The much-ballyhooed Final Fantasy franchise is one of the longest running and most beloved in gaming. This isn’t to say it’s infallible, that’s for darn certain (there have been some major missteps and fan qualms over the years) but it’s risen to become the very last word in popular RPG action.

The original game first released in Japan, way back in December 1987. I wasn’t born until the following summer, so you’ll forgive me for not being knowledgeable enough in Japanese to have hopped on board in utero and been around since the very beginning.

As it turned out, I wouldn’t own a title in the series until the seminal Final Fantasy VII, which –as it did for so many others— introduced me to the JRPG, and to RPGs in general. Falling in love with the title, I pounced on its fellow PS1 releases, VIII and IX, falling for them just the same.

Strictly speaking, this trio of classic titles were the only true PS1 Final Fantasy installments, and they contained all manner of pain-in the-cheeks-to-acquire weapons and equipment. Remember trying to steal the Fairy Flute from Hilgigars? Or the bizarre Ancient Forest quest for the Apocalypse? Those are just some of the long-repressed horrific childhood memories I’m going to relive for you in this piece, friends.

While those three titles are our main focus here, it’s important to remember that many of the previous entries were ported over to PS1 too. Just for the sake of variety, I’m going to consider those fair game too. Let’s dive into it.

30 Gastro Fork, Final Fantasy IX: For Fork’s Sake

1- Gastro Fork
Via: Legends of Localisation

Ah, yes. For my money, Final Fantasy IX's Quina is one of the more peculiar player characters in the entire franchise (and that’s saying something around here, friends). Her/his weapon of choice is a gigantic fork. They all have the odd quality of randomized damaged on hit, and the strongest of which is a real pain to acquire.

You earn the Gastro Fork by completing the frog-catching sidequest. After nabbing 99 of the critters (which will require the ponds to be managed so they don’t run out), Quale will challenge you to a battle. The fight isn’t especially difficult (though Quale does have the highest enemy HP in the game, tied with the Friendly Yan), but it’s a battle of attrition. Victory grants you the Gastro Fork.

29 Lion Heart, Final Fantasy VIII: So, I Heard You Like Triple Triad

2- Lion Heart
Via: Twitter (@heartlessly_jeh)

As players will know, Final Fantasy VIII’s weapon system works a little differently to the rest of the series. You can’t simply find or buy weapons, equip them and start carving enemies into sad, defeated hunks of monster-spam. What you do is collect components, visit a Junk Shop and ‘remodel’ each character’s weapon into a stronger version of itself.

With handy tools like the Card Mod ability at your disposal, you can do this much sooner than you’d think. All of the main characters’ ultimate weapons can be built on the first disk (with one exception, as we’ll see later). It just depends how dedicated you are to doing so. Constructing Squall’s best gunblade, Lion Heart, alone, can require many hours of farming levels (some low, some high, as demonstrated in this Steam Guide).

28 Excalipoor, Final Fantasy VIII: A Pretty ‘Poor’ Replacement

3- Excalipoor
Via: Final Fantasy Wiki

Another thing that long-time series fans will know is that Final Fantasy does love its recurring weapons. Names like Ragnarok, Masamune, Ultima Weapon and Excalibur will be immediately familiar to franchise veterans. So, too, will the Excalipoor, a joke weapon generally connected to Gilgamesh.

While Final Fantasy VIII doesn’t give your party this weapon to directly equip, they can make use of it.

How? By acquiring Odin prior to the Seifer battle on the Lunatic Pandora. Doing so will cause Seifer to ‘defeat’ Odin, and Gilgamesh (himself a series stalwart) will take the legendary warrior’s place. When doing so —and in every battle in which he happens to appear thereafter— he’ll randomly ‘equip’ himself with a weapon, one of which can be the Excalipoor.

Which deals a mighty 1hp damage to all opponents.

27 Excalibur, Final Fantasy: Now That’s More Like It

4- Excalibur
Via: The Vintage News

That’s great and all, Gilgamesh, but sometimes you want to deal just a shade more than 1 damage to your opponents. Such as in every freaking situation ever, for instance.

When that’s the case, you’ll want to junk Excalipoor with the rest and pick up its no-snarky equivalent, the Excalibur itself.

