The Bone Helm is a mid ranked heavy armor helm in Final Fantasy XII that boosts the wearer's magickal defense by 26 (Zodiac) or 22 (original) and Strength by 6. It halves Dark damage on the wearer while making them weak to Holy damage.
Obtain[]
Original[]
In the original PlayStation 2 version, the Bone Helm is sold for 5900 gil in Rabanastre and Nalbina Fortress after defeating Judge Bergan.
It is found as a treasure in Salikawood's Diverging Way (northwest; 40% chance to appear, 50% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is Bone Helm without the Diamond Armlet equipped ). It is rarely stolen from the Python and very rarely drops from the Wild Saurian (in The Stepping only).
Zodiac[]
In the updated Zodiac versions, the Bone Helm is sold for 4900 gil in Mt Bur-Omisace after defeating Vinuskar, and in Mosphoran Highwaste after defeating Judge Bergan. It is found as a treasure in Dalmasca Estersand's The Yoma (75% chance to appear, 35% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Bone Helm without the Diamond Armlet equipped), as well as in Trial Mode Stage 85 with the Diamond Armlet equipped. It is still rarely stolen from the Python and very rarely drops from Wild Saurian. It is also commonly stolen from the Ring Wyrm in Trial Mode Stage 18.
Use[]
Bone Helm is a mid level helm giving 26 or 22 Magick Resist depending on version and 6 Strength. The strength bonuses make heavy armor ideal for frontline fighters, and the Bone Helm is a good helm to equip over any inferior equipment the player may have on anyone who attacks physically, although a gun-wielder does not benefit from the strength-boost. It halves Dark damage while making the wearer weak to Holy, however, Holy is a rare element for enemies to use so it is not too much of a detriment. The Holy-elemental enemies in the game are the superbosses Ultima and Yiazmat, as well as the holy entites and elementals, all of which are faced after the Bone Helm is eclipsed by better helms. However, the Dark-halving property can remain useful until late into the game, such as against the superboss Zodiark. However, the Bone Helm could also be skipped in favor of the Diamond Helm that is available from the shops soon after Bone Helm becomes available.
In the Zodiac versions, Uhlan, Knight, Time Battlemage, and Foebreaker can equip it, and so it is only useful to buy if the player has chosen these License Boards for the party. In The Zodiac Age versions, after fighting Belias the player can choose two License Boards per party member and so more characters can benefit from heavy armor, as it is usually a good idea to match jobs that use different types of armor to bolster light armor jobs' strength, and to give more durability to spellcasters.