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The Water Bombs are ammunition for hand-bombs in Final Fantasy XII. Hand-bombs cannot be equipped without owning some kind of bombs. Owning the Water Bombs means the player can use an unlimited amount, and bombs do not need a license to be equipped alongside a hand-bomb.

They are the only elemental bombs, dealing water damage to targets, able to exploit enemy weaknesses and favorable weather and terrain conditions. The Water Bombs are the second-strongest bombs on their own, but become the strongest when wielded with the water-boosting Fumarole, and so could be considered the ultimate bombs.

Obtain[]

Original[]

The Water Bombs are not bought from shops, but sell for 2000 gil.

The bombs pouch is found as a rare treasure while wearing the Diamond Armlet on an active party member on the Cerobi Steppe's Feddik River Map 04 Cerobi Steppe. The player can come here early with a chocobo from the Tchita Uplands.

The bombs are made in the bazaar set "Water-drop Munitions" for 7,800 gil. To make the set, the player will need to sell three Books of Orgain and Putrid Liquids, and ten Water Crystals. Books of Orgain drop from Dustia, Gespenst, and Negalmuur; Dustia is a Rare Game that can be fought especially early. Putrid Liquid is obtained from Malboro Overkings in the Garamsythe Waterway and the Tchita Uplands as a monograph drop or as a poach. Water Crystals are obtained from various enemies, such as water-elemental entites and elementals. One fairly early enemy that has Water Crystals is the Silicon Tortoise in the rainy Giza's Tracks of the Beast area accessed by chopping down withered trees around the flooded plains to make a bridge.

Zodiac[]

The Water Bombs set is not sold in shops, but sells for 5,000 gil.

The bombs pouch is found as a treasure in Cerobi Steppe's North Liavell Hills (20% chance to appear, 50% chance for an item, 5% chance the item treasure is the Water Bombs with the Diamond Armlet equipped) and in Trial Mode Stage 94 with the Diamond Armlet equipped.

The bombs are still made in the bazaar set "Water-drop Munitions" for the same items as before but for a cheaper price: 2,640 gil.

Use[]

The Water Bombs add 5 points to the hand-bomb's power, second only to the Castellanos. They make the bomber's physical damage water-elemental, dealing double damage to enemies weak to it (fire enemies are typically weak to water). Water damage is inflated to 120% of normal damage in dense fog and in water terrain, meaning the bombs would be especially suitable for the Nabreus Deadlands and the Garamsythe Waterway. As a downside, they will do half damage to enemies that resist water and in windy weather, including all storms. Weather and terrain effects can be canceled out by wearing the Agate Ring.

Where the bombs shine is when coupled with the Fumarole hand-bomb, which boosts all water damage the wielder does by 50%, stacking with weather and terrain bonuses and enemy's weakness. This can easily be the best damage a hand-bomb user can deal, and can deal more damage than the equipment stats alone would suggest. The bombs would be good against Cerberi in the Feywood and any fire entites and elementals.

Hand-bombs commonly see little use, as in the original version the other ranged damage options tend to be better, and in the Zodiac versions, hand-bombs are no job's main weapon, being secondary even for the Foebreaker. The bombs are only useful to procure in the Zodiac versions if the player is using a Foebreaker as a ranged job, which can still work better than a Time Battlemage with crossbows, especially in windy weather where they tend to miss; however, in windy weather the Water Bombs may not be the best bomb to use as wind weather halves water damage. Using hand-bombs on a Foebreaker can also be situationally useful, as they cannot attack flying enemies with their hammers and axes.

The Black Mage and the Machinist can also gain access to some late game hand-bombs, but they can already do ranged damage otherwise. Fumarole + Water Bombs set-up would be a superior way of dealing water damage than the former's Aqua spell, or the latter's Aqua Shot, but though the Machinist can acquire some licenses for hand-bombs, they cannot use the water-boosting Fumarole.

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