Octopath Traveler: CotC Tier List

Hello, dear travelers. It's a pleasure for me to be writing this Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent Tier List guide to you. With the launch of Octopath Traveler: CotC to the Southeast Asia region, many of you may be visiting Orsterra for the first time and may need some guidance on what the best characters are. Along with the Reroll Guide, hopefully, we can help!

Disclaimer

This work will have a monthly update so that the most recent travelers added to the banners are always present. In addition to that, we will be able to revalue travelers according to their usefulness in new content.

First, I would like to clarify that this list is based on my opinion and analysis regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each of these characters. To this, I add the information I gathered by researching what other veterans who have had many adventures in Orsterra think about 5* travelers.

The general idea of this work will be to give a guideline that allows you to assess which travelers are a priority to obtain, to train first, and to consider when facing your greatest challenges.

The available travelers vary from server to server, however, taking into account this work based on the Global server, for new servers like SEA it will be useful to know the value of travelers at a specific moment to plan efficient use of resources.

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent 5★ Travelers Tier List

December 2023 Changes

Tier S+: Primrose EX, Rinyuu, and Roland added.

Tier S: Frederica, Sarisa, and Zenia added. Lynette moved up from tier A.

Tier A: Aedelgard, Lumis EX, Millard EX added. Primrose and Z'aanta moved up from tier B.

Tier B: Cecily, and Yukes, added. Fiore and Varkyn moved up from tier C. Tikilen moved up from tier D.

Tier C: Tressa EX and Serenoa added.

Tier D: No changes.

Ratings by Categories

Each of the travelers has obtained a rank of 1 to 5 stars in 8 particular areas:

• Physical Damage: This category includes the Physical ATK, active and passive skills relative to physical damage (self), and all damage that can come from a weapon. This includes critical damage.

• Elemental Damage: Consider Elemental ATK, active and passive skills relative to elemental damage (self), and all damage from elemental ATK.

• Tanking: This category takes into account HP, Physical and Elemental DEF, passive and active skills that increase survivability, as well as those that allow you to attract aggro from enemies.

• Healing: Considers healing ability to allies, including the ability to remove debuffs, and revive travelers fallen in battle.

• Buffing and Supporting: How good the traveler is applying buffs to allies thus improving their abilities as well as the ability to support during battle. This includes giving SP and BP to allies.

• Debuffing: This category takes into account whether the traveler can apply debuffs to enemies, weakening them by any means, or otherwise impairing their abilities in battle.

• Shield Breaking: The grade in this section falls on how good are the traveler's skills that allow breaking shield points, either by multiple hits, burning, direct reduction, etc.

• Damage Coverage: Consider the number of different types of damage the character can deal to enemies.

Is the sum of these ranks that places the travelers in the rankings of the previously presented tier list. Travelers are not divided by job, which implies that regardless of their role, the sum of ranks represents their ability and versatility in general and non-specific terms.

All units are considered as A4, Lv 100.

Tier Explanations

Tier S+: Travelers in this tier are above the rest in their respective fields. No other traveler can perform the work of any of these characters better than they would. They are travelers that even though more characters continue to appear in new banners they will continue to be relevant for a long period. Having them in your party in almost any battle is a good idea.

Tier S: The characters in this tier are currently very relevant for the most difficult battles. Also, their skill kit makes them very versatile and unique. In much of the content including endgame, their participation in your party will make a noticeable difference.

Tier A: In this tier, we find travelers who perform their work solidly. However, unlike the higher tier, they are somewhat less versatile and are usually required for somewhat more specific occasions or when we do not have any of the travelers from the S+/S tiers and we need a replacement.

Tier B: Travelers in this tier can excel in a particular area, even with a 5* rating, making them very useful at specific times. It will be rare for them to have more than one area in which they excel.

Tier C: They are usually useful at the beginning of our adventures. As we gather a larger group of travelers they begin to fall into the shadow of travelers from the higher tiers. Just like those in tier B, they can be very remarkable in one area, but in this case, they have at least one area in which they are remarkably weak.

Tier D: The abilities of these travelers are often below average. While they may have some niche function, almost any role they might perform can be better done by travelers from the higher tier.

Tier S+

A2

Few are the characters that can cover 3 or more types of damage. A2 has skills that allow her to deal with an absurd amount of Axe, Dagger, and Sword damage.

She certainly doesn't have any elemental property attacks. Nevertheless, a PATK of 439 (+50), the highest among thieves more than makes up for it.

The main reason she's in the highest tier is a characteristic it shares with Therion. Both can use their skills twice. 3* Passive "Animus Might": While in Berserk Mode, damaging abilities are used a second time in a row (the follow-up attack will not consume SP). This lets A2 hit like a truck.

