The Royal Arms in Final Fantasy XV are weapons used by the previous thirteen generations of Lucian Kings.
Noctis obtains these weapons through his travels as he slowly becomes the next great ruler. In gameplay, you can equip and use these weapons – and they’re all powerful weapons that come at the cost of a constant MP and HP drain. So use them wisely.
But which are the best to use despite this hindrance?
Let’s take a look at all of them and decide which are worth battling with, and which are best to stay away from.
13. Sword of the Tall
A chainsaw sword sounds awesome.
And in most circumstances, it would be.
But in Final Fantasy XV it’s just… fine.
It does damage, and hits lots of times with each swing and has a great multi-hit AOE attack. But it also has lots of reductions in elemental resistances.
It’s a weapon that requires a lot of foresight and is very situational.
When used against large enemies the Sword of the Tall really shines.
Get in close to a mechanical enemy or an Iron Giant and you can see the Sword of the Tall at its best – though those situations feel far and few between.
12. Mace of the Fierce
As the slowest of all the Royal Arms, the Mace of the Fierce is a bludgeoning weapon that can deal large amounts of damage (should the attack connect).
It has a three-swing combo on the ground, and only a single heavy attack in the air. It’s best used as a tool for warp striking, not only because of its large attack power, but also because the Mace has a much higher chance to break enemy parts than other weapons.
The Mace has two other defining features:
It’s fantastic for hitting the blindside of large enemies like Iron Giants, and it provides an innate 50% increase to ballistic defense, meaning this is the perfect weapon to equip during skirmishes with Imperial forces or their robot friends.
The Mace of the Fierce may not be the most effective melee weapon.
But as a tool for both defense and monster part farming, you can’t do much better.
11. Bow of the Clever
Here’s a very interesting weapon worth checking out:
The Bow of the Clever uses the magic stat instead of strength to calculate damage.
Accessories tend to give bigger boosts to magic than strength. And it’s easy to spec Noctis into a large magic build.
Gaining the power, the Bow requires is fairly easy. But using the weapon is another story entirely.
The Bow of the Clever, as you’d expect, is a ranged weapon only.
Warp-striking with the Bow doesn’t have an impact, but instead shoots an upward volley of arrows – which is great for damaging groups of flying baddies.
The Bow of the Clever is best used from the ground, firing at grounded enemies.
Its arrows pierce through foes too, meaning you can hit rows of them with a single shot.
This is best combined with magic-boost items or Ignis’ Overwhelm ability.
The Bow is certainly a great weapon for groups of enemies, even if it is highly situational.
10. Sword of the Wise
The Sword of the Wise is the first Royal Arm you get, giving you a taste for them and the power they can contain.
It has a really cool warp-strike too that adds an additional swing, which provides a few bonus frames of invincibility animation for Noctis as well.
If you enjoy mobility, the Sword of the Wise is the blade for you.
Warp-striking and warping cost no MP when employed with this Sword. And many parts of its attacking combo implements stuff like backflips and rolls to get out of the way.
Also helpful is that the sword itself is fairly powerful and has fast attacks, so you can deal damage while feeling the relative safety of being able to dodge stuff.
9. Sword of the Father
Much like the Sword of the Wise, the Sword of the Father is a fast-swinging weapon that not only has high damage, but also has lots of cool tricks up its sheath.
As one of the most iconic Royal Arms, and one of only two used during cutscenes, the Father-sword is a weapon that’s pretty legendary.
The last attack of the Father’s combo leaves behind an afterimage that deals damage to all enemies stupid enough to touch it, which is pretty terrific when dealing with groups of enemies.
Wielding the sword also costs much less MP than other Royal Arms.
And the best thing of all is that successfully executing a full combo on an enemy gives Noctis a +200 strength bonus for a few seconds, incentivizing you to go wild and plow through as many enemies as you can.
8. Star of the Rogue
This giant shuriken is a ranged weapon that, unlike the previously discussed Bow of the Clever, uses strength to calculate damage.
The Star is thrown wildly and sweeps around the battlefield in an erratic pattern, but thankfully goes through enemies.
This means it’s perfect for controlling crowds or getting rid of annoying fluff enemies.
If you warp-strike a larger foe with the Star, Noctis will spin the weapon and deal multiple hits in a powerful grind.
Things like Behemoths, Iron Giants, and Malboros all work best with the Star.
These multiple hits are also great if you’re looking to break off a wing or horn.
The Star of the Rogue is a great weapon for crowds, or even as an opening attack against a big boy boss.
