Linen Cuirass (Final Fantasy IX)

The Linen Cuirass is the second weakest heavy body armor in Final Fantasy IX for Steiner and Freya. It teaches Cover, which has the character protect allies when they are present and sober. The cuirass gives a bonus to the wearer's Magic stat when they level up with it equipped and it is used for synthesis.
Like many equipment pieces in Final Fantasy IX, the Linen Cuirass is based on the equipment piece of the same name from Final Fantasy Tactics.
==Obtain==
The Linen Cuirass is stolen from Black Waltz 3 on board the Cargo Ship. It is also bought for 800 gil from Lindblum (disc 1), Burmecia, Summit Station, and Treno.
==Mechanics==
The Linen Cuirass provides 10 Defense, minorly mitigating damage from physical attacks. It gives a +1 bonus to the wearer's Magic stat when they level up with the cuirass equipped. When enough "bonuses" upon level up from gear have been accrued, the character gains a permanent stat increase. However, Steiner and Freya only use Magic for MP growth; even Swd Mag and Dragon skills use their Strength stats for damage calculations.
==Use==
Steiner leaves the party right as Linen Cuirass becomes available, but he can then equip it until his and Dagger's party reaches Treno where they can buy the superior Chain Mail. Freya can begin with the Linen Cuirass, though the preceding Bronze Armor is not much worse but comes with a valuable Bird Killer.
The Linen Cuirass is the best heavy body armor for the world map exploration after Lindblum, Qu's Marsh, Gizamaluke's Grotto, and Burmecia; when the player regains control fo Zidane's party where Freya is, she could have the Chain Mail from the time Dagger's party went shopping in Treno, or it will soon become available in Cleyra, anyway.
Cover from the Linen Cuirass is a good ability to use though more beneficial for Steiner who has more HP than Freya and the latter cannot use Cover when jumping.
The Magic boost from the cuirass is unimportant and it is not advised to level-grind early on unless the player is stuck in a boss or a dungeon; level grinding and min-maxing are unnecessary in a normal playthrough even when preparing for superbosses. The best stat boost gear will be available in the end of the game, so for best results one would need to limit their EXP intake.
The Linen Cuirass is used in synthesis to make a Gold Choker. The earliest the player can do this is when Dagger and Steiner visit Treno with Marcus. The Gold Choker is a better item to have than the Linen Cuirass with a better Magic level up bonus even, and so it is worth synthesizing it.
Beatrix can also wear the Linen Cuirass for the brief moment she is playable during the Battle of Alexandria; the player can remove her superior body armor and give her something weak in return as her equipment does not matter for the sequence.
Category:Armor in Final Fantasy IX