Avenger (Final Fantasy IX)

The Avenger is Amarant's seventh claw in Final Fantasy IX. It teaches him the Flair ability Demi Shock, which deals 20% of the target's max HP as damage to them. All of Amarant's weapons besides his ultimate weapon teach Counter, a passive ability that lets him respond to being physically attacked with an Attack of his own. Though it takes a lot of AP to master, this is inconsequential as all of Amarant's weapons have Counter until the final dungeon, and it is impossible to de-equip him of a weapon altogether. When Amarant equips it with Add Status, he instantly dispatches a susceptible target 1 in 20 uses of Attack.
==Obtain==
The Avenger is stolen from the Earth Guardian when Zidane and Quina venture out to the Earth Shrine as part of the story. An easy boss, Zidane should accomplish this fairly easily especially if he equips Master Thief.
The Avenger is also sold for 16,000 gil in Bran Bal and also in Daguerreo after the party has visited Bran Bal.
==Mechanics==
The Avenger's damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 70 - Enemy's Defense
:Bonus = Strength + A random value 0 ... [(Level + Strength) / 8]
:Damage = Base * Bonus 
The damage is then modified by variables like Amarant's row position and equipped Killer abilities and MP Attack, as well as the enemy's Protect. Under Mini, his Bonus would be 1. If Amarant 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 the minimum possible value.
With Add Status active, the Avenger very rarely instantly defeats a susceptible enemy by inflicting Death onto them 5% of the time when using Attack, Charge!, or Counter.
==Use==
By the time the player can get the Avenger, Amarant may already have access to the stronger Kaiser Knuckles from the Chocobo Hot and Cold minigame. If the player is not doing the chocobo quest, the Avenger is Amarant's strongest weapon for Terra and Pandemonium.
Demi Shock is not a particularly useful ability, as Amarant will do more damage with his normal Attack or Throw most of the time, which also will not miss as often. The Avenger's stand-out feature is that it is the only weapon with Death as Add Status effect. However, it triggers very rarely, and is effectively the same as Petrify or Stop, which other characters have with Add Status with higher success rates. Death, Petrify, or Stop never work on bosses.
==Gallery==
Avenger.png|Artwork.
Avenger FFIX.png|Strategy guide scan.
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX