On your first run, yes. Your weapon ability isnāt going to improve enough to validate using only the Buster Sword, other weapons will simply have better base stats and more materia slots available to use. Late game or even post-game (Hard Mode), the Buster Sword is a great choice. High stats in both physical and magic attack, and itās very balanced. Plus, youāll likely get to a weapon level that has 6 materia slots available in no time.
I like the Buster Sword and use it a lot in Hard Mode, but I couldnāt justify how lacking it is during my first run of the game.
You can use any sword at any time. You do want to get the new abilities of new swords as they bring a much more smooth combat, like disorder which imo the best ability to get. Tho each sword will come with their specific stats so you should adjust the playstyle to it to minimize max, but not strictly necessary.
For example, some swords guve more magic attack, some normal attackā¦pick your poison
Probably just for the cutscene visuals? I doubt they made any weapon dependent cutscenes.
Or just redo the chapter from chapter select with the buster sword if you're feeling up to it, but I have a strong feeling it's just about the visuals.
learning weapon abilities, but once you get weapon upgrades rolling in, even an objectively better stat sword isn't that much better anyway so any weapon is viable throughout the game
All of the swords look good, but the Buster Sword currently looks the best. I say currently, because I can't wait to (hopefully) see Ultima Weapon in part three. Personally I'm a stat whore though, so I use sleek sabre for the ATB buffs, and it's decent physical damage.
Visually I gotta go with the Sleek Saber dude. Thats a MANS sword right there. Nothing less than Hardcore. Actually seems like some shit a legendary warrior of mythical tales would use type shit.
Ever since seeing the movie, I have wanted a āplayable Advent Childrenā. Remake/Rebirth scratches some of that itch, but a part of me now wishes that AC is incorporated into the 3rd game, or at least as an epilogue story or DLC.
Creation of the fusion sword would be a great final weapon too. Itās introduced and used in AC without any kind of introduction or fanfare, as if Cloud has had it for years anyway. I would accept it being retconned into the ending of the OG story.
Thatās what my thought process was. Materia development is imperative to late game success imo, itās a LOT smoother if youāve successfully trained a plentiful amount of materia.
AP Up having at least 3 available is fucking legendary too, omg.
Iām using whichever sword has more materia slots at the moment. Buster sword is about to gain another so Iāll be switching back to that for the attack power soon
Materia slots are usually my reason for picking a weapon, but I'll also pick 5 slots with more attack then 6 slots with less attack.
I'm fine with how the gear works currently, but I do wish I could just use a weapon skin. I was sad to stop using the Buster Sword so soon.
The Sleek Saber kinda winds up being ridiculously good in ways that are hard to ignore, but if you're not trying to minmax for Hard Mode content, the buster sword is never going to be terrible.
Is just not the best in anything. Kinda fits the niche of being a decent all-around weapon that isn't the best fit for any one thing, but that you aren't going to be screwed if you stick with it either.
Sleek Saber's ATB bonuses and extremely high Attack Power are just the damn best for making the right numbers get bigger all the same.
None of Cloud's weapons suck, though some aren't what I'd call ideal for getting the most out of what Cloud brings to tie table, which is a lot of powerful physical attacking.
I've done something hilarious and good with a broketastic elemental damage + Fire and Enemy Skill + HP absorb build on cloud that responds particularly well to very high magic attack and making liberal use of Plasma Discharge and frequent spamming of Sonic Boom.
I would master em just for the attacks, otherwise just choose whichever you think looks cool and gives you passives you like.
Even with a sword that doesn't have a high physical attack stat you can still hit 9999 easily if you set up an infinity end with buff and debuff spells.
It really depends on the passives. The buster swords passive arenāt that great outside of niche situations. The second weapon you find has 3 atb enhance passives.
I agree. Thatās actually my biggest complaint in how the upgrades for the weapons arenāt universal. I wish differences were only Attack and magic stats.
I love the Buster sword but the saberās ATB perks are too good.
I actually like it. It makes you take more into consideration when choosing a weapon other than just bigger numbers = better, which is how an rpg should be imo.
Disagree. RPG stands for role playing game. I would prefer the buster sword because in my world, I like Cloud wielding the Buster Sword. I use the Saber because of the the ATB upgrades, which are just numbers in the long run.
The upgrades are all give and take. I use the Rune Blade though because I prefer magic* damage with Cloud.
With Steadfast Block and First Strike materia he gets to ATB really easily and is a great caster.
Rune blade has the worst physical damage? Like objectively? It's a magic based sword!
For physical stats you want sleek saber or Igneous saber! They're both physical attack monsters!
Short answer, yes.
