Final Fantasy/Weapons

Weapons are the primary means of doing damage to foes, and different character classes can equip different weapons. Without a weapon equipped, the character will fight barehanded, doing very little damage (except for the Monk/Master).

Combat mechanics
Each character will have a base damage and to-hit percentage based on their stats. The weapon equipped adds directly to these two values; thus, the higher the damage and to-hit rating of the weapon the better it is. Higher to-hit ratings not only result in fewer misses but also more multiple hits.

The base damage of the character is half of his strength, rounded down. Although strength does increase with level, the effect of weapon damage is far greater even at high levels. In other words, having a good weapon is at least as important as being high-level, when it comes to causing damage. Base to-hit rating is determined entirely by the class and level of the character, with each character starting at a base rate and increasing by a fixed number per level.

Weapons that are "strong against" a certain type do more damage to that type of monster, including a bonus both to attack and to hit. However due to a bug, in the NES version the weaknesses are never triggered and so this field is irrelevant; this bug was fixed in subsequent versions.

The above formula is ignored, however, in the case of a black belt or master fighting bare-handed. In this case the attack rating is simply double the character level. Barehanded monks/masters also get a bonus to thir chance of getting multiple hits or critical hits, proportional to their level. While a low-level black belt will do little damage bare-handed and be forced to use the inferior weapons available to his class, a level 50 master will do more damage than an entire party of other characters could.

Weapon types
In Final Fantasy, the weapon type has no gameplay significance. In the original NES version, the weapon type was indicated by a symbol at the end, and not truly part of the name; however some weapons did not have any symbol attached to them. Each type of weapon does tend to share characteristics such as which classes may equip them, and being familiar with the types will make equipping your characters easier.

Swords
Swords are among the most common weapons in the world. They are typically longer than daggers. Most swords are two-edged and used for slashing attacks rather than piercing ones. However, the term "sword" is a fairly loose one and covers everything from the standard short sword to the exotic katana and Masamune. The sheer variety of these weapons ensures that there is one for almost any occasion.

Swords are, almost without exception, the best weapons available in the game at a given level, providing a good balance of attack and hit% bonuses. Warriors/knights, red mages/wizards, and ninjas (but not thieves) can equip almost all of the swords. Monks/masters, white mages/wizards, and black mages/wizards can equip almost none of them.

Axes
Axes are large, bulky weapons that use brute force to slam through enemies. Axes typically have a large, sharp blade attached to a wooden rod. They are commonly wielded with one hand, requiring a lot of strength. They are among the most powerful weapons, though are highly inaccurate and tend to be slow.

Axes are, for the most part, inferior to comparable swords. An axe will have slightly higher attack bonus but a lower or much lower hit% bonus, making a comparable sword better. There are only four types of axes and only Warriors, Knights, and Ninjas may weild them.

Knives
Knives or daggers are bladed weapons similar to but smaller than swords. Knives are typically intended for piercing and stabbing attacks. They are among the most accurate weapons, though they lag behind others in damage capability.

Daggers are weaker than comparable axes or swords but they are the best weapons available to the Black Mage/Wizard, and among the best available to the thief before the class change. Daggers may be used by all classes except White Mages/Wizards.

Staves
The stave or staff is often simply a tall stick and serves as a status symbol for the mages of the world. However, staves are often enchanted with magical powers or increased strength. Some are iron-shod, while others seem to have magical energy concentrated at their striking ends. In any case, the staff is almost always wielded by a spell caster who has no need of weaponry to cause destruction.

Staves are the weakest weapons available, and rarely worth equipping or buying for any class. Each staff tends to be unique not only in its usable abilities but in which classes can equip it, and many are worth holding onto for their usable abilities alone.

Hammers
Hammers are large weapons that can be swung with great force in attempts to bludgeon foes. They are usually powerful if a solid blow can be achieved, but are notorious for their inaccuracy.

Hammers are poor weapons, inferior to swords, axes, and even knives. However they are the weapon of choice for White Mages/Wizards who can use nothing better. Warriors/Knights as well as Ninjas can also equip these but it is not recommended. As there are only three types of hammer there is not much to choose from within this class.

Nunchaku
The nunchaku or nunchucks is basically two wooden sticks or iron rods attached together by a short rope or chain. The difficulty in using such a weapon without the wielder hurting himself is so great that few are able to master it.

Nunchaku are nearly the only weapons available to low-level monks (black belts). As there are only two types of them and both are quite poor, the monk will soon find himself fighting bare-handed. Ninjas may also equip them but it is not recommended.

Weapon details
See the class details chart below for a more detailed list of which classes can equip each weapon, and note that some weapons have further explanation in the special weapons section.

The monster types listed in the 'strong vs' field indicate the classes of monsters against which the weapon will get a bonus to both attack and hit; due to a bug, this is entirely ignored in the NES version. The 'casts' field tells the spell which will be cast upon using the item in battle.

