Hamelin (Final Fantasy IX)

The Hamelin is a weapon for Eiko in Final Fantasy IX, being the fourth flute. It is available from shops for a limited time, and if the player progresses in the story too far without having bought it, it will be missed. The Hamelin teaches the white magic spells Curaga, the best curative spell; Might, which strengthens a target's physical prowess for the remainder of the battle; and Jewel, which attempts to extract an Ore from a target and can be used repeatedly.
==Obtain==
The Hamelin is available to buy for 5700 gil in Esto Gaza after the events in Desert Palace, and in Daguerreo before the party enters the Shimmering Island portal. As Esto Gaza also becomes inaccessible after entering the Shimmering Island portal, the Hamelin is missed if the player did not buy it before this point.
==Mechanics==
The Hamelin's damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 27 - Enemy's Defense
:Bonus = Strength + Rnd MOD ([(Level + Strength) / 8] + 1)
:Damage = Base * Bonus
Where Rnd means a random number, while MOD means modulus operation. "Rnd MOD x" can be read as a random number between 0 and x-1. 
The damage is then modified by variables like Eiko's row position and the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, her Bonus would be 1. If Eiko equips Healer, damage is converted to healing.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons, and the Base part of the damage formula is altered to:
:Base = 33 - Enemy's Defense
==Use==
The Hamelin is not Eiko's strongest weapon when it first becomes available, if the player got the Mythril Racket. Rackets are also generally better offensive weapons for her for dealing the same damage from the back row and their Wind-elemental property being a benefit more often than it is a detriment. However, as Eiko is not a physical attacker, the Attack stats of her weapons are not as relevant as the spells they can teach her, as well as any element-enhancing and stat-boosting properties they may possess.
The Hamelin is a valuable weapon to get for Eiko as it teaches the excellent Curaga and Might spells, which allow Eiko to top up all of the party from even a dire situation in one move, and allows Eiko to use her turn to strengthen others' physical damage rather than use it to dealing damage herself. The Hamelin is also the only source of Jewel; if the player misses the weapon, Eiko can never learn it. Ore becomes a good healing item in the latter half of the game, and also matters for Dagger's Odin's Death success rate, and the player can use them in Daguerreo to make Aquamarines.
==Gallery==
Hamelin.png|Artwork.
Hamelin FFIX.png|Strategy guide scan.
==Etymology==
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is famous for the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a medieval story that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in the thirteenth century. Hamelin is the only one of Eiko's flutes not named after a supernatural being of some sort.
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX