Danger Level: 50
Location: East Duskburrow Trail, down a path around the side of a heap of rocks with a ruined archway on the left
A small, hidden shrine on the East Duskburrow Trail, the Shrine of the Archmagus is a must-visit stop if you want to see the entirety of Octopath Traveler - though don't enter unprepared, as the boss waiting inside is quite powerful. You'll run into the following enemies during your short foray into the Shrine of the Archmagus:
- Animated Armor - Weak to Axe, Staff, Ice, and Light. Buffs its party, and can use Horrific Claw to inflict terror and lock away Boosting. A significant pain in large groups.
- Ice Remnant Mk. II - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Axe, and Fire. Strong melee opponent with an Ice leaning. Try to get them stunned first.
- Ice Revenant - Weak to Sword, Bow, Staff, and Fire. Powerful golem that buffs itself and hits hard. Get it stunned as quick as you can.
- Flame Remnant Mk. II - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Axe, and Ice. Fire version of the Ice Remnant Mk. II.
- Flame Revenant - Weak to Sword, Bow, Staff, and Ice. Fire version of the Ice Revenant.
- Thunder Remnant Mk. II - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Axe, and Wind. Lightning version of the Ice Remnant Mk. II.
- Thunder Revenant - Weak to Sword, Bow, Staff, and Wind. Lightning version of the Ice Revenant.
North of the entrance is a save point, as well as a crossroads. Take a left to find an Energizing Pomegranate (L), then take a right. Go south once you can see a chest to receive a Shadow Soulstone (M). Go as far east as you can to receive 20,000 leaves, then swing north. The path will split to the west and north; continue north to find a Revitalizing Jam on your right, then head west. You'll find an Inspiriting Plum (M) in a chest to the south of the main path, and the purple chest you can see in the background contains a Wizard's Rod.
To the northwest you'll find a save point, and past it is the shrine god's icon. Approach it once you've healed up your party, and prepare for a heck of a battle.
Dreisang, the Archmagus
Weakness: Sword, Polearm, Axe, Lightning, Light or Sword, Lightning, Wind or Bow, Light, Dark or Dagger, Fire, Ice
Hoo boy, does this guy ever like his magic. Though he has a few physical attacks, Dreisang spends the majority of the battle pelting you with powerful elemental Skills that cover every available element and hit three times per use. Think of him as Cyrus on steroids and you'll get the idea. In addition to these spells Dreisang can also use Divine Majesty (which he does as the fight begins) to debuff everyone and prevent you from applying buffs, Might of the Archmagus to buff himself, Element Break to do damage and apply more debuffs, and Element Steal to sap your party of SP. Once he reaches half health Dreisang can use Extreme Elemental Augmentation, which upgrades all of his elemental Skills and makes them more painful to weather.
Unsurprisingly, Dreisang also switches his weaknesses on a regular basis, and his defensive shields will increase in number from four to ten. Phew. If you can't break him Extreme Elemental Augmentation will remain in place, and that can mean the end of your party if everyone's already damaged when Dreisang takes his turn.
Aside from equipping items that will deaden the effects of elemental Skills, the easiest way to stop Dreisang from annihilating your party is to have a Cleric use Reflective Veil on your party members. (The Starseer's Starsong Skill can also do this, if you've visited that shrine already.) Getting a Dancer to use Sealticge's Seduction on said Cleric will allow them to spread Reflective Veil to your whole party. You can't do this right away thanks to Divine Majesty, so keep someone on healing duty for the first few turns. Other than keeping your defenses high, this fight is actually pretty straightforward: Target Dreisang's weaknesses, keep him broken whenever you can, and save some BP for the latter half of the fight when he starts to use Extreme Elemental Augmentation. So long as you have at least one fast character in your party (Therion, most likely) you can prevent Dreisang from buffing himself and then immediately using an amped-up Maximus spell on your party. Keep healed and keep hitting and you'll bring him down in time.
You'll receive a Refreshing Jam for defeating Dreisang, the Archmagus. In the wake of the battle Dreisang will bestow upon your party the Sorcerer job, allowing you to equip it to any character that you wish. Congrats! You can now absolutely shred most random encounters!