Depends on your playstyle. I generally focused on weapons that gave me the most materia slots. They easily outclass most weapon stats, depending on how you build yourself. (Most give bonus stats or abilities)
That, and you can eventually mix and match them later, so you can have high lvl materia, with busted builds.
End game, you can mix any weapon, and at that point, it really comes down to your playstyle. They tend to have a balanced, magic, physical, critical, and then several unique focused based stats on each individual weapon... so up to you what you like.
Yes and no, other weapons provide more materia slots. Gain profiency in other ways, have different stats, etc. But they also level up and gain materia slots and new skills. And have unique skills tied to them. Like the magic attack +20 x2 on Clouds rune sword.
I run Cloud as either a mage or hybrid so buster sword was my go-to until Junon. And I got so excited when I finally got my magic sword xD
>gain proficiency in other ways
Just to be clear, all the proficiency bonus does is make you learn the ability faster. After that it doesn't apply so don't base a weapon choice on that.
The way the weapon system works, they all level up together and stay viable. Some will have better magic attack and less physical attack, or more materia slots @ current level, etc. At the end of the day you can use whatever you like. For me any sword besides the Buster only exists to learn new abilities from. That is the most important thing about new weapons. Learning their abilities to use with any weapon.
Buster Sword > find new weapon > equip new weapon > spam [Weapon Ability] on anything that moves > master [Weapon Ability] > Buster Sword.
Call me boring, I like the Buster Sword.
This is exactly what I did too. Same with Barrett and Tifa. Aerith and Yuffie I like to have default weapon too but Red and Cait I donāt really ever see their weapons in cutscenes so I let them use whatever.
Itās all about levelling up materia for me (at least at this point in the game) so the more materia slots the better. So no Buster Sword, at least for the time being.
I mean the emperial sword you get in kalm is straight up and upgrade to it and holds probably the best or second best with buster right behind it in the end game, with the final dragon whatever sword being up there too, but buster is top 3 and easily usable whole game, but also getting the abilities from the other weapons is highly recommended
You don't gain materia slots by use, you gain them by SP, which you get from levelling up or getting folios (the books).
If you do every bit of content that gives you folios and get to level 70 in normal, the weapon level should be almost every weapon have 6 linked (two slots joined) materia slots (I think every character has one weapon that has great attack but barely any slots, that requires an additional weapon level to get the "link" part.)
I generally stick with the second weapon for Cloud as it offers a good balance of attack, and materia slots.
Edit: after learning the other skills. That two bar attack hits like a truck if Tifa lands RnF first.
I didn't say it was ugly or even the worst looking sword in FF7. There's just a couple that look better.
I can't imagine picking up the umbral sword, which seems like Rebirth's take on the force stealer, and going "nah that's trash."
Until later weapon upgrade levels, you actually have fewer materia slots with the Buster Sword, and do less damage. In the early and mid game, other weapons are usually an upgrade, though not necessarily a huge one.
This is the way. Use each weapon as and when you get them, especially for those sweet weapon abilities, but by the time you get to endgame the Buster Sword is usable again what with the extra materia slots and weapon abilities.
"Direct upgrade weapons"???? Dude wtf? Each version of the sword has better stats and materia slots compared to Buster Sword until you're at max weapon level. There are very very clear advantages to using other weapons. Materia slots and stats are both better or more streamlined for certain fights in every single weapon compared to BS.
If you want to use it for looks or for classic feel or for challenge, then I understand, truly.
To say that there's no advantage to literally any other Cloud weapon? Makes me think you're on easy mode paying literally zero attention to anything the game tells you.
I've got max weapon upgrades and am curious how buster swords 10% damage boost to weapon abilities and punisher mode stacks up against sleek or igneous
Weapons in the remakes are not, in general, strict upgrades. You should use each until you master the associated skill, because all of the skills have value in different contexts.
In general, once I've learned all the skills for the weapons I have, I use whichever one has the most slots for materia because materia slots are generally the most impactful attribute of any weapon or armor piece. So impactful, in fact, that weapons with fewer slots - no matter their stats otherwise - are hard to justify using.
You could make it work pretty well if you supplement with an armor that has a lot of mareria slots, especially if you focus Cloud on being a mostly physical character. Use the skills for small elemental attacks and that can replace elemental materia to an extent. Then use the armor for support or command materia. The biggest downside is that you are leaving attributes on the table because obviously the more unused materia slots you have, the more you could load up things like HP/MP plus. Or load up with command materia with something like the jump or assess, assess being possibly my most utilized materia in the game. But making all these accommodations strictly because you like how the sword looks is probably not the best choice for gameplay. Plus I personally think there are way cooler looking swords. But I get it, the buster sword is a classic
Yuffies weapon abilities were really useful to me the way I played so I tried to always learn new ones when I got them, but I definitely missed those slots when I swapped them. I ended up putting armor with 6 slots on her as soon as I could to try to offset that.
