A Look at Final Fantasy’s Ultima Weapons Through the Years

Final Fantasy

Ultima Weapon is available in all remakes starting with Dawn of Souls and can be equipped to all classes. The power of this weapon is tied to the user’s HP. You must defeat the Death Gaze in order to reach the treasure chest housing this powerful weapon.

Final Fantasy III

You can only get this powerful recurring weapon in the 3D remakes as a reward from the “Fix Sara’s Pendant” and “Find Orichalcum” sidequests which were accepted through the Mognet. It could only be equipped by a few classes — the Freelancer, Warrior, Knight, Dark Knight, Onion Knight, and Red Mage — and came with some neat perks. It boosted all stats by 15 and provided an attack bonus of 155.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Depending on which version of Final Fantasy IV you play, you will obtain the Ultima Weapon in a different way. In the original game, you had to defeat Ultima Weapon, a powerful, behemoth-like creature. In the remakes, you had to defeat Lunar Bahamut. The look of the weapon also changed between the versions, appearing as a dark blue sword in the original, and resembling the same weapon from Final Fantasy VI in the remakes. It is still powerful no matter which version you have, providing 10 extra Strength, Stamina, and Speed points and an attack power of 180 to either Cecil, Golbez, Ceodore, or Kain who are the only party members who can equip it.

Final Fantasy V

You can find this powerful sword in the Game Boy Advance version of this entry in the same chest where you find New Shinryu, a powerful boss located in the Sealed Temple. It is the strongest weapon in the game thanks to it’s Strength, Speed, and Stamina boosts, as well as its high attack and hit rate. It can be used by anyone that can equip a sword and is considered the “Sword with the power of destruction” in Final Fantasy V’s lore.

Final Fantasy VI

The sixth Final Fantasy was probably the first really unique appearance of the Ultima Weapon, as it not only was tied to the users level and stats, but also changed appearance. Also, this is the first time where you could find two of this legendary blade. One was found in the Cave to the Sealed GAte, while a second could be stolen from Sleep during the final encounter. Based on your level and current HP, the blade would do a different amount of damage, which was displayed by the sword changing length.

Final Fantasy VII

This version of the Ultima Weapon can be used exclusively by Cloud and is your reward for defeating the Ultimate Weapon which is no easy feat. It is the the strongest weapon you can give Cloud, having 100 power and increasing Spirit by 24 points and Magic by 51. It also has eight Materia slots, allowing you to really go nuts. Like in the previous entry, its actual damage output is tied to Cloud’s HP. If he is low on health, it will do less damage and take on a purplish hue. When health is high it will become bright blue and white while dealing maximum damage.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

The first spinoff to be graced by a version of this powerful weapon, Dirge of Cerberus gave Vincent a chance to wield its power. It actually looks exactly like Cerberus, which is odd, and requires a lot of Gil to obtain. You can get a Model Gun in Edge, which does nothing, but after upgrading it by paying 200,000 Gil, it takes on its true form. Its power isn’t tied to your HP or any other stat, though. Instead, it does more damage as you land more shots on a target.

Final Fantasy VIII

Defeating Ultima Weapon, an optional boss found at the bottom of the Dep Sea Research Center, will grant a weapon that is quite similar to what you received in Final Fantasy VII. However, there is another weapon in the game that is like the legendary blade, and that’s Squall’s Lion Heart.

Final Fantasy IX

Zidane’s version of the this legendary weapon is one of the strongest you can obtain in the game with its attack power of 100 and ability to put enemies to sleep (leaving them open to more attacks). It requires a very specific set of actions to obtain, though. You must use a Dead Pepper in the ruins of the Shimmering Island (on the final disc) during a sidequest titled “Chocobo Hot and Cold.” It doesn’t seem like a quest that would give you one of the strongest weapons in the game, but how often does Final Fantasy actually make sense?

Final Fantasy X

Oddly enough, if you played Final Fantasy X in the west, chances are you never saw an Ultima Weapon. This is because the Tidus’ Celestial Weapon was for some reason renamed to the Caladbolg in the English versions of the game. It goes back to the pattern of relating damage to the users health, dealing much more damage the higher Tidus’ HP is. It can even be upgraded in this entry, gaining abilities such as Magic Counter and Triple Overdrive.

Final Fantasy X-2

Tidus’ Caladbolg makes a return, allowing Yuna to wield this mighty weapon whenever she uses the Dark Knight Dressphere.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings

Vaan can obtain this weapon by defeating Zodiark. Oddly enough, there are many weapons that are much stronger. Also, it doesn’t even get a special model like it does in almost every other entry.

Final Fantasy XIII

The Ultima Weapon is a gunblade that is wielded by Lightning. She can obtain it by transmuting the Lionheart using Scarletite. While the weapon is indeed powerful, it can be upgraded to an even stronger from known as the Omega Weapon.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

The Ultima Weapon and Ultima Shield are upgraded version of Lightning’s Crimson Blitz and Night Lotus respectively. Players must complete all four of the Luxerion Cathedral trials prior to fighting Bhunivelze which will grant her these powerful additions to her armory. The weapon adds 2500 more strength and magic, and +15 ATB speed as well as the Arsenal of One passive ability which boosts Army of One damage. Due to its power, it is one of the few sets that cannot be carried over into New Game Plus.

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV has an interesting way of approaching its weapons. Not many are upgradeable, some are hidden relics of previous royalty, and a lot are crafted only after defeating certain powerful beasts. But, one of the weapons that can be upgraded (your very first weapon, actually) becomes the Ultima Blade. Cid turns upgrades the Engine Blade for you after you collect the proper pieces for him. It doesn’t seem to follow any of the usual patterns of previous weapon, as it’s essentially just a much stronger version of the Engine Blade with the same energy absorbing ability. It is a bit shinier, though. That’s something.