Tressa's story begins in Rippletide, after a conversation with her parents and a trek into town. Head into the west of Rippletide, towards the port, and you'll trigger another cut scene, this time with a Fisherman. The conversation will lead to a sample of Tressa's special ability.
Purchase
Tressa's Path Ability is Purchase. Using Purchase Tressa can walk up to NPCs and buy their possessions, and if the item in question is found in shops Tressa can typically get it for cheaper off the NPC. Tressa's Purchases are not limited by level like other Path Actions, though raising Tressa's level will make it more likely that she can receive a discount on the item.
Occasionally you'll come across items in an NPC's inventory that cannot be Purchased. These items can only be Stolen by Therion. In general, however, the items Tressa can purchase and the items Therion can Steal are the same.
Before you follow through on Tressa's small mission of buying some wine, you should have a look around Rippletide:
- The Armorer and the Provisioner are next door from Tressa's home. You don't get discounts buying from them, so don't go purchasing anything just yet. Tressa can do better. Just south of the Armorer is a chest containing a Bottle of Poison Dust.
- Further east down the street is the Tavern. Inside is a chest containing 500 leaves. Just out front of the Tavern is another chest, this containing a Healing Grape.
- South of the Tavern is the Inn. Out front of it, across from the two kids, is a chest containing an Inspiriting Plum.
- Check on Tressa's parents, Olneo and Marina. If you try to Steal or Purchase from either of them you'll see that they both have valuable items. Olneo has Revitalizing Jam, a Slippery Nut (M), and a Beastly Scarf, while Marina has a Dragon's Scarf, a Rare Stone, and a Resistant Nut (M). The two Scarves in particular are amazing pieces of equipment, and well worth the Purchase if you have a lot of money sitting around.
- Far to the west is the entrance to the Path of the Caves of Maiya, the dungeon destination of Tressa's chapter. The woman standing near the exit of town has a Slippery Nut for Purchase for 950 leaves. Remember to come back for this if you don't buy it now, as the Slippery Nut allows you to permanently increase one character's Evasion. This woman also has a Memorial Harpoon that Tressa could use, but it's not for sale. Maybe come back here with Therion later...?
All done looking around? Then speak to the Beverage Vendor outside the Tavern. He'll sell you a Bottle of Wine for 50 leaves. Tressa will have an introspective cut scene once you buy the Wine... and then forget all about her ennui as a fancy trading ship pulls into port. Her gawking doesn't last long either, though, as pirates suddenly appear in Rippletide and cause trouble. They'll steal the Bottle of Wine and take off.
Head west. The Captain of the trading ship will stop Tressa and insist she get stocked up on items before doing anything rash. Check the Merchants that appear and they'll all have some cheap wares. Buy the Sleepweed last, as it will progress the story. You're off to the Caves of Maiya.
Path to the Caves of Maiya
You'll need to walk down a short oceanside path before you reach the den of the pirates. There are monsters to fight here:
- Sea Birdian I - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Fire, and Lightning. Fairly basic melee attackers that Tressa can stab or blast out of the sky.
- Sea Birdian II - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Fire, and Lightning. A slightly stronger version of the Sea Birdian that can use Double Shot to hit twice. Meh.
- Sea Birdian III - Weak to Sword, Fire, and Wind. In addition to the normal attacks of its type, this Sea Birdian can also boost the Critical Attack rate of other enemies, making it quite dangerous.
- Hermit Conch - Weak to Sword, Polearm, and Ice. Buffs its defenses, then goes on the attack. A bit sturdy, but will lose its cool to Tressa's spears.
- Flying Fish - Weak to Sword, Bow, Lightning, and Dark. Uses pretty basic, damaging attacks.
- Sailfish - Weak to Sword, Bow, Fire, and Lightning. Can inflict confusion on a character, which is understandably annoying. Not a ton of HP, fortunately.
- Rock Tortoise - Weak to Sword and Wind. A beefy beast that hits hard with normal attacks, and can use Spark to hit everyone. Keep it off-balance with its weaknesses until you can take out any other monsters.
