Table of Contents
It's time to revisit Barret'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.
Update Log:
New Additions:
- Lefko Kypseli
- Microlaser
- Hell House Cannon
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S Tier | • Assault Gun • Flame Projector • Heavy Hauser • W Machine |
| A Tier | • Enemy Launcher • Heavy Vulcan • Max Ray • Shiva Cannon • Solid Bazooka • Microlaser |
| B Tier | • Gatling Gun • Lefko Kypseli • Hell House Cannon |
S Tier
Assault Gun
This weapon allows Barret to buff the party's physical defense with high potency. It also heals a bit of HP for the whole party. With a high physical attack base stat and 16 points of healing boost, along with 9 points of ice resistance, it serves as an excellent support weapon for a physical attack build for Barret. Additionally, its third support materia slot provides a 30% lightning damage boost. Just attach a Thunderblow materia there, and he's ready to take out bosses weak to lightning. Overall, a great choice for increasing your party's survivability, especially against bosses with powerful physical area-of-effect attacks. A must-have for your wishlist.
Flame Projector
This AOE fire skill for Barret boosts his magical attack by 24 points and fire potency by 9 points. It's particularly effective against fire-weak bosses like Shiva. It can also serve as a valuable sub-weapon for a magic damage dealer, especially for fire attack builds. With three magical attack + 20% support materia slots, it's excellent for slotting other elemental materials in.
Heavy Hauser
This non-elemental single-target nuke comes with a 10% critical hit rate. It features good abilities for offense, including 24 points of attack boost and 9 points of ability potency at level 90. Additionally, it has two 20% physical attack boost materia slots and an o-sigil boost. Overall, it's a great weapon for physical damage builds and pairs nicely with the costume in the set.
W Machine
The W Machine debuffs the enemy's physical defense while dealing physical non-elemental damage. It boosts physical attack by 16 points and lightning resistance by 9 points. With three 20% physical attack support materia slots, this is a fantastic investment, especially if you have another physical damage dealer like Cloud. It can also serve as a reliable sub-weapon for any physical damage dealer, retaining its value even if you don't bring Barret to the fight.
A Tier
Microlaser
It provides Barret with a potent support weapon for himself and the rest of the party, allowing them to enhance their magical damage. The regen feature might also prove beneficial, considering the weapon has "Heal Boost" as one of its R-Abilities.
Its support materia slots are where this weapon stands out. Its third slot allows Cure materia to target the entire party instead of a single ally, albeit with reduced effectiveness. Until Microlaser and Snowflake, no other weapon had this effect.
Enemy Launcher
This non-elemental AOE weapon for Barret boasts a high physical attack base stat, providing 16 points of attack boost and 12 points of physical ability potency at level 90. It's perfect for physical damage builds, especially if you can stack more physical ability potency on him. It can also be used as a sub-weapon for physical attackers at higher overboost levels. However, it's not worth investing in otherwise, as the bonuses are minimal. I'd recommend opting for a physical attack bonus sub-weapon instead.
Heavy Vulcan
The Heavy Vulcan transforms Barret into a magic defense buffer with high potency, but it's limited to single-target use. The ability also provides a minor HP heal. It offers 32 points of magical defense and 9 points of earth potency. Its third support materia slot increases the duration of buffs and debuffs by 20%. Consider placing a Barrier materia there so he can buff both defenses. However, it's highly situational, so I recommend investing in his other weapons for more versatility.
Max Ray
Max Ray deals a substantial amount of non-elemental magic damage, boosts physical defense by 24 points, and crit potency by 6 points. It's not the best choice for offense due to its mostly defensive abilities. However, note that its third support materia slot increases earth damage by 30%, which might make it worth investing in, depending on your strategy.
Shiva Cannon
A farmable weapon for Barret from Shiva, the Shiva Cannon deals single-target magic ice damage. It can be overboosted to 10 without drawing, making it highly useful. It boosts fire resistance by 24 points and attack by 6 points, making it excellent against Ifrit and other ice-weak bosses.
Solid Bazooka
Solid Bazooka debuffs a single enemy's magical attack while dealing physical non-elemental damage. It boosts HP by 24 points and crit potency by 6 points. This weapon is highly effective against bosses who spam magic attacks and can serve as a valuable sub-weapon for boosting HP. It's worth investing in if you don't have any other debuffers.
B Tier
Hell House Cannon
The Hell House Cannon is a great defensive sub-weapon at maximum overboost, but that is the only thing it excels at.
Gatling Gun
The Gatling Gun allows Barret to deal single-target non-elemental damage with a 10% critical hit rate. However, it's not particularly impressive as it only provides HP and water resistance through its abilities. I wouldn't recommend investing in this weapon.
