Sidestep is a Merchant skill in Octopath Traveler.
Effect[]
Applies one stack of the Sidestep buff to the user of the skill.
Sidestep is a special type of Buff known as a Stacking Buff. Rather than having a duration, it lasts indefinitely until used, and a character can have up to 9 stacks at once.
So long as a character has a stack of the buff remaining, all standard attacks and Physical Attack Skills directed at them will automatically miss. One stack is removed each time a physical attack misses the character. Each hit of a multi-hit physical attack skill expends an individual stack.
Boost: Each level of boost will add an additional stack (max. 9)
Synergies[]
Skills[]
- Aelfric's Auspices applies the
Aelfric's Auspices buff for 3 turns, causing this skill to trigger twice for no additional cost, adding twice as many stacks of Sidestep (max. 9)
- Incite applies the
Incite buff to the user, causing them to intercept single- and random-target enemy attacks, protecting allies from non-multi-target physical attacks; alternatively, another character can protect the user of Sidestep from non-multi-target physical attacks, prolonging the buff's duration
- Celestial Intervention removes all debuffs from an ally and applies the
Celestial Intervention (Ally) buff to them, or removes all buffs from a foe and applies the
Celestial Intervention (Enemy) debuff to them
- Transfer Rune will extend self-targeting skills to all allies
Support Skills[]
- SP Saver halves and rounds down the SP Cost of this skill
- Fortitude provides increased damage when the user is at critical levels of HP (below 33%); keeping allies protected with
Sidestep and
Reflective Veil is a useful way to utilize it
Trivia[]
- Sidestep is most useful when:
- Boosted, as a single stack is easily removed with one physical attack.
- Used in combination with supportive skills such as the Merchant skill Donate BP, as the user can support the rest of the party with reduced risk of being KO'd.
- Fighting enemies whose physical attacks can inflict debuffs or ailments, such as the Venomtooth Tiger at the end of Tressa's Chapter 3.
- Transfer Rune + Sidestep is widely considered one of the most powerful combinations in Octopath Traveler, applying the
Sidestep buff to the entire party which all but nullifies physical attackers, including but not limited to the following bosses:
- In Octopath Traveler II, enemies can use Sidestep as well. However, Sidestep's effect only works while the enemy is unbroken, so attacking a broken enemy buffed with Sidestep will hit it as normal.