Table of Contents
Introduction
In this article, I'll review Tifa's newest weapon, the Amarant's Claws. This weapon shares a banner with Cloud's Zidane's Sword. 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.
Amarant's Claws
Amarant's Claws: Tifa [Limited]
No Mercy (4 ATB)
40 Boost HP / 36 Boost Phys. Ability Pot.
PATK Boost I
PATK Boost I
PATK Boost I
Base Stats
[PATK: 230] [MATK: 189] [HEAL: 146] (90 OB0)
[PATK: 552] [MATK: 453] [HEAL: 204] (90 OB10)
[PATK: 575] [MATK: 472] [HEAL: 219] (90 OB+20)
Tifa's Amarant's Claws are second only to Tiger Fangs in terms of physical attack power, which is pretty impressive considering it also provides a physical attack buff. In terms of magical attack, it sits in the middle of the pack. As for healing potency, it is near the bottom, next to Powersoul.
C-Ability
Ruinra Smash [Phys. Non-elem.]
420% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]
No Mercy [Phys. Non-elem.]
360% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]
25s PATK Up (+5s) (Mid) [Range: Self]
10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]
No Mercy [Phys. Non-elem.]
430% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]
28s PATK Up (+5s) (Mid) [Range: Self]
10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]
No Mercy+ [Phys. Non-elem.]
630% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]
36s PATK Up (+7s) (High) [Range: Self]
10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]
No Mercy++ [Phys. Non-elem.]
720% Phys. Non-elem. Damage [Range: Single Enemy]
40s PATK Up (+8s) (High) [Range: Self]
10% Crit Rate [Range: Single Enemy]
Its C ability deals non-elemental physical damage to a single enemy. The damage modifier isn't very high, which is understandable since it is more of a buffing weapon. It increases Tifa's physical attack (mid potency) and at max overboost (high potency). It is similar to Sephiroth's Aonibi but instead buffs physical attack.
R-Abilities
Its R abilities are HP boost and physical ability potency boost. It gives 24 points and 9 points, respectively, at level 90. At max overboost, it gives 40 points and 36 points, respectively. I would have liked it more if it gave a physical attack boost instead of an HP boost, but since it's more of a support weapon, I can understand why they designed it this way.
Support Materia Slots
Its support materia slots are 3 physical attack boosts +20%. There isn't much utility here, which is kind of disappointing. This weapon will most likely be used offhand, so it doesn't matter much.
Sub-weapon use
For sub-weapon use, it's not very good since there are better HP-boosting weapons like the free event weapons: Thousand Waves and Beach Parasol. It's not good as a sub-weapon.
Build
For a theoretical build, you could go with Motor Drive as Tifa's main weapon, with Amarant's Claws as her offhand. Motor Drive provides the bulk of the physical attack power and a physical attack boost. You can replace it with any weapon, but you'd have to compensate for the missing physical attack boost that it provides. This restricts the build a little bit, but it won't be a problem if you have some overboost levels in physical attack-boosting sub-weapons.
For sub-weapons, you can use any two 24-point physical attack-boosting weapons like Murasame and Maritime Sword. For the last sub-weapon slot, you can place a free max overboosted weapon like the Torn Wing for some added physical defense, attack, and base stats.
Future-proofing
Amarant's Claws are definitely future-proof since they're not meant to deal a lot of damage. You can pair them with future physical attack weapons with high modifiers. It's a good investment and holds a lot of value. You can't go wrong with choosing this as the 6-stamp reward in the banner.
One thing to note is that this weapon is a limited weapon, meaning it cannot be wishlisted when the banner ends. The only way to get extra copies is to pull on the banner. Its weapon parts will not be farmable via the mission requests. The only way to overboost it after the banner is by using TIfa-specific weapon parts, and those are hard to come by (for now).
Gear
Amarant's Guise gives 10 points of HP and 10 points of physical ability potency boosts. It synergizes well with Amarant's Claws. However, you would need to overboost the claws to reach the next threshold of physical ability potency boost since the weapon will most likely be equipped in the off hand. Otherwise, it's a great gear option for a physical attacker like Tifa since she doesn't have any Arcanum gear yet. Plus, it looks good on her and changes her hairstyle, which is kind of nice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Amarant's Claws are a good pickup on the banner since they are more future-proof between the two weapons. It provides Tifa with a powerful option for a physical damage build, addressing a gap in support in that department.
