With the latest update to Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (COTC), Expert Hunts have been introduced, providing new challenges and rewarding opportunities for seasoned players. If you’re looking to maximize your daily rewards and tackle tougher foes, this guide covers everything you need to know about unlocking, preparing for, and mastering Expert Hunts.

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1. Unlocking Expert Hunts

Expert Hunts are not available by default and require completing a series of steps to unlock. First, you must clear the corresponding regular hunt for each region. After doing so, a side quest NPC will appear in the inn of that region’s main town. The first four Expert Hunts are located in Valore, Emberglow, Theatropolis, and Ripple Tide.

To unlock these hunts, you’ll need to collect five medals from NPCs around the town, which are gated behind higher-level path actions. Ensure your influence levels are sufficient to access these actions. Once you’ve gathered all five medals, return them to the quest-giving NPC to unlock the Expert Hunt.

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2. Expert Hunt Mechanics

Expert Hunts use a separate hunt ticket system, providing one normal and one expert ticket daily. This effectively doubles your chances of acquiring Guidestones and Sacred Seals, the latter of which are essential for class upgrades. While the drop rates for Sacred Seals remain unchanged, the additional tickets mean you can make up to six attempts per day, significantly enhancing your resource acquisition.

Influence requirements for Expert Hunts are higher than their regular counterparts, with the second and third reward boxes needing 400 and 600 influence, respectively. Be sure to level up your influence ranks accordingly to maximize your rewards.

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3. Enemy Levels and Key Differences

As expected, the enemies in Expert Hunts are tougher, with levels ranging from the mid-60s to 80. Unlike regular hunts, Expert Hunts lack the healing torch before the boss fight. However, a guaranteed Kate spawn replaces this function. The Kate can be used repeatedly to heal your backline characters by engaging and fleeing the battle, allowing them to recover HP and SP between fights.

Additionally, there are no random Kate spawns in Expert Hunts, so you’ll need to rely on this guaranteed encounter for your healing needs.

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4. Dealing with Super Enemies

In each Expert Hunt, there is a chance for a super enemy to appear in place of a regular enemy. These foes are even stronger than the standard bosses, presenting a significant challenge. While defeating them is not mandatory to clear the hunt, doing so grants access to chests with higher-tier loot.

If you’re confident in your team’s strength, taking on these super enemies can yield valuable rewards. However, if you’re not ready, you can safely bypass them without affecting your hunt completion.

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5. Efficient Resource Management

With Expert Hunts doubling your daily Guidestone gains, they provide an efficient way to accumulate resources quickly. Focus on completing both your regular and expert hunts daily to build up a steady supply of Guidestones and Sacred Seals.

Make sure to manage your influence effectively to unlock all reward boxes and maximize the benefits of your hunt runs. Also, consider saving your hunt tickets for days when you have time to complete both hunts fully.

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6. Preparing for Future Content

The introduction of Expert Hunts also hints at the release of more advanced battle-tested NPCs and weapons, including the BT Dagger, Staff, Fan, and Sword, along with the Fenrir, Innocent, and Tyrant 4 weapon series. As these items become available, prioritize your hunts accordingly to gather the materials needed for crafting and upgrades.

Staying on top of your Expert Hunts will ensure you’re prepared for the next wave of challenging content.

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Final Thoughts

Expert Hunts add a new layer of complexity and reward to COTC’s gameplay, offering both a challenge and a path to faster progression. By optimizing your influence levels, managing your hunt tickets efficiently, and taking advantage of the guaranteed Kate for healing, you can master these hunts and set your team up for success.

Keep an eye out for future updates and new hunts, and as always, happy adventuring!