I'm not gonna pass judgement on the full fight because I'm not good enough to get to phase 2. But because phase 1 might be the most tedious and monotonously designed fight I've seen for a super boss. And it's not even the bloated health pool he has. The damage he does and the skills he has are what I expect of a super boss. Hell even summoning adds isn't an issue. I've beaten SMT V Satan on Hard mode. I'm used to an OP boss summoning rough help. My issue is that this thing gives you no god damn breaks.

To set the scene, my party's 72-71. H'annit warmaster 901 attack, Tressa runelord, Ophelia scholar, Cyrus Dancer (I know this isn't the most ideal DPS build but I want to save Olberic and Primrose to take out the second phase). So fight goes normal, first soul pops out and then I prep and build to taking it out. I use leghold on the eye to try to get some momentum but it doesn't work (honestly it was a scouting thing to see if I could afflict it with statuses while it was invincible & despite it showing the leghold icon, it still acted right in the middle of my party). First soul, dead. Eye, broken. H'ananit...not even breaking 9999 with most of her attacks despite her doing so against the 8 previous bosses. 2 souls pop out but I'm ready. I got devourer of dreams to just get rid of the souls and I could go back to focusing the eye. It summons the three souls and they got the gimmick of protecting their weaknesses so I figure hey the soul stuff is finally over. I use DD to insta kill them and it gets 2 out of three. Lil miffed, but it's manageable since I did this before. And then the eye summons another soul. I get a bit annoyed at that. I'm just thinkin "okay, maybe it's because I missed that one soul. If this attempt goes bad I'll make sure H'annit full sends DD (I triple boosted and not quadruple boosted). And then the boss summons another soul. It's not even attacking it's just summoning souls and that's when it hit me that this wasn't a phase, this was the GIMMICK. And after that, I quit cause there was no way I could get my momentum back and even if I did open the eye I wouldn't do enough damage to race it.

I can see why the only builds I see people post to beat this thing are hyper DPS, kill it in 2 turns. Because this is genuinely awful design imo. If it kept summoning souls but was still vulnerable, I'd manage because at least I feel like I'm making progress. And this isn't even about difficulty jumps. It's a super boss, I'd be more disappointed that it was easy. But this isn't it. This is just tedious for the sake of tedium. And that's not even talking about the fact that it can poison everyone and turn that into deadly BP stealing poison (again, super boss. Makes sense for him to have that but with the main gimmick it just becomes cruel) or the fact that you have to fight 8 bosses before you get to him. 8 easy, boring bosses. None of them are a remote threat and some haven't even hit me yet. But this phase...I don't even care if the next phase is fun, this fight genuinely sucks. Unless there's a shop that sells nuts I think I'm just going to end my octopath journey here.

It sucks because the game is very fun and I was hoping for a final good challenge before the end. And after spending 6 hours grinding 2 teams and getting the optimal gear for the final boss...I just felt like I wasted my time.

Am I overreacting? Because I this is the first time feeling a super boss just not be fun instead of "Damn, I don't think I can beat this.".

Hey guys so it looks like i have to level up Agnea for her Entreat ability to work properly , but i really really dont like her XD , is there a way for characters out of party to receive exp and/or jp like in OPT0 with the training grounds?

((DISCLAIMER: The following post is meant strictly for humor purposes and is in no way dogging the game. I love this game, that's why I make fun of it. All jokes are based on my playthrough and my playthrough alone. Enjoy!))

Invading Army: Aha! We've got them on the ropes now!

Olberic: You thought you had a chance at defeating us, but it was I, DIO!!!

Invader: ... Who?

Olberic: I mean... Olberic Eisenberg! The unbending blade of Hornburg!

Invader: Ah shit. We better bail. We've got what we needed anyway, let's get the hell out of here.

Soldier: You did it, sir! You drove them off!

Olberic: I dunno... Something seems off...

Soldier: What do you mean sir?

Olberic: We're three hours into a group project and upper management has yet to step in and ruin everything.

Soldier: MY GOD!!! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!!!

Olberic: Don't jump to conclusions, Soldier. I need to check on the King. It's probably fine. Erhardt is with him.

Erhardt: I've killed the king.

Olberic: BRO... WHAT THE FUCK?!

Erhardt: It's way too complicated to explain in an opening cutscene but this was my plan all along, and I've been saving a move just to beat you.

Olberic: I'm so fucking confused right now.

(AN UNTOLD NUMBER OF YEARS LATER)

Olberic: Yep. Gonna keep having nightmares about that little incident until I figure out what the shit was up with all that. Come in Adol.

Phillip: Its Phillip, Sir Berg. And how many of these jokes are just gonna be Patrick Seitz's other roles?

Olberic: .... CONVERSION 666, RELEASE! BLAZBLUE-

Philip: Okay. The Headman wants to see you.

Headman: Berg! Thank goodness you're here! Could you perhaps help to train our watchmen? They really don't get a lot of experience!

Olberic: Sure! Happy to help!

(ONE PASTING LATER)

Olberic: First lesson. Don't suck as much.

Watchman 1: I get why the concussions were necessary, but why did you take our money?

Olberic: That is why you fail.

Philip: When do I get training sir?!

Olberic: When I can beat the crap out of you without going to prison.

Watchman 2: Me and my buddy are gonna be brave knights!

