With the recent controversy surrounding Square-Enix's now delayed "Magitek Exosuit" DLC for Final Fantasy XV with its more than passing resemblance to The Power Rangers. The developers stated that after getting contacted by studios behind the new Power Rangers film, they are now having to go back to the drawing board and redesign their look in order to avoid potential problems further on.
While every mainline Final Fantasy title usually has its own unique story and setting one of the things that fans have come to love are the connections and subtle references to previous games like characters names, items, Chocobos, Moogles and equipment sets that have become a staple for the series.
Although you very rarely see your characters physical appearance change like a western RPG when equipping new items and accessories, the equipment sets names and information in the series have so many recognisable qualities that long time fans will be very familiar with when they discover them through the course of their adventures.
While we patiently wait for the new Magitek Exosuits here I am listing what I have found to be the most useful, powerful and defensive armor and equipment sets the Final Fantasy universe.
The Mystile Armor
They Mystile armor has only featured in one mainline Final Fantasy title and that was Final Fantasy VII, although it did appear again in Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and the Final Fantasy: Dissidia series.
The Mystile armor has gained quite a following with Final Fantasy VII fans not only because it's one of the strongest in the game next to the Ziedrich armor, but because of its useful status effects, high evasion rate, increased accuracy and when combined with Deathblow, the Curse Ring and other useful items and it allows for Materia combinations like Final Attack and Phoenix, so it becomes very versatile when compared to the Ziedrich which has no Materia slots -- especially when going up against the Ultimate Weapon bosses.
The Mystile is a very powerful armor that would have been featured higher on the list if it was featured in more than just one mainline title.
Dragon/Dragoon Armor
Another very recognisable equipment class in the Final Fantasy universe it is often associated with the Dragon Knight class and the similar more powerful Dragoons.
The Dragon sets are a rare item that can't purchased in town shops and usually has comparable defense stats to items like the Genji Armor.
Visually the Dragon equipment is synonymous with Final Fantasy IV because of one the characters in the game and fan favorite the Dragoon called Kain Highwind and is easily one of the more recognisable character classes in the game. The Dragoon class aesthetics and its equipment make a return in Final Fantasy XV with the character Aranea highwind.
The Dragon Knight armor is one of the most powerful in the Final Fantasy IV second only to the Cecils Crystal armor.
The Crystal Armor
The Crystal Armor is one of the stronger equipment sets in the Final Fantasy universe and one of the most recognisable but often falling short of being the best when being surpassed by more rare items found later on in the game. Although it is lead protagonist Cecils most powerful armor even surpassing the Dragon Knight Armor in Final Fantasy IV.
The armor and other defensive items are seen throughout the series but the full range of Crystal equipment has been seen with the appearance of the Crystal sword too.
The Crystal bangles seen in Final Fantasy X-2 are the strongest in the game for its positive effects on a character's status such as large boosts to HP and MP.
The Grand Armor
The metallic Grand Armor is one of the best in the series although it hasn't been seen a lot in many of the mainline titles it has featured in spinoffs like Final Fantasy: Explorers and Final Fantasy: Dissidia.
In Final Fantasy XII it is the strongest heavy armor in the game and requires quite a bit of effort to obtain being an extremely rare drop.
The armor is described as "the greatest armor" and can only be worn by Steiner and Freya in Final Fantasy IX. It can also be worn by heavy armor wearing classes like the dragoon, knight and samurai in Final Fantasy Tactics: War Of The Lions.
The Ziedrich Armor
The Zeidrich Armor is one of the most powerful in the series providing high stat boosts and protection from all elemental attacks.
Next to the Mystile Armour it is the most powerful in Final Fantasy VII with massive defense stats in both magic and physical attributes. Combined with ability to half all elemental attacks it is an extremely effective line of defence only rivalled by the Mystile.
It has appeared in Final Fantasy X as Atlas which is a shield for Rikku that is obtained when the dominant set up is Break HP Limit. In a more recent appearance it is the best shield for Noctis and Gladiolus and is one of the rare legendary weapons in Final Fantasy XV.
The Genji Armor
Appearing in almost every Final Fantasy game the Genji armor is almost always the most powerful equipment set you can find. It is rare and is usually either stolen from or dropped after defeating a recurring boss/character known as Gilgamesh, a travelling samurai/swordsman who is searching for the ultimate weapon known as Excalibur.
A good example of the Genji's power can be seen Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core with the armor, which when equipped sets the HP limit to 99,999 and grants auto-Endure and Regen. The Genji shield is incredibly powerful in this game too because it absorbs all elemental attacks and makes Zack immune to all status effects.
Gilgamesh is set to return in some Final Fantasy XV DLC in the near future so it's very possible that he will bring along the Genji Armor he is famed for carrying.
The Ribbon/Super Ribbon
While it doesn't look like much as a line of defence The Ribbon is a long standing accessory and piece of armor in the Final Fantasy series, and is one of if not the most reliable and powerful defensive items in the entire series.
It usually protects the characters against all status effects with the exception of death related status effects such Instant Death or Doom, or in some cases slow and stop as seen in Final Fantasy VII.
The Super Ribbon is an upgraded version of The Ribbon and similarly protects against all status effects and in some games prevents Instant Death.
The Ribbon has also made it on to the Kingdom Hearts series and provides 20% elemental resistance which can be upgraded to 25% with The Grand Ribbon in Kingdom Hearts 2.
What is your favourite Final Fantasy armor set? Do you disagree with any of the picks here? Let us know in the comments below!
Published: Feb 9, 2017 12:44 am