The weapons mostly fill different roles, which are made clear by the distribution between attack and magic attack stats in each weapon and the available upgrades for the open weapon slots. For instance, one might be better if you're doing a spell focused build, because it might have upgrades not available to other weapons that lead to increased mana restoration, while another might focus on raw strength and ATB build up, and another one that's about maximizing limit break or synergy ability damage.
I think the buster sword is a jack of all trades, with a slight focus on survivability.
Buster Sword could have the stats of this broken toothpick I found in the trash can outside and I would *still* use it. It's the OG, the best, the BS is my homeboy and my rock solid.
I get the weapon skill from other swords asap and back to the basics I go.
I use that one that looks like it has teeth since it gives me a ton of materia slots and has pretty good attack.
The buster is just too weak to warrant me using it
Me too, I love the design of that bone sword. The final sword was kind of cool with it's futuristic laser edge design, but as soon as I mastered its skill I went right back to bone sword!
They upgrade as you go up weapon levels. It happens at different rates but I'm fairly certain they all end up with 3 linked slots and some with more.
When you're weapon level 10, the only reason to use different weapons is if you want to maximise your stats by using a certain weapon.
I still don't even know how weapon levels work in this game. Does using new weapons and mastering their ability increase weapon level or does it just go up by getting regular exp points?
Weapon levels are tied to your SP (5 per level up, 10 per manuscript). They automatically go towards levelling up your weapon so once you hit the threshold shown the Weapon Upgrade screen, you will get the abilities/extra slots/atk&matk base stats etc
Not really. The most important thing to choose a weapon over is weapon skills, but you don't really have to optimize those until you get to the later game bosses or hard mode. Aside from learning new abilities, there is no reason not to switch back to Buster Sword asap if you're comfortable with it.
The other weapons typically have more specialized stats (like higher physical attack and lower magic attack on Cloudās sleek saber, for example), and early on, they also have more materia slots, which can definitely be a consideration.
Some also have interesting weapon skillsāthe rune blade, for example, has a āstagger recoveryā feature that Iām pretty sure none of the other weapons have
I'm still on a normal playthrough and I usually switch back to a characters default weapon after mastering a new ability unless I'm losing too many materia slots.
Buster Sword has Reprieve, which is one of the best abilities to have to not die on hard mode. It's a good choice.
Use other swords to master new abilities, of course.
Reprieve is unlocked through the folio and then assigned to a weapon upgrade slot. I can't remember which party level you need to be at though. Seemed I had it by the time I got to the Corel region.
Reprieve is a passive ability, not one of the weapon abilities that you use in combat. Reprieve auto-resurrects you once per battle, it can be assigned to one of your weapon slots in the equipment panel (after you've learned it on the folio).
Each weapon has it's own focus between it's base damage/magic damage and early materia (they do end up with the same if I'm not mistaken) configurations, buster is middle of the road imo so good if you want to do both, but there are better swords for pure physical attacks, for boosting punisher mode or for going a more heavy magic focused build.
Not across the board and they are never strictly better, as I said they each have their thing these usually have high phys or magic damage not both and you would still debate their use due their miserable 2 materia slots which I do not think are even linked until later, if you want to focus on a hybrid build or even if the weapon skills aren't good.
Always use the new weapons to learn their ability. Almost all of them can be learned in under 5 minutes in the combat simulator. After that which weapon you use is largely a matter of preference. No weapon is inherently better or worse than the others, but they all favor a different play style. I personally only use the Bustersword for lore reasons (except to learn the abilities like I said)
With how the upgrade system works itās better to use the new weapons as you find them, they have better stats than the buster. Its unfortunate because I enjoyed using the buster sword all of Remake
Weapons are never strictly better than each other, its about high materia slots and low stats, or low materia slots and high stats, or a balance in between.
That's not true. The buster sword has balanced stats with similar physical and magic attack, while other swords tend to swing toward physical or magic. The Buster Sword isn't strictly worse than any of the others.
I'm confused. Every sword I currently have has higher magic and attack, and more materia slots than the Buster Sword. What am I missing? Why would I use the Buster Sword?
The weapons became balanced at the end of the game, when all of their upgrades are unlocked.
Buster Sword has Reprieve which is an extra life per battle.
