- "What did your church do for your father before his death? Nothing but pray. They could offer you only empty words. We can offer you something more." —Mattias
Mattias, also known as The Savior, is a character in Octopath Traveler. He is a trader with the Leoniel Consortium, but also leads a secret cult that worships Galdera, the Fallen and plots to weaken the Sacred Flame to gain the dark god's power. He is the main antagonist and final boss of Ophilia’s story and an overarching antagonist of Primrose's story, having helped co-found the Obsidians alongside Simeon.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Mattias has medium-length sandy-brown hair and blue eyes. He wears a blue coat with fur trim, a light brown shirt, and black pants and boots; in battle, he wields a candelabrum scepter lit by the Sacred Flame.
Personality[]
As a merchant of the Leoniel Consortium, Mattias puts on a modest and kind personality. He is nevertheless eager to call others’ faith into question, telling Ophilia that he has seen much disease, poverty, war and natural disasters in his travels over the years, which makes him wonder if the gods truly care about mortal suffering. He especially questions why the Sacred Flame seems to bestow good fortune on some while turning its back on others. Despite his own lack of belief, he treats Ophilia's faith with respectful curiosity, finding her way of looking at the world to be "most fascinating." After their conversation in Goldshore, he expresses a desire to discuss the topic further with her.
In his own mind, however, Mattias has already decided that the gods couldn’t care less about mortal suffering. He has invested his faith wholly in himself, believing that he must wield divine power to bring about salvation. As such, he possesses an incredibly twisted sense of self-righteousness, thinking himself the “one true Savior” destined to release Galdera's bonds so that he might gain the dark god's power. He is skilled at bending others' hearts to his will by appealing to their deepest desires, and will not hesitate to employ lies, manipulation, kidnapping, murder, and even human sacrifice to achieve his ends. He does not believe in true love or friendship, instead scorning such bonds as superficial connections whose ruin is inevitable.
However, in his journal at the the Gate of Finis, Mattias reveals that he was once a devout believer in the Sacred Flame. Despite his present delusions of self-righteousness, he was once a genuinely good man, but became embittered by tragic circumstances beyond his control. When the gods failed to answer his prayers to save his loved ones, he fell away from his faith and began to descend into evil.
Story[]
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(I don't think this is where I should be going at the moment...) The following section contains potential story spoilers! |
115 years prior to the events of Octopath Traveler, Mattias, then called Matthew, was a priest of the Sacred Flame in the Frostlands. One fateful day, his village was struck by a capricious bolt of lightning, engulfing the settlement in wildfire. Despite his fervent prayers to the Flame, countless lives were lost in the fire. When the gods failed to bring about a miracle of salvation, Matthew concluded that his faith was worthless, and eventually reached a “revelation” that the gods couldn’t care less about humans or their suffering.
Later that year, Matthew gained immortality from Lyblac and co-established the Obsidians with Simeon. Backed by the Obsidians, Matthew established a separate cult worshiping Galdera, appointing himself as its leader. He sought to weaken the Sacred Flame, allowing more of the dark god’s power to exit the Gate of Finis.
Over time, Matthew cut ties with the church, using Galdera’s power to work his own miracles. In order to corrupt the Sacred Flame into the Accurst Flame, he established a cult following as the Savior of Wispermill in order to gain access to the ancient altar in the Ebony Grotto. He then worked his way back into the church under a new identity as the trader Mattias.
In the final step of his plan, Mattias murders Archbishop Josef with slow-acting poison provided by the Obsidians, aiming to manipulate the next Flamebearer, Lianna, through her despair over her father’s passing. Mattias convinces Lianna to act as his vestal by promising her that he can bring her deceased father back from the dead, though he does not tell her that he intends to kindle the Accurst Flame. To this end, Mattias persuades Lianna to drug her adoptive sister and acting Flamebearer, Ophilia, in order to steal Aelfric’s Lanthorn.
With the Lanthorn in their possession, Mattias and Lianna leave for Wispermill, whose people became Mattias's disciples after he cured them of a ravaging plague. He warns the townspeople to keep watch for Ophilia, describing her as a "witch" who intends to ensorcel them and steal the sacred ember. When Ophilia arrives at the village, Mattias's followers lure her into a building, then ambush her and throw her into prison. Mattias visits Ophilia after she regains consciousness, at which point he reveals his identity as the Savior and announces his intentions to use Lianna as his vestal. Ophilia attempts to argue him out of this course, but her pleas fall on deaf ears as Mattias leaves.
