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 their 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 list

There are 40 different weapons in the video game, plus 23 more in the GBA remake and further 5 more in the PSP remake.

5 can be purchased in the starting town;
5 can be purchased in other towns;
10 can be either purchased or found;
20 can only be found;
the 23 GBA ones and 5 PSP ones can only be found.

In the table below, when two names are reported, the first one is from the NES version, the second one from the PSX and GBA remakes.

Default sorting is by price. Weapons that can only be found but not purchased are listed afterwards, as more valuable; their listed price is twice the selling price, because every weapon can be sold for half its purchasing price; anyway, their Price cell is shaded in gray.

Special effects:

Item: use the weapon from the "Item" menu to cast a spell; alignment (B/W) and level (1-8) of the spell are noted as well; in order to use it as an item, it is not relevant whether the weapon is equipped or not.
Elements: Fire is strong versus ice and undead enemies; Ice is strong versus fire enemies; Holy is extra-strong versus undead enemies. The Excalibur deals extra damage to any enemy.

Many weapons can only be equipped by specific characters. The table below reports all of them, abbreviated as follows:

wK: Warrior and Knight
tN: Thief and Ninja
mM: Monk and Master
rR: Red Mage and Red Wizard
wW: White Mage and White Wizard
bB: Black Mage and Black Wizard

Name	Price	Atk	Hit%	Special effects	wK	tN	mM	rR	wW	bB	Locations
Small knife / Knife	5	5	10%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	bB	Buy: Cornelia
Wooden staff / Staff	5	6	0%	-	wK	N	mM	rR	wW	bB	Buy: Cornelia Find: several
Iron hammer / Hammer	10	9	0%	-	wK	N	-	-	wW	-	Buy: Cornelia, Pravoka
Rapier (sword)	10	9	5%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Cornelia
Wooden nunchaku / Nunchaku	10	12	0%	-	-	N	mM	-	-	-	Buy: Cornelia
Large knife / Dagger	175	7	10%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	bB	Buy: Elfheim Find: Marsh Cave
Scimitar (sword)	200	10	10%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Pravoka
Iron staff / Crosier	200	14	0%	-	wK	N	mM	-	-	-	Buy: Elfheim, Melmond Find: Cornelia Castle
Iron nunchaku	200	16	0%	-	-	N	mM	-	-	-	Buy: Elfheim
Sabre/Saber (sword)	450	13	5%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Elfheim, Melmond Find: Cornelia Castle
Falchion (sword)	450	15	10%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Melmond Find: Western Keep
Short/Broad sword	550	15	10%	-	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Pravoka Find: Marsh Cave
Hand/Battle axe	550	16	15%	-	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Buy: Pravoka
Silver/Mythril knife	800	10	15%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	bB	Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt. Duergar, Marsh Cave
Long sword	1500	20	10%	-	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Melmond
Silver/Mythril hammer	2500	12	5%	-	wK	N	-	-	wW	-	Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Elfheim
Silver/Mythril sword	4000	23	15%	-	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Buy: Elfheim, Crescent Lake
Silver/Mythril axe	4500	25	10%	-	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Buy: Crescen Lake Find: Mt. Gulg
Cat claws (knife)	65000	22	35%	-	K	N	-	R	-	B	Buy: Gaia
Great axe	2000	22	5%	-	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Titan's Cave
Rune sword/blade	5000	18	15%	Strong vs. mages	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Find: Chaos Temple
Were sword / Werebane	6000	18	15%	Strong vs. werefiends	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Chaos Temple
Coral sword	8000	19	15%	Strong vs. sea enemies	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Find: Terra Cave
Dragon sword / Wyrmkiller	8000	19	15%	Strong vs. dragons	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Find: Mt. Duergar
Giant/Great sword	8000	21	20%	Strong vs. giants	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Mt. Gulg
Flame sword	10000	26	20%	Element: fire	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Ice Cavern
Light axe	10000	28	15%	Item: casts W3 Diara	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Sunken Shrine
Ice sword/brand	15000	29	25%	Element: ice	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Trials Citadel, Mt. Gulg
Sun sword/blade	20000	32	30%	Element: holy	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Mirage Tower
Power staff	24690	12	0%	-	wK	N	mM	rR	wW	bB	Find: Western Keep
Heal/Healing staff	25000	9	0%	Item: casts W3 Heal	-	N	-	-	wW	-	Find: Trials Citadel
Mage staff	30000	12	10%	Item: casts B3 Fira	-	N	-	-	-	bB	Find: Sunken Shrine
Vorpal sword	30000	24	25%	-	K	N	-	R	-	-	Find: Mirage tower
Thor's hammer	40000	18	15%	Item: casts B3 Thundara	K	N	-	-	W	-	Find: Mirage Tower
Wizard staff	50000	15	15%	Item: casts B4 Confuse	-	-	-	-	-	B	Find: Waterfall Cave
Defense sword / Defender	50000	30	35%	Item: casts W1 Blink	K	N	-	R	-	-	Find: Waterfall Cave
Bane sword / Venom blade	60000	22	30%	Item: casts B5 Bane	K	N	-	R	-	-	Find: Flying Fortress
Katana / Sasuke	60000	33	35%	-	-	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Flying Fortress, Chaos Temple
Xcalibur / Excalibur	60000	45	35%	Element/strong: ALL	K	-	-	-	-	-	Find: Mt. Duergar
Masmune / Masamune	60000	56	50%	-	wK	tN	mM	rR	wW	bB	Find: Chaos Temple

