Although the Final Fantasy series has its roots in Japan, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is the one game in the franchise that was developed exclusively for an American audience. Following the release and reception of both Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy IV (arriving as Final Fantasy II on the SNES), Square felt the need to craft a “beginner’s first RPG” that would help acclimate American audiences to the genre and hopefully translate to more sales success for the company’s localized releases. Enter Final Fantasy Mystic Quest — the first game in the series to release in North America prior to releasing in Square’s native Japan.
Mystic Quest is an interesting game, taking elements of both Final Fantasy and Square’s Seiken Densetsu (the Mana games) series to be a cross between traditional turn-based and action-RPG. Enemies are weaker, the story is linear, and players have greater offensive power in battle. Part of that offensive power comes from main character Benjamin’s ability to carry multiple weapon types at once, which players can freely switch between during battle. Combining his melee prowess with his ability to use magic, there’s practically nothing that can stand in Benjamin (and, by proxy, players’) way.
Swords – Excalibur
Returning in Mystic Quest following its appearance in several other Final Fantasy games is the mythical blade Excalibur. This is the last weapon that players will acquire during the main adventure, awaiting Benjamin within Pazuzu’s Tower. In addition to its respectable attack power, the blade also grants a +5 bonus to the Speed stat. Excalibur in Mystic Quest has a base attack power of 125, with that power increasing up to 240 depending on player level.
Axes – Giant’s Axe
The Giant’s Axe (which goes by the name Demon’s Axe in other Final Fantasy titles) is the strongest axe weapon in Mystic Quest and the weapon of Benjamin’s ally Kaeli by the game’s conclusion. Players will discover the Giant’s Axe within the depths of the Alive Forest, and it is especially deadly to enemy types that are weak to axe attacks (such as woodland enemies and crustaceans). The Giant’s Axe has a base attack power of 105, which scales all the way up to 217.5 depending on Benjamin’s level. Kaeli is able to deal 194 damage with the Giant’s Axe after she equips it.
Claws – Dragon Claw
Claws are interesting weapons in that they feature substantial attack power but are also capable of dishing out a variety of debilitating status effects. Players will obtain the Dragon Claw from Tristan within Spencer’s Palace, and in addition to its utility in combat it comes in handy for dungeon traversal by acting similar to the Hookshot from A Link to the Past. The Dragon Claw has a base power of 80, but this number increases dramatically to up to 192.5 attack power depending on character level. In addition to featuring a +5 bonus to the Magic stat, the Dragon Claw is also capable of inflicting Poison, Paralyze, Sleep, Confuse, Blind, Petrify, and Silence on enemies.
Bombs – Mega Grenade
Like the Dragon Claw, the Mega Grenade comes in handy for more than just fighting enemies by being essential to dungeon traversal and removing boulders or cracked walls that block player progression. Players will obtain the Mega Grenade as the final bomb-type weapon while in the Fireburg region, and it has a base attack power of 162. This attack power remains static and does not increase with player level, but this also makes it one of the most powerful weapons Benjamin can wield at the point in Mystic Quest‘s story that he obtains it.
Morning Star
Depending on which companion Benjamin happens to have with him, there are several other powerful offensive weapons at the player’s disposal. Kaeli wields axes, Phoebe wields the bow and arrow, and Tristam wields claws and the Ninja Star. Most powerful among the non-traditional weapon types is the Morning Star, which Rueben skillfully wields against enemies. This weapon has an impressive base attack power of 100, which increases substantially every time Rueben rejoins the party. Its max attack power of 212.5 puts it in the same league as the Giant’s Axe.
Black Magic – Aero
The final Black Magic spell that players obtain also happens to be the most powerful, featuring a base power level that immediately outclasses all of the previous spells players have at their disposal. Aero is a wind-elemental spell that has a power level of 235, putting it well above the likes of other Black Magic spells like Fire, Blizzard, or Quake. Considering the amount of airborne enemies that players face off against in the later parts of Mystic Quest, having Aero in tow becomes quite the boon for Benjamin and his companions.
Wizard Magic – Flare
The most powerful offensive spell in the game (and, truthfully, perhaps the most powerful offensive item period) is the Flare spell. Belonging to the Wizard Magic school, players acquire the Flare spell within Pazuzu’s Tower, which is both one of the last dungeons in Mystic Quest and the location of the game’s most powerful weapon — the Excalibur blade.Flare is capable of absolutely decimating most bosses in the game, and it even goes so far as to make short work of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest‘s final boss the Dark King. It’s power level of 200*3 makes it far and away the most powerful offensive ability in all of Mystic Quest, and players can farm Seeds to ensure that they can spam Flare endlessly in the game’s toughest battles.
