Final Fantasy equipment - not everyone can be a monk

[Torzelbaum]

Getting and using different gear has often been a large part of the game play in Final Fantasy games. So what are your favorite Final Fantasy weapons and non-weapon equipment? (These don't necessarily have to be the most powerful or final items in the game.)

 

[balder the brave]

In the original Final Fantasy, I found it fascinating that the strategy guide or Nintendo Power (I don't remember) recommended giving Masamune to your White Mage. I remember pondering the advice. It sort of makes sense, because your fighter has Excalibur, which is almost as powerful. However, the White Mage is often healing, so she won't get to use it as often...

 

[4-So]

Discovering the Economizer (Celestriad) in FF6 was eye-opening but discovering that I could farm them from Brachiosaurs was mind-blowing. I proceeded to do precisely that on my second playthrough of FF6 and turned my team into an army of death-dealing mages who had no use for ethers. Good times.

Not equipment but an item: I was somewhere in my early 20s before I realized it was called Phoenix Down because, yeah idiot, feathers. I originally thought it was some kind of mistranslation.

Also, stretching the definition of equipment maybe, but the Materia system in FF7 is probably my favorite "GET EQUIPPED WITH: MAGIC" system in the series.

 

[Voncaster]

Materia is great.

I really like the ring in FFVIII that allows you to skip enemy encounters. Using that ring was the only way I could get Odin.

 

[Mogri]

I don't think such a ring exists in FF8. The "no encounters" ability is found on a GF.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Some of my favorites from Final Fantasy 6 are the following:

Force Shield - Provides an interesting trade-off of giving up physical defense in exchange for magical protection. And I love the in-game animation of the character blocking spells with it

Zephyr Cape - Evading attacks is always nice especially when you can do that in a stylish manner. ¡Ole!

 

[Voncaster]

I don't think such a ring exists in FF8. The "no encounters" ability is found on a GF.

Maybe the ring lets you skip low level encounters. There is for sure a ring in FFVIII that lets you skip some encounters. I could not get the summon without it. I remember that vividly.

 

[Aleryn]

While I'm not certain precisely which sword has the sound effect; Cecil's Paladin swords in Final Fantasy IV that crack with lightning/light upon hits. Going from the SNES "Final Fantasy II" versions it might be Legend and Excalibur.

 

[estragon]

Maybe the ring lets you skip low level encounters. There is for sure a ring in FFVIII that lets you skip some encounters. I could not get the summon without it. I remember that vividly.

The thing is, there are no accessories or armor in FF8 at all.* There are also no weapons that provide any encounter reducing effects.

There are two encounter reducing abilities (Enc-Half and Enc-None), and they're both taught by the GF Diablos.

*Okay technically there are some items called "armor," or named after other traditional RPG equipment, but no one can equip them because the game has no system for equipping armor or accessories. They're consumables to feed to a GF to teach an ability, or to refine into other items, or maybe required to upgrade weapons, etc.

 

[Voncaster]

I must be remembering FFVIII wrong then.

I remember there was Odin's lair. And there was a hard 20 minute time limit to complete it. There would be random encounters which would eat up your time limit. I for sure had to equip something, to reach the boss in time. It Probably was the GF Diablos abilities.

Maybe my brother got an encounter reducing ring in FFVI (which I've never played) and I'm confusing the two in my mind.

 

[FelixSH]

There is a piece of equipment in FF VI that can only be equipped by Mog, I think. It lets you skip all non-boss encounters. You might be thinking of that one.

Because yeah, in VIII, reducing or eliminating encounters is a GF ability.

 

[4-So]

Molulu's/Moogle Charm. Prevents random encounters.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Genji Glove. Dual-wield weapons? Don't mind if I do!
The Offering. Attack 4 times at random? Holy crap, that's rad! And of course, their combination is legendary.

Speaking of amazing accessories in combination, the economizer as mentioned above, but also the jewel box that lets you double-cast. Putting them together was just rude.

Also in FF 6, for some reason the Hawkeye weapon always sticks in my head, and giving two of them to Locke. I think they were boomerangs or something? But they looked like some kind of thrown...mace bolo thing, and the arcing flight at the enemies was memorable.

FF8 wasn't my favorite but I have to admit I really like Squall's gunblades. THEY'RE COOL, OK, I'M SORRY

 

[ThricebornPhoenix]

I want to give a shoutout to the Enhancer, a sword designed for mages. Red (and sometimes Blue) Mages, to be specific. Since the Red Mage is typically underserved in terms of equipment, this one counts as a much-needed win even if it's not exclusive to the class.

The fire and ice (and sometimes lightning) swords also deserve a mention. They're just plain cool, but if that wasn't enough, they also tend to represent a significant power bump for your swords(wo)mans, in both raw damage and weakness-hitting ability.

 

[Purple]

I just want to go on record that I have gone against the title of this thread in many different games in this series, and no, it actually works out surprisingly well in like all of them if you just make everyone a monk.

 

[ThricebornPhoenix]

When everyone is a monk, no one will be

 

[Torzelbaum]

I just want to go on record that I have gone against the title of this thread in many different games in this series, and no, it actually works out surprisingly well in like all of them if you just make everyone a monk.

Fair point but did you make them all naked monks?

 

[Purple]

Only in 1 and Tactics.