If that were not enough, having skills that hit 3 times without the need to boost them, in combination with her passive, makes A2 able to hit 6 times with any of these three weapon types, making her an excellent shield breaker. Finally, her ultimate, in addition to a large amount of damage, inflicts 15% Def Down for 2 turns, which means one of the most powerful debuffs to this stat.

Fiore Ex

Fiore has arrived in her summer version. This EX variant is one of the most recent units and is undoubtedly here to stay.

The proof of this is that even in the JP version of CotC where the content is ahead, Fiore EX is still one of the two best tanks.

The reason for this is that she can redirect all attacks with a single target back to herself, which makes our healers' job much easier. This complements it very well with her ability to negate attacks directed towards her, counterattacking with fan damage and inflicting burning on the enemy (which translates to basically zero damage).

Having Fiore EX in your party in any endgame battle increases your chances of survival exponentially. Also, her fan physical damage is quite high, and while she competes with Herminia, we're going to prefer Fiore EX on certain occasions.

Primrose EX

One of the last two travelers to arrive is also one of the best inclusions your group could have. Well, the reality is that Primrose is already an old acquaintance, but the way its EX version provides utility makes it enter the highest tier without question.

It is capable of debuffing the attack and elemental attack of enemies and increasing it to our front row. Likewise, you can apply debuffs to defense and elemental defense and increase these as well. This makes it the most complete buffer and debuffer currently with the ability to be useful in any group and encounter.

As if that were not enough, it is also capable of increasing the speed of our front row. Thanks to Shower of Roses, granting Entire Front Row automatic HP regeneration, and filling the Ultimate gauge by 20% at the same time. (Reaches All Allies at Max Boost).

This speed increase is enough for some of the fastest travelers to be able to outspeed the fastest enemies. Her ultimate, Shower of Primroses is also amazing, making the entire front row stronger by raising physical and elemental attacks, applying HP Regen (which stacks) enabling a large amount of passive healing at the end of the turn, and filling the front row's Ultimate bar by 50 %, which is incredibly helpful.

Richard

Richard is a great character when it comes to dealing sword damage to the enemies. However, what makes him a formidable traveler is his amazing buffing and debuffing capabilities.

Thanks to Torrent Formation he can impart the entire front row with Phys. Atk. Up 20% and rise Sword and Spear damage by 20% (2-5 turns). This buff is more powerful than many of the buffs that other travelers can give our party when it comes to boosting our damage.

His A King's Pride passive will increase an additional 15% to the front row's Physical attack, sword, and spear damage while he is at full HP. And that's not all, his ultimate deals a lot of damage while applying the same buff as A King's Pride. This means buffs in his active skills, passive, and ultimate, which makes him an incredible ally when setting up nukes against very powerful enemies.

If we add to this that he also has the possibility of applying speed and ATK debuffs, Richard is undoubtedly one of the best travelers in CotC.

Rinyuu

The best support cleric. Period. The global server waited for this traveler for a long time. Let's hope SEA doesn't have to wait that long. Available globally since October, Rinyuu is here to stay.

We can define it as the best backpack in the game. Thanks to his two passive abilities, Rinyuu grants SP recovery to his paired ally and reduces the SP consumption of the entire front row by 10% simply by being in the back row.

Gracious Prayer and Crusader's Prayer are fantastic skills. Both make Rinyuu go into "praying mode". This means that if Rinyuu performs any action, runs out of SP, or is knocked out of combat, the skill will stop having an effect, but as long as this does not happen she can give all allies HP regen, Phys. Def, Elem. Def., Phys. Atk., and Elem. Atk buffs (+ some status immunities).

Rinyuu is the ultimate support unit for travelers like EX Fiore, she fits any party well and she can deliver.

Roland

As part of the collaboration with Triangle Strategy, another incredible RPG from Square Enix, Roland fills a niche role. However, in this role, no one surpasses him.

His job is to reduce the Polearm Res. of the enemies. He can do this in multiple ways thanks to his passive Master Cavalryman, and his skills Defortifying Spice, Rush, and his ultimate Four Dragons. This makes Roland incredibly effective when needed. He also has multiple debuffs to the Phys. Def. and damage increases to polearm users.

It certainly won't do the damage of Krauser or W'Ludai, but it's not far off. In addition, it is the fastest of all merchants. Without a doubt a fundamental piece that will make a difference when the time calls for him.

Therion

I've mentioned above why Therion and A2 share honors in the highest tier. His 3* passive is tremendously powerful. Divine Feat: When using Boost MAX on an ability, that ability is used a second time in a row.