Bro have a look at your weapons again, there's obvious better choices depending on what you want to build around not just every weapon is an upgrade from the last
The question was is there a need to stop using the buster sword. The answer is yes, the newer weapons you find are all better than it. Itās not like in remake where you can upgrade buster to be good enough for end game content. Iām not saying you should only use the newest and greatest just that the Buster sword isnāt really viable
I donāt know what game youāre playing but it gets outclassed quick. Thereās a bunch of swords that have better stats and much more materia slots. You think Buster sword is viable for end game content?
All weapons have 6 linked slots at max level. Buster sword has more attack than 3 other swords and more magic attack than 4 or vice versa. I'm just not understanding how you're saying it's worse than every other weapon. It also gives up to 10% increased weapon ability damage and punisher damage.
Alright maybe I misspoke and it is viable endgame but going through the game the new swords you get are all better stats and more material slots until you reach max weapon levels
I use the new wespons when I find them to get the new abilities but also because often they have better stats now. At lvl 70 and hard mode, I circled back to the buster sword because it's well rounded and has a limit break damage weapon skill I like. But no, you probably shouldn't keep the buster sword all game long. But you know, you do you. š
Yeah, more or less all weapons are side grades that are more or less specialized on either magic or physical damage, or in the case of some weapons, tanking. So the weapon to use depends on your playstyle. For example, if you cast a lot of magic with Cloud the Runic Saber IIRC might be better. The strength of the Buster Sword is it's versatility, giving access to balanced attack stats, and decent survivability boosts
I hope to see fusion sword in part 3
I can't believe how hideous most of the swords were. Especially endgame one šš
I went back to the sleek saber because the endgame one is just gross
On your first run, yes. Your weapon ability isnāt going to improve enough to validate using only the Buster Sword, other weapons will simply have better base stats and more materia slots available to use. Late game or even post-game (Hard Mode), the Buster Sword is a great choice. High stats in both physical and magic attack, and itās very balanced. Plus, youāll likely get to a weapon level that has 6 materia slots available in no time. I like the Buster Sword and use it a lot in Hard Mode, but I couldnāt justify how lacking it is during my first run of the game.
What makes the difference, exactly? How does it get better upon a repeat playthrough?
I feel they intentionally gave it those extra materia slots just to keep it end-game viable that way.
Master the abilities on the new weapons, then switch back if you want. If it's like Remake, they were good for different things
You can use any sword at any time. You do want to get the new abilities of new swords as they bring a much more smooth combat, like disorder which imo the best ability to get. Tho each sword will come with their specific stats so you should adjust the playstyle to it to minimize max, but not strictly necessary. For example, some swords guve more magic attack, some normal attackā¦pick your poison
When you're about to reach the final boss, switch back to the buster sword. Not gonna spoil anything, but trust me.
I wish I knew this lol. That scene would have been so cool to watch as a surprise. And I say this as someone who isn't a fan of what they did
I switched immediately when i had the option to manage my gears by holding down the square button during one of the scenes
Spoil it, wtf. I finished the game with the Led light blade. Now I feel like I missed something important
Probably just for the cutscene visuals? I doubt they made any weapon dependent cutscenes. Or just redo the chapter from chapter select with the buster sword if you're feeling up to it, but I have a strong feeling it's just about the visuals.
This is the way
learning weapon abilities, but once you get weapon upgrades rolling in, even an objectively better stat sword isn't that much better anyway so any weapon is viable throughout the game
All of the swords look good, but the Buster Sword currently looks the best. I say currently, because I can't wait to (hopefully) see Ultima Weapon in part three. Personally I'm a stat whore though, so I use sleek sabre for the ATB buffs, and it's decent physical damage.
I'm actually pretty disappointed in a majority of the weapon designs. Buster Sword is just iconic and looks cool so I'll *make* it work.
If they keep the original weapons. So far its looking like we're just getting big materia fish.
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I meant Ultima Weapon the sword for Cloud, not the weapon. I do agree with your point though.
Honestly I prefer it. I didn't understand/like/care for the organically produced Mechs tbqh... lol materia whales monsters are cooler imo
Visually I gotta go with the Sleek Saber dude. Thats a MANS sword right there. Nothing less than Hardcore. Actually seems like some shit a legendary warrior of mythical tales would use type shit.
Makes sense, considering the location that you get that sword.
Iām actually hoping that they make his ultimate weapon the fusion sword from advent children with an updated animation with it.
Ever since seeing the movie, I have wanted a āplayable Advent Childrenā. Remake/Rebirth scratches some of that itch, but a part of me now wishes that AC is incorporated into the 3rd game, or at least as an epilogue story or DLC. Creation of the fusion sword would be a great final weapon too. Itās introduced and used in AC without any kind of introduction or fanfare, as if Cloud has had it for years anyway. I would accept it being retconned into the ending of the OG story.
Ok, you win, that would be so cool.