Head west until the path splits. Go south onto the beach to find a Healing Grape, then continue west. Another southbound path ahead will bring you to an Inspiriting Plum. Continue the westbound trek, across a bridge, until you eventually hit another split. Going north here will take you to an Herb of Clarity, while the southern path will take you to a save point and your destination. Check under the bridge for a chest containing a Healing Grape before you leave.
Just outside the Caves of Maiya you'll hit a cut scene, and Tressa will hand over a keg of drugged wine to one of the pirates. Devious.
Caves of Maiya
Ahh, the den of the stupid pirates. The Caves of Maiya have some new, monstrous contenders for Tressa and company:
- Pirate I - Weak to Bow and Fire. Relies on melee attacks and Skills. Pretty basic. Snipe 'em with Tressa's bow.
- Pirate II - Weak to Bow and Fire. An upgraded, but pretty much the same, Pirate.
- Pirate III - Weak to Sword and Bow. Can use Raging Fists to hit multiple times in one go. Still pretty basic.
- Black Bat - Weak to Polearm, Dagger, Bow, and Ice. Your everyday bat
- Shadow Bat - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Bow, and Ice. Uses Black Out to hit everyone in the party for a bit of damage, and can use Mass Slumberwave to put multiple party members to sleep. Annoying, and worth killing first to prevent Mass Slumberwave.
- Sea Snake - Weak to Polearm and Fire. Can poison a party member with Venomous Fang. Annoying. Take them out with a spear to the face.
It's worth noting that all three types of Pirate will, during this chapter, begin battle asleep. Good storytelling.
After a bit of gloating over a sleepy pirate you'll be free to explore the caves. If you check the wall to the left of the pirate you'll find a hidden path to a purple chest. Only Therion, another party member elsewhere in Octopath Traveler, can open these chests. This one contains 1,000 leaves.
Head back to the pirate and go south. You'll find more snoozy pirates as you trek through the cave. Go north at the third pirate and you'll find a twisting path to a Healing Grape. Further west is a small dock; check it for an Inspiriting Plum. Past the dock you'll find two more sleeping pirates. Go northeast and you'll find a semi-hidden path that leads to a Thunder Soulstone.
Up ahead, just before you reach the heart of the cave, you'll find a Traveling Peddler with some wares. None of them can hurt in the battle to come. If you check the left side of the central platform here you'll find a sloped path that leads far back to the east, where you can find a purple chest that contains a Refreshing Jam. Save, then head up the stairs to deal with the pirates once and for all.
Mikk and Makk
Weakness: Polearm, Axe, Lightning, Wind (Mikk) / Bow, Staff, Fire, Wind (Makk)
Though not necessarily an easy fight, the battle with Mikk and Makk is nevertheless fairly straightforward. Both pirates will use several normal strikes on a single target - or Mutiny to hit everyone, if Tressa isn't fighting alone - and just generally cause damage normal damage. If one of the pirates reaches half of their health the other will cover for them and take their damage. Defeat one of the pirates and the other will gain temporary defensive buffs, then start prompting a heavy attack called Pirate's Pride by calling your party 'scurvy lubbers'. Pirate's Pride does a fair bit of damage to the whole party.
With or without a party the battle isn't too bad. Neither pirate does a ton of damage, and though a solo Tressa will need to heal regularly they'll never hit hard enough to OHKO her unless you let Pirate's Pride slip through near the end of the fight. Use Trade Tempest often to target their shared weakness to Wind, then hit them hard with either a Boosted spear or a Boosted bow to eat up their health. Once you're down to one pirate, save your Boost levels for the Pirate's Pride verbal prompt, then break the survivor's defenses so they can't use the move. Repeat until Mikk and / or Makk goes down.
You'll receive an Ice Soulstone (M) and an Inspiriting Plum (M) for defeating Mikk and Makk. The Captain from earlier - his name may be Leon - will show up to save Tressa. Afterward he'll give Tressa one of his many treasures, and the book she chooses settles her conviction to get out of Rippletide and see the world.