Summary
Square Enix’s flagshipFinal Fantasyseries is one of the most well-known and beloved franchises in all gaming. The RPG series has been going strong for almost 40 years, and has a reputation for iterating on and experimenting with each main title as well as spin-offs and tangential games. While it has experienced its share of ups and downs, it remains hugely popular with a massively passionate fandom. The latest mainline entry,Final Fantasy 16, continued this momentum, and moreFinal Fantasyentries have already been announcedin its wake.
Final Fantasy 16marked the biggest departure the series has taken, pivoting from its familiar turn-based active time battle party system into third person action with real-time combat focused on a single playable character along the lines ofDevil May CryorBayonetta. Nevertheless,FF16continues one longstanding series tradition; recurring characters, locations, and items that have been included or referenced in some way. Specifically, many ofFF16’s weapons have been seen before numerous times. Below are ones that Square should continue incorporating into the nextFF.
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Final Fantasy 16 Weapons That Need to Come Back
FF16contained nearly 30 swords thatnewcomer protagonist Clive Rosfieldcould wield during his epic quest. With such a deep well to draw from, mileage may vary over the debate of what the best or most relevant choices are. Still, the ones below cover some of the more frequently used and mechanically useful over the years.
Stormcry/Flametongue/Icebrand/Levinbolt: Grouping these together seems fitting since they represent theelemental magic types like fire, lighting, and icetypically seen inFF.InFF16, they actually evolve progressively. ThoughFF16didn’t have elemental strength/weakness mechanics, these fill out that role in a general sense, and are almost guaranteed to return in some form.
Defender: Astandard workhorse throughoutFFgames, Defender can usually can be bought or found early to midgame. As implied, its main advantage is the boost to defensive stats it grants. It may not be the flashiest blade in the arsenal, but its utility and ubiquitousness make it a solid choice to continue having.
Enhancer: Another widely seen arm, Enhancerraises the magic stat or abilitiesfor the equipped character. Like Defender, it’s perhaps not the most glamorous, but the solid boost to magic it provides allows party members more efficiency in that area, and is also very likely to be in futureFFgames.
Onion Sword: An interesting pick that was sometimes ajoke weapon inFinal Fantasy. In other cases though, its stats were directly tied to a character’s level. This makes it a bit of a wildcard depending on when it’s acquired, but also allows the potential for it to be overpowered and thus incredibly useful.
Blood Sword: Sometimes seen as adarker, more evilFinal Fantasyweapon, its signature ability to steal health can make it a life-saver, especially against certain enemies. However, players must exercise caution as it can backfire and have the opposite effect against some foes.
Ragnarok: Along with its legendary cousins Excalibur and the Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok’s history as apowerful endgame weaponusually requiring a fair bit of work or rare ingredients to acquire make it much sought after. Given that, it will almost assuredly show up again inFF.
Rosarian Oath: As Clive’s family heirloom that players receive automatically near the start of his adventure, it has not appeared in any priorFF.This provides Square an opportunity tocement Clive andFF16’s legacyby having it be in the next title, possibly as a secret weapon, thus adding another iconic entry inFF’s legacy of references.
Final Fantasy 16is available now exclusively for the PlayStation 5, with a PC version confirmed to be in development.