This renowned sword has appeared in almost every main series entry to date, and always performs well. In the original Final Fantasy, you had to complete a little sidequest to earn it. this consisted of finding Adamantine in the Flying Fortress, taking it to Smyth the… Smith and having him create it for you. It’s a bit of a trek, but you’ll definitely want to do it. Your Knight will thank you for it.

26 Construct 8, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Puppet Is Not A Real Boy

via reddit.com

Can a character also be a weapon? There’s a philosophical debate to be had there, when we’re talking about machines, but I’m not going to go into that now. I’m in charge here, and I say oh heckola yes it can, buddy boy.

On that note, here comes Construct 8 of Final Fantasy Tactics. This root warrior can only be added to your team by completing a very specific sidequest, which you can only begin with Mustadio in the party. Defeat Belias, head to Goug and a cutscene begins which starts everything off (as this guide explains).

There are some tough battles ahead to unlock the character, but when you do, it’s a valuable ally. As a robot, it’s immune to all magic but Lightning (its weakness) and Water (sadly, this includes healing spells), and has some very powerful abilities that cost a little HP to use.

25 Tinkerbell, Final Fantasy V: No, Not The Fairy

6- Tinklebell
Via: YouTube (Lionheart41269)

While the series offers the usual array of swords, spears, daggers and such as weapons, it also boasts a selection of more unusual choices. One of these is the Bell class of weapons. When it comes to recurring ones, the major example is the Tinkerbell.

In Final Fantasy V, it’s instead known as the Tinklebell, and is the strongest weapon of its type. To acquire it, you’ll have to get lucky and snag it as a drop from Twintania. Bear in mind, though, that this is only possible when the boss isn’t charging its Gigaflare.

24 Great Gospel, Final Fantasy VII: One Weapon I’ve Never Acquired

7- Great Gospel
Via: Final Fantasy Wiki

Just for the sake of mixing things up a little, I’m going to keep pushing the definition of ‘weapon,’ like the fearless renegade from the depths of Satan’s shirt pocket that I am.

Owing to certain unfortunate I used to be an Ancient, then I took a Masamune to the everything story events, I’ve never really used Aeris to her fullest in Final Fantasy VII. It’s a shame, because she boasts some excellent supportive limit breaks.

Her level 4 limit, Great Gospel, is acquired by grabbing a piece of Mythril (acquired from the sleeping man in a cave near Junon, if your total number of battles ends in two matching odd numbers or zeros) and taking it to the cabin by the Gold Saucer after the Rocket Town events.

Great Gospel fully heals the party’s HP and MP, and also makes them momentarily invulnerable to all attacks.

23 Lightbringer, Final Fantasy VI: Sounds Like A Fair Trade To Me

via reddit.com

Another recurring weapon in the series, the Lightbringer (or Illumina) is another sword that just keeps popping up.

Always boasting high attack (where equippable), it tends to have the handy-dandy bonus effect of randomly casting Holy when wielded in battle.

What with Holy generally being regarded as the Ultimate White Magic spell, that’s sure as heckles not a bad side effect to have.

How do you get your hands on this mighty blade, then? Well, that varies from game to game, but the most obscure method is probably that of Final Fantasy VI. There, you must first nab yourself Ragnarok (which isn’t easy), and then wager it at the Dragon’s Neck Coliseum.

22 Excalibur, Final Fantasy IX: I Found It On eBay

Via: Jegged

I don’t know about you, friends, but Treno’s auction house in Final Fantasy IX never really did it for me. With my deep-rooted need to nab myself every new piece of equipment from the regular stores and synthesis shops that I could, I rarely had the gil to compete with those nobles at the auction. There were some neat items in there, but nothing I thought was important and missable, so I tended to skip it.

There is, however, one important item that you can only gain in this way: Excalibur. In this game, it’s a sword for Steiner, and you get it by buying the Doga’s Artifact, Une’s Mirror, Rat Tail and Griffin’s Heart item from the auction, and giving them to the corresponding Treno nobles.

After that, the Magical Fingertip starts being offered there, which you must also win and take to an old man in Daguerreo, the secret mountain location in the bottom left of the map. He trades you the sword for the item.

