Refine Ammunition from an item
Description
Ammo-RF (ammunition refiner) is a menu ability in Final Fantasy VIII that allows the player to make ammo for Irvine's Limit Break from other items; the highest grade ammo is also needed for Squall's ultimate weapon.
Obtained[]
The Guardian Force Ifrit learns Ammo-RF for 30 AP after he is on Level 10 or higher. Ifrit is recruited from the tutorial dungeon, Fire Cavern. If the player removes Ammo-RF with Amnesia Greens, there is no way to get it back.
Mechanics[]
Using Ammo-RF in the Ability menu enables the player to make ammo up to the cap of 100 of a single ammunition type.
| Item | Refine Into |
|---|---|
| Bomb Fragment | 1 = 20 Fire Ammo |
| Cactus Thorn | 1 = 40 Demolition Ammo |
| Chef's Knife | 1 = 20 AP Ammo |
| Energy Crystal | 1 = 10 Pulse Ammo |
| Fuel | 1 = 10 Fire Ammo |
| Laser Cannon | 1 = 5 Pulse Ammo |
| Missile | 1 = 20 Demolition Ammo |
| Normal Ammo | 1 = 1 Fast Ammo |
| Poison Powder | 1 = 10 Dark Ammo |
| Power Generator | 1 = 20 Pulse Ammo |
| Red Fang | 1 = 40 Fire Ammo |
| Running Fire | 1 = 40 Demolition Ammo |
| Screw | 1 = 8 Normal Ammo |
| Sharp Spike | 1 = 10 AP Ammo |
| Shotgun Ammo | 1 = 2 Fast Ammo |
| Venom Fang | 1 = 20 Dark Ammo |
Use[]
Ammo-RF is a crucial refiner ability to have to make the most of Irvine's Limit Break, Shot, and to craft Squall's ultimate weapon. By the time Irvine joins, the player likely has Ifrit sufficiently leveled up for him to have Ammo-RF available to learn just from normal progressing through the game. Because of Ammo-RF and the various common items that become ammunition, the player never particularly needs to conserve ammunition outside of the final grade, Pulse Ammo, which is needed for weapon remodeling.
Good uses include buying Normal Ammo and making them into Fast Ammo, and buying Fuel and making it into Fire Ammo. Cactus Thorns become whopping 40 Demolition Ammo each, and are easily available if the player engages with Triple Triad and procures Cactuar cards. Venom Fangs from Anacondaurs and their cards become Dark Ammo, good for disabling various dangerous enemies like T-Rexaur and Ruby Dragon by putting them to sleep.
AP Ammo is one of the best ammunition types, as Armor Shot ignores enemy Vitality stat when calculating damage. AP Ammo are made from Chef's Knives obtained from Tonberries and their cards. Collecting Tonberry cards and turning them into AP Ammo as soon as Irvine joins is a great use of Ammo-RF. When in Centra Ruins, the player needs to kill a sufficient amount of Tonberry enemies there to lure out Tonberry King. A good strategy is to have HP Critical Irvine in the party with Initiative, and use AP Ammo immediately until they do 0 damage to speed up the process, and then make the Chef's Knives the Tonberries dropped into more AP Ammo (if the Limit command does not immediately pop, the player can tap 
to skip turn until it does).
Pulse Ammo is the highest grade and rarest ammo in the game. Rather than use it for Shot, it is best used to make Squall's ultimate weapon, which in turn unlocks his ultimate Limit Break. Pulse Ammo is easiest made from Energy Crystals obtained from high level Elnoyles and from their cards. As Elnoyle is a late game enemy, and the player could craft the weapon early as soon as they procure the items for it, the player may attempt to get an Energy Crystal earlier from grinding the card game and collecting Elnoyle's cards, though it is not overly common in NPCs' hands and the player needs 10 cards to make a single Energy Crystal. Laser Cannons and Power Generators also become Pulse Ammo, but are hard to come by and also Blue Magic items for Quistis.