What weapons did you guys give your characters??

**Arch** · 07-27-2009, 09:17 PM

*Warning*This is my first time playing FFXII soo no spoilers please and im not far in the game at all,im only at raithwalls tomb, dont ruin it!!!

I wanna know because you have so many choices, and tell me why

I will tell you mine

Vaan/Sword- Because someone needs a sword in this game it isnt a FF rpg if some one does not have a sword 0.-

Ashe/Pole- Mostly because i wanted to her to be strong so i gave her the strongest weapon i had at the time, and i just stuck her to it

Balthier/Gun- Well i want him to have a Gun because it was his original weapon but i havent been able to find a GOOD powerful gun yet so right now he has a cypress pole

Basche/Axe- Mostly because i think he looks/sounds like a serial killer and the axe is a serial killer classic weapon, and its really powerful 0.0 i was amazed at how much attack power it has, and basche is cool, one of my favorite in XII

Fran/Stave( Staff ,they spelled it wrong and its annoying 0.-)- Mostly because i want atleast one magic based person and since this game dosent really set classes like that(EX. Lulu- Black Mage, Vivi Black Mage etc..) i made Fran the "Black Mage" sorta, and she was weird looking and all Black mages look significantly different from the rest of the characters in every game in the FF series

Penelo/ Bow- Mostly because the bow i have equipped on her was a drop from a monster, and she was the only one with the current license for the bow and i thought it suit her well seeing as her defense sucked at the time, so it was good to have her far away from battle but still being useful(sorta)

**Yesha** · 07-28-2009, 01:29 AM

On the Last part of the game.. when I'm ready to fight the finaL boss.. I make my 3 party members to use the ff. weapons.. and aLso.. they aLready using them at the time when I'm gaining diff. Espers and compLeting aLL sidequests.. it's much quicker to fight 'coz they deaL aLot of damage..

*Vaan - Zodiark Spear
*BaLthier - GoLden Axe
*Basch - TournesoL

***DragonHeart*** · 07-29-2009, 11:29 AM

I tend to stick to whatever weapon each character starts with. I'm traditional I guess.

Though in my last file I did give Basch the Zodiac Spear and I had Fran using katanas for awhile. It's all fun and games till a mob casts Confuse on your Spear wielder lol. Since then I keep the Spear in reserve and gave Basch his sword back till a non-status casting boss comes up.

Honestly it doesn't matter what you equip your characters with as long as you're keeping their equipment updated. I do try to keep at least one character with ranged attack in the party as often as possible though in case of annoying AoE attacks.

~DragonHeart~

**Fate** · 07-30-2009, 08:25 AM

Vaan: I gave Vaan my Tournesol, because I was far too unaware of the Zodiac Spear's existence in the my first playthrough, and I didn't want to start it over again because I knew it would take another 200 hours. But aside from the Zodiac Spear, this is the most powerful weapon, and it's also non-elemental, meaning it will work on all enemies. Vaan always deals 9,999 damage with it. Though, the time I spent making the sword was about six or seven hours already.

Ashe: I gave her the Excalibur. It seemed like the second strongest sword. And she was always dealing 9,999 damage with it, too, like Vaan with my Tournesol. But sometimes, the enemy absorbs Holy, so I have to give her the Ragnarok instead. I couldn't give her the Ultima Blade because I only had one, since I accidentally sold my first one. (I had her switched to using the Yagyu Darkblade against Yiazmat.)

Penelo: I gave her my Ultima Blade. I only had one of these, as mentioned above, because the first time I got my hands on one through the Bazaar, I accidentally sold it, not knowing that I wouldn't be able to get it back. She dealt pretty good damage with it, mostly 9,999 like the other two. (I had her switch to using the Masamune against Yiazmat.)

Fran/Balthier/Basch: I never used them. I tried, but I didn't like it, so I didn't.

**You** · 07-31-2009, 06:21 AM

Vaan - Is built as a tank so I gave him a sword, Durandal, and a shield so be a sponge and absorb all the damage as he has Lure cast on him most constantly

Ashe - Has the best magic stat so I made her a mage. So she has the Staff of the Magi

Balthier - Fills the role of a supporter, buffing my damage dealers etc. So I gave him a gun, Fomalhaut, to keep him out of range from attacks. He rarely gets to use it though.

Basche - Is my main damage dealer so I alternate his weapon depending on the situation and what I feel like. Either he has the Zodiac spear, or the Masamune with Genji Gloves for insane comboness.

Penelo - Im always a bit lost with. Either she is also a mage with the Staff of the Magi alongside Ashe or then I give her a pole, Whale Whisker, so she can still deal 'magic damge' as she is also built like a mage.

Fran - Fills the same role as Balthier and she uses a bow, Sagittarius, to keep her out of the action also. Again she doesnt get to attack that often.

**Dodie16** · 08-04-2009, 12:28 PM

Here's mine.

Vaan: I usually give him a dagger and a shield, or a sword and shield. When I played him later in the game, he gets an axe.

Fran: I give her a bow. She is also my mage character, so she stays in the back and does her thing.