21 Knights Of The Round, Final Fantasy VII: Because ‘Table’ Was A Word Too Far

10- Knights of the Round
Via: Steam Community

RPGs often run into the problem of what to reward players for defeating the optional superbosses. Oftentimes, these enemies are far stronger than anything you encounter in the course of the main story, and that’s where the problem arises: if you get a spangly new ultimate weapon, what’s left to use it on?

The neat thing about Final Fantasy VII’s Knights of the Round summon materia is that you do get a chance to use it on the game’s toughest opponents: Ruby and Diamond Weapon. Assuming that you get a Gold Chocobo by breeding, that is, and not by trading the item you win by defeating one of them.

Riding your Gold Chocobo to an invisi-island in the far corner of the map, you’ll be rewarded with a super, super strong summon, which is more than enough to breeze you through any story battle.

20 Rune Staff, Final Fantasy IV: *SILENCE!*

11- Rune Staff
Via: Final Fantasy Wiki

Now, it’s only fair that, as a general rule, RPGs don’t just want you to easily come across their best gear. It’s not always difficult or expensive to find either, though. As Octopath Traveler players will have found this year, sometimes, it’s simply a case of stealing from the right enemy or NPC, or hoping for their drops.

This is a simple enough matter in the age of the internet, but before we had FAQs, finding Final Fantasy IV's  Rune Staff was much more puzzling. What you want to do is head for the optional dungeon Passage of the Eidolons, and hope that you get a lucky drop from a summoner.

19 Ehrgeiz, Final Fantasy VIII: It’s Ex*Zell*ent

via pinterest.com

Now, I can appreciate Zell Dincht, I definitely can. His boisterous nature and short fuse grates on many people, both in the real world and in his own, but I find him darn funny. Actually quite charming, too.

Do you want to know what wasn’t funny OR charming? Acquiring Zell's ultimate weapon, that’s what.

As I say, in Final Fantasy VIII, you don’t buy weapons outright, but find the rare pieces to craft them. The final versions are supposed to be endgame items, but with enough patience, you can get them very early. The key to doing so, in the case of Zell’s Ehrgeiz, is modding the Minotaur card into Adamantines as soon as you get it.

It just depends how the completionist in you feels about that.

18 Fairy Flute, Final Fantasy IX: Flute-ing Heck, This Is Not A Fun Time

13- Fairy Flute
Via: Turtle Hermit WaspInatoR

It’s in a gamer’s nature to be darn stubborn. Dedicated. There’s something you shouldn’t be able to do at this point in such-and-such a game? Well, I’m going to go ahead and do it, just because I can.

Veterans of Final Fantasy IX will know how notorious the Fairy Flute is. You have a very low chance to steal it from the Hilgigars boss near the Lifa Tree. I’ve been sucked into the attempt for hours at a time, knowing it’ll be available for purchase later (granted, much later, at Oelivert) but also knowing that it could be the next steal… the next steal… the next steal…

17 Missing Score, Final Fantasy VII: Come On, Who Wouldn’t Choose Barret?

14- Missing Score
Via: Final Fantasy BonusWeb

Now, this is just my personal bias talking, but I can’t see how this weapon could be at all difficult to find. It’s all but unmissable, providing Barret’s in your party at a certain moment. On the flipside, if he isn’t, the weapon isn’t obtainable at all.

As a lifelong member of Team Barret, I have no issues with this. If you’re one of those who actually thinks it’s acceptable to remove him from the party at any point, other than when you’re forced to (which it isn’t, don’t @ me), here’s the skinny: Barret’s ultimate weapon is in a very obvious treasure chest —which doesn’t appear if the man himself isn’t in your party— on your way to the Hojo boss battle at the Sister Ray, during the Midgar raid.

It’s quite awkward to use, as its damage increases with the AP of its equipped materia, and it’s permanently missable if you don’t grab it during this one moment.

16 Ragnarok, Final Fantasy IX: That Minigame Leaves Me Feeling Cold, Not Hot

Via: derangedband

Why, yes, the music for Final Fantasy IX’s Chocobo Hot and Cold minigame is fantastic. Thanks for asking. Be that as it may, though, the amount of grind you have to go through to get all of the chocographs really got to me after the umpteenth playthrough.

