Royal arms (Final Fantasy XV)



The Royal Arms are special weapons in Final Fantasy XV Universe that only Noctis Lucis Caelum and others of his bloodline can brandish. They are the weapons of the previous monarchs of Lucis. There have been 113 kings, but there are thirteen known Royal Arms. The power of kings is to wield all of their collected the Royal Arms simultaneously, an ability known as Armiger. In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the statues of the Old Wall wield giant versions of the Royal Arms. The weapons can be equipped and used in battle in Final Fantasy XV where some are obtained as part of the story and some are found in optional dungeons.

Profile
The weapons contain the power of light and have wing motifs upon them. As they contain the power of light, they are especially good for fighting daemons. According to legend, a king of Lucis once fought the powers of darkness with weapons of light on his side and eradicated Starscourge from the world, as Cosmogony posits: ''There once lived a man, born to a mortal but blessed with powers divine. Conjuring a collection of glaives he dispelled the darkness plaguing our star.'' The ability to conjure "a collection of glaives" is thus implied to be an ability granted to the kings by the gods.

The weapons' power of light may be linked to Bahamut, the light-elemental astral, as well as the Crystal, the most powerful magical artifact in the world. Bahamut is an astral god who is associated with swords, his wings being made out of them and his Ultima Sword attack being similar in appearance to Armiger, Bahamut summoning a horde of glowing swords to surround him to rain on his enemies. As the power of kings is implied to have been granted to the Lucis Caelum dynasty by Bahamut himself, the Royal Arms may thus be part of this power.

The weapons have been preserved for future generations by the monarchs who wielded them, although the exact process this entails is unknown. They are usually left in Royal Tombs that are hidden around the nation of Lucis in hard-to-reach locations, such as caves, forests, and even on a volcano. Arms left in tombs have been known to have been broken into and stolen and thus thought lost, such as the Tomb of the Tall in Duscae. Royal Arms need not be entombed to be useful to the heirs, as is seen with the Trident of the Oracle and the Sword of the Father; it is only necessary for the heir to come into contact with the weapon and pick it up. Only those of the Lucis Caelum bloodline can actually brandish the arms as weapons, although others can still handle them.

When a Royal Arm recognizes its rightful wielder, it will become transparent and crystalline and glows before entering the king's body in a flash of light leaving soul crystals glimmering in the air, signifying the bonding of the souls of the Lucian kings that is what allows the heirs to wield the sacred glaives. From then on the wielder can forge the weapon from thin air, and it will appear into their grasp at will no matter where they are. They can even call upon all of the Royal Arms they have thus collected and momentarily wield them all at once, gaining the power to levitate. This state is called Armiger and it cannot usually be sustained for long. Even when not in Armiger, Royal Arms can be used to warp like a normal weapon.

The weapons have a transcendental presence, as they can be wielded by more than person at once, essentially being in more than one location simultaneously. For example, Noctis and Ardyn Izunia can both wield Armiger at the same time with the exact same set of Royal Arms, and Noctis can use the Sword of the Father in the battle against Leviathan even if it is in Ravus Nox Fleuret's possession. Even after being collected from a Royal Tomb, it is implied the next heir can still return to the same tomb for the weapon as well, as Cor Leonis who once accompanied Prince Regis on his travels across Lucis directs Noctis to his first Royal Tomb and hands him the key, implying he has been on this task before. The Arms also seem to always be proportionate to their wielder, as when the statues of the Old Wall use their Royal Arms the weapons are gargantuan in size.

The power of kings is also to lend their power to those they are bonded to. Usually only those of the Lucis Caelum bloodline can brandish the Royal Arms, but with the king's blessing those joining in an attack with him can also momentarily wield them, as seen in Armiger Chain in Final Fantasy XV. If the power to wield crystalline weapons of light does originate from Bahamut, the king's ability to share it with others may be further continuation of this theme.

Ardyn Izunia has the same thirteen Royal Arms Noctis has and wields them in Armiger during his final confrontation with Noctis. He glows red as opposed to Noctis's blue.