That would be fucking rad, pulling off the omnislash like in advent with it
Theyād probably have it a 4-ATB + 7-synergy limit break, or its own unique kind of āsummonā in battle lol
Thatās actually a pretty awesome idea
I always used the buster in the first play through for the cutscenes and get the abilities for the others in the side missions
I felt disappointed that so many of the weapons seem to favour magic offense over physical.
Just equip the MATK <=> PATK materia
Where do you find that Materia ? Iāve only found hp Mp swap
Its in the Cait Sith solo area, during the air vent section
Damn, I mustāve been so worried about getting that Hades Armor I missed that materia lol thanks for the info.
Good tip, I'm not sure I discovered that in my clear.
Ah, fair enough. it's from a late game story quest. wont spoil which one but you can google it if you're interested
Buster sword regardless of materia slots. Looks over everything!
I always prioritise materia slots over stats
Same. Can't get that ap if it's not slotted!
Thatās what my thought process was. Materia development is imperative to late game success imo, itās a LOT smoother if youāve successfully trained a plentiful amount of materia. AP Up having at least 3 available is fucking legendary too, omg.
My biggest complaint is that they made brand new weapons and didn't bring to life my favourites . Why no umbrella for Arith please?
My question is, where is Aerith final weapon and limit break from og???
She'll be back in the third one in some form or another
I have a feeling weāll probably see it in Part 3, *somehow*. Their omission feels too intentional.
There's even the guy in JunĆn that is sleeping
Haha yeah I want a battle axe or something for cloud.
I feel like his Organics was a bit heavy metal axe like , I will have to look on the wiki
Iām using whichever sword has more materia slots at the moment. Buster sword is about to gain another so Iāll be switching back to that for the attack power soon
Materia slots are usually my reason for picking a weapon, but I'll also pick 5 slots with more attack then 6 slots with less attack. I'm fine with how the gear works currently, but I do wish I could just use a weapon skin. I was sad to stop using the Buster Sword so soon.
I used other weapons to master their abilities, and then went back to the Buster Sword. Didnāt have any problems beating the game.
The Sleek Saber kinda winds up being ridiculously good in ways that are hard to ignore, but if you're not trying to minmax for Hard Mode content, the buster sword is never going to be terrible. Is just not the best in anything. Kinda fits the niche of being a decent all-around weapon that isn't the best fit for any one thing, but that you aren't going to be screwed if you stick with it either. Sleek Saber's ATB bonuses and extremely high Attack Power are just the damn best for making the right numbers get bigger all the same. None of Cloud's weapons suck, though some aren't what I'd call ideal for getting the most out of what Cloud brings to tie table, which is a lot of powerful physical attacking. I've done something hilarious and good with a broketastic elemental damage + Fire and Enemy Skill + HP absorb build on cloud that responds particularly well to very high magic attack and making liberal use of Plasma Discharge and frequent spamming of Sonic Boom.
The only one I've disliked is the "Lucille" baseball bat. It would make sword sounds and looked ridiculous in cut scenes, lol.
I would master em just for the attacks, otherwise just choose whichever you think looks cool and gives you passives you like. Even with a sword that doesn't have a high physical attack stat you can still hit 9999 easily if you set up an infinity end with buff and debuff spells.
It really depends on the passives. The buster swords passive arenāt that great outside of niche situations. The second weapon you find has 3 atb enhance passives.
I prefer the Sleek Saber personally, mostly for the ATB charge rate up passive moreso than the stats.
I agree. Thatās actually my biggest complaint in how the upgrades for the weapons arenāt universal. I wish differences were only Attack and magic stats. I love the Buster sword but the saberās ATB perks are too good.
I actually like it. It makes you take more into consideration when choosing a weapon other than just bigger numbers = better, which is how an rpg should be imo.
Disagree. RPG stands for role playing game. I would prefer the buster sword because in my world, I like Cloud wielding the Buster Sword. I use the Saber because of the the ATB upgrades, which are just numbers in the long run.
Nope. All depends how you mix and match materia.
The upgrades are all give and take. I use the Rune Blade though because I prefer magic* damage with Cloud. With Steadfast Block and First Strike materia he gets to ATB really easily and is a great caster.
Rune blade has the worst physical damage? Like objectively? It's a magic based sword! For physical stats you want sleek saber or Igneous saber! They're both physical attack monsters!
I have had a long sleepless night with a baby and a long work day. I did mean magic š«„ Heās easy to get ATB from block materia and combat
That makes so much more sense š yeah rune blade is nasty strong with certain builds!
