The Assault Gun is the second weapon for Barret in Final Fantasy VII. It is acquired after defeating Guard Scorpion, or later purchased from shop. Assault Gun is a basic long-range weapon, with minor stats, and two linked Materia slots. The player can equip it to Barret or throw it.
Obtained[]
Assault Gun is obtained after defeating Guard Scorpion during "No. 1 Reactor Bombing", meaning it is the first new weapon the player acquires, and should replace the default Gatling Gun. The weapon can later be purchased for 350 gil from weapon shops in the Sector 7 Slums or Wall Market.
Mechanics[]
As the Assault Gun has a base Attack stat bonus of 17, the base damage for physical attacks when the Assault Gun is equipped is in the following formula:
where "Level" is Barret's current level and "Strength" is his Strength stat. The Gatling Gun also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 98%, and grants a +1 bonus to Barret's Magic stat.
Use[]
Promotional render.
Assault Gun is acquired early on, and is an upgrade over Gatling Gun both in stats and in providing an additional Materia slot. Until the player reaches Cosmo Canyon, and can purchase the Heavy Vulcan, it is Barret's most powerful long-range weapon.
The Assault Gun has two linked Materia slots, meaning Barret can equip an attack Materia, such as Fire, Ice, or Lightning, and link it to All to help clear waves. However, in early stages of the game, Barret is better at physical attacks due to his higher Strength stat. This means Barret is better off ignoring this mechanic in favor of giving the All Materia to another character.
Assault Gun is outclassed by Cannon Ball and especially Atomic Scissors, in stats and Materia slots. Both are melee range weapons, meaning they will not benefit from putting Barret in the back row and thus take less damage. Whether the player keeps Assault Gun depends on how important they view this in early stages. Acquiring Heavy Vulcan deals with the dilemma as a straight upgrade over Assault Gun.