Sword made of mythril.
Description
The Mythril Sword is a weapon for Steiner in Final Fantasy IX, being the third sword. It teaches Steiner the Armor Break Swd Art, which makes an enemy weak to physical damage. It is a missable weapon, and if the player never procures one, Steiner also cannot learn Armor Break or synthesize the Grand Armor.
Obtain[]
The Mythril Sword is stolen from Beatrix in Burmecia, and sold for 1300 gil in Treno during Steiner and Princess Garnet's visit there, as well as in Esto Gaza before entering Desert Palace. As Treno stops selling it, and Esto Gaza becomes inaccessible after the player enters the Shimmering Island portal, Mythril Sword is missable. In this case, the player also cannot synthesize the Grand Armor in the endgame.
Mechanics[]
The Mythril Sword's damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
- Base = 20 - 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 = 40 - Enemy's Defense
Use[]
The guest characters Blank and Marcus can also equip the Mythril Sword, but Blank is never in the party when the Mythril Sword is normally available, and Marcus is better off just keeping his initial equipment. If the player steals the Mythril Sword from Beatrix in Burmecia, they can equip it to Steiner and it remains his strongest weapon for the segment across the Aerbs Mountains and world map exploration. However, the player may be able to earn the Blood Sword in Treno from Queen Stella if they have found enough Stellazzio coins. The player can also get the Ice Brand soon.
Armor Break is only learned from the Mythril Sword, and so it is worth buying the sword as soon as it is available if the player wants to learn all Sword Arts (getting it from Beatrix before she ends the battle can be tricky). However, the ability itself is niche; Steiner usually is better off using his turn for dealing damage than for making an enemy weak to damage.
The player should keep hold of the Mythril Sword, as in the endgame it can be used in synthesis to make the Grand Armor, the best armor if the player does not want to make the Tin Armor (as this requires using up the unique Hammer). The player could get two Mythril Swords, and then make two Grand Armors, one for Steiner and one for Freya, though a Grand Armor can also be stolen from a boss when entering the final dungeon.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The word "mythril" or "mithril" is a metal found in many fantasy worlds. It was originally introduced by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, being present in his Middle-earth. It resembles silver but is stronger than steel, and much lighter in weight than either. The author first wrote of it in The Lord of the Rings, and it is retrospectively mentioned in the third, revised edition of The Hobbit in 1966. In the first 1937 edition, the mail shirt given to Bilbo is described as being made of "silvered steel". The name mithril comes from two words in Sindarin—mith, meaning "gray" or "mist", and ril meaning "glitter".