Vanessa Hysel

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Vanessa Hysel is a character in Octopath Traveler. She is a fraud Apothecary who deliberately gives her patients medicine with harmful side-effects so that she can sell the remedy at premium prices. She is the second boss of Alfyn's story.

Vanessa has dark-purple hair in the style of a ponytail. Her left eye is obscured by her hair, a clue to her sly personality.

Vanessa originally came off as a highly acclaimed Apothecary in Goldshore for curing the residents of a plague that had struck the town, gaining the people's trust and respect. She appeared to hold the same philosophy as Alfyn in that every life is worth saving and that people's gratitude is enough payment and satisfaction for her.

However, this is later revealed to be nothing more than a façade. Vanessa is, in actuality, a devious and conniving young woman who took advantage of the people's lack of knowledge in the arts of medicine for her own profit, giving them medicine with dangerous side-effects on purpose so as to sell a remedy at high prices. She cares very little if nothing for her patients, viewing them as flasks that are to be thrown away once they are no longer able to provide her the revenue she so greedily seeks out.

After her defeat and imprisonment by Alfyn and his group, she resolved to turn over a new leaf, possibly due to the after-effects of the slumberthorn Alfyn induced in her. She now sells genuine medicine of very good quality, albeit still at high prices, a remnant of her past self.

Vanessa is first seen in Goldshore giving medicine to a sick girl with a fever. She then departed for the Manor District up north to help the upper class citizens. After treating them, hearing their thanks and giving a speech about helping others in need, she then met Alfyn, who had heard about her work from before. After a friendly chat between the two, they went their separate ways.

A short time later, she was once again confronted by the upper class citizens, who state that their loved ones would not stop coughing. After she diagnosed it as the "Gaborra whooping cough", she offered them a tonic that will cure it overnight, however due to the rarity of the key ingredient, which was glowworm moss, she charged 100,000 leaves per phial. As the aristocrats are able to pay for the medicine, she is confronted by Marlene, whose daughter also has the cough, and offered her her savings, which was significantly less than her price for the medicine. However, Vanessa refused to accomodate her, and turned her attention back to the aristocrats, noting she was almost sold out and had to restock on more ingredients, departing the town to the Caves of Azure.

Inside the cave with her sellsword group, she began harvesting the moss when she was confronted once again by Alfyn and his companions. After revealing her selfish desires, she engaged them in battle with her group, only to be defeated. As she feigned repentance, she attempted to escape, but was stopped by Alfyn, who used slumberthorn to knock her out for the guards to take into custody.

Once Alfyn's fourth chapter is completed, Vanessa can be found in the Undertow Cove, where one can either purchase or steal a Battle-tested Dagger from her.

The two were originally on good terms upon first encountering each other in the port town of Goldshore and seemed to share the philosophy of helping those in need regardless of circumstances. However, once Alfyn caught on to her scheme of taking advantage of the people's ignorance in the arts of medicine for her own profit, Vanessa viewed Alfyn as a threat to her "business" and sought his life immediately with the aid of her hired hands. In the end, this plan failed and Vanessa was brought to justice, with her cursing him all the way until being put to sleep and placed in custody.

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Like any other boss that seals their weaknesses until their lackies are defeated, focus on taking out the Sellswords before attacking Vanessa. Vanessa is unique in that her moveset is more supportive than offensive, applying an AoE Increased Physical Attack buff for four turns and debilitating your party with various status effects. In fact, the Sellswords have greater physical attack and defense than Vanessa (who has greater elemental attack and defense). Since you have to bring Alfyn along for this fight, he can cure your party with Rehabilitate and/or Concoct. If you have a Wakeful Stone in your inventory, equip Alfyn with one so that Vanessa can't put him to sleep with Concoct Sedative. A Scholar packing Blizzard is also helpful for this fight, because six shields is pretty high for the lackies of a Chapter ≤2 boss.

Concoct Stimulant is probably Vanessa's most dangerous move, especially if the Sellswords are still in action. Once they're gone, begin whaling on Vanessa. Eventually, she will summon two more Sellswords and seal her weaknesses all over again. Unlike most other Chapter ≤2 bosses, Vanessa's reinforcements arrive on the scene at full health, instead of at 50% max. HP.

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Inquire/ Scrutinize

Minimum Level: 40

Guide/ Allure

Minimum Level: 20

Challenge/ Provoke

Minimum Level: 10

Purchase/ Steal