Refine Tools from an item
Description
Tool-RF (tool refiner) is a menu ability in Final Fantasy VIII that allows the player to make various utility items from other items, such as spell stones and Tents and Cottages. It is notable for making Phoenix Pinions for summoning Phoenix, and for making Dark Matters, needed for Quistis's ultimate Limit Break.
Obtained[]
The Guardian Force Siren learns Tool-RF for 30 AP. Siren is drawn from Elvoret during Siege of Dollet, or Tri-Point in the final dungeon. If the player removes Tool-RF with Amnesia Greens, there is no way to get it back.
In earlier game versions, Siren needs to be on Level 100 to be able to use Tool-RF to make Dark Matter, but this is no longer a requirement in PC and Remastered versions.
Mechanics[]
Using Tool-RF in the Ability menu enables the player to make utility items to the cap of 100 of a single item type.
| Item | Refine Into |
|---|---|
| Circlet | 1 = 2 Aura Stone |
| Curse Spike | 100 = 1 Dark Matter *NOTE: Siren must be Level 100 in PS version* |
| Dark Matter | 1 = 1 Shaman Stone |
| Dead Spirit | 1 = 2 Death Stone |
| Diamond Armor | 1 = 50 Cottage |
| Draw Scroll | 1 = 10 Wizard Stone |
| Energy Crystal | 1 = 2 Ultima Stone |
| Force Armlet | 1 = 30 Shell Stone |
| Fury Fragment | 1 = 2 Aura Stone |
| Gambler Spirit | 1 = 10 Wizard Stone |
| GF Scroll | 1 = 10 Wizard Stone |
| Healing Ring | 1 = 30 Cottage |
| Healing Water | 1 = 2 Tent |
| Hungry Cookpot | 1 = 1 Shaman Stone |
| Hypno Crown | 1 = 10 Aura Stone |
| Inferno Fang | 1 = 2 Flare Stone |
| Item Scroll | 1 = 10 Wizard Stone |
| Magic Scroll | 1 = 10 Wizard Stone |
| Mega Phoenix | 3 = 1 Phoenix Pinion |
| Mog's Amulet | 1 = 1 Shaman Stone |
| Moon Stone | 1 = 1 Holy Stone |
| Orihalcon | 1 = 30 Protect Stone |
| Power Wrist | 1 = 10 Aura Stone |
| Regen Ring | 1 = 5 Tent |
| Rune Armlet | 1 = 10 Shell Stone |
| Shaman Stone | 1 = 1 LuvLuvG |
| Star Fragment | 1 = 2 Meteor Stone |
| Steel Pipe | 1 = 1 Aura Stone |
| Strength Love | 1 = 2 Aura Stone |
| Turtle Shell | 1 = 10 Protect Stone |
| Whisper | 1 = 1 Cottage |
Use[]
Tool-RF is a crucial refiner ability to have to make Dark Matter, though it is also useful for making Phoenix Pinions. The spell stones it makes can be situationally useful, but the same items tend to become higher quantities of the same type of magic spells with other refiner abilities, than the amount of stones the player can get with Tool-RF. Not all stone-type items are battle items, however. Wizard Stones are used for refining various spells, and Shaman Stone is a GF compatibility item for Bahamut, but as a very rare item, the player should instead use it for further refining (such as into a Rosetta Stone with GFAbl Med-RF).
The best battle items likely made with Tool-RF are Aura Stones and Phoenix Pinions. The player can use the Aura Stones as-is in battle to give their party Aura status, or use Leviathan's Supt Mag-RF to make them into Aura spells. After the player knows Familiar for Tonberry, they can buy Power Wrists from Esthar City to make into 10 Aura Stones each.
Using a Phoenix Pinion in battle summons the Phoenix, which revives KO'd party members and also deals damage to the enemy, making it superior to Mega Phoenix; after being summoned once from the item, Phoenix also has a chance of appearing randomly to rescue the player from an otherwise sure Game Over. To make Phoenix Pinions, the player needs to use Alexander's Med LV Up on Phoenix Downs to first make Mega Phoenixes, and then turn the Mega Phoenixes into Phoenix Pinions with Tool-RF.
Dark Matter is a rare item used to teach Quistis Shockwave Pulsar, and which also refines into 100 Ultima spells with Bahamut's Forbid Mag-RF. Dark Matter is made from 100 Curse Spikes, farmed easiest from Tri-Faces, but also dropped by Malboros and other enemies and modded from Tri-Face cards. The best farming location is the floor in Deep Sea Research Center where only Tri-Faces appear, or the second floor of Galbadia Garden during the Battle of the Gardens. In the original PlayStation version, Siren needs to be on Level 100 to be able to use Tool-RF to make Dark Matter, but in the PC version and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, this is no longer a requirement.