The Chainmail is a low to mid ranked heavy armor in Final Fantasy XII that boosts the wearer's Defense by 17 (Zodiac) or 16 (original), and Strength by 3—one less than the preceding Linen Cuirass. Chainmail is metallic for the purposes of the Magnetize debuff present in the boss battles against Vinuskar and Ultima.
Obtain[]
Original[]
In the original PlayStation 2 version, the Chainmail is sold for 2,500 gil by Dyce outside Tomb of Raithwall after defeating the second Demon Wall, and in Rabanastre after defeating Belias, and in Jahara.
It is found as a treasure in the rainy Giza Plains' Starfall Field (50% chance to appear, 55% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is Chainmail without the Diamond Armlet equipped ). It is rarely poached from the Lich.
Zodiac[]
In the updated Zodiac versions, the Chainmail is sold for 2,300 gil by Dyce in Nam-Yensa Sandsea, Tomb of Raithwall and Balfonheim Port, and in Rabanastre after defeating Belias, and in Jahara. It is found as a treasure in Ogir-Yensa Sandsea's East Junction (70% chance to appear, 30% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Chainmail without the Diamond Armlet equipped), Nam-Yensa Sandsea's Withering Shores (70% chance to appear, 55% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Chainmail without the Diamond Armlet equipped), Zertinan Caverns' Hourglass Basin (90% chance to appear, 15% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Chainmail without the Diamond Armlet equipped), and Ozmone Plain's Field of Fallen Wings (80% chance to appear, 40% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Chainmail without the Diamond Armlet equipped), as well as in Trial Mode Stage 46 with the Diamond Armlet equipped. It is still rarely poached from the Lich, and is also now an uncommon steal from the Werewolf in Trial Mode Stage 5.
Use[]
Chainmail is a low to mid level heavy armor giving 17 or 16 Defense depending on version, and 3 Strength. The strength bonuses make heavy armor ideal for frontline fighters, though it actually offers less Strength than the preceding Linen Cuirass; if the party has a Linen Cuirass, updating to Chainmail may not be optimal, and the party could skip it in favor of the Golden Armor. Chainmail is still a good armor 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.
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 as a party member's first job. 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.
In the Zodiac versions, the player could get it quite early from the Trial Mode by stealing from the Werewolf. If procured early, the player can skip buying all the low level heavy armors from the shops.