters weak to arcane damage come way later, which allows you take advantage of Akala’s high physical prowess in early game.  

Cons

• Does physical damage only, which can overlap with Ochette’s physical abilities.