Square Enix introduced the day and nighttime mechanic in Octopath Traveler 2, which allows you to change the time of the day with just a press of a button. This changes the overworld dynamic, as some locations will have certain NPCs at different times of the day, allowing you to use different Path Actions. Path Actions are character actions that are unique to each hero and heroine, and different Path Actions are only accessible during daytime or nighttime.
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Throughout your journey in Octopath Traveler 2, you'll encounter various NPCs who will aid you in your quests in one way or another, and some will only appear at night. Knowing the best nighttime Path Actions will always ensure that you are ready for any NPC you'll meet along the way.
8 Soothe
Soothe is Castti the Apothecary's nighttime Path Action. Lore-wise, this allows her to heal any NPCs of anything that ails them and put them to sleep. What this does is knock them out and clear a path that is previously blocked by the NPC.
While Soothe does not have any level requirement or success rate, it requires rare items that are found in the overworld. It is better to spend these items wisely and only use Soothe should a side quest require this specific nighttime Path Action.
7 Bribe
While Hikari the Warrior's daytime Path Action seems exciting, his nighttime Path Action, Bribe, is simply what it says: bribing NPCs for valuable information. You can use your valuable silver leaves to pay NPCs in exchange for any information they may have. The amount you need to pay may vary between NPCs, so be prepared to spend thousands of leaves when bribing.
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There are other options for obtaining information during nighttime, such as Temenos' Coerce, but if you have plenty of leaves to spare, Bribe is the fastest way to obtain information at night.
6 Mug
Osvald the Scholar has spent a long time in prison, and these years have given him a very specific set of skills. He can Mug an NPC at night, and winning against that NPC will reward him with all the NPC's belongings.
Be wary though; this Path Action requires you to beat the NPC in battle, and the battle difficulty may depend on the NPC's current level. What's great about Osvald's Path Action is that it only requires you to win the battle, and you'll obtain all the NPC's items, unlike Partitio's and Throné's daytime Path Actions.
5 Hire
As a Merchant, Partitio's skills revolve around spending money, and you can Hire an NPC in exchange for their services. Partitio's nighttime Path Action is similar to Temenos' daytime Path Action, Guide, but requires you to pay for the NPCs to follow you around. You can also summon these hired NPCs to aid you in battle.
There are times that it is best to Hire NPCs for cheap, but some side quests require you to fetch NPCs and have them follow you around to the next side quest NPC. It is best to recruit these NPCs using a different Path Action, as hiring them may not give you the best value for your money.
4 Ambush
Using her wits and agility as a Thief, Throné has a very interesting nighttime Path Action. She can Ambush anyone as long as she is within the level threshold. It provides her with a much easier way to knock NPCs out, unlike Castti's Soothe, which requires rare items to succeed.
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In comparison, Throné has a better and easier knock-out Path Action compared to most of her party members. Keeping her in your party may prove to be useful if you plan on using her Path Actions more frequently.
3 Entreat
Agnea the Dancer uses her alluring grace to Entreat people of their items. Compared to Osvald's Mug, Entreat is an easier way to obtain items as you do not have to beat an NPC in a battle, which means you are sure to obtain these items as long as you are within the level threshold.
Mugging NPCs for items may sometimes be counter-productive, as you may have to use items to make sure Osvald wins the battle. Agnea's Entreat works like Partitio's Purchase Path Action, except that you don't spend money as long as you have a high enough level. This is by far the best Path Action to use to obtain items.
2 Befriend
The Hunter Ochette has a fascinating nighttime Path Action. Her Befriend Path Action requires her to use items on people to encourage them to join your party, but these are not just ordinary items. Quite similar to Castti's Soothe Path Action, which requires rare items to use, Ochette has to prepare her captured beasts or monsters and turn them into items.
Befriend allows you to obtain many different nighttime followers without having to spend your money, and the items needed for this Path Action are plentiful — as long as Ochette has enough beasts and monsters.
1 Coerce
Possibly one of the best Path Actions in Octopath Traveler 2, Coerce is Temenos' nighttime Path Action. Coerce allows you to glean information from NPCs without having to spend your silver leaves. To do so, Temenos has to enter a battle with the NPC you want to glean information from and Break them. Yes, this Path Action does not require you to defeat the NPC; only Break them.
Temenos' Latent Power allows him to Break an NPC's Shield no matter what their weaknesses are, therefore allowing you to have an easy Coerce. Coerce's difficulty is based on the NPC's strength, but you can always go back to the same NPC should you really require their information. This way, you can slowly build up your Latent Power gauge and have a higher chance of a successful Coerce.
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