Zack’s Black Whiskers Review

Introduction

In this article, I'll review Zack's newest weapon, the Black Whiskers. This weapon shares a banner with Glenn's Pumpkin Lamppost . I will break down its abilities and support materia slots, explore some potential builds in which it might be used, discuss sub-weapon use, and consider its future-proofing.

Black Whiskers

Black Whiskers: Zack [Gacha]
[PATK: 225] [MATK: 173] [HEAL: 164] (90 OB0)
[PATK: 540] [MATK: 415] [HEAL: 229] (90 OB10)
[PATK: 562] [MATK: 432] [HEAL: 246] (90 OB+20)
Swirl Drop (4 ATB)
54 Boost PATK / 36 Boost Water Pot.
PATK Boost I
ATK Boost (Water) I
▲ Sigil Boost I

Base Stats

[PATK: 225] [MATK: 173] [HEAL: 164] (90 OB0)
[PATK: 540] [MATK: 415] [HEAL: 229] (90 OB10)
[PATK: 562] [MATK: 432] [HEAL: 246] (90 OB+20)

"Black Whiskers is Zack's second-highest physical damage weapon. The first is Zwiehander, which isn't as good as this one. It ranks eighth in magical attack and sixth in heal potency. It is clearly a physical damage-dealing weapon designed for DPS/debuffer builds.

C-Ability

It command abilities are as follows:

Ruinra Smash [Phys. Non-elem.]

400% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]

Swirl Drop [Phys. Non-elem.]

340% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]

20s PDEF Down (+6s) (Mid) [Range: Single Enemy]

10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]

20s Water Resistance Down (+6s) (Low) [Range: Single Enemy]

Swirl Drop [Phys. Non-elem.]

390% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]

22s PDEF Down (+7s) (Mid) [Range: Single Enemy]

10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]

22s Water Resistance Down (+7s) (Low) [Range: Single Enemy]

Swirl Drop+ [Phys. Non-elem.]

480% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]

26s PDEF Down (+8s) (Mid) [Range: Single Enemy]

10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]

26s Water Resistance Down (+8s) (Mid) [Range: Single Enemy]

Swirl Drop++ [Phys. Non-elem.]

540% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]

30s PDEF Down (+10s) (Mid) [Range: Single Enemy]

10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]

30s Water Resistance Down (+10s) (Mid -> High) [Range: Single Enemy]

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. I expect more weapons to come with flavors like this one, but this weapon is a must-get, especially for water-weak bosses such as Ramuh.

R-Abilities

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. I'm quite happy with it.

Sub-weapon use

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.

Support Materia Slots

As for support materia slots, all of them are awesome! It has one physical attack +20%, one 30% water boost, and a triangle sigil boost slot. It's a similar structure to Lucia's Bald Eagle, which also has an elemental boost support and a sigil boost slot.

Build

For a theoretical build, you could equip Black Whiskers as his primary weapon and another physical attack-boosting weapon, like his Falchion, as his off-hand weapon. You would only need 11 more points of physical attack boost to cap it, which his new gear, the Black Hound, can almost provide. You can just equip a 24-point physical attack-boosting weapon like the Murasame to cap it.

It'll look like this:

Future-proofing

Is this weapon a good investment of resources? Will it be powercrept in a short amount of time? I speculate that it'll remain relevant in physical damage builds for a long time. Not only is it a great weapon for Zack, but it's also an excellent sub-weapon for physical damage dealers. Investing resources to get it to level 90 and beyond won't be a waste.

Gear

Black Whiskers pairs well with Zack's new gear, the Black Hound. It provides 10 points of HP boost and 10 points of physical attack. I would target this gear instead of Glenn's for the 6-stamp reward. It is Zack's best gear so far.

Conclusion

In summary, Black Whiskers is more than just a weapon in the world of Ever Crisis; it's a game-changer. Its prowess in enhancing Zack's physical damage output and unique debuffing abilities make it a formidable choice for players. Moreover, its compatibility with Zack's other equipment, such as the Black Hound, elevates its value even further. Black Whiskers is indeed a remarkable addition, destined to remain a powerful asset for a long time to come.

Dirk
Dirk

Dirk is a devoted stay-at-home dad. His days are filled with the joyful chaos of raising two amazing sons. When he's not in full dad mode, you often find him diving into the world of video games, where he can escape into fantastic adventures and challenges.

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