Story
The Lucis Caelum bloodline was chosen by the gods of Eos, the astrals, to save the world from the malady known as Starscourge which transforms humans and animals alike into monsters of the dark known as daemons. Daemons in turn shed substance from their bodies that consumes sunlight, lengthening the nights. There exists a prophecy of the coming of the True King who would be chosen by the Crystal when the world would be covered in darkness. The Crystal is stone that exudes the power of light the kings of Lucis are sworn to protect until the time of the prophecy, and command its power with the Ring of the Lucii said to have been given to the kings by the gods alongside the Crystal. The kings can forge weapons out of thin air and combine their powers across generations via the bonding of the souls and the Ring of the Lucii. Even without the ring the heirs to this bloodline can wield the Royal Arms, magical weapons that bear the power of light that no one else can brandish.

King Regis is implied to have embarked on a journey across Lucis to collect Royal Arms, as he can wield a collection of glaives in Armiger, although he rarely does so after being weakened for upholding the Wall around the Crown City of Insomnia. His personal Arm is the Sword of the Father.

After the Empire of Niflheim invades Insomnia and steals its Crystal and King Regis is killed, his son Prince Noctis embarks on a journey to collect the weapons of his forebears and forge covenants with the astral gods of Eos to gain the power he needs to reclaim his throne. He is put on the path of this task by Cor Leonis, the marshal of the Crownsguard who once accompanied Regis on his travels across Lucis. Cor gives Noctis a key to the tombs and shows him a tomb where Noctis inherits the Sword of the Wise.

Noctis travels Lucis and uncovers many Royal Tombs and collects their weapons, building his collection of Royal Arms and gaining the power of Armiger, which grows stronger with every new weapon he finds. When he and his friends are accosted by Ravus Nox Fleuret, the high commander of Niflheim's magitek infantry, Noctis shows off his newfound powers by entering Armiger, but Ravus remains unphased. Ravus holds the Sword of the Father, the sword of the late King Regis, although he cannot wield it. Ravus had salvaged it from Regis's body after he had been killed.

Noctis continues his quest to Altissia where he is to rendezvous with his fiancee Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. The Nox Fleurets are Oracles whom the astrals granted powers to heal those afflicted with Starscourge and the ability to commune with gods thousands of years ago, the same time the kings of Lucis gained their powers and the Crystal. Luna believes Noctis is the Chosen King and that her mission is to guide him to fulfill the prophecy. Ravus is Luna's brother who begrudges Regis and doubts Noctis has what it takes to become the True King.

Luna uses the Trident of the Oracle, the Oracles' traditional weapon that is also a Royal Arm, to beckon the sea goddess Leviathan. Leviathan goes on a rampage around Altissia and Luna uses the trident to call upon the spirits of the old kings to empower Noctis, who enters a sustained Armiger and subdues Leviathan with the power of kings, forging a covenant with her. Noctis gains the Ring of the Lucii from Luna who had been holding safeguarding for him, but she is killed. Her body disappears into the astral realm and the Trident of the Oracle goes missing.

Noctis continues on his quest and with instructions from Cor finds another Royal Tomb in imperial land, collecting a new Royal Arm. He is met by the astral goddess Shiva on his way to the imperial capital who brings him the Trident of the Oracle as she forges a covenant with him. In the capital of Gralea Noctis finds he cannot conjure weapons to his grasp as his powers have been sealed by imperial technology. He continues with the Ring of the Lucii his only weapon and comes across Ravus's body in Zegnautus Keep, the imperial magitek laboratory. Noctis finds the Sword of the Father by Ravus's body, and gains his final Royal Arm. Ravus had been killed by Ardyn, who had cut him down with his own Sword of the Father, a Royal Arm he already had.

Now wielding the full powers of Armiger, Noctis finds the Crystal in Zegnautus Keep where the Empire had brought it, unable to use it as they had never found the Ring of the Lucii. When he approaches the Crystal however, he is pulled inside and disappears from the world for ten years. The sun never rises again and Eos is overtaken by daemons.

Noctis returns ten years later having gained the power of the Crystal, ready to fulfill the prophecy as the True King. Noctis fells Ardyn outside the Citadel, his immortal ancestor from two thousand years ago who was once on a path to be chosen by the Crystal. Ardyn's soul had been corrupted by daemons after he had worked as a healer and he had been cast aside, the Crystal choosing another in his stead. Ardyn had continued a shadowy existence for millennia, unable to die, waiting for the coming of the True King. Ardyn summons the same Royal Arms Noctis wields to him and the two duel both wielding the power of kings, but Noctis emerges victorious and kills Ardyn.

