There is a vast selection of weapons for Clive to use in Final Fantasy 16, most of which are a simple linear statistical improvement on the last best thing you picked up or crafted. This means that in any given playthrough there is one weapon that is simply the best you can have. This FF XVI guide will determine the best weapons you can have for the majority of your playthrough.
New Game Regular
Ragnarok
Base Attack: 325
Base Stagger: 325
Upon completion of the four-part side quest “Blacksmith’s Blues” you will be handed this sword ready-to-use, alongwith the Design Draft Curiosity to forge the endgame weapon Gotterdammerung. This side quest only unlocks at the start of the “Across the Narrow” main quest which is at the very tail end of the game’s storyline.
Gotterdammerung
Base Attack: 375
Base Stagger: 375
Alongside Ragnarok, you will receive the Gotterdammerung Design Draft Curiosity, which lists a number of rare crafting materials and Ragnarok itself, as components in its forging recipe. A single Primitive Battlehorn, two pieces of Darksteel, and three Orichalcum are required. All of these are drops from defeating the S-Class and A-Class Notorious Marks listed on the Hunt Board.
Orichalcum has a selection of four targets to choose from:
- Atlas for The Breaker of Worlds Hunt in The Imperial Province of Rosaria
- Behemoth King for The Masterless Marauder Hunt in The Kingdom of Waloed
- Gorgimera for The Tricephalic Terror Hunt in The Dhalmekian Republic
- Svarog for the Ruin Reawakened Hunt in Sanbreque
The two pieces of Darksteel can be acquired from:
- Prince of Death in Sanbreque
- Thanatos for Usher to the Underworld Hunt in The Dhalmekian Republic
The sole Primitive Battlehorn to be found comes from completing the Gobermouch bounty in the The Kingdom of Waloed. You will be criss-crossing the world of Valisthea as you gather these up, only to return to Cid’s Hideaway, where the blacksmith Blackthorne will craft Gotterdammerung for you at his forge The Black Hammer.
New Game Plus
Gotterdammerung Reforged
Base Attack: 625
Base Stagger: 625
After all that work acquiring the materials to craft Gotterdammerung in the normal mode, the sword is almost immediately outclassed by the very basic weapons in New Game Plus. This is addressed by a Reforged variant crafted anew with the blacksmith Blackthorne at his forge The Black Hammer in Cid’s Hideaway, raising its stats all the way up to 625, which is only a little short of the absolute best weapon in the game.
Ultima Weapon
Base Attack: 700
Base Stagger: 700
The statistical king of weapons in Final Fantasy 16, this sword will put your patience to the test with gathering up the crafting materials required to forge it. The Gotterdammerung Reforged and Everdark Reforged weapons will require you to do every single step you performed to get their regular variants all over again, start to finish. You can expect to spend hours doing this for a fairly unassuming looking weapon.
Those are the absolute best weapons you can hope to acquire in Final Fantasy XVI.