Sargatanas (Final Fantasy IX)

The Sargatanas is Zidane's sixth thief sword available for synthesis in Final Fantasy IX, available as soon as the party gains a flying transport. It has innate Petrify status, usable via Zidane's Soul Blade skill, and teaches Annoy, where Zidane can inflict Trouble onto enemies.
==Obtain==
The player can craft the Sargatanas in the synthesis shops in Daguerreo and Black Mage Village (endgame). The player needs 12,000 gil, a Gladius, and a Zorlin Shape. Zorlin Shapes are available for a limited time from certain shops, including Daguerreo where the Sargatanas can also be crafted, so the player should be sure to do it at the earliest. The Gladius is also sold in Daguerreo before the endgame if the player needs to buy one for making the Sargatanas.
==Mechanics==
The base damage dealt with normal attack is determined as follows everywhere but within Ipsen's Castle:
:Base = 53 - Enemy's Defense
:Bonus = [(Strength + Spirit) / 2] + Rnd MOD ([(Level + Strength) / 8] +1)
:Damage = Base * Bonus
Where Rnd means a random number, while MOD means modulus operation. "Rnd MOD x" can be read as a random number between 0 and x-1. 
The damage is then modified by variables like Zidane's equipped killer abilities or MP Attack, his row position, and the enemy's Protect. If Zidane is under Mini, his Bonus will be 1.
When in Ipsen's Castle, the stronger weapons do less damage than weaker weapons, and the Base part of the damage formula with the Sargatanas is altered to:
:Base = 7 - Enemy's Defense
Sargatanas has innate Petrify trait. When Zidane uses Soul Blade with the Sargatanas equipped, the enemy is inflicted unless they are immune. Thief swords' status abnormalities do not work with Add Status, and so it is pointless to equip the latter when Zidane wields a thief sword.
==Use==
The Sargatanas is the strongest thief sword available for crafting when the party gains a flying transport. Sargatanas remains Zidane's strongest weapon for the world map exploration with the flying transport, however, in Ipsen's Castle equipping it is a hindrance as the damage formula there is inverted and weaker weapons do more damage and vice versa. The player can steal the stronger Orichalcon from the boss of Ipsen's Castle, and so in pure power, Sargatanas is quickly outclasses from the time it is available to make.
However, its innate Petrify effect defeats enemies susceptible to it outright, and thus can be a great tool for the right battle as long as Zidane has mastered Soul Blade. Sargatanas + Soul Blade is far superior to the Break spell or Add Status. Enemies defeated via petrification do not yield EXP, but this is not necessarily a large hindrance. Petrification fails on Heavy targets, meaning it will not work on bosses. Outside of Heavy enemies, Soul Blade + Sargatanas defeats almost all normal enemy encounters. It could thus be useful for going through Pandemonium and the final dungeon.
The skill that Sargatanas teaches is nothing special, and the player may have already mastered it before Sargatanas can be synthesized. However, with Annoy available, Zidane can use a new Dyne ability.
Though Sargatanas is made via synthesis, it can itself be used as a synthesis component for making the Thief Gloves alongside the Mythril Armlet. However, the player can also get the Thief Gloves another way: from the Treno Auction House.
==Gallery==
Sargatanas FFIX Art.jpg|Artwork
Sargantanas.png|Strategy guide scan.
==Etymology==
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy IX