It’s totally worth it, though, because it’s the only way to get most of the best equipment. If you’re not shooting for Steiner’s true ultimate weapon, Excalibur II (which I never have, for reasons we’ll get into later), the Ragnarok sword is the next best thing. It’s found in one of the later chocographs, Outer Island, which is located on the easternmost edge of the north-east continent.

15 Onion Sword, Final Fantasy IV: Almost Enough To Make You… Cry

16- Onion Sword
Via: Gaming Guardian

Yep, because it’s the onion sword. I’m darn proud of that pun, and I’m going to bask in the glory of it for a couple of minutes before continuing.

So, yes. Final Fantasy IV’s onion sword can only be acquired in the later remakes of the game, but I’m going to go ahead and include it here because… well, darn the onion sword, that’s why.

Has tail-collecting ever been a good time? You’re darn right it hasn’t. These rare drops are worth the effort, sure, but it sure can be tedious. To get the onion sword, you’ll need to exchange a Red Tail for it with the Adamant Isle Grotto Tail Collector.

14 Eden, Final Fantasy VIII: *IT’S OVER NINE THOUSAND* (Nine Hundred And Ninety-Nine)

17- Eden
Via: YouTube (MODELT850)

That’s right, friends. Having never used Final Fantasy VIII’s Quistis much, I never got to see her Shockwave Pulsar limit break top the damage cap back in the day. Or anything else, for that matter. The first time I summoned the ultimate GF, Eden, seeing damage above the typical 9,999 totally blew me away.

As with the Knights of the Round summon materia, Eden is an ‘ultimate weapon’ of sorts, in summoning terms. There are only two chances to obtain it in the game: one at the bottom of the optional Deep Sea Research Center (from Ultima Weapon, a darn tough fight in its own right) and the other from Tiamat in the final dungeon, at which point the game is all but over.

Pick your poison, and enjoy the darn useful and rare stat junctions this GF gives you.

13 Ultima Weapon, Final Fantasy VIII: We Have To Do *WHAT*?

18- Ultima Weapon
Via: YouTube (Matt Bates)

Speaking of Eden, let’s back up a little and take a look at just how difficult it is to obtain. The Deep Sea Research Center is hidden on the world map, for one thing, an optional dungeon that is first occupied by Bahamut. On defeating the Dragon King and returning, you then have to descend the levels of the center, expending a strictly-limited number of steam units to open each door.

Persevere in this puzzle and you’ll eventually reach Ultima Weapon (yep, we’re playing fast and loose with the term ‘weapon’ again). It’s a powerful opponent, boasting the infamous Light Pillar attack that one-shots any party member it hits.

12 Mace Of Zeus, Final Fantasy IX: Come On, Zeus, You Can’t Just Leave Your Mace Lying Around

19- Mace of Zeus
Via: Final Fantasy Wiki

When it comes to ultimate weapons, Final Fantasy IX is a bit of an unusual case. Some, like Zidane’s and Quina’s, are locked behind obscure side missions or other obstacles. You have to earn them, in short, and I’m fine with that. Others, like Amarant’s Rune Claws and Vivi’s Mace of Zeus, are just lying around in the final dungeon, Memoria.

They’re in such peculiar places, unseen on screen and waiting for you to activate theirs! prompt. With the way that some of these are unlocked, it seems just a little lazy, as though they were running out of time to add them to the game. If you didn’t know where they were, you could quite easily miss them.

11 Heaven’s Cloud, Final Fantasy VII: Almost Heaven

20- Heaven's Cloud
Via: Crowd of Clouds (WordPress)

Almost heaven, West Virginia, blue… nope, let’s no go there. There’s no time for that now.

What’s really important here is that Heaven’s Cloud is a great weapon for our spiky-haired protagonist (certainly the best-designed in my opinion), and it’s another that’s quite easy to miss entirely.

It’s only accessible after you unlock the submarine, as it’s found in the sunken Gelnika (along with such other great treasure as Cid’s final limit break and Yuffie’s ultimate weapon).

That’s all well and good once you know where it is, but what if you don’t?

Even worse, what if you do (dive from just around the corner from the Junon dock) but you get there too early and Emerald Weapon’s guarding it? The green salt machine is there at first, blocking the wreck of the plane.