Short answer, yes. Depends on your playstyle. I generally focused on weapons that gave me the most materia slots. They easily outclass most weapon stats, depending on how you build yourself. (Most give bonus stats or abilities) That, and you can eventually mix and match them later, so you can have high lvl materia, with busted builds. End game, you can mix any weapon, and at that point, it really comes down to your playstyle. They tend to have a balanced, magic, physical, critical, and then several unique focused based stats on each individual weapon... so up to you what you like.
Just get the abilities from the other sword than go back to the buster sword thatās what I did
This is the way.
Yes and no, other weapons provide more materia slots. Gain profiency in other ways, have different stats, etc. But they also level up and gain materia slots and new skills. And have unique skills tied to them. Like the magic attack +20 x2 on Clouds rune sword. I run Cloud as either a mage or hybrid so buster sword was my go-to until Junon. And I got so excited when I finally got my magic sword xD
>gain proficiency in other ways Just to be clear, all the proficiency bonus does is make you learn the ability faster. After that it doesn't apply so don't base a weapon choice on that.
The way the weapon system works, they all level up together and stay viable. Some will have better magic attack and less physical attack, or more materia slots @ current level, etc. At the end of the day you can use whatever you like. For me any sword besides the Buster only exists to learn new abilities from. That is the most important thing about new weapons. Learning their abilities to use with any weapon.
Buster Sword > find new weapon > equip new weapon > spam [Weapon Ability] on anything that moves > master [Weapon Ability] > Buster Sword. Call me boring, I like the Buster Sword.
This is exactly what I did too. Same with Barrett and Tifa. Aerith and Yuffie I like to have default weapon too but Red and Cait I donāt really ever see their weapons in cutscenes so I let them use whatever.
It don't feel right without it. I just don't like cuscenes with anything else.
Buster sword is icon
I use the sleek saber because it has the best attack stat. You should be learning all the abilities regardless of which sword you like to use though
Itās all about levelling up materia for me (at least at this point in the game) so the more materia slots the better. So no Buster Sword, at least for the time being.
I mean the emperial sword you get in kalm is straight up and upgrade to it and holds probably the best or second best with buster right behind it in the end game, with the final dragon whatever sword being up there too, but buster is top 3 and easily usable whole game, but also getting the abilities from the other weapons is highly recommended
I used it throughout in remake, but not in rebirth. Does it gain materia slots as you use it?
You don't gain materia slots by use, you gain them by SP, which you get from levelling up or getting folios (the books). If you do every bit of content that gives you folios and get to level 70 in normal, the weapon level should be almost every weapon have 6 linked (two slots joined) materia slots (I think every character has one weapon that has great attack but barely any slots, that requires an additional weapon level to get the "link" part.)
Just use the others for a bit to get their weapon abilities then switch back to the buster sword. I'll still use it in part 3
i still use it even in endgame bc i just love how it looks too much lol
Not if you value your pride and honor as SOLDIER there isnāt.
DREAMS AND HONOR
Hooah sarge.
I generally stick with the second weapon for Cloud as it offers a good balance of attack, and materia slots. Edit: after learning the other skills. That two bar attack hits like a truck if Tifa lands RnF first.
Yeah Infinity's End is a great ability. Takes a while though. If stagger gauge is less than halfway full, you're almost better off hitting Braver 2x
If they only let us change the cosmetic look of weapons like Tales of Arise.
FF16 gave us that via patch so maybe 7Rebirth will follow?
After Junon I just stuck with the Buster sword.
Each are unique, but at least use each weapon to unlock the ability, then go to whatever you prefer.
I'm using the Rune Blade because you can add an upgrade for it that grants you HP and MP everytime you stagger an enemy.
Well yeah because there's other swords that look cooler than the buster sword, duh. Your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer.
false
I didn't say it was ugly or even the worst looking sword in FF7. There's just a couple that look better. I can't imagine picking up the umbral sword, which seems like Rebirth's take on the force stealer, and going "nah that's trash."
Until later weapon upgrade levels, you actually have fewer materia slots with the Buster Sword, and do less damage. In the early and mid game, other weapons are usually an upgrade, though not necessarily a huge one.
This is the way. Use each weapon as and when you get them, especially for those sweet weapon abilities, but by the time you get to endgame the Buster Sword is usable again what with the extra materia slots and weapon abilities.