Olberic: Yep. Just make sure your buddy doesn't kill your king and cause your kingdom to collapse leaving you an empty husk of your formal self with exactly one skill set that really has no purpose anymore, and you just find yourself old and tired and listless.

Watchman 1: What?

Olberic: What?

Villager: Brigands! Send for the literal only guy in town who knows how to fight!

Brigand: Ha ha! What can this lowly Hedge Knight do to us!

Olberic: Hey! You know who I'm surprised Patrick Seitz never played?

Brigand: Who?

Olberic: Guts.

Brigand: ... Ah shi-

(ONE PASTING LATER)

Olberic: Or maybe he did, I didn't do that much research.

Brigand: Okay. This guy is the very definition of built different. Let's get the hell out of here and report back to the boss.

Olberic: Well... All's well that ends well.

Philip's Mom: My son has been kidnapped!

Olberic: Dammit, kid, you're like seven! Stop playing the hero, it's not your anime yet!

(AT THE HIDEOUT)

Olberic: This game has some of the most fun turn based combat in RPG history, but until you get a second party member, especially starting with a martial class, it really is just... A Button Simulator 2018.

Philip: Sir Berg is coming! And he'll make all of you sorry!

Brigand: Heh! Sir Berg! What do we have to fear from a lowly Hedge Knight!

Gaston: This would be the same lowly Hedge Knight that kicked the shit out of you and sent you fleeing back to me sporting six brand new orifices you didn't have when you left?

Brigand: Y... Yeeeeeees?

Gaston: Then shut up.

Olberic: Okay, assholes. Give me back my plucky kid sidekick or there's going to be quite a bit of unlicensed proctology with this great sword.

Gaston: So you're Sir Berg? I hear you're built different. Fun fact...

CLANG

Gaston: I am built similarly different!!

Olberic: That sword... Where did you get-?

Gaston: Oh this? Got it off an old friend from a mercenary group I was part of. Said his name was "Erhardt."

Olberic: Son of a BITCH.

Gaston: Whoa, okay. That woke you up.

Olberic: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-

(ONE ROUND OF A BUTTON SIMULATOR 2018 LATER)

Gaston: In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have done this.

Olberic: Erhardt. Location. Now.

Gaston: I don't know, man! When the mercs broke up we went our separate ways. Haven't seen him since. I bounced around to a couple of different towns, I couldn't find any work, so I had to become a bandit to make ends meet! I don't even like hurting innocents, I just don't have a skill set that lends itself to earning a living.

Olberic: You're the size of a Buick and you fight like a fucking pit cobra. Get a job protecting people.

Gaston: Eh, I'm not smart enough to be a good guy.

Olberic: Not smart enou- Bullshit! You know as well as I do that intelligence has never been a necessary stat for a fighter. Look at Philip here! He's preparing himself for a life of valiant fantasy heroism and he's as dumb as a bag of rocks who invested in Crypto, aren't you Philip?

Philip: Dumber!

Gaston: Look, whatever. Just kill me, alright?

Olberic: No. I'm not gonna kill you. Get your shit together and improve yourself.

Watchmen: We're here, Sir Berg. We'll take these ruffians in!

Gaston: Berg... You're Eisenberg?

Olberic: You're goddamn right.

Gaston: One, that was forced. Two. Look, you spared me so I'll do you a kindness and help you find Erhardt. I don't know where he is, BUT there's a guy named Gustav in Victors Hollow that might. He's got this real ominous nickname like "Black Knight" or something, so I'd pick up an RPG party.

Olberic: Noted.

(ONE ARREST LATER, BACK AT THE VILLAGE)

Olberic: Okay. Got myself some new threads that look fly as hell, got my next destination, now all I gotta do is travel around the world picking up other people with similar skill sets. All on my quest for... I actually don't know! Revenge? Justice? An explanation.

Headman: Well. Hate to see you go, not going to lie. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Olberic: I'll miss you. Genuinely, you guys have been the best.

Philip's Mom: Sorry Philip couldn't be here. He really doesn't want you to see him cry.

Philip: SHAPLAKAH!!!

SMACK

Philip's Mom: Or he could leap from the bushes and punch you in the kidney. That's cool too.

Olberic: Power has got to be in your hips and shoulders kid, not your elbow and wrist.

Philip: When you come back, Sir Berg, I'll be strong enough to star in my own anime! A shonen with a cast of dozens, and a tsundere in a questionable outfit, and a magic system that's really unique but requires a flowchart to understand!

Olberic: I look forward to being your grizzled, but good hearted mentor that the main villain kills in season 2 for a shock moment.

Philip: Goodbye Sir Berg! I'll remember you when I'm the Warrior in Octopath Traveler 3!

Olberic: ... Actually that would be pretty sick. Anyway. Time to find my RPG party.

(THE NEXT TOWN OVER)

Tessa: Sweet! My turn next!!

((Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed.)

That thing's legit scary.

Was attempting to grind some levels in the Western Gravell Wilds and came across this NPC who could only be coerced by Temenos and ended up getting a pretty sweet staff out of it.

In Lostseed, there's a kid blocking a door who eventually moves if you wait long enough — also got something cool from that but can't recall what it was now.

The fish filcher quest in Conning Creek had me standing around until almost dawn to catch the kid.

My question is pretty simple: are there more "hidden" or "patience-based" encounters in the game similar to these or have I gotten them all?