Table of Contents
It's time to revisit Zack'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:
- Black Whiskers
- Iron Greatsword
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Cutlass • Arc Sword • Falchion • Black Whiskers |
| A Tier | • Type-99 Longsword • Enhance Sword (Z) • Defender • Crystal Sword (Z) • Zweihander • Ifrit's Sword • Beach Parasol |
| B Tier | • Iron Greatsword |
S Tier
Black Whiskers
Black Whiskers is Zack's second-highest physical damage weapon. What's unique about its skill is that it debuffs physical defense along with elemental resistance. It is the first weapon in the game to do this.
For its R abilities, it has 32 points of physical attack boost and 9 points of water potency boost at level 90. At max level overboost, it gives 54 points of physical attack and 36 points of water boost. It's a perfect blend of offensive R abilities that don't conflict with the purpose of the weapon.
As a sub-weapon, it is amazing, on par with the likes of Tifa's Motordrive and Lucia's Bald Eagle. This will be a mainstay sub-weapon for physical damage dealers for months to come.
Cutlass
Cutlass inflicts a single-target pdef debuff and works well with most of Zack's weapons as a secondary weapon. It's particularly effective with other physical damage dealers like Cloud, increasing pdef and ability potency. While it could have used better abilities, it's still a useful choice. However, it's not ideal as a sub-weapon.
Arc Sword
This sword inflicts a single-target mdef debuff, increases magic attack (matk), and provides water resistance. It's great for a mage-oriented Zack build, although he's not typically a mage. You can make use of it if you have magic damage dealers on your team, like Sephiroth. It can be paired with Ifrit Sword, Beach Parasol, or Crystal Sword (Z) if you're determined to make it work and also serves as a sub-weapon for mages due to the matk increase.
Falchion
Falchion inflicts AOE physical wind damage and is one of the few wind weapons in the game. It boasts good physical attack base stats, increases physical attack and wind potency, and features two offensive abilities. It's an excellent choice for investment and can also serve as a sub-weapon for physical attackers and wind damage dealers.
A Tier
Type-99 Longsword
The Type-99 Longsword deals single-target physical damage, increases attack (atk), and critical hit (crit) rate. While it's not the best weapon for Zack, it's still usable if you don't have a better option. Its special skill deals extra damage to "o sigils," making it valuable against bosses with o sigils. Additionally, it features three slots for physical attack boost support materia.
Enhance Sword (Z)
This weapon offers a single-target heal and includes remarkable abilities that boost heal potency and ability potency. The third support slot increases lightning damage by 30%. While it can be used as a sub-weapon on a healer, it may not be the best choice for Zack. A preference for area-of-effect (AOE) healing might lead you in a different direction.
Defender
The Defender buffs a single target's physical defense (pdef) up to high potency at higher star levels. It also enhances heal and ice potency and boasts a fairly high physical attack base stat. The third support materia slot increases buff/debuff time by 20%. It can be a good choice for a healer/buffer/debuffer Zack build, particularly when paired with his Enhance Sword (Z). Investing in this weapon is worthwhile, especially if it's overboosted. It's also a great sub-weapon for ice-based builds at higher star levels.
Crystal Sword (Z)
This sword deals AOE fire magic damage but has relatively low base stats for attack and magic attack. It increases attack and fire potency and has a third support materia slot that boosts o sigil damage. Like the Defender, it's more valuable at higher star levels due to the fire potency bonus but may not be the best short-term investment.
Zweihander
Zweihander offers Zack's highest physical attack base and deals single-target physical damage. It boosts attack and fire resistance. While it could have been improved with another offensive ability, it serves well as both a primary weapon for Zack and a sub-weapon to increase attack. Consider investing in it if you don't have a better option.
Ifrit's Sword
This free, farmable weapon deals single-target fire damage and is definitely worth investing in if you can overboost it to maximum stars. It provides ice resistance and an HP boost, making it a great sub-weapon against bosses that use ice attacks, like Shiva.
Beach Parasol
A free weapon from the Tonberry event, Beach Parasol can be overboosted to 10. It offers two defensive abilities in HP and mdef. It's certainly worth investing in for Zack himself if you want a mage build or for other units as a sub-weapon. It can help increase their CP thanks to the raw stats it provides. It also deals single-target magic damage.
B Tier
Iron Greatsword
Zack's iron greatsword sits at the bottom of the list of weapons with regards to physical attack.
It's a good sub-weapon for damage dealers who have already capped their physical attack and magical attack.