Leading a group of his disciples, Mattias brings Lianna to the dark altar in the Ebony Grotto. There, he instructs Lianna to pray to the Flame with her whole heart, binding the sacred ember to the darkness of the underworld. When Mattias's followers begin to collapse as sacrifices to the dark flame, Ophilia - discreetly freed from her prison by Lianna - charges forth to confront him. Mattias commands a group of disciples to attack her, but Ophilia defeats them. Mattias insists that only Lianna's death will stop the ritual, forcing Ophilia to kill her own sister if she wants to stop him, yet Ophilia manages to reason with Lianna instead. She interrupts the dark ritual by reminding her sister of a childhood memory in which their father told them that the legacies of those who have died continue in their loved ones' memories. Moved by the memory, Lianna makes peace with her father's death and stops corrupting the flame.
Upon witnessing the ritual's failure, Mattias grows enraged and attacks Ophilia. Despite the dark powers arrayed against her, Ophilia prevails, inflicting mortal wounds on her opponent. As he lays dying, Mattias curses Ophilia for loving her sister too much, and wishes that she never took her place as the Flamebearer so his plans would succeed. After his death, his consciousness is trapped in a dark hell without light for all eternity.
A journal containing Mattias’s thoughts after death can be found at the Gate of Finis. His journal details the tragic events 115 years prior to the events of Octopath Traveler that culminated in his fall from a faithful priest to a self-righteous power-seeker. Even after his defeat by Ophilia and her love, Mattias still cannot understand how she was able to stop him. He truly believed he was the destined Savior of humanity, and despairs about being trapped in the void, desperate for the light he once despised.
Mattias begins with 4 shields, but upon being broken, he may increase them by two, for a maximum of 8 shields.
Mattias will summon help during battle, calling two Senior Cultists, two Black Matter, and two Augmented Remnants, in that order. His weaknesses will be locked while these enemies are alive. After Augmented Remnants are defeated, Mattias will no longer be able to summon help.
- Mattias assumes a different fighting stance...: Used when Mattias recovers from the first two breaks. Each recovery increases Mattias's shields by 2, up to a maximum of 8.
- Attack: Physical attack, single target.
- Consuming Darkness: Elemental damage,
. Single target. - Black Gale: Elemental damage, . Targets entire party.
- Dark Blessing: Buff. Targets all foes. Increased Elemental Attack and Increased Speed for 3 turns. Used only if minions are present.
- Infernal Prayer: Buff. Targets self. Applies the following buffs for 4 turns:
- Mattias summoned help!: Only after recovering from a break. Seals all of Mattias's weaknesses and summons minions in the following order. Each group of minions may only be summoned only once during the battle:
- "O, Savior! We gladly give our lives for you!": Summons 2 Senior Cultists. Followed by Infernal Flame on Mattias's next action.
- Mattias is being protected by the darkness...: Summons 2 Black Matter.
- Mattias is being protected by unholy forces...: Summons 2 Augmented Remnants. Followed by Infernal Flame on Mattias's next action.
- But nobody came...: Used as Mattias's second action the turn after all three minion groups have been defeated. Mattias fails to summon any more minions once all three minion groups have been summoned. No additional minions can be summoned for the rest of the battle
- Infernal Flame // You are unable to use magical skills!: Aura. Allies are unable to use elemental skills that target multiple allies or foes. Aura is removed on break.
- The curse of the dark flame has been lifted!: Used when Mattias is broken while the effects of Infernal Flame are active. Removes Infernal Flame aura.
- Mattias is defenseless!: Used whenever each group of minions have been defeated. Unlocks all of Mattias's weaknesses.
- Mattias's scepter surges with power...: Used once Mattias reaches 25% of his maximum HP. Mattias enters boost mode for 1 turn. Uses Black Thunder if not broken before his next action.
- Black Thunder: Heavy elemental damage, . Targets entire party. Chance to inflict Unconsciousness for 2-3 turns.
- Black Thunder: Heavy elemental damage,
- Attack: Physical attack, single target.
- Fireball: Elemental damage, . Targets entire party.
- Eye Scratch: Physical attack, single target. Chance to inflict Blindness for 2-5 turns.
- Fire Storm: Elemental damage, . Targets entire party. Hits twice.
- Attack: Physical attack, single target.
