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In this list, I’ve compiled the best gear for each character in Final Fantasy IX, as it makes disc 4 and Ozma considerably less stressful than a standard playthrough.
Think of this more as a quick guide for designing an optimal team.
For the sake of keeping the list relatively short, I’ve only mentioned the easiest/least tedious methods for obtaining the equipment listed below.
There are other methods to obtain a good portion of these items, and you might have some of them in your inventory already!
Zidane’s Best Equipment
Weapon: For Zidane, his best weapon is the Ultima Weapon. This has no rival in attack power, and found through the Gold Chocobo Sidequest.
Hat: The Thief Hat – bought from the Black Mage Village in disc 4 – boosts Zidane’s speed, and helps his output with the Thievery skill substantially.
Wrist: The Power Wrist is the way to go for Zidane, found in the Daguerro weapon shop on disc 4. It offers plentiful stat bonuses in exchange for slightly less defense than its contemporary, the Bracer.
Armor: Zidane’s best armor is the Ninja Gear, which has a speed bonus as well as absorbing dark elemental damage! The Ninja Gear can be bought from Daguerreo in disc 4.
Add-On: Running Shoes. Speed bonus + Auto-Haste = Zidane wins, plain and simple. Obtained by defeating the monster in the Treno Weapon shop on disc 3.
Dagger’s Best Equipment
Weapon: The Tiger Racket, obtained with an Ocean Chocobo near Quan’s Dwelling. Alternately, try the Whale Whisker, from Chocograph 18.
Hat: The Holy Miter, boasting extra magic and spirit, also has the third highest magic defense! Purchased at the Black Mage Village on Disc 4.
Armlet: The Magic Armlet, which is actually available as early as Disc 2 in the Black Mage Village! It’s unfathomably helpful because of its boost to magic, making Dagger’s summons that much stronger.
Armor: Our Princess’ best armor is the Robe of Lords, predictably. You can synthesize this at the Hades synth shop, steal it from Hades, or grind out 10,000 points in Chocobo Hot & Cold to obtain it (possibly on Disc 1, even!)
Add-On: The Ribbon, which is arguably the best accessory in the game. It halves fire, ice, thunder and holy damage, and absorbs wind and water damage, and boosts every stat. One is obtained in Disc 3 as part of the story, while another is obtained from the Forgotten Island Chocograph.
Vivi’s Best Equipment
Weapon: Vivi’s top weapon is the Mace of Zeus, found in Memoria.
Hat: Vivi’s best hat is the Holy Miter, referenced above. Available in the Black Mage Village on Disc 4
Armlet: Again, the Magic Armlet mentioned earlier will help VIvi’s spells substantially.
Armor: The Black Robe, which can be synthesized in Daguerreo, boasts a magic boost and a Darkness damage boost, making Doomsday an absolute nuke of a spell.
Add-On: Going with the Ribbon again for Vivi, or possibly the Running Shoes for that sweet, sweet Auto-Haste.
Steiner’s Best Equipment
Weapon (technically the best): Okay so Steiner’s best weapon is Excalibur II. But it requires you to get through Memoria from a new game in under 12 hours – if you can pull that off, you probably don’t have much reason for being here.
Weapon (realistically the best): Ragnarok, found from the Outer Island Chocograph. Much less painful than missing 70% of the game in a speedrun.
Helm: The Kaiser Helm or the Grand Helm, Depending on if you want extra strength or extra speed and defense. Grand Helm can be synthesized at the Black Mage Village Synth Shop, while the Kaiser Helm can be bought in Daguerreo.
Armlet: Gauntlets are likely Steiner’s best bet, offering a defense bonus against Fire/Earth/Water/Wind (Read: every boss in Memoria). The Gauntlets can be synthesized in the Black Mage Village.
Armor: The Tin Armor! Cue One Tin Soldier, Synthesized at Hades’ Synth shop with the Mallet gotten from the Stellazio Quest.
Add-On: The Power Belt, first obtained in Treno on Disc 2, but available in just about any synthesis shop shortly after (if you miss the ATE’s and don’t talk to the Four-Armed Man). It adds a nice boost to Strength, which means Steiner will thrive!
Freya’s Best Equipment
Weapon: Hoo boy. Dragon’s Hair, found via Dead Pepper near Oeilvert. Jumps will never be the same again after finding this bad boy.
Helmet: Again, toss up between the Grand Helm or Kaiser Helm.
Armlet: The Venetia Shield, which can be bought from Daguerreo in Disc 3 or in Esto Gaza, provides an ample boost to strength and defense.
Armor: Freya should get the Grand Armor, which has phenomenal defense and a strength bonus to boot. The Grand Armor can be stolen from the Nova Dragon, or Synthesized in the Black Mage Village on Disc 4.
Add-On: For Freya, the Barette is gonna be your top pick for an add-on. Female-only, and it boosts strength, magic, spirit, and magic defense. The Barette can be synthesized in most synth shops around Disc 2 and 3.
Quina’s Best Equipment
Weapon: This one kind of stinks to get – It’s the Gastro Fork, found by catching 99 frogs and beating the boss that follows.
Head: The Circlet, since Quina benefits best from straight defense. You can synthesize Circlets in the Black Mage Village on Disc 4.
Arm: The Bracer, which boosts Wind damage to give Twister some extra oomph. Black Mage Village, Disc 4, you know the drill.
Armor: The Robe of Lords, explained in Dagger’s section.
Add-On: The Ribbon, also explained in Dagger’s section.
Eiko’s Best Equipment
Weapon: The Tiger Racket, explained above. Or alternately, try the Angel Flute found in Memoria.
Hat: The Holy Miter strikes again…
Arm: …followed closely by its friend, the Magic Armlet!
Armor: Eiko has the White Robe, synthesized in Daguerreo, which has a nice buff to Holy spells. And Eiko is the only party member who can use Holy magic.
Add-On: The Ribbon, again.
Amarant’s Best Equipment
Weapon: Amarant has the Rune Claws, found in Memoria.
Head: The Green Beret, which boosts strength and speed. Can be bought in Oeilvert or the Desert Palace Mogshops.
Arm: The Power Wrist, Daguerreo, Disc 4. We wanna jack Amarant’s strength as much as possible here.
Armor: The Power Vest. Amarant is, as you can gather by now, your resident glass cannon. You can find a power vest in Oeilvert and steal one from Ark.
Add-On: The Power Belt, explained in Steiner’s section. Mostly in any synthesis shop after Treno in Disc 2.
