The eighth character to join your party, which is the final one, is a massive spoiler, so rather than unveil his identity, he shall just be called Eight. With that out of the way, you will find that Eight is a pretty versatile character, although he can be a pretty good tank. Eight has six different skill trees, although one is locked behind a side story in the final part of the game. He also has the choice of three different weapons, which are Swords, Greatswords, and Axes. Swords are the least useful of the three and Axes are great, because all of the abilities in that tree are useful. Towards the end of the game, you will have to make a choice between Axe/Shield and Greatswords.

Spells¶

Eight doesn’t have many spells, but the ones he has are good and pretty much on the support side. His healing spells are good in a pinch, although he only has single-target ones and only learns up to Moreheal. Outside of that, he has both Buff and Kabuff, meaning he can help in certain situations to increase everyone’s defenses. Magic Barrier will help raise the spell resistance of all allies in battle. The last spell on his list is Kerplunk, which is more of a last resort than anything, since it kills him while reviving the rest of the party. As you can see, pretty much all of Eight’s spells are support related, which makes him a nice backup in some circumstances.

Axes¶

Axes are the better one-handed weapon for Eight, as the skills are useful for all battles and he can still use a shield. Helm Splitter/Scrap Mettle will allow him to not only deal damage, but potentially decrease the enemy’s defense, too. The latter of the two abilities will decrease the defense more than the former. Hatchet Man is basically the same as the spear’s Thunder Thrust, as it has a chance (around 50% or so) to deal a critical hit. If it doesn’t connect, then the skill does no damage at all. You should only be using this on Metal Slime enemies, but it’s good to have against potentially highly defensive ones, as well.

Parallax is the highlight of the axe tree, as it is a single target skill that is kind of similar to Unbridled Blade from the greatsword tree. However, there is a small chance it can also inflict paralysis, and it does have a slightly higher damage modifier. Axes of Evil is one of two reliable ways for Eight to attack enemies in a group (he doesn’t really have anything for all enemies) and while it is definitely powerful, his low MP pool and the move’s high MP cost makes it a problem in the longer run.

Greatswords¶

The greatsword tree is one that you probably don’t want to send Eight down right away, as axe/shield is a much better option. However, once you gain access to the better greatswords in the final part of the game, then it is something to think over, since it gives him more damage overall. You will see the majority of the same skills here, as with the Hero, since they are the same. Cutting Edge and Unbridled Blade are the two single-target damage dealers, while Helichopter is for use when facing enemy groups. The only problem with greatswords, though, is that Eight doesn’t get much in the way of passives with the tree.

Swords¶

The sword trees have been largely underwhelming and Eight’s tree is no different. There is really no point in even glancing at it, as all of the moves are the same and he doesn’t learn anything exclusive to him. The abilities are pretty much situational, since they either require a specific type of enemy or they are elemental. Eight does learn Dual-Wielding, which isn’t all too good on him, considering he is better with a one-handed weapon and shield, or using a greatsword.

Shields¶

The Shields tree by itself is a bit odd, as some of the skills are great, but it requires an ability that you won’t get until later, from another tree. Immense Defence is a great skill, since it stacks with other shield-blocking boosts, and makes him shine as a tank. Desperate Measures only blocks critical attacks, both physical and magical, which is a bit situational, as while they appear they don’t happen all too often to make the skill worth it. Holy Impregnable is probably the other good skill in this tree, since it gives Eight near-perfect immunity to pretty much every ailment. Equip Eight with a Catholicon Ring +3, then trigger this skill and he should be immune to most of the ailments.

Heroism¶

The Heroism tree is one of two non-equipment related trees for Eight. It has some great abilities for him, like Blind Man’s Buff, which is normally not that good when you first have access to it. This move only does the full damage whenever Eight is afflicted with Dazzle, but once you do Quest 48, then the skill will be upgraded where it will do full damage no matter if he has the ailment on him. Double Up is basically Oomphle, as it increases his attack by the same amount, but his defense is lowered at the same time. However, due to Eight having typically high defense, this can be used without much of a problem.

Gyrfalcon Slash makes it so that Eight will do four normal attacks on a single enemy, with no damage degradation at all. The only probably is that it requires a sword, but this is clearly a superb skill in terms of damage. A Cut Above is another great skill, not only because it can be used with any weapon, but because it hits five times. The critical chance is lower than normal, as is the damage modifier, but the hits will all connect.

Fraternity¶

You will unlock the Fraternity tree upon finishing a side story during the final part of the game, which is the same one involved in unlocking Sylvando’s Chivalry tree. If you plan on using shields at all, then you will immediately make a beeling to Forbearance. This skill makes almost all (there are a few that don’t) attacks go straight to Eight, including those that hit the entire party. Make sure you get Steadfast Forbearance, as well, to lessen the damage done to him. In this tree, you also have Kazing, which is always nice to have, in case of emergencies. Defending Champion seems nice, until you realize it only lasts a single turn and cannot be combined with Forbearance (also only lasts a single turn).

Note that in the original version of the game, H-Pathy will give you the free 10SP bonus for purchasing it. However, in the Definitive Edition, that bonus panel is instead moved to the Magical Mending +20 panel to the right of it.

Character Build¶

When you first gain Eight as a party member, you will want to focus on the Axe skill tree, as that is where his usefulness will lay. This also allows him to use shields, meaning he can function as both a tank and a damage dealer. Of course, he has a low MP pool, so he can’t go spamming some of his skills in combat, so they should be used a little bit sparingly. In fact, all of the skills in the Axe tree are good, since they all have a function. Parallax is equivalent to the Greatsword’s Unbridled Blade, although it has a higher damage modifier. Despite the high MP cost, Axes of Evil is one of a few skills that can hit more than one enemy. Helm Splitter/Scrap Mettle are nice to deal some damage and potentially decrease an enemy’s defense in the same move.

It should be mentioned that Eight has access to the majority of his skill trees as soon as he joins, so there is a lot of potential there. Once you unlock his final skill tree in the final part, though, he can be considered as a tank. Forbearance is a great skill and when coupled with some others, it allows Eight to direct all incoming attacks to him, making him virtually untouchable or negating a lot of damage. When you get far enough in the final part of the game, you will have a choice to either stick with shields (axes are better than swords for Eight when using a shield), or go with greatswords. You will get more damage out of greatswords, but more utility and usefulness most likely with a shield and axe.