Green Beret (Final Fantasy IX)

The Green Beret is a light armor headgear in Final Fantasy IX. It is mid tier hat that everyone but Steiner and Freya can wear. It teaches the passive abilities Ability Up, which allows the character to master abilities faster, and Clear Headed, which makes one immune to Silence. The hat gives a minor bonus to Strength and Speed on level up and is missable if not purchased in time.
==Obtain==
The Green Beret can be bought for 2,180 gil in the Mogshops in Oeilvert and Desert Palace. Both of these places become inaccessible once the player enters the Shimmering Island portal. However, missing it is not so hazardous as it does not teach any unique abilities, and is not needed for synthesis.
==Mechanics==
The Green Beret provides 23 Magic Defense, mitigating damage from magic attacks. The beret minorly boosts the wearer's Strength and Speed when they level up with it equipped. When enough "level up bonuses" from gear have been accrued, the character gains a permanent stat increase, though they would need to level up multiple times with +1 gear for noticeable stat gain. Strength stat is used for damage calculation for physical-based abilities and determines the character's HP growth. Spirit is used to determine expirable status effects' duration, the HP the character is revived at, the frequency Regen and Poison tick, and how fast Trance builds and runs out, among other things.
==Use==
The Green Beret is mid game gear that is useful for its abilities as well as its level up bonuses. Whereas the Mantra Band is more geared toward spellcasters, Green Beret is good for physical attackers, though Speed is not as useful a stat to raise as Spirit is. However, level grinding or min-maxing is unnecessary in a normal playthrough and the player can prioritize gear based on their defensive offerings and abilities, and still be able to do any encounter in the game with the right strategy. The best stat-boosting gear is available in the endgame, and so for best stats one would need to limit their level ups until near the end of the game.
Ability Up lets the character master abilities faster, including the Ability Up itself, and Clear Headed is needed for many of the toughest bosses, and is needed for the boss battle of the area where it is first purchasable: Ark.
The guests from Tantalus can also wear the beret but the player cannot see this in a normal playthrough.
Category:Armor in Final Fantasy IX