Most people play Square Enix's HD-2D masterpiece for the eight core stories. You pick a character—maybe Cyrus because he's a glass cannon or Primrose for that gritty revenge plot—and you start running toward those green icons on the map. But honestly? You're missing the soul of Orsterra if you ignore the NPCs standing on street corners with speech bubbles over their heads.
Octopath Traveler side quests aren't your typical "kill five slimes" fetch quests. They’re weird. They’re cryptic. Sometimes, they’re downright heartbreaking. They don’t just give you a Leaf reward and a pat on the back; they weave the entire world together in a way the main chapters often fail to do.
The Problem With "Side Story" Logic
If you’ve played any modern RPG, you're used to quest markers. You see a yellow exclamation point, you talk to the guy, he tells you his cat is stuck in a tree, and a giant glowing arrow points you to the tree.
Octopath doesn't do that. It treats you like an adult.
When you pick up a quest like "The Slumbering Giant" or "Kit, the Traveler," the game basically says, "Good luck, figure it out." You have to actually use your Path Actions. You might need to Guide an NPC from three towns away back to the quest giver. Or maybe you need to Scrutinize a random librarian to find a specific piece of lore that solves a merchant’s problem in a completely different desert.
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It’s messy. It’s non-linear. It’s exactly what an adventure should feel like.
The Kit Thread You Probably Missed
Take Kit. You meet him right at the start. He needs a Grape. Easy, right? You give him the healing item and he wanders off. Most players forget he exists. But Kit is the literal thread that ties the entire endgame together. If you don't follow his specific chain of side stories—which involve crossing paths with a troupe of actors and a very specific mercenary—you will never see the Gate of Finis. You'll never fight the true final boss, Galdera.
Think about that for a second. The most important narrative beat in the entire 80-hour experience is gated behind what looks like a throwaway tutorial quest. That’s bold. It’s also kinda frustrating if you aren't paying attention.
How Octopath Traveler Side Quests Build the World
There’s this one quest in Clearbrook. "Meryl, Lost then Found." It sounds generic. But it evolves. First, you help her find her way. Then, later in the game, you find her again in a completely different region, struggling with her identity and her past.
These aren't isolated incidents.
The NPCs in this game have lives. They move. When you use Alfyn’s "Inquire" or Cyrus’s "Scrutinize," you see these little flavor text snippets. Sometimes they’re funny. Often, they’re dark. You might find out a "friendly" guard is actually a corrupt extortionist. The side quests allow you to interact with that hidden layer of the world.
You aren't just a hero; you're a meddler.
Why You Need Multiple Solutions
One of the coolest things about the Octopath Traveler side quests system is the "A or B" logic. Most quests have at least two ways to solve them.
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Let's say a merchant is being bullied by a thug. You have options:
- You can use Olberic or H'aanit to Challenge/Provoke the thug and beat him up.
- Or, you could find a witness in another town, use Tressa or Therion to get a specific item or information, and "buy" your way out of the problem.
This flexibility makes the party composition feel relevant. It’s not just about who hits hardest in a break phase. It’s about whose social skills you need right now. If you’re running a party without a "stealth" character like Therion, you might find yourself locked out of certain solutions until you swap him back in at the tavern.
Hidden Rewards That Actually Matter
In most games, side quest rewards are garbage. A potion? A few coins? No thanks.
In Orsterra, side stories are where the high-tier gear lives. You want the Elemental Augmentor? You better start talking to NPCs in Stonegard. You want the best shields that don't cost a fortune at the shop? Side quests.
More importantly, some quests unlock new NPC summons. If you Guide the right person after finishing their story, they might have a "Level 10" strength rating and a move set that can cheese a boss you’ve been struggling with for three hours.
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The Darker Side of Orsterra
Don't let the tilt-shift graphics and pretty pixels fool you. This game gets heavy.
There are quests involving human trafficking, grief, and absolute betrayal. Because the game doesn't force-feed you these stories, finding them feels more personal. When you help a grieving father find closure by bringing him a memento from his deceased son—using the "Purchase" action to literally buy a memory—it hits harder than the main plot beats sometimes do.
It’s about the "little people." While your eight heroes are busy saving the world or getting revenge, these NPCs are just trying to survive the night.
Common Misconceptions About Questing
A lot of people think you should wait until the "endgame" to do side quests.
That is a massive mistake.
If you wait until you're level 60 to do the level 10 quests, you’ll be bored out of your mind. Plus, you’ll miss out on the equipment that makes the mid-game manageable. The difficulty curve in Octopath is notorious. You’ll hit a wall around Chapter 3 for most characters. The solution isn't usually grinding monsters in a forest; it's going back to the towns and finishing those Octopath Traveler side quests you ignored.
The XP isn't the point. The gear and the access to new areas are.
Navigating the Cryptic Nature of Orsterra
If you’re stuck, stop looking at the map. Start looking at your inventory and your Path Actions.
- Check your "Information" tab. If you’ve Scrutinized everyone, you likely have a "Lead" that hasn't been used yet.
- Think about the NPC's physical location. If they’re looking for a lost item, it’s rarely in the same screen. It’s usually in a nearby dungeon or the next town over.
- Use the "Lure" or "Guide" actions. If an NPC mentions someone else by name, you probably need to physically bring that person to them.
- Steal everything. Seriously. Sometimes the quest item is just sitting in the pocket of a random old lady in a different kingdom.
The Final Verdict on Completionism
Is it worth doing every single quest?
Maybe not if you just want to see the credits roll. But if you want to understand the lore—like why the 13th god was banished or how the different kingdoms are actually politically linked—you have to do them. The game's narrative is a puzzle. The eight main stories are just the border pieces. The side quests are the actual picture in the middle.
Without them, the world feels empty. With them, Orsterra becomes one of the most lived-in environments in the RPG genre.
Your Next Steps in Orsterra
- Visit the Tavern: Check your side story log and see which quests are "In Progress." Most of them stay there because you’ve talked to the person but haven't found the "trigger" yet.
- Rotate Your Party: Take a dedicated "Information" gatherer (Cyrus/Alfyn) and a dedicated "Item" gatherer (Tressa/Therion) to every town. Clear out all the NPC interactions in one go.
- Focus on the "Kit" Chain: If you haven't helped the blond man outside your starting town, go find him. He moves to different locations like Noblecourt and the Moonstruck Coast. This is mandatory for the true ending.
- Don't Use a Guide Immediately: Try to solve at least five quests by just reading the dialogue. It changes how you perceive the game world when you actually "listen" to what the NPCs are complaining about.