This transforms Therion into a battering ram capable of maxing out the damage cap relatively easily. If we add to this that he has the highest speed stat in CotC, we undoubtedly have a character that hits like a truck at the speed of a racing car.

It's a great option for daily farming. He's able to sustain himself by recovering HP and SP on his own, and he's also excellent at breaking shields, even if the enemies are not weak to its cover. Certainly, a traveler who's useful in our group today and in the long term.

Tier S

Alaune

Princess Alaune could easily be in the top tier, but I've decided to keep the S+ slots for a small number of travelers, making that tier a bit more exclusive.

Without a doubt, Alaune is one of the most versatile characters in CotC. Her kit includes offensive, defensive, and support skills. And this does not imply that one of the areas is significantly worse than another. 4.5* in Elemental Damage, 4.5* in healing, and double 4* in Tanking and Shield Breaking.

3 hit Fire and Light AoE attacks. Healing and regeneration for the front row. A single revive that can be used three times. And finally, an ultimate that in addition to healing allies, increases their maximum HP by 25%. Certainly, a princess who will rescue the group on more than one occasion dealing considerable elemental damage at the same time.

Alfyn

One of my favorite travelers. The pomegranate boy.

Undoubtedly his most important skill is Pomegranate Panacea: Restore BP of Entire Front Row (amount: 1-4 based on Boost Lv.), but delay actions during turn. *Can be used 2 times per battle.

Thanks to this snack Alfyn abilitates many other travelers which lets us set up many of the most powerful turns against difficult enemies. He also works as an off-healer by having the ability to give HP regeneration to the front row. All this without forgetting that his capabilities as a breaker for Axe and Ice coverage, and his durability in battle are above average.

A traveler who undoubtedly enables many of the most valuable strategies for hard content in CotC. "The strongest attackers in this game reach their maximum potential thanks to a pomegranate."

Auguste

Something that undoubtedly makes Auguste stand out is his very peculiar kit of skills. He has good coverage being able to deal dagger, tome, and dark damage. Also, Auguste can self-sustain his BP when attacking with a dagger or tome thanks to his passive Unbridled Passion that changes and improves some of his skills.

Auguste is also able to lower dagger resist, which makes him great in combination with A2 and Therion. While we haven't mentioned the accessories we get from Awakening IV a traveler, the Playwright's Quill we get from Auguste is certainly formidable allowing a traveler to start the battle with a full ultimate bar.

Although in the long term, Auguste can be substituted for newer travelers in his role, he is still useful doing a good job when he's needed. A solid character overall.

Cyrus

Cyrus is in some way a traveler that presents certain parallels with A2. Just as the aforementioned traveler has ample coverage in terms of physical damage, Cyrus is currently the character with the highest coverage for elemental damage in CotC. This is thanks to how he's capable of dealing Fire, Ice, and Lightning damage (+Tome).

Cyrus isn't higher in the tier because he doesn't contribute much outside of damage, but what more can we ask for an elemental nuker? Some travelers are considered "The best Ice attacker", "The best Wind attacker", etc., but Cyrus is simply "The best scholar", period.

His EATK is the highest in CotC, which makes him the best traveler when it comes to raw damage from Ice and Lightning (and even Tome). His multi-hit skills allow him to bypass the hit damage cap with relative ease. In addition, he is a great farmer thanks to his powerful AoE skills.

Although in the long run in JP, certain travelers who have not yet reached our lands can replace Cyrus at times when a lot of specialization is required, Cyrus will remain in force for a long, long time.

Frederica

Roland and Frederica from the Triangle Strategy collaboration received buffs when they reached the global server due to their low popularity and efficiency on the Japanese server.

This is certainly notable since Frederica is the most powerful fire attacker in Orsterra. The damage dealt by Eruption or Sunfall is tremendous. Also, she is the only traveler capable of directly increasing the fire damage of other allies thanks to her skill Enchanting Spice.

If we add to this the effect of his passive Magic Ablaze, which increases the Elem. Atk. of the entire front row, if a burning enemy is present, we have in Frederica an erupting volcano that also empowers many group builds that undoubtedly appreciate having her for company.

Herminia

Probably the best of the 3 characters that were present in the "Champions" banner. Auguste certainly has an attractive kit, and while in Herminia's case, her role is somewhat more specific as a breaker, she does this job excellently and with ample coverage.

She features three 4 hit attacks for her three damage types: Bow, Fan, and Light. Her ATK stat is quite high, 2nd highest among hunters, only behind Kersjes.

