Buckle protected by mysterious powers.
Description
The Glass Buckle is an early game add-on in Final Fantasy IX that everyone can equip. It teaches Add Status, which allows the character to make use of their weapon's innate status abnormality, though it does not work with thief swords; Antibody, which inoculates against Poison; and the Thunder spell for Vivi. The Glass Buckle gives a bonus to the wearer's Strength, Magic, and Spirit when they level up with it equipped. The buckle is made via synthesis and is itself used to make a different add-on.
Final Fantasy IX was the first game in the Final Fantasy series where the Glass Buckle appeared, but it has since become a recurring accessory.
Obtain[]
The Glass Buckle is synthesized in Lindblum, Treno, Black Mage Village, and Alexandria for 500 gil, a Glass Armlet, and a Leather Wrist, which are also sold in shops in these locations.
Mechanics[]
The Glass Buckle gives +5 to Magic Evasion and a +1 bonus to the wearer's Strength and Magic and a +2 bonus to the wearer's Spirit when they level with it equipped. When enough "bonuses" upon level up from gear have been accrued, the character gains a permanent stat increase. Strength is used in damage calculations and determines HP growth. Magic is used for calculating spells' outcomes and determines MP growth. Spirit is a generally good stat that affects aspects such as the HP a character is revived at, the duration of expirable statuses, how often Regen and Poison tick, how frequently the character enters Trance and how many turns they get while in Trance, among other things.
Use[]
The Glass Buckle has some good abilities and level up bonuses and is available early in the game. Add Status and Antibody are good to master for everyone, and Thunder is a good spell for Vivi.
The Glass Buckle is used in synthesis to make the Power Belt.
The buckle's level up bonuses are great for an early add-on, but level grinding and min-maxing are unnecessary for a normal playthrough even when preparing for superboss encounters; the player can view any extra stats as simply a nice bonus.