How to change party members in One Piece Odyssey

As you traverse Waford Island and beyond in One Piece Odyssey, you will need to manage your party. Though all the characters get exp as long as they’re with Luffy, you can’t play with just one group out front at all times. There will be times when you need to switch people around in the game.

Thankfully, it’s easy enough to swap your party members, whether you’re in battle or simply exploring the world.

In One Piece Odyssey, putting a new protagonist up front for their field skills has its own command. The function to switch party members is separate, and here’s how you can do it.

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Change party members anytime in One Piece Odyssey

Whether you’re in or out of battle in One Piece Odyssey, you have the power to swap characters around at will. When unengaged, it’s a simple matter of opening the menu and adjusting the ones that will enter the fight by default.

Open the menu and make sure you’re on the Crew section. By pressing X, you can start moving characters around. The first four Straw Hat Pirates will be your primary combat team and take the field against the various beasts and bad guys you battle in One Piece Odyssey.

You can also change party members while in a fight in One Piece Odyssey. It will feel similar to Final Fantasy X, where you can swap characters in and out of battle almost anytime you want.

Here’s how you can swap characters during a battle:

• Use L1/R1 to cycle through your characters.
• Stop on the character you want to swap out and press Triangle.
• Pick “Swap Battle Crew.”
• Select one of the Battle Crew pirates and swap them with someone in the Reserve Crew.
• Press the X button to confirm.

However, if a character has already acted their turn, they cannot be swapped out. This is to prevent abuse by using your party members at every turn in combat. With each opponent having specific strengths and weaknesses, swapping characters around is not a bad idea if someone in your reserve crew is a better fit for battle.

It’s also useful if you need a strong AOE heal and are low on food. Tony Tony Chopper will eventually have a powerful group heal, so you can bring him in to keep people alive in a dire situation.

When you explore Waford Island and the memories of the Straw Hat Pirates, you will undoubtedly find enemies who are resistant to the attacks of certain characters. For example, not everyone is weak against Luffy’s bludgeoning attacks. While you could leave him in, it might be wise to swap Zoro or Franky in, depending on what the situation calls for.

No matter who your field character is - the character you actively control in One Piece Odyssey - your party will remain unchanged. You can freely swap those around without worrying about changing characters in battle.