Powersoul (Final Fantasy VII)

The Powersoul is a weapon for Tifa in Final Fantasy VII. It can first be found in Mt. Nibel. Though Powersoul appears to have low stats, it has unique mechanics allowing it to be a high-tier weapon for her. If Tifa is in critically low HP, her damage with the weapon doubles; if under Death-sentence, it quadruples. Powersoul has four Materia slots that provide double AP growth, making it a useful weapon for grinding.
==Obtained==
Powersoul can first be found in Mt. Nibel during "Unnatural Hometown", after taking the second slide in the area with the Materia Keeper. Later, it can be purchased Junon for 4,200 gil after the player has the Highwind.
==Mechanics==
As the Powersoul has a base Attack stat bonus of 75, the base damage for physical attacks when the Powersoul is equipped is in the following formula:
:\text{Base Damage} = \text{(28 + Strength)} + \frac{\text{(28 + Strength)} + \text{Level}}{32} \times \frac{\text{(28 + Strength)} \times \text{Level}}{32}
where "Level" is Tifa's current level and "Strength" is her Strength stat. More notably, this damage will double if Tifa is in critically low HP, and quadruple under Death-sentence, and both conditions stack, meaning its damage output is potentially a lot higher than its stats would suggest.
The Powersoul also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 108%, and grants a +7 bonus to Tifa's Magic stat.
==Use==
Powersoul has relatively low stats compared to Tifa's other weapons, but due to its unique mechanic and providing double AP growth, it still excels in certain situations. In a party with a character who has an Enemy Skill Materia with Death Sentence learned, who can thus cast it on Tifa, Powersoul can be very powerful, causing Tifa to deal four times her usual damage, allowing her to win battles before the Death-sentence status kills her. However, this boost does not affect Limits. It is also one of Tifa's two best weapons for leveling up Materia, surpassing her Motor Drive and tying with her Platinum Fist.
Powersoul has only four slots, all of which are unlinked, meaning none can benefit from Support Materia. However, this restriction is less detrimental to Tifa, who relies more on physical damage than magical damage. For efficient use of the weapon's double AP growth, Tifa should equip Materia that needs to level up, and should equip Command Materia and Independent Materia that benefit her ability to deal physical damage. As with most of her weapons, using Counter Attack can be beneficial; if an enemy deals enough damage to put her HP critically low, she will counter with an attack dealing double damage. She can also simultaneously equip Cover to be attacked by enemies more and counter attack each time.
Powersoul is very useful when level grinding due to its double AP growth, though a drawback to the weapon is that a lack of Support Materia limits Tifa's ability to clear waves of enemies at once. The player can bring a party member with Enemy Skill Materia, with abilities such as Aqualung, although this will be inefficient for farming Materia as Enemy Skill cannot gain AP. Later on, Tifa is a very good choice to give the Slash-All Materia instead, due to her strong physical damage; this is also a useful Materia to master as many characters can benefit.
With a party member who has Enemy Skill Materia with Death Sentence learned and can cast it on Tifa, Powersoul is potentially Tifa's best weapon until Premium Heart is obtained, though it is weaker than the Master Fist if she is afflicted with Death-sentence and other statuses at once. Powersoul can reach its maximum potential in other situations if Tifa is equipped with Curse Ring to give her a Death-sentence at the start of battle, benefiting from the attack boost. The player should use maximum Battle Speed to give Tifa more chances to attack before the timer runs out. Regular battles can usually be easily won under the timer, but the player can also equip her with Odin+Added Effect on her armor to immunize her against the instant death effect. Additionally, the weapon can be useful in other circumstances by giving another party member a leveled up Cover Materia, with another party member protecting her from being hit when in critical health, though this should not be relied upon as leaving Tifa in critical HP status is risky.
Powersoul is a situational weapon, but excels in many cases. It is comparable to Master Fist and God's Hand in terms of being a high-tier weapon with unique properties, but overall is outclassed by Tifa's ultimate weapon, the Premium Heart. The weapon is nonetheless worth keeping for Tifa due to double AP growth alone, especially if used with Curse Ring. Though Tifa levels up Materia slower than Cloud or Cid, who have triple AP growth from Apocalypse and Scimitar respectively, she serves as the best third party choice for Materia grinding (slightly ahead of Yuffie with Rising Sun) due to Powersoul's potential to deal a great amount of damage with Curse Ring, making farming easier.
==Etymology==
The Powersoul's Japanese name is "Oversoul." 
Category:Weapons in Final Fantasy VII