Trumpet Shell (Final Fantasy VII)

Trumpet Shell
(法螺貝, Horagai?, lit. Conch)
Availability
Obtained	Found: Temple of the Ancients Purchase: Junon (after Highwind)
Character users	Cait Sith
Value	3,000 gil
Classification
Type	Megaphone
Range	Melee
Element	Hit
Specifications
Attack	68
Magic atk	2
Attack%	118
Materia slots	None
Bonuses	Critical% +4
Related pages
Recurring appearance	Conch Shell

The Trumpet Shell is a weapon for Cait Sith in Final Fantasy VII. It is first available at the Temple of the Ancients. The weapon has very strong stats for when it is acquired, but no Materia slots. It is Cait Sith's joke weapon.

As with other Cait Sith weapons, the Trumpet Shell itself does not strike an enemy, but commands his Mog, meaning Cait Sith's damage is still Hit rather than Shout. However, its Attack stat still counts towards damage dealt.

Obtained

The Trumpet Shell can be found in Room VII in the clock room of the Temple of the Ancients. Later, after the player has the Highwind, it can be purchased from Junon for 3,000 gil.

Mechanics

As the Trumpet Shell has a base Attack stat bonus of 68, the base damage for physical attacks when it is equipped is in the following formula:

$\text{Base Damage} = \text{(68 + Strength)} + \frac{\text{(68 + Strength)} + \text{Level}}{32} \times \frac{\text{(68 + Strength)} \times \text{Level}}{32}$

where "Level" is Cait Sith's current level and "Strength" is his Strength stat. The Trumpet Shell also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 103%, and grants a +28 bonus to Cait Sith's Magic stat. It also provides a +4% boost to Cait Sith's critical hit rate.

Use

Promotional render.

The Trumpet Shell provides very strong stats for Cait Sith when it is acquired, and a good critical hit rate boost. However, its lack of Materia slots is a huge drawback for Cait Sith whose physical damage is already fairly unreliable, and the critical hit rate boost only adds to this inconsistency. On top of that, Cait Sith has one of the highest Magic stats of the party, meaning that it is a waste to not put his Magic stat to good use. Though equipping Trumpet Shell can make him a useful physical attacker if the player uses Cait Sith this way, and can boost some of his Slots, the loss of Materia slots is a huge negative for Cait Sith and thus it is not optimal for him to use. It can be a good weapon for the "Homecoming of a Miserable Daughter" sidequest where the player must go on without Materia for a time.

The Red M-phone and the Crystal M-phone have stats equal to or higher than the Trumpet Shell, while also providing a large number of Materia slots. This means the Trumpet Shell is rendered obsolete once they are acquired.

Etymology

The weapon is called "conch shell" in Japanese. [view · edit · purge]Conch or conque is a musical instrument, a wind instrument that is made from a seashell, the shell of one of several different kinds of very large sea snail.