Final Fantasy 15 is an interesting entry in the long-running series. Starting as Final Fantasy Versus 13 back in 2006 before being rebranded as 15, it's had a long history and changed a lot over its life. It was also the first mainline game to ditch turn-based combat. But one feature that has never really changed is the armiger.
The ethereal blades that Noctis can call forth have existed since his first appearance, and there are 13 royal arms in total to acknowledge this. And though all of these weapons are unique and have their own uses, some fulfill their purpose better than others.
13 Mace of the Fierce
The Mace of the Fierce can be found at the Rock of Ravatogh dungeon after defeating the boss at the end. True to its name, it is a mace, heavy and strong, representing a king of similar nature.
Its attacks are slow and deal high damage, and its parry range is large enough to counter many enemies at once with minimal health loss (all royal arms cost HP to attack with). So why is it at the bottom? Unfortunately, the Mace of the Fierce simply doesn't have much versatility, and its slow speed makes it hard to keep up with many enemies.
12 Sword of the Tall
Unlike most royal arms, the Sword of the Tall is not found in its royal tomb, but instead in the incredibly challenging Costlemark dungeon, which most people may well leave until the endgame. The sword of the tall, contrary to its name, isn't really much of a sword. In fact, it's a chainsaw.
It has the highest attack stat of any royal arm at 512. However, the hidden attack damage multiplier is quite low, meaning the attack stat doesn't really represent the strength of attacks. So while it is an undeniably cool-looking weapon, the fact that endgame greatswords will deal higher damage without the HP loss makes it an unattractive weapon choice.
11 Scepter of the Pious
The Scepter of the Pious is found in its royal tomb at the end of the Malmalam Thicket dungeon. The scepter is uniquely un-unique in that its moveset is that of other royal arms. Various different directional inputs change it to the form and attacks of other royal arms and scale off magic too.
That said, it's more a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none. It gives a taste of each weapon without the respective strengths or weaknesses of each.
10 Star of the Rogue
The Star of the Rogue is a fascinating weapon, being distinctly unlike any other base weapon type. It is a ranged strength-based weapon. The star itself is thrown in arcs, weaving around enemies and dealing more damage the closer you are, with its warp strike being an up-close grind on enemies.
Frankly, it's a pretty good, balanced royal arm. Its only downside is that because it doesn't quite function like anything else, it can be a challenge.
9 Bow of the Clever
Bow of the Clever, found in the Balouve Mines, is a crossbow that fires spectral bolts. It has the unique property of not needing to ever reload (unlike other guns in the game), and damage scales off magic too.
It also features a somewhat different warp-strike. After warping, instead of an initial strike, Noctis fires 4 bolts diagonally upwards. This can deal good damage against tall enemies, though may entirely miss small enemies.
8 Swords of the Wanderer
The Swords of the Wanderer, obtained in the Greyshire Glacial Grotto, belonged to a king who traveled far to chart lands previously unseen. The swords themselves hold the same utility of a traveler, changing from two swords to one in order to fit the situation.
The combo opener and finisher have the swords combined to perform a heavy strike, while the rest of a combo retains the base dagger moveset. They are extremely fast weapons and rival the Zwill Crossblades (one of the strongest daggers in the game) in terms of damage output and range.
7 Katana of the Warrior
The Katana of the Warrior belonged to a king whose queen was killed before him, with the blade carrying his namesake. Being a katana, it focuses on fast, highly damaging strikes. Its moveset is then quite ruthless, though highly damaging to Noctis and anyone else who happens to use it, like beloved party member Ignis.
It also has a unique warp-strike. Channeling a sheath-style attack, the first warp-strike has a long charge up, but immediate follow-up warp strikes are executed immediately, letting you live out your fantasy of an anime swordsman. It's a glass cannon kind of weapon.
6 Sword of the Wise
The first royal weapon acquired, the Sword of the Wise is intended to match the simplicity of the man who owned it. And like its description says, it is indeed a simple weapon, with one key defining feature.
Unlike other weapons, the opening strike of the Sword of the Wise is basically a free warp-strike that deals almost the same damage as one. Dodge-rolling also effectively negates the cooldown, letting you spam the opener for a hit-and-run playstyle. It's simple but effective.
5 Blade of the Mystic
The Blade of the Mystic, acquired at the Disc of Cauthess, was a sword used by the first Lucian king, Somnus. It is another balanced weapon, though comes with two defining features: a tremendous strength buff and a unique warp-strike.
After attacking, Noctis holds the sword in front of himself and activates a massive strength buff. And the warp-strike fires off multiple projections first that deal regular melee damage, before following up with a devastating strike that's great for destroying appendages.
4 Shield of the Just
The Shield of the Just, held by a queen who was the shield of her nation, is found in an unguarded tomb in the open world. In truth, it functions almost identically to other shield weapons with some small but significant differences.
For one, its warp-strike has a much wider range than others, making it an effective AP (ability point) farming weapon. But on top of that is a unique block. Not only does it let you almost entirely block otherwise unblockable attacks, but this block also locks you in place and restores your HP in exchange for MP, similar to how the game's cover system heals you.
3 Sword of the Father
The Sword of the Father, owned by Noctis' own father, Regis, is the last story royal arm acquired. Unlike most others, which come with extreme HP loss for their beneficial stats, the Sword of the Father functions more like a regular sword, though boosted. Its HP drain is significantly less, but it still has decently boosted stats.
Though retaining the overall base sword moveset, one attack can leave behind an after-image that damages foes that pass through it. The final strike gives boosted strength for five seconds to finish off enemies not defeated by the combo itself. Though not quite as dramatic, its simple moveset makes it one of the easiest to pick up and effectively use.
2 Trident of the Oracle
The Trident of the Oracle, unlike other royal arms, has historically been held by the oracle rather than the ruler of Lucis as a symbol of their link. The Trident itself is obtained from Lunafreya late in the game, followed by a fight against Leviathan.
Its moveset is fast and powerful. Its finisher can effectively stun-lock enemies, while every attack leaves behind damaging after-images. On top of this, many of its aerial attacks and its warp-strike let you perform a plunging attack with a high break modifier as well as an efficient dodge.
1 Axe of the Conqueror
The Axe of the Conqueror, unfair as it might sound, is everything the Mace of the Fierce should have been. It features incredibly high damage, attacks with slightly better speed and tracking, and the ability to knock enemies into a vulnerable state more easily.
Honestly, the number one weapon comes down to personal preference. But the fact that such a powerful weapon is available so early (chapter 2) makes it an incredibly useful weapon to help you deal with combat.