Noctis ascends the throne and wedges the Sword of the Father into the floor in front of him. He summons the spirits of the past kings to him with the Ring of the Lucii and their Arms appear around the throne. Each spirit of a king assaults him one by one with their Royal Arms until Noctis is killed by Regis wielding the Sword of the Father. His soul enters the afterlife where he confronts Ardyn's soul. The Royal Arms the kings' spirits had plunged into his body to kill him emerge from Noctis, and the kings take up arms once again to combine their powers to erase Ardyn's soul, Noctis dealing the final blow with the Sword of the Father. The prophecy fulfilled, Noctis disappears, the Ring of the Lucii disintegrates, daemons disappear and the sun rises upon the world of Eos.

What happens to the Royal Arms after Noctis's sacrifice is unknown, as the Lucis Caelum bloodline has been extinguished.

Gameplay
In Final Fantasy XV Royal Arms can be equipped by Noctis. Each has a high attack power, but using them as normal weapons drains Noctis's health when he attacks with them. They are generally especially good against daemons. If Noctis's HP is below the amount of HP a certain Royal Arm requires, he will enter Danger state. The player does not need to use the Royal Arm to benefit from its status boost; just equipping them will drastically boost Noctis's stats.

Most of the Arms are discovered from Royal Tombs. Some are obtained as part of the story, and some are optional.

The Arms are wielded at once during Armiger, during which Noctis doesn't lose health from using them. During his battles against Titan and Leviathan, Noctis uses Royal Arms to parry their attacks, and won't use HP in the process. Learning Armiger Chain in the Ascension lets Noctis's party members join in a group attack where they momentarily wield the Royal Arms as well.

The last stage of the Armiger Chain is:
 * First attack:
 * Sword of the Wise - Prompto
 * Axe of the Conqueror - Gladiolus
 * Sword of the Wanderer - Ignis
 * Blade of the Mystic - Noctis


 * Second attack:
 * Star of the Rogue - Prompto
 * Sword of the Tall - Gladio
 * Mace of the Fierce - Ignis
 * Bow of the Clever - Noctis


 * Third attack:
 * Scepter of the Pious - Prompto
 * Shield of the Just - Gladio
 * Katana of the Warrior - Ignis
 * Trident of the Oracle - Noctis


 * Final attack:
 * Sword of the Father - Noctis

During a fight against the Adamantoise, if Noctis counters an attack from its head, he will summon a Royal Arm for his party members as well as himself: the Sword of the Mystic for himself, the Axe of the Conqueror for Gladiolus, the Sword of the Wise for Prompto, and the Swords of the Wanderer for Ignis, enabling them to warp on top of its head to deliver a devastating counter. This suggests the Royal Arms can be used by non-Lucian kings, provided a Lucian king gives them permission and enabling them to warp.

Every Royal Arm has a unique moveset. Collecting all Arms earns the Faithful Heir achievement/trophy.

Bow of the Clever
Bow of the Clever is an optional Royal Arm found in the depths of Balouve Mines in southern Leide. After felling the dungeon boss, the player can find a crack in a wall that leads to a Royal Tomb.

Bow of the Clever is a crossbow that fires piercing arrows while allowing the wielder to move freely about the battlefield. Like most ranged weapons, the Bow of the Clever uses Noctis's Magic stat in damage calculations. Its basic combo is to shoot and it doesn't require reloading. Bolts travel through enemies and can hit multiple foes. It deals more damage the closer Noctis is to his target.

Directional input during fire has Noctis quickstep in that direction, similar to daggers. Noctis is invincible during a quickstep. Releasing the directional input and inputting it again during the dodge performs an MP-free airstep. Noctis will jump and begin an aerial combo where he will shoot once. Bow of the Clever's phase counter is a shoot.

Warp-striking with the bow warps near to the enemy and shoots it four times point-blank. Noctis will not strike initially, but will set up for a barrage of arrows. It aims high however and will likely miss unless the enemy is large.

