In each octopath traveler game, there is a hunter capable of capturing monsters. They can then use the Taunt ability to send them attacking opponents. There is also a limit to the number of “friends” they can have. In octopathic traveler 2 that Hunter is Ochette and the monster capture limit for her is six.
However, that doesn’t mean that Ochette only has six monsters with her at any one time. In fact, you can have up to seven with her. This is because Akala, the creature your story begins with, is considered special and is exempt from this count. So while Ochette’s monster limit is captured in octopathic traveler 2 is six, you will have seven that you can use at any time in the game.
What happens if you reach Ochette’s monster capture limit during a battle in octopathic traveler 2? Well that’s pretty easy. The game will offer a prompt asking if you want to “prep” one of the beasts you already have on hand to make way for the new one. He will then show you the short list of beasts you could turn into food, also telling you how strong they are and what kind of damage they would deal. You can then choose to prepare one of them or forgo acquiring the newly captured monster.
octopathic traveler 2 is available for Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC. A demo is available.