Dragon's Claws (Final Fantasy IX)

The Dragon's Claws is Amarant's fifth claw in Final Fantasy IX. It teaches him the Flair ability No Mercy, which damages an enemy with the element of Amarant's equipped weapon. 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 end of the game and it is impossible to de-equip him of a weapon altogether.
The Dragon's Claws deals Water damage with Attack and can be strengthened with Elem-Atk gear. Unusually for a one-of-a-kind weapon, the Dragon's Claws is used for synthesis.
==Obtain==
The claw is found in Forgotten Lagoon when Choco becomes light blue and can cross shallows. It is obtained the earliest after the party has access to the Blue Narciss boat. After finding the chocograph in Chocobo's Lagoon, the player should head to the Lost Continent and summon Choco, then head south working through the reef.
==Mechanics==
The Dragon's Claws' damage dealt with a normal Attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 53 - 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:
:Base = 7 - Enemy's Defense
The Dragon's Claws deals Water damage with Attack, Charge!, and Counter, meaning it will do 150% damage to those weak to Water, half damage to those who resist Water, no damage to those who nullify Water, and heals those who absorb Water. When Amarant equips the Golden Hairpin or Golden Skullcap alongside the Dragon's Claw, he will do 150% damage with Attack.
==Use==
If obtained at the earliest opportunity by prioritizing Chocobo Hot and Cold progression, the Dragon's Claws is Amarant's strongest weapon for world map exploration on the Blue Narciss, Oeilvert or Desert Palace, and Mount Gulug. Afterward, the player gains a flying transport and can reach Daguerreo to buy the stronger Tiger Fangs and the chocograph for Kaiser Knuckles.
The ability from the Dragon's Claws, No Mercy, can do more damage than his normal attack with no row penalty. No Mercy can be seen as his ultimate Flair, as Amarant does not learn any "guaranteed 9999 damage" abilities. The Dragon's Claws is a Water-elemental weapon, a rare element for an enemy to be weak against, but also strengthened via Elem-Atk gear; the Golden Hairpin is found in Mount Gulug, and wearing it concurrently with the Dragon's Claws can make the claw stronger than the next weapon, Tiger Fangs, against enemies that do not resist Water. With the Dragon's Claws, No Mercy is also Water-elemental, but is not boosted via Elem-Atk.
The Dragon's Claws is used for synthesis in the endgame to make the Duel Claws. Duel Claws also teaches No Mercy, and so the player can use the weapon up even if they did not master No Mercy yet. As there is no way to get another Dragon's Claws, a player who wants to hold every piece of equipment for completion's sake could forgo synthesizing it and steal the Duel Claws from one the end bosses.
Amarant should not equip the Dragon's Claws for the battle that ensues after Quina catches 99 frogs.
==Gallery==
DragonsClaws.png|Artwork.
Dragon Claws FFIX.png|Strategy guide scan.
==Etymology and origin==
Amarant's Dragon's Claw being Water-elemental likens its namesake to Japanese dragons rather than the European equalavent, which is typically depicted as Fire-elemental. It being discovered from an underwater chocograph could also allude to this. Amarant's Dragon's Claw juxtaposes with his "Tiger Fangs" weapon, and the two of them can be combined in synthesis to create Amarant's penultimate weapon.
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX