Weapon with deadly venom on the tip.
Description
The Scissor Fangs is Amarant's fourth claw in Final Fantasy IX. It teaches him the Flair ability Aura, which bestows an ally with Auto-Life and Regen. All of Amarant's weapons besides his ultimate weapon teach Counter, a passive ability that lets him respond to being physically attacked with an Attack of his own. Though it takes a lot of AP to master, this is inconsequential as all of Amarant's weapons have Counter until the very end of the game, and it is impossible to de-equip him of a weapon altogether.
The Scissor Fangs is a missable weapon, but is not the only source of any abilities or needed for synthesis. However, it is the only means for the player to inflict Venom, via Add Status, defeating a susceptible enemy outright.
Obtain[]
The claw is sold for 8000 gil in Esto Gaza after the events in Desert Palace, but it becomes inaccessible as the player enters the Shimmering Island portal. If not bought in time, the player can never inflict Venom onto enemies, and learning Aura will be considerably more arduous.
Mechanics[]
The Scissor Fangs' damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
- Base = 45 - Enemy's Defense
- Bonus = Strength + A random value 0 ... [(Level + Strength) / 8]
- Damage = Base * Bonus
The damage is then modified by variables like Amarant's row position and equipped Killer abilities and MP Attack, as well as the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, his Bonus would be 1. If Amarant equips Healer, damage is converted to healing.
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 = 15 - Enemy's Defense
With Add Status active, Amarant inflicts Venom onto the target of his Attack (also via Charge! or Counter) 15% of the time. Venom is essentially the same as Instant Death as it disables a susceptible enemy altogether.
Use[]
The Scissor Fangs is only briefly Amarant's strongest weapon even if the player did not already get the superior Dragon's Claws from the Chocobo Hot and Cold quest, which is available as soon as the player has access to the Blue Narciss boat to roam the world map with. Bought from Esto Gaza after the events in Desert Palace, the Scissor Fangs would be Amarant's strongest weapon only for Mount Gulug, as afterward the player gains a flying transport and can reach Daguerreo to buy the stronger Tiger Fangs.
The ability from the Scissor Fangs, Aura, is quickly mastered at 25 AP, and is an excellent ability for its power to bestow Auto-Life; even if the character did not need it (they were not KO'd in that battle), they can still benefit from Aura as it also gives Regen. The ability makes Amarant a great character to bring along to the toughest battles, such as Ozma, Hades, and the final bosses. As Esto Gaza becomes inaccessible as part of the story, it is worth buying the Scissor Fangs there at the earliest opportunity to ensure Amarant can master Aura before the endgame.
The Scissor Fangs is the only means of inflicting enemies with Venom and it is worth giving Amarant Add Status when he wears it. The enemies in Mount Gulug are susceptible to Venom, as as many other non-bosses.
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