Weapons introduced in the GBA Soul of Chaos

Name	Price	Atk	Hit%	Special effects	wK	tN	mM	rR	wW	bB	Locations
Kotetsu katana	?	22	20%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Win: Cerberus (Earthgift Shrine)
Braveheart sword	?	30	52%	Inflicts "Confuse"	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Win: Barbariccia, Yamatano Orochi (Hellfire Chasm)
Kikuichimonji katana	?	35	25%	Str+5	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Win: Rubicante (Hellfire Chasm)
Judgment staff	?	25	25%	Item: casts B8 Flare	-	-	-	-	-	B	Win: Atomos (Lifespring Grotto)
Orichalcum dagger	?	28	35%	Drains HP from enemy	wK	tN	-	rR	-	B	Find: Lifespring Grotto
Deathbringer sword	?	33	20%	Item: casts B6 Death; Str+5, Sta+5, Agi+5, Int+5	-	-	-	R	-	-	Find: Lifespring Grotto
Murasame katana	?	50	10%	Str+5	-	N	-	-	-	-	Win: Omega (Lifespring Grotto)
Ragnarok sword	?	55	40%	Item: casts B8 Flare; Str+7, Sta+7, Agi+3, Eva+30, Int+7	K	-	-	-	-	-	Win: Shinryu (Lifespring Grotto)
Sage's Staff	?	20	10%	Item: casts W5 Life; Int+15	-	-	-	rR	wW	bB	Win: Squidraken (Whisperwind Cove)
Mage masher dagger	?	20	30%	Item: casts W2 Silence; Int+5	wK	tN	-	rR	-	bB	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Gladius (dagger)	?	23	30%	Eva+10	wK	tN	-	rR	-	bB	Find: Whisperwind Cove x2
Viking axe	?	25	10%	Evasion-10 (!)	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Ashura katana	?	25	25%	-	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Win: Pharaoh (Whisperwind Cove)
Rune staff	?	25	25%	Item: casts W5 Healara; Int+10	-	-	-	-	W	-	Win: Orthros (Whisperwind Cove)
Duel rapier	?	27	30%	Eva+80	wK	tN	-	rR	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Enhancer sword	?	28	25%	Int+7	wK	N	-	rR	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Ogrekiller axe	?	30	0%	Strong vs. giants	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove x2
Assassin dagger	?	30	40%	Item: casts B8 Kill; Agi+3, Eva+10, Int+2	wK	tN	-	rR	-	B	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Dark claymore	?	40	5%	-	wK	-	-	-	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Rune axe	?	40	20%	Item: casts W5 Curaga; 25MP: critical hit; Int+3	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Win: Prototype (Whisperwind Cove)
Gigant axe	?	42	0%	Str+4, Int-4	wK	N	-	-	-	-	Find: Whisperwind Cove
Lightbringer sword	?	48	40%	Element: holy; Str+7, Sta+7, Agi+7, Eva+50, Int+7	-	-	-	R	-	-	Win: Death Gaze (Whisperwind Cove)
Ultima weapon	?	99	100%	Atk = current HP/10	K	N	M	R	W	B	Find: Whisperwind Cove

Special weapons

Special damage types

Some weapons will do special, usually elemental, damage types which gives them bonuses against certain types of monsters as listed in the weapons table above. In the NES version, these bonuses are never triggered however.

Usable weapons

Some weapons, as well as armor, are usable and will cast a particular spell when used in battle. These weapons should be held onto and used when needed; they have unlimited charges and are particularly useful during long dungeons.

Excalibur

Excalibur (Xcalbur) is crafted by a dwarf in Mt. Duergar, after you bring him Adamantine (Adamant) from the Flying Fortress second floor. The sword cannot be sold and is only usable by the Knight character following the class change.

Excalibur is strong against "all" types, meaning in addition to its already large damage and to-hit ratings it gets bonus damage and to-hit against everything, except in the NES version where these bonuses are never triggered.

Masamune

The masamune is the strongest weapon in the game, and is also usable by all characters. This flexibility makes it quite strong as well as giving rise to the question of which character should equip it; for a discussion of this see recommendations below.

Ultima Weapon

The ultima weapon is only available in certain versions of the game and is somehow linked to the user's HP.

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.

Here's the list of weapons that he can equip, except for those that can be equipped by everyone:

Atk=12: Nunchaku
Atk=14: Iron Nunchaku
Atk=16: Crosier

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.

Here's the list of weapons that she can equip, except for those that can be equipped by everyone:

Atk=10: Iron hammer
Atk=12: Mythril hammer
Atk=9: Healing staff (casts W3 Heal)
Atk=18: Thor's hammer (casts B3 Thundara)

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.

Here's the list of weapons that he can equip, except for those that can be equipped by everyone: