The Yagyu Darkblade is a ninja sword in Final Fantasy XII. In the original version, it is the strongest ninja sword, while in the Zodiac versions, it is outdone by the Mesa.
In the original version all ninja swords were Dark elemental. In the Zodiac versions this general trait was removed, and Yagyu Darkblade is the only ninja sword to remain Dark elemental. In the Zodiac versions the weapon has a chance of inflicting Doom on-hit.
In the Zodiac versions, as the ninja sword licenses are locked behind Quickening licenses on the Shikari board, and the player can only unlock three Quickenings, it is not possible to use all ninja swords in one playthrough for the same character. If the player wants to use the Shikari to its best potential, it is advised to pick the license for Mesa and Yagyu Darkblade for 180 LP.
In The Zodiac Age, if the Shikari has another job that unlocks mystic armor, Yagyu Darkblade will greatly surpass Mesa in damage if the character wears Black Robes, becoming one of the best damage dealers in the game. Black Robes boost all Dark-elemental damage dealt by the user by 50%. This is an ideal combination to use against Yiazmat, who is weak to Dark, but works well against any opponent that does not absorb Dark damage. This combination is also viable in the original PlayStation 2 version where all characters can unlock all licenses.
Contents
- 1 Obtained
- 2 Stats
- 2.1 Original
- 2.2 Zodiac
- 3 Other appearances
- 3.1 Final Fantasy Record Keeper
- 4 Etymology
Obtained[]
In the original version Yagyu Darkblade is notoriously cumbersome to obtain, as it is a rare (3%) drop from the Bombshell, a Rare Game enemy in the Lhusu Mines.
In the Zodiac versions, it can also be obtained from treasures in Cerobi Steppe (Crossfield) and Great Crystal (Sirhru Jilaam Pratii'vaa), and is stolen from Yiazmat in Trial Mode Stage 98.
Bombshell is found in Lhusu Mines-Lasche Span. The Bombshell has a spawning rate of 20%. Players may need to zone between Lasche Span's entry and exit or either Site 5 and Site 11 to make it appear. There are also two Aeronites, both yielding up to level 60 in the area, and can be tough to defeat.
A popular tactic of chaining Bombshell is to lure it to one of the end of Lasche Span to the other, since the Aeronites will stop pursuing the party after a fixed point of the bridge. The player should set their gambits to "Foe: Water-weak→Attack", as this will encourage the party to attack only the Bombshell. The player should head towards either Site 5 or Site 11, whichever is closer. Alternately, Aeronites can be killed by Poison (which does not break the chain). If using this method, one can speed it up with additional gambits, such as "Foe: HP≧2000: 1000 Needles" or "Foe:HP≧5000:Attack".
Players need to zone twice to reset the area and re-spawn Bombshell, therefore, the most efficient way is to ride the mine cart in either area, which will count as two zones. Players are encouraged to turn off gambits so the party will not attack the stray Vampyrs.
Once reaching the other side, the player can return to Lasche Span, and zone a few times. An alternate way to using the mine cart is to zone back from Site 11 to Site 9, however, there is not a viable way to do this from Site 5. The Yagyu Darkblade is a rare drop, so it may take a while, but the chances of multiple drops increases with each jump in chain level.
Stats[]
Original[]
See also: Final Fantasy XII weapons/Original
Zodiac[]
See also: Final Fantasy XII weapons
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
Yagyu Darkblade is a weapon.
Yagyu Darkblade.
Yagyu Darkblade has a sprite.
Yagyu Darkblade.
Etymology[]
[view· edit· purge]Yagyū Munetoshi was a famous Japanese swordsman. He was a student of Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna and later became known as a master of the Shinkage Ryu school of swordsmanship. He developed and expanded upon the school's teachings, where it would be known as Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. Maxims and school focus turned to a greater emphasis on speed, reservation, free flowing movement, smaller scale duels, and the concepts of Satsujinken (lit. "Swords that Kill") and Katsujinken (lit. "Swords that Give Life"). Yagyu introduced the style to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and urban legends revolve around him teaching the style to the ninja of Iga and Koga.
Final Fantasy XII equipment