- Black Magic: Elemental damage, . Targets entire party.
- Shadow Strike: Elemental damage, . Single target.
- Dancing Shadows: Elemental damage, . Targets random allies. Hits 4 times.
Quotes[]
- "Curious, is it not? We all put our faith in the Sacred Flame. Why does it lend its strength to some, while forsaking others? Sometimes, I even find myself wondering... Do the gods truly exist?" —To Ophilia in Goldshore
- "Fear not, Sister Ophilia. As long as you do not oppose me, I will do you no harm. ... After all, I might need a replacement for Lianna, should aught go amiss." —To Ophilia in Wispermill
- "With the power of the dark flame, this world will be mine!" —In Ebony Grotto
- "You and your ilk bring nothing but misery to this world!" —To Ophilia
- "Spout all the pretty words you like. You know the truth. She will never again know the happiness she once did. Why do you rob your sister of the hope I offer her? What else does she have but that futile wish?" —At the start of battle
- "Bonds of love and friendship are but fragile things. They all break in the end. All of them." —Midway through battle
- "You are a nuisance and nothing more. Disappear for me. Once you do, Lianna will have nothing left to cling to but Galdera... and her Savior!" —Near the end of battle
Associated Journals[]
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
"Mattias" and its counterpart "Matthew" mean "gift of God," reflecting Mattias's belief that was appointed to receive divine power and bless others with it. In the Bible, Saint Matthias was also the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot following his betrayal of Jesus and his death; thus, Matthias could be considered the "thirteenth" apostle, paralleling Galdera's position as the thirteenth god.
Trivia[]
- Mattias shares his English voice actor, Chris Niosi, with Therion.
- Mattias is the only Chapter 4 boss that uses solely magic, apart from the default attack.
- The boss battle with Mattias is one of only two to have in-battle dialogue during the battle, the other being the fight against Darius. However, unlike the latter, Mattias's dialogue is voice-acted.
- Mattias’s attack Black Thunder uses the same animation as the Omniscient Eye’s attack Electrocute, probably referencing how Mattias planned to harness Galdera’s power.
- Along with his direct role as main antagonist of Ophilia’s story, Mattias is an indirect antagonist in both Primrose’s and Tressa's stories, as he worked with Simeon to co-establish the Obsidians, and Esmeralda is a member of the Obsidians.
- Mattias’s diary entry in the Gate of Finis implies that he is a possible mirror to what Ophilia would have become, if she hadn’t been adopted by Archbishop Josef after her blood parents' deaths and received Lianna's love as part of their family.
- Mattias especially laments the death of the innocent children in his old congregation, providing a parallel to Ophilia's own love for children.
- During Ophilia's Chapter 3, when the player is directed to enter the Seaside Grotto, Mattias waits in Goldshore for an optional dialogue cutscene. Despite this interaction being marked as a story objective, it can can be skipped completely if the player chooses not to talk with him.
- Despite being a self-proclaimed "loyal servant of Galdera," Mattias himself recognizes that unleashing the Dark God outright would be disastrous. When Ophilia asks him if he's mad enough to do such a thing, Mattias replies, "Oh, perish the thought. I am not so foolish as that."
- Since he succeeded in curing some of the villagers in Wispermill, Mattias likely possesses a healing ability, possibly the dark equivalent of a cleric's "Heal Wounds" skill.
- Upon death, Mattias's body disappears in a cloud of gray smoke. Since demonic entities (such as Yvon, Lucia, and Redeye) are demonstrated to perish in a similar manner, it is likely that Mattias's disintegration is result of his involvement with Galdera's infernal power.
- Mattias? is the only Gate of Finis boss that summons flesh-and-blood minions.
- Mattias appears to have an aversion to the cold, as he is weak to Ice and wears a winter coat.
- Mattias's motivations bear some resemblance to Erhardt's, as both antagonists fell into dark paths after losing their respective homes and their loved ones to fire. Both men blamed authority figures for these tragedies, although Erhardt sought revenge against a human figure (the king) whereas Mattias lost faith in the gods.
- UCMM, the game's boss sprite designer, remarks, "I love drawing characters with a splash of theatricality, so I had a blast drawing this one. His standing pose is pretty marvelous. No matter how you look at him, Mattias certainly has a flair for the dramatic." [1]
- In one version of his NPC concept art, Mattias wears a feathered blue merchant's hat and backpack, though these details never appear in the final game.[2]