Sword made of diamond.
Description
The Diamond Sword is a weapon for Steiner in Final Fantasy IX, being the seventh sword. It teaches the Power Break Swd Art that attempts to cripple an enemy's offensive capabilities. The Diamond Sword is a missable weapon if not procured in time, and if the player misses it, Steiner cannot learn Power Break.
The sword is based on the Diamond Sword from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Obtain[]
The Diamond Sword is found in Oeilvert "planetarium" room down and right from the projector on the floor. It is also bought for 4700 gil in the Mogshops in Oeilvert and Desert Palace, as well as in Esto Gaza after the events in Desert Palace. As all of these locations become inaccessible once the player enters the Shimmering Island portal, the Diamond Sword can be missed.
Mechanics[]
The Diamond Sword's damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
- Base = 42 - Enemy's Defense
- Bonus = Strength + Rnd MOD ([(Level + Strength) / 8] + 1)
- Damage = Base * Bonus
Where Rnd means a random number, while MOD means modulus operation. "Rnd MOD x" can be read as a random number between 0 and x-1.
The damage is then modified by variables like Steiner's row position and any support abilities that enhance his Attack (killer abilities and MP Attack), and the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, his Bonus would be 1.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons, and the Base part of the damage formula is altered to:
- Base = 18 - Enemy's Defense
Use[]
The Diamond Sword is Steiner's strongest weapon for the Oeilvert or Desert Palace excursions, depending on where the player chose to send him. However, the preceding Coral Sword may still do more damage if Steiner equips the Thunder Gloves with it. The stronger Flame Saber is purchasable from Esto Gaza after the events in Desert Palace, and so the Diamond Sword's status as Steiner's strongest available weapon is short-lived.
The Diamond Sword is the only source of Power Break. This ability is not especially useful as Steiner is usually better off using his turn for damage than for damage-mitigation, however, it can come to use if the player us "idling" while waiting for Zidane to steal all spoils from a boss.
The guest characters Marcus and Blank can also equip the Diamond Sword but they are never in the party when the sword is normally available.