7. Swords of the Wanderer
They may not have a lot of attack power, but the Swords of the Wanderer excel in dealing lots and lots of attacks in a short amount of time.
These two short swords swing lots of times before combining into one sword to deal one last big hit.
If you’re looking for a river of continued damage, then these swords are for you.
They’re even better than most daggers!
If you pump up your strength and throw out Ignis’ Overwhelm, you can really see a ton of damage.
This weapon is especially awesome against things with lots of hit points, such as the Adamantoise or Menace Dungeon Iron Giants.
6. Shield of the Just
Shields are a niche weapon in Final Fantasy XV.
Noctis can’t really use them as efficiently as Gladio, using them more as bludgeoning weapons rather than a protective device.
Most shields are best used when warp-striking – and the Shield of the Just isn’t that much different. But the ‘shockwave’ of connecting is much larger.
This is amazing when you’re looking to defeat a large group of riff-raff, and great when farming for AP.
The Shield of the Just is unique too, in that when you hold down the phase button Noctis actually holds up the weapon and hides behind it.
While hiding, Noctis’ MP drains, but his HP recovers quickly.
So you can create your own hiding spot in an emergency.
If you’re looking for a good combo of defense and offense, then this is just the shield! Thank you.
5. Axe of the Conqueror
This royal Axe is slow to swing and deals good damage, not unlike the Mace of the Fierce.
But where the Axe differs is that it’s much easier to use.
Dodging and distancing are a lot easier to control with the Axe.
Plus it has a cool warp-strike animation that has the axe strike from above, sneaking past most defenses.
What the Axe specializes in is making the enemy vulnerable.
Breaking through defenses and creating an opening for the powerful Cross Chain attack is a lot easier with the Axe of the Conqueror, especially if you succeed in multiple Blindside or Link Strike attacks.
The weapon may drain more HP than other Royal Arms, but the effects can be well worth it.
4. Blade of the Mystic
You don’t realize how many of the Royal Arms are swords until you start examining the list one-by-one.
This Blade of the Mystic is another sword, but stands out among the crowd by being a lot faster. And it’s a buff that you can apply at any time, not just in combat.
The Mystic blade has a multi-hit combo, not unlike daggers, that ends with a small AOE attack.
After finishing your combo, Noctis will strike a small pose and the weapon will bestow a +100 strength bonus for the next ten seconds or so.
And since they can be done out of battle, it’s best to swing the sword in the air before a fight and switch to a stronger weapon to really benefit.
Warp-striking deals multiple hits too.
There may be a lot of swords on the list, but this one really stands out.
3. Trident of the Oracle
There’s not a lot special about the Trident of the Oracle.
But that doesn’t discount it.
Sometimes being just a good weapon is what makes it special. And yes, the Trident may not have any buffs or crazy animations, but it does a lot of damage and is efficient to use.
Great in the air and even better on the ground, this Trident just loves dealing damage.
Holding forward while attacking skips the majority of the attack animation and deals the final, powerful blow.
This means you can get enemies locked into a pattern of heavy blows.
Cheap? Maybe, but the damage is pretty spectacular.
Warp-striking also just feels so natural.
2. Scepter of the Pious
As the true wildcard of the Royal Arms deck, the Scepter of the Pious uses a lot of other Arms as influence in its attacks.
Swinging the Scepter around will see you using the Axe, Swords, or Bow as part of it (maybe even more).
The Scepter relies on the magic stat for damage, making it perfect for folks who like the mystic side – but don’t want to miss out on the cool melee side of combat.
The Scepter itself boosts magic considerably and even has great dark resistance.
If you can’t decide on what Royal Arm to use, or if you don’t really use them but need something to fill in that last weapon quickslot, the Scepter of the Pious is a perfect choice.
1. Katana of the Warrior
This weapon is fast.
Attacking with the Katana will be a flurry of strikes, and at the end of every combo there’s a quick-draw strike that hits groups of enemies and renders Noctis invincible during it.
The Katana specializes in dealing lots of damage in a short amount of time.
It can also allow Noctis to warp-strike very quickly and powerfully at the cost of his HP – though more often than not the price is worth the purchase.
The Katana is amazing against Imperial enemies and beasts that aren’t daemons, since the weapon has a big weakness to darkness.
Still, if you’re looking to do lots of damage in a short amount of time (and even get a boost to elemental resistance) the Katana of the Warrior is the blade to bring into battle.
Brian knows more about RPGs than he does world history. Combine with his love of writing and you get somebody who can, and will, go on forever about every nuance of every game he's played.