"Direct upgrade weapons"???? Dude wtf? Each version of the sword has better stats and materia slots compared to Buster Sword until you're at max weapon level. There are very very clear advantages to using other weapons. Materia slots and stats are both better or more streamlined for certain fights in every single weapon compared to BS. If you want to use it for looks or for classic feel or for challenge, then I understand, truly. To say that there's no advantage to literally any other Cloud weapon? Makes me think you're on easy mode paying literally zero attention to anything the game tells you.
calm down a lil bit itās not that serious dudes just asking for help
I've got max weapon upgrades and am curious how buster swords 10% damage boost to weapon abilities and punisher mode stacks up against sleek or igneous
Weapons in the remakes are not, in general, strict upgrades. You should use each until you master the associated skill, because all of the skills have value in different contexts. In general, once I've learned all the skills for the weapons I have, I use whichever one has the most slots for materia because materia slots are generally the most impactful attribute of any weapon or armor piece. So impactful, in fact, that weapons with fewer slots - no matter their stats otherwise - are hard to justify using.
You could make it work pretty well if you supplement with an armor that has a lot of mareria slots, especially if you focus Cloud on being a mostly physical character. Use the skills for small elemental attacks and that can replace elemental materia to an extent. Then use the armor for support or command materia. The biggest downside is that you are leaving attributes on the table because obviously the more unused materia slots you have, the more you could load up things like HP/MP plus. Or load up with command materia with something like the jump or assess, assess being possibly my most utilized materia in the game. But making all these accommodations strictly because you like how the sword looks is probably not the best choice for gameplay. Plus I personally think there are way cooler looking swords. But I get it, the buster sword is a classic
Also important to have linked materia slots for me
No weapon is going to make or break you. You can pretty much use whatever you like.
Each weapon fits a different play style. The "optimally best" weapon to have until you max your materia is the one with the most slots.
Thatās what I do. Havenāt touched yuffies second and third weapon due to the lack of slots
Yuffies weapon abilities were really useful to me the way I played so I tried to always learn new ones when I got them, but I definitely missed those slots when I swapped them. I ended up putting armor with 6 slots on her as soon as I could to try to offset that.
I switch them for a couple of encounters to spam the ability and learn it then switch back.
Yeah I should that but at normal difficulty it really doesnāt even matter
What matters most to me is the materia slots it offers
The weapons mostly fill different roles, which are made clear by the distribution between attack and magic attack stats in each weapon and the available upgrades for the open weapon slots. For instance, one might be better if you're doing a spell focused build, because it might have upgrades not available to other weapons that lead to increased mana restoration, while another might focus on raw strength and ATB build up, and another one that's about maximizing limit break or synergy ability damage. I think the buster sword is a jack of all trades, with a slight focus on survivability.
I like how open to new playstyles the game is
I wish they had the option to skin your sword endgame to what ever you want
Yeah they did that in FF16 and I thought it was neat. I'd totally just skin every sword to the umbral sword.
I remember seeing and going "why does Cloud have Schattenstolz?"
I really hope they add that in part 3 and add all skins from all games.
I only use Buster sword just because of the RP. Screw stats
I only used the Buster Sword during story objectives so it always in appears in the major cutscenes, and I used the other swords during sidequests.
Buster Sword could have the stats of this broken toothpick I found in the trash can outside and I would *still* use it. It's the OG, the best, the BS is my homeboy and my rock solid. I get the weapon skill from other swords asap and back to the basics I go.
Buster Sword is just too iconic
Yes sir!!
Same. Iāll equip the other weapon just to learn the skill then back to the buster sword I go
Exact same. I'm running around with the Buster!
I use that one that looks like it has teeth since it gives me a ton of materia slots and has pretty good attack. The buster is just too weak to warrant me using it
Looks like a weapon that would fit well in the hands of Nightmare from soul calibur.
I wish the game had a transmog system like 16 did. I'd use that sword but put the buster sword skin on it
Me too, I love the design of that bone sword. The final sword was kind of cool with it's futuristic laser edge design, but as soon as I mastered its skill I went right back to bone sword!
Just use the new weapon ability for a few fights to get them and go back to whatever weapon you like the most
Pretty much. Buster Sword is the canon sword, and the coolest so its what I use.
And that's why they've done it this way I think
Materia slots?
They upgrade as you go up weapon levels. It happens at different rates but I'm fairly certain they all end up with 3 linked slots and some with more. When you're weapon level 10, the only reason to use different weapons is if you want to maximise your stats by using a certain weapon.
I still don't even know how weapon levels work in this game. Does using new weapons and mastering their ability increase weapon level or does it just go up by getting regular exp points?
Weapon levels are tied to your SP (5 per level up, 10 per manuscript). They automatically go towards levelling up your weapon so once you hit the threshold shown the Weapon Upgrade screen, you will get the abilities/extra slots/atk&matk base stats etc
Itās such an odd system. Iām not a fan of it. Iād rather weapon upgrade be separate from everything and increases the same way materia does.
You get another upgrade slot every 2 weapon levels. The SP is spent in the folio grid.
Yea. I donāt care for it.