Basch: He mainly gets close-range weapons (swords, katanas, axes, greatswords, you get the idea), since he's my party leader and I want most of the enemies to focus thier attacks on him. He has a phenominal amount of HP in my game so he can handle it.

Balthier: I alternate close-range and long-range with him. Mostly, he has a gun, or even a bow or cross-bow.

I have never used hand bombs, rods, or staves as a choice for my character's weapons. I might do that on another play-through. Also, I don't use Penelo or Ashe in my party. I might change that as well.

**HUNK** · 08-05-2009, 04:59 PM

Vaan: Same here, normally he uses sword and shield.

Balthier: ALWAYS GUN! When guns seemed weak I gave him a staff once and he was pretty good. Also if you give him a greatsword his style is the same as the way sephiroth fights in FFVII

Fran: Bow...nothing else ever.

Basch: Greatsword and occasionally Axe and shield.

Ashe: hahahaha, Katana. I gave her a katana beacause I have nothing else to give her.

Penello: Mostly Hand-bombs and staffs.

Also I used Spears with Vaan.

**imapanther** · 08-17-2009, 08:49 AM

Vaan- Bow

Balthier- Katana

Fran- Sword

Basche- Ninja Sword

Ashe- Rod

Penelo- Staff

**gothdra** · 08-23-2009, 03:42 PM

Vaan: sword or katana ( thinks it suits him the most)

Balthier: spear ( I didn`t like his gun ability. not powerful enough)

Ashe: sword or staff

Basch: axe (cant think of other weapons who suits him)

Fran: bow ( she is also my spell caster)

Penelo: dagger

**SacredAngel13** · 08-25-2009, 02:33 AM

uhm..
well my characters are:

Vaan: swords/great swords-> Save The Queen

Balthier: pole/spear

Fran: bows-> sagittarius + artemis arrow

Basch: axes & hammers

Ashe: great swords -> Excalibur

Penelo: Katanas

Vaan, Fran, and Ashe are my main party. that's why i remember their weapons..

**Confession** · 08-25-2009, 02:50 AM

By the time I was done with FFXII I only used 3 weapons, and I just equipped them to someone else if I wanted to use them.. It was.

1st Party member: Vaan/Basch - Tournesol.

2nd Party member: AsheBalthier - Zodiac Spear.

3rd Party Member: Fran/Penelo - Zodiac Spear.

I got the second Zodiac spear from the Henne Mines, I don't believe in all that individual stuff. All my gambits on everybody are near the same and flawless, Everyone just goes in and destroys.

**Noctis Lucis Caelum** · 09-09-2009, 06:23 PM

i mostly just use swords and shields, the bow and arrows don't interest me that much nor the guns.

**Lily** · 09-10-2009, 03:41 AM

They all had Deathbringers (I think that's what it's called...) the steal off that mimic in them mines....wow my memory is failing me today ¬¬

Anyway, they all had those for like, the majority of the game til I got better weapons - although I still think afew of my guys have them... I know I have an Excallibur, I think its that..its holy element anyway, and Zodiak spear, but I just give my newer weapons to whoever I happen to have in my party

**Megidolaon** · 09-11-2009, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Arch

Vaan/Sword- Because someone needs a sword in this game it isnt a FF rpg if some one does not have a sword 0.-

Ashe/Pole- Mostly because i wanted to her to be strong so i gave her the strongest weapon i had at the time, and i just stuck her to it

Balthier/Gun- Well i want him to have a Gun because it was his original weapon but i havent been able to find a GOOD powerful gun yet so right now he has a cypress pole

Basche/Axe- Mostly because i think he looks/sounds like a serial killer and the axe is a serial killer classic weapon, and its really powerful 0.0 i was amazed at how much attack power it has, and basche is cool, one of my favorite in XII

Fran/Stave( Staff ,they spelled it wrong and its annoying 0.-)- Mostly because i want atleast one magic based person and since this game dosent really set classes like that(EX. Lulu- Black Mage, Vivi Black Mage etc..) i made Fran the "Black Mage" sorta, and she was weird looking and all Black mages look significantly different from the rest of the characters in every game in the FF series

Penelo/ Bow- Mostly because the bow i have equipped on her was a drop from a monster, and she was the only one with the current license for the bow and i thought it suit her well seeing as her defense sucked at the time, so it was good to have her far away from battle but still being useful(sorta)

What swords did you give Vaan?

Also, Fran comes with a bow and Penelo with a crossbow, they also have licenses activated that make it easier for them to activate the next tier of bows/crossbows.

Axes suck bad in this game. Sure, they have a chance at stellar damage, but at least just as often they'll do half the damage of a 1H sword.
In the end it's not really more effective than a 1H sword, just really inconsistent.

Anyway, last time I gave
Balthier - guns (obviously)
Vaan - daggers/1H swords
Basch - 1H swords/2H swords
Ashe - 1H swords/2H swords
But by the end I gave everyone a Defender (2H sword), because it's so good.

