Winnehild is a character in Octopath Traveler. She is an optional boss at the end of the Shrine of the Warbringer. Once defeated, she will bestow the Warmaster job.
Story[]
- "The fifth child in the family, this born warrior is practiced in an astounding array of martial arts for one so young. She has no interest in anything but combat, spending every second of spare time sparring." —Champions of the Continent
Winnehild is the 5th of the 13 Gods of the Orsterra pantheon. The tome Trial of the Twelve, Volume VII describes how the twelve gods sealed away a “terrible power”, the thirteenth god Galdera.
Battle[]
Winnehild will begin battle with 2 actions per turn and 5 shields. After recovering from a break, Winnehild will increase her shields to 8 after the first time, and then to her maximum of 12 after the second.
At 50% health, Winnehild will increase her actions per turn to 3 and will begin using more attacks. When she emotes Winnehild obtains all weapons, she will gain an aura which increases her actions per turn to 6. The effect is removed on a break.
Upon emoting Behold the ultimate warrior!, Winnehild will change her weaknesses to the second set.
- Winnehild stands imposingly before you...: Used when Winnehild recovers from the first two breaks.
- First Break: Winnehild gains 3 shields after the first break for a total of 8.
- Second break: Winnehild gains 4 more shields for her maximum of 12.
- Counter Position: Grants Winnehild the ability to counter physical damage one time. Removed on a break.
- Counter Strike: Strikes a single target with extreme physical damage in response to being attacked with a physical attack while Counter Position is active.
- Yatagarasu: Represents the dagger. Physical attack, single target. Hits twice. Chance of inflicting
Poison for 2-5 turns. - Phoenix Storm: Represents the bow. Physical attack, targets random allies. Hits 4-6 times.
- Tiger Rage: Represents the axe. Heavy physical attack, single target.
- Winnehild summoned three weapons!: Used once Winnehild reaches 50% of her maximum HP. Winnehild increases her actions per turn to three. Unlocks the following abilities:
- Guardian Liondog: Represents the sword. Physical attack, targets entire party.
- Qilin's Horn: Represents the spear. Physical attack, targets entire party. Applies Decreased Physical Defense and Decreased Elemental Defense to all targets for 3 turns.
- Fox Spirit: Represents the staff. Physical attack, single target. Chance to inflict Unconsciousness for 2-5 turns.
- Behold the ultimate warrior...! // Winnehild drew all weapons!: Used once Winnehild reaches 25% health of her maximum HP. The following actions occur:
- Winnehild's weaknesses change to the second set.
- Winnehild increases her actions per turn to six for the next turn only.
- Uses War Cry if not broken before Winnehild's next action.
- War Cry: Heavy physical attacks, targets entire party. Hits six times, one for each weapon type.
Strategies[]
Since Winnehild is primarily weak to magic and can counter physical attacks, first defeating Dreisang to obtain the Sorcerer job is recommended to break her more quickly.
All of Winnehild’s attacks are physical, so a reliable strategy is to first defeat Balogar and give the Runelord job to Tressa. Transfer Rune and Sidestep will result in Winnehild being unable to damage the party.
If you can't break the defenses before War Cry, you might want to try to inflict Blindness in combination with Olberic's Bolster Defense, which will protect all other allies and can reduce damage up to 75%.
Without advanced jobs, a level 45+ party may still be able to defeat Winnehild, albeit with much greater risks and costs. It is imperative to have Alfyn, Olberic and either Primrose or Ophilia in the party, and highly recommended to have all primary jobs (naturally or equipped). This battle is brutal, and the keystones to winning it are Leghold Trap, Hired Help, Concoct, Summon and Bolster Defense, as well as top-tier equipment and the right support skills. Prioritize HP and Phys. Def for all four travelers, and Olberic must have a Conscious Stone equipped, as he'll be taking the most hits and an Unconscious status at the worst time will spell the end of the fight. A viable NPC to summon is the Luckless Sellsword from Noblecourt, who will, with luck, utilize his Full Enfeeblement ability to weaken Winnehild.
First, it's essential to keep Leghold Trap on the boss at all times. Winnehild will have three actions per turn for most of her HP threshold, and Leghold Trap will often give you time to prepare for the next flurry of attacks. Next, combine Summon with a boosted Mercenary from Hired Help. This will keep the boss weakened (if the NPC agrees with you) and your party buffed against physical attacks. Winnehild can dispel this buff with Qilin's Horn, so refresh it as soon as you can, even expending Energizing Pomegranates as needed. Before her turns come up, make sure Olberic boosts and defends, activating his Bolster Defense. He will cover for his allies and significantly mitigate the damage he receives. This is what will save your party from either being killed or brought to critical health each turn, especially with the aforementioned buffs and debuffs in place. Keep in mind that Patience on Olberic has a high chance to completely ruin this strategy by wasting his Bolster Defense, so it is not recommended.
As Winnehild's shield count increases after the first two breaks, the most shield hits will be coming from your Scholar and Alfyn's Concoct. While keeping Olberic on the defensive and managing your buffs & debuffs, have your Scholar fire elemental spells and Alfyn throw Ruinous Seed concoctions of an appropriate element at Winnehild. You can get 5-6 shield hits in one turn, depending on your other party member. When she's broken, boost to max and hit the boss with your strongest attacks (Bifelgan's Bounty, Aeber's Reckoning, etc). Do NOT attack with Olberic. Winnehild will act first next, so there will be strong hits coming your way. Keep Olberic boost-defending to try and soak them up.
The fight will get especially challenging when the boss hits 25% HP and gains 6 actions per turn. It is vital to break her before she acts, or she will obliterate your team. There's no small amount of luck involved in this final push to victory, specifically as regards to the NPC's actions and Winnehild's opportunistic streak, but is possible to accomplish.
Quotes[]
- "Thou wouldst learn the lost secrets I hold...? Then first, thou must prove thy worth!" —Before battle
- "Behold the ultimate warrior!" —Before using War Cry
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Winnehild may be based on the recurring Final Fantasy boss Gilgamesh, sharing a multi-armed appearance as well as mastery of a variety of different weapon types. Gilgamesh typically also has six arms, but sometimes has made appearances with eight (though he will often first appear with only two in a given game), and while he is a master of a variety of weapon types, he typically prefers swords and katanas.
- Many-armed gods and other divine beings are also common features of Hinduism and Buddhism. For example, Mara - the personification of desire and the cycle of rebirth in Buddhism - is often shown with six arms wielding many weapons.