Merchants turn money into power, using their wealth and resourcefulness to support allies and exploit opportunities in battle. The Merchant is a strong choice for a primary job, as the primary job determines a character’s core abilities, weapon choices, and overall playstyle throughout the game. As the protagonist’s job, Merchant offers valuable support and resourcefulness, making it an excellent option for enhancing party dynamics and providing strategic advantages in combat.
They can donate BP (Boost Points), collect money from your enemies and deal great damage with polearms and bows.
Related
- Octopath Traveler 0 Preview
- Ultimate Jobs Guide
- Best Starting Jobs Explained
- Octopath Traveler 0 Character Creation
- OT0 Town Building Guide
Merchant Description
Responsible for distributing goods all across Orsterra, merchants earn leaves and JP in a variety of ways. They support their allies with polearm and bow in hand.
Merchant Attribute Bonuses
The Merchant job in Octopath Traveler 0 has attribure bonuses to:
- Phys. Def.
- Max. SP
- Elem. Atk.
- Elem. Def.
These Elem. Atk. and Elem. Def. bonuses can improve the Merchant’s effectiveness with elemental attacks if equipped with the right gear or paired with skills from secondary jobs.
Merchant Weapons
The Merchant job can use the polearm and bow.
Merchant Job Skills
The best skills for the Merchant Job in Octopath Traveler 0 are Arrow Of Fortune, Rest, and Mystic Shot. Arrow Of Fortune is the best skill in Octopath Traveler 0 for early levels, as it helps you collect more JP. Rest is also an amazing early ability as it restores HP and SP with zero cost, and cures status ailments, functioning similarly to a first aid ability by providing essential healing and survivability in battle. Mystic Shot is an excellent bow attack which also restores SP to allies. The Merchants battle skills are amazing, making them one of the best starting jobs in the game.
| Skill | SP Cost | Description |
| Deadly Thrust | 20 | More easily land critical polearm hits on a foe, with a small chance for a critical effect. |
| Rest | 0 | Restore own HP/SP, and cure own status ailments. Functions similarly to first aid by providing healing and recovery. |
| Mystic Shot | 18 | Deal bow damage to all foes, and restore SP equal to 2% of damage dealt to the entire front row. |
| Collect | 3 | Collect leaves from a foe. |
| Piercing Thrust | 30 | Deal critical polearm damage to a foe. |
| Arrow of Fortune | 35 | Deal great bow damage, and obtain JP based on the damage dealt. |
| Donate BP | 5 | Grant 1 BP to an ally. |
| Bifelgan’s Bounty | ULT | Strong Non-Elemental attack. Gain leaves based on damage dealt. |
While the Merchant’s skills offer strong physical and supportive abilities, their damage output does not cover elemental attacks like light damage, which is a specialty of jobs such as the Cleric.
Merchant Support Skills
The Merchant’s support skills boost their Physical and Elemental Defense Rating, plus allow them to receive additional Leaves and BP.
| Skill | Description |
| Extra Leaves | Receive additional leaves at the end of battle (The effect is not cumulative). |
| Phys. Def. +50 | Raise the equipped character’s Phys. Def. by 50. |
| Elem. Def. +50 | Raise the equipped character’s Elem. Def. by 50. |
| Borrow BP | Borrow insufficient BP for Boost from paired back ally. Neither will restore BP next turn. |
Merchant Pros and Cons
Pros
- Incredibly versatile support class that can heal itself, restore SP, and donate BP to allies.
- Generates both money and JP during combat, rewarding efficient play and making grinding more productive.
- Access to polearms and bows provides both single-target and group damage options.
- Strong defensive stats give them surprising durability for a support role.
- Arrow of Fortune and Piercing Thrust allow the Merchant to deal real damage when needed.
Cons
- Lacks high burst damage without heavy SP investment.
- Some key abilities, like Donate BP and Arrow of Fortune, lose value in shorter battles.
- Dependent on accumulated resources and timing to reach full potential.
- Limited party-wide utility outside of BP support and resource recovery.
- Average speed and accuracy can cause them to act late in turn order.
Octopath Traveler 0 Merchant Explained
Starting out in Octopath Traveler 0, your approach to the Merchant job can set the tone for your entire adventure. In the early game, focus on building a foundation of support skills and battle skills that let your Merchant shine both as a team player and a reliable source of physical damage.
One of the Merchant’s greatest strengths is their ability to support the entire front row. Prioritize unlocking skills like Donate BP, which allows you to transfer valuable Boost Points to a paired back ally, keeping your team’s momentum strong in every battle. The Rest ability is another early game staple, letting you restore HP and SP to yourself and cure your own status ailments at no SP cost.
Equipping your Merchant with their signature weapons – the polearm and the bow in this case – ensures you can deal consistent physical damage and take advantage of the job’s knack for landing critical polearm hits. These merchant weapons are especially useful for breaking enemy shields and exploiting weaknesses, giving your team the upper hand in tough fights.
Effective BP management is crucial in the early stages of Octopath Traveler 0. Use Donate BP to keep your allies’ boost gauges filled, and don’t hesitate to restore BP when needed to maintain a steady flow of powerful attacks and support abilities. This is especially important when facing challenging enemies or bosses, where a well-timed boost can turn the tide of battle.
As you progress, focus on earning JP based on your performance in battle to unlock new skills and enhance your Merchant character’s capabilities. Balancing your skill set between support, damage, and attribute-boosting effects will make your Merchant a versatile asset to your party.
Finally, consider your party composition carefully. Pairing your Merchant with the Thief job or Warrior job can create a well-rounded team, combining the Merchant’s support and resource management with the offensive power and speed of other classes.
If you’d like a strong damage dealer instead, check out the Scholar job which can reveal hp and weaknesses while it can also deal damage to random foes with several elemental varieties. For another support role, consider the Dancer job in Octopath Traveler 0 which can extend duration for critical buffs or help your party act faster via dance skills and song skills.
By developing a strong early game strategy and picking the right jobs for your team, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle the main story, side stories, and every challenge that Octopath Traveler 0 throws your way.
