This rings true in FFXII as well. So if you’re welcoming a black mage into your party, get ready for some amazing firepower. But if you’re expecting weapons other than staves, you may be disappointed in this list. Because the most effective weapon for a Black Mage by far is a staff, with one possible exception… Equipping your party appropriately will make a lot of fights a breeze. So let’s check out which weapons would best fit with a black mage. And if you work hard enough to get the ultimate weapon here, then your party can’t be stopped.
6. Golden Staff
We’ll start out with this mid-game weapon that already gives you +6 magick power. The Golden Staff also has a moderate attack power of 42. There aren’t many special abilities tied to this weapon, mostly because it’s acquired fairly early on. However, the evade stat of 8 makes this a great addition for your usually-squishy magic damage dealers. License needed: Staves 4 How to get: Found in the Walk of Reason area of Stilshrine of Miriam and in the Summit Path of Mosphoran Highwaste. Purchased in Mosphoran Highwaste and Phon Coast for 4,200 gil. Also drops with a 1% chance from Oilings in the Stilshrine of Miriam.
5. Glacial Staff
Onward to the next staff! The Glacial Staff is a notable upgrade over the Golden Staff. It has an attack power of 38 and magick power of +5. Now you must be thinking, “How is this an upgrade to the Golden Staff? It has lower stats…” The main benefit here is the increased potency for Ice abilities that you get with this staff. The Ice potency can be incredibly useful by the time you can find this. Not to mention that same potency can also carry you through the rest of the game, if it’s combined with other magical gear offering a potency increase. License needed: Staves 4 How to get: Found in the Special Op Sector 5 of Barheim Passage and the Pithead Junction B of Paramina Rift. Purchased in Mt. Bur-Omisace for 3,000 gil.
4. Makara
The Makara may be the most surprising weapon on this list, as it’s the only hand-bomb. To reach it on the Black Mage license board, you’ll need to unlock Hashmal. This weapon is the upgraded version of the Volcano hand-bomb and is quite a bit more powerful. It has a huge 96 attack power. But the Makara isn’t easily accessible in the game, so it’ll take a lot of work to track it down. But it’s certainly a viable option for a damage dealer Black Mage to use. License needed: Makara How to get: Found in the Phase 2 Dig and Phase 2 Shaft areas of the Henne Mines.
3. Judicer’s Staff
As expected, the top 3 weapons for Black Mages are staves. And the Judicer’s Staff is an obvious top-tier weapon that shouldn’t surprise anyone. This weapon’s attack power is 48, with a great magick power of +7. What makes this staff stand out from others is the 15% chance to inflict Stop on hit. It can really save you if it triggers in a tight spot. This ability makes the Judicer’s Staff incredibly powerful. And it helps even more that it’s an easily accessible staff as well. License needed: Staves 5 How to get: Found in the Limatra Hills area of Phon Coast or the Garden of Life’s Circle in Tchita Uplands. Purchased in Phon Coast and Archades for 5,300 gil.
2. Cloud Staff
This weapon is similar to the previous Glacial Staff in that its main benefit comes from the element potency increases. It’s still very powerful on its own, with 49 attack power and +7 magick power. But the main reason for this staff’s placement in our ranking here is the combination of Thunder, Wind, and Water element potency. This can be an incredible long-term benefit that can carry your Black Mage through the whole game. And this is one of two staves that have three elements for elemental potency. The flexibility you get with the Cloud Staff because of that potency makes it a great choice for any Black Mage build. There are a few ways to acquire this staff, but none of them are easy. Your best bet is to go the Bazaar system route and gain it there. And keep in mind that you can swap out weapons if a fight warrants it, so this staff is good to keep around once you receive it. License needed: Staves 5 How to get: Found in the North Liavell Hills area of Cerobi Steppe or in Kabonii Jilaam Pratii’vaa in the Great Crystal. Also obtained through the Bazaar as the Mystic Staff.
1. Staff of the Magi
And finally we reach the top. This staff is the ultimate Black Mage weapon in The Zodiac Age. It easily outpaces any other staff, offering stats like a 53 attack power and +8 magick power. It also provides +5 vitality. As with the Cloud Staff mentioned earlier, this Staff of the Magi is the only other staff that has three elements for elemental potency. More specifically, those elements are Ice, Wind, and Holy. The trick to utilizing this staff on your Black Mage has to do with Holy damage. Combining jobs in a meaningful way to give your Black Mage access to Holy is the best way to maximize the damage output of this weapon. As expected for an ultimate weapon, it’s also not easy to get. The ideal way to acquire this is to go through the Hunt Club. And for a weapon this strong, it’s worth the grind. License needed: Staff of the Magi How to get: Found in the Old Elanise Road area of Cerobi Steppe or in Sirhru Phullam Praa’vaa in the Great Crystal. Also has a 1% drop chance from Oversouls. It’s a reward from the Hunt Club as well.
