The choice between wealth, power, and fame in Octopath Traveler 0 is a hard one, but mainly because the game presents it as a matter of high importance without further explanation. Mind you, the choice does matter, but not in the way you might think: It’s not the resulting quest, but the influence stat that matters most.
If you don’t know how to answer the “select what you seek” prompt, here’s whether to choose wealth, power, or fame in Octopath Traveler 0.
Which influence to choose in Octopath Traveler 0
During the Prologue mission (the first main quest), you’ll be presented with a choice between wealth, fame, and power. This will happen shortly after you’ve begun the renovation works in Wishvale, following the disaster at the festival. You’ll be asked to “select what you seek.”
Although the game makes it seem like an important decision, this choice actually doesn’t matter that much. Each of the three options is linked to a specific main quest and villain, but you can pursue whichever one you wish, no matter which choice you initially make. Furthermore, you can pursue all three quests at the same time. It’s perfectly possible to pick “power,” start with the “wealth” quest instead, switch to “fame,” and go back to “power” whenever it suits you.
That said, you do get to see a small introduction screen with some background lore on the villain and region based on your choice. You also gain +1 influence stat point, either wealth, power, or fame, based on which one you pick.
- Choose wealth: You gain +1 wealth and your active quest is set to “The Master of Wealth.” During this quest, you’ll pursue Herminia, the Covetous Witch, who resides in the forest region of Valore.
- Choose power: You gain +1 power and your active quest is set to “The Master of Power.” During this quest, you must defeat Tytos, the Scarlet Tyrant, in the frostlands region of Emberglow.
- Choose fame: You gain +1 fame and your active quest is set to “The Master of Fame.” This quest centers on Auguste, Genius Playwright, in the flatlands region of Theatropolis.
Wealth, power, and fame influence the success of your path actions — a.k.a. your attempts to obtain items from random NPCs. Every character in the game is aligned with one of the three stats, and depending on their alignment, you can use the following path actions while talking to them:
- Wealth alignment: You can buy items from this NPC and haggle for better prices.
- Power alignment: You can battle this NPC to obtain their items.
- Fame alignment: You can entreat this NPC to give you their possessions.
The higher your wealth, power, or fame stat compared to the NPC’s, the greater your chance of success. As you may not wish to spend much money or engage in difficult battles so early in the game, it’s recommended to pick fame when asked “what do you seek?” That +1 fame might be enough to convince some NPCs to give you free items!
Don’t forget to check the success rate as you entreat NPCs — if it’s (close to) 100%, best to give it a try.