This time I'm only using Vaan, Basch and Ashe, giving them all the same weapons (when I have enough of them).
I switch between daggers and 1 H swords, whatever is strongest or has the best element.

Ashe - Has the best magic stat so I made her a mage. So she has the Staff of the Magi

There is no such thing as a mage in this game...well except you do the enforced job challenge.

**Belugn** · 09-11-2009, 11:45 PM

My first play throughs I just went with updating the weapon they were given through the game, but right now I have something like this...

Balthier - 1H/2H swords (It sort of pains me not having Balthier using his guns, but he's got the highest strength of them all, so giving hin swords is good use since they take
strength in consideration when dealing damage, correct me if I'm wrong.)
Vaan -Daggers (Nasty little status effect dealer.)
Basch - Axes (I have to agree that they're sometimes no more effective than a lowly 1H sword, b-but he looks so hillarious!...)
Ashe - Rods
Penelo - Maces (I switch to katanas and speed up-armour from time to time though)
Fran - Guns (Well Balthier ain't using them now, and I grew tired of her bows.)

I use Ashe as a mage/magic user too, all her gambits focus on magic. With Faith in effect she's dealing 9999 damage to enemies with a magic weakness, so she's probably my best character right now.

I still kinda wish there were more to the weapons of FFXII than there is, but oh well, at least they LOOK awesome.

**Rhaps** · 03-02-2012, 01:54 PM

My general layout (after I had progressed enough to get weapon freedom):

Vaan- I made Vaan into my damage dealer, so he was always equipped with a 2h Sword (Greatsword primarily, although I thoroughly enjoy Katanas). I'm pretty sure all of the high-tier weapons have already been named for this category so I won't go into specifics.

Balthier- Balthier was equipped with Axes. Main reason behind this was my own impatience. You see, I like to get through a battle as quickly as possible, so with both his and Vaan's raw force, we could cleave through little enemies in a heartbeat.

Fran- Dodie and I had the same idea here: leave her with her stock ability, but let her learn magic. Fran was my primary mage for all mage types, and when she ran out of MP, her bows could pack a mean sting.

Basch: As leader of my backup party/quick replacement, I gave Basch a standard spell-set and a Sword and Shield. Just enough magic and strength to hold enemies off until I could get back whoever I lost.

Ashe: Backup party white mage. She was equipped with the Fomalhaut, so she could certainly hold her own, but her main job was keeping Basch/other members in the green for HP. Again, I liked using my first party.

Penelo: .... I used Penelo to test out new weapons. If worst came to worst, she had some Hand-Bomb or another to toss, and then immediately begin fleeing, because if Penelo was in play and her Quickenings didn't take any effect on the enemy, I knew shit had hit the fan lol

**lady ashe** · 03-08-2012, 05:43 AM

Vaan- pole/spear
Balthier- gun
Basch- sword
penelo- pole/spear
Fran- bow and arrows
Ashe-sword

thats my layout... i dont excatly remeber which they were

**NeoAquarius12** · 03-09-2012, 11:17 AM

It's weird to think I may be the only one who never specialized in weapons. I mean at the beginning, you kind of have to because you have to get the new licenses and the weapons, and since most characters start with a starter section done, you kind of build their licenses around that.

I just used whatever weapon I thought suited me at the moment for each character. I feel like I gave precedence to Vaan, Ashe, and Balthier because they were my main party, but I never really neglected anyone. I usually kept Fran and Penelo with ranged weapons and gave everyone a healing Gambit. That's just the way it worked.

**Layle** · 03-19-2012, 06:24 AM

I had vaan one hand sword and shield light armor
Bach hammers and axes heavy armor
Ashes Two handed heavy armor
Fran Bow and arrows mystic armor
Baltier guns light armor
and penelo rods mystic armor

**Kurt Zisa** · 03-20-2012, 12:01 AM

I've always found it's better to give Fran a Gun of some sort and to have her hang back while the other two characters deal damage/heal. Her stats are actually quite average when compaired to the others and as guns dont count the holder's attack stat, it makes up for her weakness.

And by equipping the main damage dealer with either a dagger, ninja sword, katana or pole, ie something that's fast and combos a lot, it counteracts the gun's slow reload time, meaning that they can hack and slash to their heart's content while Fran deals the finishing blow with a bang.

**Lockduck** · 09-19-2012, 11:54 AM

I just beat Belias, and have outfitted my party in Rabanastre. It was a tough choice, and it could change later, but currently:

Vaan - Katana
Balthier - Spear (I wanted to do crossbow but ammo is such a pain)
Basch - 1H Sword
Ashe - 1H Sword (her and Basch swap gear)
Fran - Bow
Penelo - Pole

My 2 teams are Vaan, Baltheir, Basch & Ashe, Fran, Penelo. I switch them out regularly so they stay on par level wise. They also share armor. Is this wise? For example:
Vaan & Penelo share a light armor set
Fran & Balthier share a mage armor set
Ashe & Basch share a heavy armor set

Each has their own weapon, but is sharing armor wise? I have never come close to needing to swap out characters mid battle, but I would assume you could just unequip/equip mid battle if need be. Thoughts?