She maintains a longevity similar to that of Auguste. That is to say, although, in the long run, she can be replaced at certain specific moments, a traveler with such wide coverage and multi-hit skills for each damage type will always be useful and good to have in almost every fight.

Lars

Lars is a physical damage nuker capable of dealing tremendous amounts of damage with his single target, random target, and AoE sword skills.

He has one of the highest ATK stats in CotC, including all jobs (he's second only to Olberic and Kersjes). In addition to this, he shares with Z'aanta the characteristic of having a 5-hit non-boosted attack, making him an excellent breaker.

His participation in various cups such as Yan Long, Glossom, Varkyn, Yuunie (all weak to swords), etc., makes him incredibly useful for these matchups where we can get new travelers and thus increase our roster.

An added plus is that he is a very good addition to wind-focused teams thanks to the fact that his skill Gleaming Gale reduces the resistances of all enemies to that element by 10%.

It's hard to place warriors in the highest tiers unless they're extraordinarily versatile and/or relevant as there are so many of them. Nevertheless, reaching Tier S means they are solid enough to stay the least in the current meta for a moderate time.

Lynette

I think I had been very harsh with a traveler who had chosen me as a companion since my first days in Orsterra. Lynette is without a doubt the 5* traveler who has appeared in my pulls the most times and I value her highly.

However, in the latest version of this Tier List, I positioned it in Tier A. I have decided to raise it one tier due to its popularity as a target when rerolling.

What makes her a highly sought-after traveler at the beginning of Orsterra's journeys is her quality as a buffer, which allows her to fit into practically any team comp in the end game without a problem. She can easily be the first to act on your team allowing her to buff, debuff, or shave shields with Fire AOE skills.

Her 3* skill Masterful Cheer III and its ultimate Child of the Dance are what make her shine. The first skill increases the Phys. Atk, and the Elem. Atk at 20% (the highest amount possible in a skill that affects the entire front row in both characteristics). The ultimate increases these same stats + the speed, and this stacks with buffs from regular skills, making Lynette an extremely versatile dancer who will accompany many from their first days and for a long time in their battles.

Ophilia

Some other characters in the S+ and S tiers are indeed able to heal our allies despite not being clerics. They do the job when we need versatility. However, when the occasion demands a dedicated healer 100% to this task, Ophilia is undoubtedly the best option.

Even in the JP version, Ophilia is still considered one of the best-dedicate healers in the game. She has a large amount of SP making the task of supporting and healing our group an easy task.

She can heal with great power, grant HP regeneration, increase physical and magical defenses as well, and remove debuffs. Without a doubt, Ophilia has everything necessary to take care of the group. And she could not miss the ability to revive fallen allies, either individually, or all the fallen if we use her ultimate Aelfric's Affection.

The icing on the cake is that thanks to one of her passives, he can automatically revive when she falls for the first time in battle. If I open up an extra slot in the S+ Tier, Ophilia would probably be the one to fill it.

Rondo

Rondo made a lot of noise when he arrived thanks to his ultimate. Aelfric's Judgement is amazing. The sword and light damage is super powerful, but the fact that he gains a buff called Secred Flame Blessing which allows Rondo to recover 3 BP per turn for 4 turns makes him contend for the best ultimate skill in CotC.

If we add to this that he can recover HP and SP with his other skills, we can say that Rondo is an auto-sustainable warrior, capable of spamming sword and light damage, making him deserve this place in Tier S. However, we have to treat warriors carefully. Many very good warriors will be arriving soon, and Rondo may start becoming replaceable in a not-so-long period.

Don't get me wrong. Rondo can deal considerable amounts of hybrid damage, and he also has a 5-hit AoE attack which undoubtedly makes him a good breaker. He is also extremely valuable in certain compositions. His moment as one of the best warriors in CotC will depend on how quickly the travelers who compete with him for the role he plays in our group arrive.

Sarisa

Sarisa is undoubtedly one of those travelers who have surprised many by being much more useful and efficient than they might initially seem.

Flameblade Scheme is a debuff that stacks with other debuffs, reducing sword, dagger, and fire resistances. Additionally, Sarisa moves to the back row after this, allowing her three passives to come into play.

Similarly to Rinyuu it provides backpack support, granting automatic SP recovery and increased Phys Atk. to the ally in front of her. This makes Sarisa a great nuker partner.

Her Ultimate Heavenly Gift reduces five shields even if the enemy has no weakness to daggers and makes Sarisa immediately move to the back row. All of this together makes Sarisa the best support thief that our group can have.

Sofia EX

Using a term I mentioned earlier in this article, Sofia EX is the best wind attacker in CotC. Odette certainly comes into play and in terms of offensive capabilities they are similar.

