Chain Plate (Final Fantasy IX)

The Chain Plate is an early game light armor piece in Final Fantasy IX for Zidane and Amarant. It teaches Devil Killer, which improves damage against demon type enemies. The Chain Plate provides a bonus to the wearer's Strength stat when they level up with it equipped and weakens them to Thunder-elemental damage.
==Obtain==
The Chain Plate is first stolen from Beatrix in Burmecia. It is bought for 810 gil in Treno (when Princess Garnet and Steiner visit with Marcus), Cleyra, Lindblum (second storyline visit), Dragon's Gate, Fossil Roo, and Black Mage Village (before going through the Shimmering Island portal). It is also found in Gargan Roo when Dagger is party leader.
==Mechanics==
The Chain Plate provides 10 Defense, mitigating damage from physical attacks. The vest gives a +1 bonus to the wearer's Strength when they level up with it equipped. When enough "bonuses" upon level up from gear have been accrued, the character gains a permanent stat increase. Strength is used in damage calculations and for determining a character's HP growth.
The Chain Plate makes the wearer take 150% damage from Thunder attacks; the way to see this downside is by scanning the party member mid-battle. If the character also wears an equipment piece that halves Thunder damage (Black Hood, Protect Ring, Ribbon), they will take ~75% damage from Thunder.
==Use==
The player can equip the Chain Plate onto Zidane after the view point shifts back to his party after Princess Garnet's travels with Steiner and Marcus. It will be his best body armor for any world map exploration and for Cleyra's Trunk until the party comes across the superior Mythril Vest while there. However, as only Zidane can equip the Chain Plate out of the party of himself, Vivi, Freya, and possibly Quina, the player could equip the first Mythril Vest they find to someone else; more Mythril Vests will be available from Cleyra. Amarant will have other equipment pieces available, but he could briefly also use the Chain Plate to master Devil Killer from it, as for him it will only take 10 AP.
Devil Killer will be useful to master for later, as past the point of no return many enemies will belong to this class (Bird Killer will suffice for all the toughest endgame bosses, however). The plate's level up bonus is good but 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 guest characters from Tantalus can also wear the Chain Plate. Cinna and Blank are in the party too early for the player to be able to equip them with the plate in a normal playthrough, but Marcus can wear it during the time he is traveling with Dagger and Steiner, though there is no obligation to outfit him and he will leave the party with anything he has equipped.
Category:Armor in Final Fantasy IX