A staff infused with precious gems the color of twilight. Well suited for materia.
Description
The Arcane Scepter is a weapon for Aerith in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It provides the Fleeting Familiar ability, which summons a fairy that provides supplemental damage. The Arcane Scepter's unlocks provide an increase to Aerith's normal attack damage, while being overall balanced.
Obtained[]
Cloud earns the arcane scepter from the colosseum.
The weapon is earned as a reward either for completing "A Dynamite Body" or "Shears' Counterattack" in Chapter 9, "The Town That Never Sleeps". Based on the player's actions, Cloud may unlock either sidequest as the third one, and either will give the weapon as a reward.
Upgrades[]
Materia slots[]
| Materia slots purchased |
Minimum Weapon Level |
Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 
|
| 1 | 4 | 
|
| 2 | 5 |
|
| 3 | 5 |
|
Skills[]
| Arcane Scepter Core - Weapon Level: 1 - Required SP: 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +5 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +8 | Increases maximum MP. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +8 | Increases maximum MP. |
| Debuff Extension | Inflicted Debuff Duration 10% Boost | Extends the duration of detrimental status effects applied to enemies. |
| Buff Extension | Buff Duration 10% Boost | Extends the duration of beneficial status effects. |
| Arcane Scepter Sub-Core I - Weapon Level: 3 - Required SP: 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fire Damage Up | Fire Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by fire attacks. |
| Ice Damage Up | Ice Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by ice attacks. |
| Lightning Damage Up | Lightning Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by lightning attacks. |
| Wind Damage Up | Wind Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by wind attacks. |
| Enhanced Elements | Elemental Materia Damage 10% Boost | Increases damage added to attacks by elemental materia. |
| Arcane Scepter Sub-Core II - Weapon Level: 4 - Required SP: 12 | ||
|---|---|---|
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +7 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +7 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +10 | Increases maximum MP. |
| Enhanced Attack | Attack Damage 5% Boost | Increases damage dealt by basic attacks. |
| Stagger Siphon | Stagger Siphon | Recover HP when dealing damage with unique abilities to a staggered enemy. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Arcane Scepter Sub-Core III - Weapon Level: 5 - Required SP: 14 | ||
|---|---|---|
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +10 | Increases maximum MP. |
| MP Saver: Attack Spells | Attack Spells MP Cost Reduction 20% | Reduces MP cost of attack spells. |
| MP Recovery Up | MP Regeneration 10% Boost | Slightly increases MP regeneration speed during battle. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Needs More Materia | New Materia Slot | Adds an additional materia slot or links two existing slots. |
| Arcane Scepter Sub-Core IV - Weapon Level: 6 - Required SP: 16 | ||
|---|---|---|
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| MATK Up | Magic Attack Power +8 | Increases magic attack power attribute. |
| Max HP Up | Max HP +150 | Increases maximum HP. |
| Max MP Up | Max MP +10 | Increases maximum MP. |
| Elemental Defense Up | Elemental Defense 5% Boost | Reduces fire, ice, lightning, and wind damage taken. |
| Reprieve | Avoid Incapacitation once per battle. | Survive an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP. Can only activate once per battle. |
Use[]
Artwork.
The Arcane Scepter has a unique role among Aerith's weapons. Its 
Magic Attack attribute bonus is the second-lowest of her weapons when fully maxed, but it provides a variety of unique abilities. These include increases to her normal attack damage, to elemental damage, to the duration of debuffs that she casts, as well as a reduction in offensive spell costs. The weapon also has some defensive abilities, including an increase to her buff duration. The most notable unlock is Stagger Siphon, which causes her to recover HP when attacking staggered enemies.
Compared to other weapons, the Arcane Scepter has a lower magic attack attribute, but makes up for it with its unique buffs and its improvements to her normal attacks. This makes it comparable to the 
Bladed Staff, which provides improvements to her normal attacks by boosting her critical hit rate. The Arcane Scepter makes fewer compromises to her magic damage, and provides the Reprieve ability, which can be critical for Aerith's survival.
The Arcane Scepter is a good choice if the player wishes to focus on Aerith's normal attack damage and give her some durability improvements, without reducing her magic damage too heavily. The main issue with the weapon is that focusing on Aerith's normal attacks may be more MP-efficient, but is a waste of her spellcasting potential.