However, what makes Sofia EX stand out in my opinion is that she is also very flexible and versatile. She can increase allies' stats, as well as Ice and Wind resistances by 20% and heal HP and SP and the same time thanks to her Marine Wisdom passive.

All this is in addition to being able to grant HP regeneration if necessary. Odette is an amazing traveler thanks to her dual coverage of Light and Wind, but if we need to focus on a wind nuker without losing versatility, Sofia EX would be my choice (and without a doubt, both travelers work wonderfully together on wind teams!)

Tithi

Tithi is the second dancer on this list of Tier S+ and S. And although she competes strongly with Eleonora and Lynette for a position in Tier S, certainly her role in the group, which is quite particular, made me choose her over Eleonora for this spot.

This dancer is an amazing support, one of the best in CotC. TT can reach the 30% cap of physical and magical attack debuff for all enemies alone. She can also reach this cap for physical and magical attack buffs for our front row. This is thanks to the fact that her skills stack.

Undoubtedly a characteristic that makes it unique and that, just like the most powerful dancers, enables very particular strategies capable of finishing off the most powerful enemies in a way that would be impossible without her.

Another reason why I put her in this position above Eleonora (for a close margin), is that it seems to me that the passage of time suits her better. In other words, despite the arrival of new travelers, TT remains more relevant for the content that will gradually arrive.

Her ultimate Thunder God's Cessation and her skill General's March give 1 BP to our front row (plus dealing damage / and buffing our party), and even if she doesn't stand out for doing a lot of damage, she is a very good breaker thanks to her 4 and 3 multi-hit fan and lightning attacks. All this makes her seem like a dancer of great capacity and with significant longevity.

W'ludai

It might be slightly controversial to place W'ludai above Krauser. However, while Krauser has higher damage potential than W'ludai, it's the latter that certainly excels in a greater number of areas than Krauser.

Both are good breakers, and W'ludai's damage capacity with the spear is not negligible she was the most powerful user of this weapon until the arrival of Krauser. But if we talk about survivability, W'ludai is undoubtedly much better.

Travelers who can self-sustain in battle are much more valuable in my opinion. W'ludai can heal herself by using his highest damage-dealing skill. If we combine this with any source of HP regeneration W'ludai will stay on her feet dealing damage almost indefinitely.

If we add this ultimate Hydra Pierce, the only ability in the game capable of hitting up to 8 times, which combines amazingly well with Javaline Rush (which deals spear damage at the start of each turn) we can do 9 spear hits in a single turn!

This girl is a bit SP thirsty, but having an SP battery and/or her A4 accessory W'ludai's Satchel helps with this. A tight decision for the spot in the top tiers, but without a doubt, W'ludai deserves the title of the best merchant in CotC. Over time, swords end up being the meta, but when spears are necessary, having W'ludai will always come in handy.

Zenia

The best attacker specializing in the dark element arrived last October. We can say that it is the dark version of Hayes with certain improvements.

Black Heart Inhibitor it's a very powerful skill. A priority attack that hits four times for dark damage in addition to reducing Elem. Def. of the enemy.

Speaking of A4 accessories again, Poysenbalm, Zenia's accessory is certainly one you shouldn't pass up as it lowers Elem Def. and inflicts poison when breaking an enemy. This activates Zenia's passive Knowledge of Toxicology, which buffs paired allies with Elem. Atk. Up 30% and raise Dark damage dealt by 30% when a poisoned enemy is present, making Zenia (or the equipped traveler) and her column ally incredibly powerful.

With the ability to efficiently reduce the shields of multiple enemies weak to darkness, while empowering teams focused on Elemental Damage, Zenia closes our Tier S list.

Farewell

It's been hard work, but I hope this tier list is helpful to the entire community. Being able to present this list can certainly enlighten new travelers (and some not-so-new ones) a bit about which characters will last over time or are extremely good in the present.

This added to knowing the rankings that I have given to these travelers, gives us a better overview of who we should take into account first when facing our great challenges.

However, this does not mean that lower-tier travelers cannot cast extraordinary roles at opportune moments. Gilderoy for example is a great tank, and Scarecrow works amazing as a breaker.

This is just one example of how this work of opinion + statistics can be useful, but in the end, what matters the most is traveling in the company of the group that makes our adventures much more memorable.

See you soon. Thank you for leaving any opinion about this Tier List in the comment section below, or on my Twitter, surely everything will help me to make the next edition of the Tier List much better.

Remember to stop at the gate often. And till then, my friend, farewell; May your travels through Orsterra be marvelous!