Heaven's Cloud (Final Fantasy VII)

Heaven's Cloud
(天の叢雲, Ame no Murakumo?)
Availability
Obtained	Sunken Gelnika
Character users	Cloud
Value	2 gil
Classification
Type	Sword
Range	Melee
Element	Cut
Specifications
Attack	93
Magic atk	31
Attack%	100
Materia slots	x6
Related pages
Recurring appearance	Ame no Murakumo (weapon)

Heaven's Cloud is a weapon for Cloud in Final Fantasy VII, obtained in Sunken Gelnika. It is a high-tier, well-rounded weapon, though its main drawback is that though it has six Materia slots, none of them are linked. It is Cloud's third strongest weapon overall, below Ragnarok and Ultima Weapon. The player can equip it to Cloud or throw it, or sell it for 1 gil.

Obtained

Heaven's Cloud can be obtained in the Sunken Gelnika. It is found in a treasure chest in the first room.

Mechanics

As the Heaven's Cloud has a base Attack stat bonus of 93, the base damage for physical attacks when the Heaven's Cloud is equipped is the following formula:

${\text{Base Damage}}={\text{(93 + Strength)}}+{\frac {{\text{(93 + Strength)}}+{\text{Level}}}{32}}\times {\frac {{\text{(93 + Strength)}}\times {\text{Level}}}{32}}$

where "Level" is Cloud's current level and "Strength" is his Strength stat. It also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 100%, and grants a +31 bonus to Cloud's Magic stat when casting spells.

Use

Promotional render.

Heaven's Cloud has strong stats all around, and six Materia slots. It is a formidable weapon for Cloud, and if the player acquires it before Ragnarok, it outperforms all of Cloud's weapons up to that point in sheer power.

The biggest drawback to Heaven's Cloud is in utility. Because all six of its Materia slots are unlinked, none of the Materia can benefit from Support Materia. Later in the game, this greatly weakens Cloud as a spellcaster, as it prevents him from benefiting from the effects of linking many Magic Materia and Summon Materia with Support Materia effects. However, it has little effect on Command Materia (most of which cannot link with Support Materia) and no effect on Independent Materia. This means that the player should mostly use Cloud for physical damage when Heaven's Cloud is equipped.

Heaven's Cloud is outclassed by Ragnarok, as it does not have the same drawback, and by Ultima Weapon.

Etymology

The sword's Japanese name is "Ame no Murakumo". [view · edit · purge]The name "Ame no Murakumo" is based on the legendary Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword of Japanese myth. It was originally called Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (天叢雲剣), which roughly translates as "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven", but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ("Grass Cutting Sword"). In legend, the sword is found by the storm god Susano'o in one of the tails of the Yamata no Orochi. It is also one of the three Imperial Regalia used in the ritual of imperial ascension.