List of Final Fantasy XII armor List of the armor in " Final Fantasy XII " . The cost given is the buy price , though not all equipment can be bought . The sell price is half the buy price . Shields . Characters equipped with one - handed weapons can equip a shield in their available hand . Shields add to evasion and magick evasion , and sometimes provide beneficial status effects or additional elemental resistance . Even with magick evasion , shields never block status effect spells . Shield Block augments add + 5 % to both physical and magickal evasion per augment purchased ( as long as the shield provides both ; if a shield only offers physical evasion the augment boosts affect only that ) . Some enemies have Ignore Evasion as a passive ability , which makes using shields pointless . The player can gain the same ability by equipping the Cameo Belt . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , shields can be equipped by Foebreaker s , Knights , Red Battlemage s , Shikari ( up to Shield License 7 ) , and Bushi ( Genji Shield only ) . Also , the original Escutcheon no longer exists , and Ashe ' s initial shield has been replaced with a Buckler . Light armor . Light armor is the most basic of the armor types . It generally offers moderate defensive bonuses and HP boosts , the latter of which can be maximized by using the Bubble spell or equipping a Bubble Belt . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , light armor can be equipped by Archers , Machinists , Monks , and Shikari . Heavy armor . The strength bonuses offered by heavy armor make it ideal for the player ' s frontline fighters , as most of the heavy damage dealing weapons factor in strength when calculating how much damage will be dealt to the enemy . The player will most likely choose light armor in the beginning of the game , as it offers important HP boosts . After the player gains access to the Bubble spell and the Bubble Belt accessory , HP becomes less of a concern and reducing the amount of damage taken by the characters becomes more important , for which the player will most likely choose the defense and strength bonuses of heavy armor . There is a magnetic field during the battle with Vinuskar in the Stilshrine of Miriam , which will severely slow down characters wearing metal armor . Vinuskar also casts Slow , making charge times for those characters excruciatingly long . This also happens in the battle with Ultima , but Ultima does not cast Slow . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , heavy armor can be equipped by Archers ( high rank armor only ) , Black Mages ( medium rank armor only ) , Foebreaker s , Knights , Bushi ( high rank armor only ) , Red Battlemage s ( medium and high rank armor only ) , Time Battlemage s , and Uhlans . Mystic armor . Mystic armor offers magick - related bonuses , such as MP and magick power boosts . These have a significant effect on all types of magickal actions , from casting black magick to damage an enemy to casting white magick to heal the party . Magick power is also a factor when determining damage dealt by katana , staves , and maces . In the " International Zodiac Job System " version , mystic armor can be equipped by Black Mages , Bushi , Red Battlemage , and White Mages . Other shields . The following shield models have no names , but do appear in the game data . They were not used as shields in - game , but can be seen in shops and other buildings as background decoration . Other appearances . " Pictlogica Final Fantasy " . The Bulky Coat , Diamond Shield , Platinum Armor , Sallet , Leather Plate , Kilimweave Shirt , Round Shield , and Scale Armor appear as accessories .