Why can’t I switch my character in Octopath Traveler 2?

Octopath Traveler 2 features eight characters and eight stories to explore. While you can eventually recruit all eight characters, you must choose your starting traveler first. Once you make this choice, you may notice that you cannot swap them out of your party. This may leave you wondering how to change your starting character in Octopath Traveler 2.

Can you change your main character in Octopath Traveler 2?

The answer is yes and no—you cannot change your starting character out of your party until you fully complete their story. This means you must use your starting character throughout the game until you finish all of their chapters. Once you do this, you are free to switch out your main character.

Related: How to sprint in Octopath Traveler 2

We recommend picking the character you like best or the one with the playstyle you like most. Consider each character's Path Actions and the party composition you want to use. For example, both Castti and Temenos can heal allies, but they have different playstyles, making them both viable but somewhat unnecessary to use at the same time.

If you are unhappy with your starting character choice, you will, unfortunately, have to restart the game or complete all that character's chapters before you can remove them from your party. This makes your starting character choice very important, so consider carefully who you choose.

For more information on Octopath Traveler, check out Best party for all Path Actions in Octopath Traveler 2 and All Stats in Octopath Traveler 2 and what they mean, Explained on Pro Game Guides.