How to get Forbidden Elixirs in Octopath Traveler 2

Here’s what “Do NOT drink” means

The Forbidden Elixir is, ironically, one of the most sought-after items in Octopath Traveler 2. When used, it will reduce the targeted character’s HP to one while maxing out their BP and SP. This might sound like an okay tradeoff on its own, but its real power comes from the accessory Alpione’s Amulet. The Amulet notably raises your damage the lower your HP is, so if you equip it and attack after you drop to one HP… you do the math.

Fortunately, the Forbidden Elixir is a surprisingly easy item to farm. Although you won’t get Alpione’s Amulet until the latest stages of the game, you can grind out elixirs early if you want. Here’s what you need to do.

Where to find Forbidden Elixirs

To get these items, you’ll want to go to the Guard Outpost in the town of Conning Creek. The Guard enemy that appears in random battles will carry the item, so Throne or any thief can obtain it by using Steal. Guards can appear with other enemies, but your real jackpot is when Guards appear in groups of three.

To facilitate easy stealing, you’ll need a way to drop a Guard’s HP without defeating it. They only have 1,240 HP, so even a low level party can accidentally wipe them out in one strike. Many players will recommend using the Hunter’s Mercy Strike skill, which will leave any enemy with a minimum of 1 HP after use. However, I personally found it much easier to use a Light Soulstone (M), which will do just enough damage to push a Guard’s HP into the red. You can buy these from the black market.

If you want to save time, equip Agnea with the Thief secondary job. Use her Latent Power to steal from every enemy once they’re weakened to grab multiple elixirs at once. To streamline your grind even further, bring along someone equipped with the Inventor secondary job and use Tin Horn to refill your party’s Latent Power gauge. If you follow these steps, grinding Forbidden Elixirs should only take a handful of minutes. Good luck farming!