Stock Break (Final Fantasy IX)

Stock Break is a Swd Art and a Seiken in Final Fantasy IX used by Steiner and Beatrix inflict damage that takes the element of the user's weapon (not strictly Non-elemental like the flavor text claims) onto all enemies for the cost of 26 MP. Beatrix also uses it when she is faced as a boss with a different effect.
==Obtained==
Steiner learns Stock Break for 35 AP from Ultima Sword and Excalibur II. Ultima Sword is sold in Daguerreo in the endgame, while Excalibur II is a trophy item for a successful speed run of the game, where the player reaches the weapon's residing place in the final dungeon in under 12 hours playtime.
Beatrix knows the ability natively and uses it when faced as a boss, and when she is briefly playable as a guest during the Battle of Alexandria.
==Mechanics==
When used via Swd Art or Seiken, Stock Break does 150% the user's normal Attack damage to all enemies, taking into account the element of the user's weapon. It cannot be empowered with Elem-Atk gear. Damage is halved by the enemy being under Protect, and the damage is minuscule when Steiner has Mini.
Steiner's elemental weapons:
*Ice Brand for Ice
*Coral Sword for Thunder
*Flame Saber for Fire
*Excalibur & Excalibur II for Holy
When Beatrix uses Stock Break as a boss, it works differently: she uses it as her final attack to reduce the player party's HP to 1 in Burmecia and Cleyra and end the battle.
==Use==
Stock Break is a powerful ability upon groups of enemies. Its major downside is that it is obtained so late that the player is likely no longer encountering groups of enemies, besides possibly Yans, against whom Steiner's Climhazzard is better if the player wanted to attack a group of Yans in one move, risking Steiner being snorted off. In fact, Climhazzard is usually always better than Stock Break, and is available at the same time. Against single targets, which all encounters in the endgame dungeons and bosses are, Shock is the best ability to use.
Stock Break's boon over Climhazzard is that Stock Break uses Steiner's weapon element, allowing the player to exploit a group of enemies' elemental weakness. However, there are no Shadow-elemental weapons (Steiner could use Darkside) to use Stock Break against the Shadow-weak Yans. To target groups' elemental weaknesses, the player is better off using eidolons and black magic. However, Stock Break with an elemental weapon remains Steiner's only means of dealing elemental damage to a group of enemies, as his Swd Mag is single-target and Climhazzard cannot be made elemental.
It is not worth using Stock Break on single enemies, as Steiner could reach 150% damage with his normal Attack with Killer abilities or MP Attack; equipping both also stacks. 
Category:Sword Arts in Final Fantasy IX
Category:Seiken in Final Fantasy IX