Recommendations
To easily understand which weapons you should target for each character, first read the weapon types list above. For the most part each class should simply pick one type of weapon and upgrade it as the opportunity arises.

The biggest outright decision to make in weapon comparisons is deciding which character should equip the masamune. Against bosses, the masamune should be equipped by a character who will have fast cast on him and will use it every round, plain and simple; this means either your strongest or second-strongest melee fighter should have it, usually a knight or a ninja even though these classes already have good weapons available to them. For traveling through dungeons, the weapon may be better off given to a weaker character such as a white or even red/black wizard who cannot use a good weapon but will become a decent melee fighter when given the masamune. The master is also worth checking out with this weapon, as on low enough level it will be significantly better than fighting bare-handed.

Unlike with armor, plenty of spare room is available to carry weaponry. It is therefore recommended that the spell-casting weapons be held onto and placed into spare slots. Many of these do massed damage and will come in handy against large groups of monsters even late in the game.

Warrior/Knight
The warrior/fighter should focus on swords. Buy a rapier at the start. You may buy a scimitar on reaching Pravoka but soon you should upgrade to the broadsword (short sword). The mythril sword (silver sword) in Elfheim is well worth the 4000 gil and should be purchased as soon as possible. Upon obtaining the magic key a number of magic swords will be found and you'll have the option to buy the a longsword, however all of these are significantly weaker than the mythril sword. The mythril(silver) sword will last until the Fire and Ice swords are found in their respective dungeons; from this point on all the best weapons will be found rather than purchased. The defender (defense) and sun sword are the next two levels of swords; these weapons may also be equipped by your red wizard and ninja as well as other knights, so a hand-me-down system will serve well for them. Xcalibur (Excalibur) is a major upgrade over either of those and is the best knight-only weapon. The masamune is the strongest sword and with two knights, should be wielded by one of them during late boss fights; with only one knight though leave him Xcalibur and give the masamune to a secondary attacking character.

Thief/Ninja
The thief has only a few good weapons available. Buy a rapier at the start. A scimitar or a saber are both acceptable upgrades. A better weapon isn't available until the magic key is obtained, when the Coral Sword and Rune Blade can be found; these along with the wyrmblade are the best weapons available before the class change. After the class change nearly all weapons become available - a mythril (silver) sword is an upgrade but probably not worth buying as soon the fire brand, ice brand, defender (defense), and sun sword will be found in succession; all of these can be equipped by knights and red wizards as well so a hand-me-down system will serve well for them. The ninja-only sasuke (katana) sword is the best ninja weapon available and several will be found late in the game. The masamune is the strongest sword and may be wielded by a ninja during boss fights; it is a significant upgrade over the katana but may be put to better use by a character with a weaker alternate weapon.

Monk/Master
The monk (black belt) has no good usable weapons before or after the class change, and will quickly find themselves fighting best bare-handed. Buy nunchaku (wooden nunchucks) at the start, and upgrade to iron nunchuks at first opportunity. The power staff found in the western keep may also be worth using briefly. Each time the monk increases in level check his bare-handed attacking abilities and switch to bare-handed fighting when it becomes better. Like all characters, the master can equip the masamune and may be able to make good use of it at low levels, but as his level continues to increase he will soon find himself fighting far better bare-handed.

Red Mage/Red Wizard
The red mage/wizard can use almost all of the swords, and should follow the same weapon progression as the warrior/knight. Unfortunately as his levels progress this character does not achieve much by way of strength so will be significantly weaker with them. The red wizard cannot use Xcalibur, and although he can use the masamune that weapon is usually better spent elsewhere while the red wizard wields the defender(defense) or sun sword in the end game and spends early combat rounds casting Fast or protective spells.

White Mage/White Wizard
Although the white mage/wizard has nearly as much strength as the red, no good weapons are available to her. Avoid the weaker staves and go for hammers - first the iron hammer and then the mythril (silver) hammer, though beware the mythril hammer may not even be worth the money as the character will be useless in combat even with it. The power staff is a weaker alternative to the silver hammer but again is better to sell than to use. After the class change, Thor's Hammer will be found which is a somewhat better weapon as well as providing a good usable ability. Like all characters, the white wizard can equip the masamune and this character will get by far the most combat benefit from doing so. Against bosses however, it's generally better to save the white wizard for spellcasting and give the masamune to a knight or ninja.

Black Mage/Black Wizard
The black mage/wizard has a better selection of weapons available than the white, but has very low strength and is an inferior melee fighter even with the best of weapons. Knives are the weapon of choice; avoid the weaker staves. Buy a (small) knife at the start, then a dagger (large knife) when possible. The mythril (silver) knife is the next upgrade; it can be purchased or found in the Marsh Cave. The mage staff is a comparable weapon to the mythril knife and provides a good usable benefit, though eventually a costly catclaw weapon should be purchased for this character. The catclaw is a good weapon but even with it, the black wizard is a very poor fighter. Like all characters, the black wizard can equip the masamune, but as he will still be an inferior fighter that weapon is usually better spent elsewhere.