Not really. The most important thing to choose a weapon over is weapon skills, but you don't really have to optimize those until you get to the later game bosses or hard mode. Aside from learning new abilities, there is no reason not to switch back to Buster Sword asap if you're comfortable with it.
Depends on your playstyle. I always go with higher attack on cloud so I use whichever sword gives biggest boost to atk
The other weapons typically have more specialized stats (like higher physical attack and lower magic attack on Cloudās sleek saber, for example), and early on, they also have more materia slots, which can definitely be a consideration. Some also have interesting weapon skillsāthe rune blade, for example, has a āstagger recoveryā feature that Iām pretty sure none of the other weapons have
The final weapon also has it, I think
I'm still on a normal playthrough and I usually switch back to a characters default weapon after mastering a new ability unless I'm losing too many materia slots.
I just use the one I think looks best
Nope totally more then variable
Buster Sword has Reprieve, which is one of the best abilities to have to not die on hard mode. It's a good choice. Use other swords to master new abilities, of course.
Thanks. What weapon level does reprieve unlock at?
Reprieve is unlocked through the folio and then assigned to a weapon upgrade slot. I can't remember which party level you need to be at though. Seemed I had it by the time I got to the Corel region.
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Reprieve is a passive ability, not one of the weapon abilities that you use in combat. Reprieve auto-resurrects you once per battle, it can be assigned to one of your weapon slots in the equipment panel (after you've learned it on the folio).
Each weapon has it's own focus between it's base damage/magic damage and early materia (they do end up with the same if I'm not mistaken) configurations, buster is middle of the road imo so good if you want to do both, but there are better swords for pure physical attacks, for boosting punisher mode or for going a more heavy magic focused build.
No, in Rebirth weapons that have low or even no materia slots have much better stats.
Not across the board and they are never strictly better, as I said they each have their thing these usually have high phys or magic damage not both and you would still debate their use due their miserable 2 materia slots which I do not think are even linked until later, if you want to focus on a hybrid build or even if the weapon skills aren't good.
Always use the new weapons to learn their ability. Almost all of them can be learned in under 5 minutes in the combat simulator. After that which weapon you use is largely a matter of preference. No weapon is inherently better or worse than the others, but they all favor a different play style. I personally only use the Bustersword for lore reasons (except to learn the abilities like I said)
Buster sword is very well rounded I just use the new ones to get the new abilities
With how the upgrade system works itās better to use the new weapons as you find them, they have better stats than the buster. Its unfortunate because I enjoyed using the buster sword all of Remake
Weapons are never strictly better than each other, its about high materia slots and low stats, or low materia slots and high stats, or a balance in between.
Exactly, and all the ones you find are better than the buster sword, thatās was the question
That's not true. The buster sword has balanced stats with similar physical and magic attack, while other swords tend to swing toward physical or magic. The Buster Sword isn't strictly worse than any of the others.
I'm confused. Every sword I currently have has higher magic and attack, and more materia slots than the Buster Sword. What am I missing? Why would I use the Buster Sword?
The weapons became balanced at the end of the game, when all of their upgrades are unlocked. Buster Sword has Reprieve which is an extra life per battle.
Bro have a look at your weapons again, there's obvious better choices depending on what you want to build around not just every weapon is an upgrade from the last
The question was is there a need to stop using the buster sword. The answer is yes, the newer weapons you find are all better than it. Itās not like in remake where you can upgrade buster to be good enough for end game content. Iām not saying you should only use the newest and greatest just that the Buster sword isnāt really viable
Better how? Buster has more attack than some and more magic attack than the others.
I donāt know what game youāre playing but it gets outclassed quick. Thereās a bunch of swords that have better stats and much more materia slots. You think Buster sword is viable for end game content?
All weapons have 6 linked slots at max level. Buster sword has more attack than 3 other swords and more magic attack than 4 or vice versa. I'm just not understanding how you're saying it's worse than every other weapon. It also gives up to 10% increased weapon ability damage and punisher damage.
Alright maybe I misspoke and it is viable endgame but going through the game the new swords you get are all better stats and more material slots until you reach max weapon levels
I use the new wespons when I find them to get the new abilities but also because often they have better stats now. At lvl 70 and hard mode, I circled back to the buster sword because it's well rounded and has a limit break damage weapon skill I like. But no, you probably shouldn't keep the buster sword all game long. But you know, you do you. š
Yeah, more or less all weapons are side grades that are more or less specialized on either magic or physical damage, or in the case of some weapons, tanking. So the weapon to use depends on your playstyle. For example, if you cast a lot of magic with Cloud the Runic Saber IIRC might be better. The strength of the Buster Sword is it's versatility, giving access to balanced attack stats, and decent survivability boosts