Table of Contents
It's time to revisit Matt's weapons for December 2023. We'll sort his weapons according to their usefulness in clearing content, efficiency in certain builds, and potential use as a sub-weapon.
New Additions:
- Holiday Cane
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Absolute Royal • Core Defender • Prime Number • Slick Beetle • Killer Hornet |
| A Tier | • Broadsword: Axis • Orthodox Raven • Stingray |
| B Tier | • Espee Rapiere Next-G • Holiday Cane |
S Tier
Absolute Royal
Absolute Royal deals AoE magic ice damage and boosts magic attack (matk) and ice potency. It has a high matk base stat. Its third support materia slot increases damage to X sigils. This makes it a great sub-weapon for increasing matk on mages, especially useful on Sephiroth with his ice mage build. Overall, it's a great weapon to invest in and deserves a spot on your wishlist.
Core Defender
Core Defender has a high matk base stat. It turns Matt into an AoE magic defense buffer, which is really useful against bosses with AoE magical nukes. It also heals a bit of HP and boosts matk and water resistance. Its third support materia slot boosts wind damage by 30%. This is a good weapon paired with Absolute Royal for a mage/buffer build and can also be used as a sub-weapon for other mages.
Prime Number
Prime Number turns Matt into an AoE healer, which is really good for clearing content. However, it's not as good as Aerith's Fairy Tale and has a slow animation time. It boosts heal potency and lightning resistance. Its third support materia slot increases buff/debuff time by 20%. You can place a Manaward/Barrier/Breach materia there for some support while not healing. It makes for a good sub-weapon on healers and is worth investing in if you want Matt to be your primary healer.
Slick Beetle
Slick Beetle boasts a high patk base stat and deals single target physical non-elemental damage that also debuffs the target's physical attack. It's really good against boss fights that have physical attacks. It boosts HP and crit potency. It's a good secondary weapon for a physical damage build and can also be a good sub-weapon for boosting HP. You can't go wrong investing in this.
Killer Hornet
Killer Hornet is Matt's latest weapon. It has a high patk base stat and deals physical non-elemental damage. It boosts physical attack and physical ability potency. Its third support materia slot increases damage to O sigils. Killer Hornet can also do bonus damage to diamond sigils with its skill. Its second support materia slot increases physical damage by 20%, so you can't just slot in any physical attack materia there. It can also serve as a good sub-weapon for a physical damage dealer. Overall, it's a great weapon for Matt and any physical damage dealer. It's worth investing in and pairs well with Broadsword: Axis for a physical damage build for Matt.
A Tier
Broadsword: Axis
Broadsword: Axis deals physical non-elemental damage to a single target with a high modifier. It has a fairly low physical attack (patk) base stat but above-average matk base stats. It increases patk and lightning potency. I wouldn't use it on Matt, but it's really good on other characters for increasing patk. It's a good investment until level 80 for the patk bonus and stats.
Orthodox Raven
Orthodox Raven has a fairly high matk base stat and deals AoE magical water damage. It boosts HP and water potency, making it a good weapon against water-weak bosses like Ramuh. It's also a good sub-weapon for boosting HP, although the Tonberry weapons do a better job.
Stingray
Stingray has a really high matk base stat. It deals magical non-elemental damage while reducing a target's magic defense. Sadly, the abilities don't match its strength as it gets a patk boost and wind resist boost. It pairs well with Absolute Royal for an ice mage build and can be used as a sub-weapon for a physical damage dealer, but there are better options.
B Tier
Holiday Cane
The Holiday Cane truly shines as a sub-weapon in mage builds since it provides a significant amount of magical attack boost points.
Espee Rapiere Next-G
Espee Rapiere Next-G allows Matt to single target heal. It boosts magic defense (mdef) and magical ability. It has a low attack base stat but fairly high healing potency. It could be useful for a healer build, but I wouldn't invest in this. I value AoE healing too much. Its third support materia slot increases fire damage by 30%, but it's not a great sub-weapon without overboost levels.