The bow allows good mobility to kite enemies and works best when Noctis is equipped for high Magic. Its ability to hit multiple enemies at once is good for multi-encounters, but each enemy struck will also drain Noctis's health. Combining with Overwhelm gives it an amazing fire-rate and damage, but the player can enter Danger state as it is easy to drain all of Noctis's health this way.

Shield of the Just
Shield of the Just is found in Tomb of the Just, west of the Disc of Cauthess and south from Lestallum in Thommel's Glade. It is an optional Royal Arm, but the player does not need to do a dungeon to acquire it.

Shield of the Just handles almost exactly like a regular shield. Its warp-strike has a large area of effect, allowing the player to clear crowds of enemies and making it useful for warps-trike AP farming. Its basic combo is to bash the enemy with the shield, and it can be used in aerial combos. Noctis performs a different shield bash as a phase counter. It has a higher than normal capacity to force enemies into the Vulnerable state.

Holding the defense button enters a defensive stance similar to cover status where Noctis cannot move and continually consumes MP, with the same bonus HP regeneration as with a regular shield. Unlike regular shields, the Shield of the Just reduces normally unblockable attacks by about 75% in this stance. Given its strength and use of MP, the Shield of the Just may be most useful as a healing tool, but the player can use it to block attacks they struggle dodging. It can be menu-swapped to bypass the strength penalty.

Trident of the Oracle
Trident of the Oracle is the traditional weapon of the Oracles' bloodline. It is a tall steel trident that has a wing ornament at the bottom. It is considered a polearm for gameplay purposes. When the player attacks with the trident, it will leave a hologram that stays for a few seconds and will damage enemies that touch it.

The trident is one of the more prominent Royal Arms, second only to the Sword of the Father, King Regis's sword. It is wielded by Lunafreya when she calls forth Leviathan in Altissia. Although Luna is not of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, she can still use the trident to empower Noctis for his battle against the sea goddess. Noctis does not obtain the trident from a Royal Tomb, rather, it is obtained as part of the story at the end of Chapter 12.

Luna is not the only Oracle to have wielded the trident. One of the statues of the Old Wall in Insomnia wields a giant version of it when Nyx Ulric calls upon their power in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Musical themes
When Noctis inherits a Royal Arm a version of "Somnus", the main theme of Final Fantasy XV, plays.

Creation and development
Noctis's ability to wield multiple crystalline weapons at once has been present ever since the Final Fantasy Versus XIII E3 2006 trailer where the game was revealed. In trailers for Final Fantasy Versus XIII Noctis was not the only one to wield the crystal weapons. He was opposed by a man in a white cloak, and Stella Nox Fleuret, both whom displayed similar skills to Noctis to summon phantom weapons from thin air. In the final game, the man in white is Ravus Nox Fleuret who doesn't have the power to wield the Royal Arms, although he at first seeks the power of kings and the Ring of the Lucii, and Stella was replaced by Lunafreya Nox Fleuret who at once point wields a Royal Arm, albeit not in Armiger, the Trident of the Oracle.

Omen
Some of the Royal Arms appear in the short film for Final Fantasy XV depicting Noctis following Lunafreya's dog Pryna through various dreamscapes. Noctis wields the Sword of the Tall against imperial troops, and takes the Trident of the Oracle from Lunafreya during their battle and appears to have killed her with it while being possessed.

Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV
Noctis wields his Royal Arms when he uses Armiger. They are not exact same designs as seen in Final Fantasy XV.

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae
Royal Arms do not appear in the demo, but Noctis can collect four Phantom Swords to use in Armiger that take their place. The Phantom Swords are unique to the demo and are not collected from Royal Tombs, rather, they are found from the environment. Whenever Noctis collects a new Phantom Sword, he gains new abilities to his Armiger.

Merchandise
Lunafreya's Play Arts Kai figure comes with the Trident of the Oracle. Noctis's Play Arts Kai figure comes with his Sword of the Father, albeit the figure in Ultimate Collector's Edition has another weapon in its stead.

Trivia

 * As a nod to its original title, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Final Fantasy XV makes references to the number 13. There are thus thirteen Royal Arms and thirteen Lucian kings to wield them in the Knights of the Round.