One of the best things about theFinal Fantasyseries is that it is constantly evolving.Dragon Questfans are seemingly happy with the same menus and monster types whileFinal Fantasytries to outdo itself every time by switching things up. Every world is new, characters are different, battle systems change, and so on.
Even the equipment can morph between titles and this includes spinoffs in the mix as well. TheFinal Fantasyfranchisehasn’t had any deep weapon and armor systems compared to other RPGs but some stand out more than others. These examples will be ranked based on creativity and ease of use.
Final Fantasy 10was the first mainline game to include something like a loot system. After battle, players had a chance to get weapons or armlets to equip. These drops would be relatively the same except these pieces of gear would have different abilities attached, making these drops more exciting.
For example, a sword for Tidus could have a power or defensive boost attached. There was even a way for players to customize gear later with abilities. It was an interesting system to incorporate into a Final Fantasy game and that wasn’t the only oddity. Theleveling-up system via the Sphere Gridwas also unique.
Final Fantasy 16had a fairly basic upgrade system for weapons and other gear. Players could only control one character, Clive, and his weapons of choice were swords. Pivotal moments in the game would reward players with new swords that could be upgraded.
There were ways to go on side quests to get materials and make new weapons as well. Besides typical RPG gear, players could also equip the equivalent of Summons to Clive calledEikons inFinal Fantasy 16. These would transform his capabilities in battle from the might of Titan to the fluid wind of Garuda. Abilities could be purchased via a skill tree to further enhance Clive which all ties back to the gear system.
In the originalFinal Fantasy 7, weapons and armor would boost stats and give characters slots to fill in with Materia. There were no ways to upgrade equipment but that changed inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. Every single weapon in the remake could be upgraded and each has a skill tree attached.
This skill tree could open up new slots for Materia and boost stats like HP. Every weapon also had an attached ability players could learn. For example,Cloud’s iconic Buster Swordgave him the Focused Thrust ability. It was a neat way for players to engage with their weapons more beyond buying something in a shop because numbers would go up.
Final Fantasy 9 had a unique way of giving characters abilities through the equipment system similar toFinal Fantasy 7 Remakebut this extended to armor and accessories too. Weapons and armor had abilities attached, but not every character could learn every ability. For example, a robe could have Black and White magic attached.
Equipping the robe to Dagger would give her theWhite Mage spellwhile giving it to Vivi would teach him the Black Mage spell. Once learned, those abilities could be used freely without the armor. This system gave players other reasons to equip things besides, again, seeing those numbers rise like in so many RPGs before it. It was also a cool way to learn magic and equip skills to enhance battles.
Final Fantasy 10may have started the loot train but it was greatly expanded inStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originby cranking the dial up 110%. This spinoff was a reimagining of the firstFinal Fantasygame which turned it from a turn-based RPG to an action game with Soulslike mechanics and Diablo-style loot. It also added co-op to give it that extra boost of something new to the series.
In a dungeon, players could easily get dozens of weapons or pieces of armor with small alternations between them from stats to abilities. In games like this players are often going to get more useless items than good ones but it all feeds into the same system. Plus, it’s a good way to feed that dopamine while playing in the hopes of scoring rare loot. It should also be mentioned that equipment is limited toJobs of which there are a lot inStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
Final Fantasy Explorersis the one game in the franchise that makes equipment feel rewarding. This spinoff can best be described as Square Enix’s attempt to capitalize ontheMonster Huntercraze. Players could create a character, choose a Job, and then venture off into the great unknown.
Monsters would drop materials which could then be used to craft gear back in town. The best armor and weapons were tied to loot drops from harder enemies and players would need to do a little grinding to get what they needed. LikeMonster Hunter, it took dedication to become the ultimate warrior inFinal Fantasy Explorers, making the risk and time worth the reward.
