A ribbon that guards against elemental attacks and status effects.
Pixel remaster description
Ribbon is a helmet in Final Fantasy, equipable by all Jobs.
Obtained[]
Four Ribbons exist in the game. The first of which can be obtained from the Waterfall Cavern in a chest on the first floor. The second can be obtained from the Sunken Shrine on the second floor. The third can be obtained from the Flying Fortress on the second floor. A fourth Ribbon is obtainable only in the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary releases, found on the final floor of Hellfire Chasm.
Mechanics[]
The ribbon grants resistance against all elements, and in the pixel remaster immunity to all status effects.
In pre-pixel remaster releases, status effects cannot be directly resisted, only the element of the status-inflicting attack. Additionally, resisting the element only reduces the accuracy of the status-inflicting attack rather than nullifying it. As such, even with the Ribbon equipped party members are not immune to status effects. The non-elemental status-inflicting attacks Sleepra and Mind Blast also completely bypass the Ribbon's protection in these releases. In the pixel remaster release, status resistances are separated from elemental resistances and provide complete immunity, allowing the Ribbon to completely protect against status.
The KO status cannot be directly protected against in any release; even when something is listed as resisting Instant Death, this is in reference to the element rather than a status effect. As with standard status-inflicting attacks, the Ribbon can only protect against the element of such attacks to reduce their accuracy. The non-elemental KO-inflicting attacks of the Mindflayer can thus bypass the protections of the Ribbon in all releases.
Usage[]
While the Ribbon provides minimal raw defensive value and its status protection is not infallible, the resistances it provides make it invaluable. Helmets are also a relatively small part of a character's defensive profile, so the lost Defense compared to a heavier helmet isn't as impactful. However, with only three Ribbons available in the base game, their use should be reserved for Masters, Red Wizards, White Wizards, or Black Wizards, as only Knights and Ninjas have access to other headgear.
In the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary releases it becomes possible to outfit the entire party with Ribbons, but several new pieces of headgear are introduced that can compete with it, providing superior defensive stats, raw bonus stats, and/or some elemental resistances of their own. Additionally, the Hero's Shield becomes available, which provides the same elemental resistances as the Ribbon but in the shield slot for Knights and Ninjas, allowing them to swap out their Ribbon for a different helmet without sacrificing their resistances.