How to beat Bandelam in Octopath Traveler 2

Players who choose Hikari in Octopath Traveler 2 are in for a treat during his second Chapter. In the city of Montwise, Hikari needs to go up against a boss that's literally nicknamed "The Reaper." Bandelam has a huge pool of health as well as abilities that hide his weaknesses, so breaking through his shield points will be a challenge.

Best weapons to use against Bandelam in Octopath Traveler 2

Even for an Octopath Traveler 2 boss, Bandelam has a huge amount of shield points, starting at six and increasing by two as the battle goes on. He also has five weaknesses, but he can lock some of them, only leaving two or three vulnerable at a time. For this reason, it's better to know all of his weaknesses beforehand. Bandelam is weak to the following weapon types:

• Spear
• Dagger
• Axe
• Fire
• Light

As Hikari, the only real weakness he can exploit would be Spear (unless he learns skills with other weapons through dueling). This means that players will have to plan out their party well. Castti is a great partner for Hikari in this instance with her Axe access as well as healing, which will come in handy in this battle.

Related: All Rusty Weapons and where to find them in Octopath Traveler 2

Agnea is another character with good potential here. She not only has Dagger access, but the Ruinous Kick skill, which lowers a Shield Point regardless of weapon weaknesses. In a similar vein, Hikari should be running Vengeful Sword here, which counters two attacks and automatically lowers shield points each time.

In general, players will need to bring as many heals as possible. Olives of Life will be very important as well, since Bandelam can easily knock out any party member. The gameplan should be to break his shield points as soon as possible and then fire away with Latent Powers and Boosted Attacks. If players are struggling hard, buying the Champion's Garb can help a lot with one party member's survivability.

Want more Octopath Traveler 2 guides? Pro Game Guides has you covered with How to complete A Devilishly Delicious Dish in Octopath Traveler 2.