More likely to receive rare items
Description
Rare Item is a support ability in Final Fantasy VIII. When equipped to a member of the active party, it changes the chances of receiving items from enemies. However, despite its name, it is actually a detriment for the rarest spoils and is best not equipped.
Obtained[]
The Guardian Force Bahamut learns Rare Item for 250 AP. Bahamut is recruited by fighting him as a boss at the hidden island on the corner of the world map. If the player removes Rare Item with Amnesia Greens, there is no way to get it back.
Mechanics[]
In the game data, every enemy has four item "slots" that contain all the possible mug and item drop combination possibilities. Usually higher slots have better items. Rare Item doubles the drop rate of the second item slot, and reduces the chances of getting any items in the fourth slot to 0, meaning it can actually prevent the player from obtaining certain items. Both Mug and item drops work the same way, and Rare Item affects them both.
| Slot | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without Rare Item | 178/256 | 51/256 | 15/256 | 12/256 |
| With Rare Item | 128/256 | 114/256 | 14/256 | 0/256 |
Since 0 and 1 slots almost always contain the same spoils, and 2 and 3 slots are the ones with usually superior yields, equipping Rare Item is often pointless or detrimental.
Rare Item does not affect Angelo Search outcomes. Some enemies cannot be fought with Rare Item active in a normal playthrough, like enemies exclusive to Laguna Loire's party and any bosses before Rare Item becomes available to learn, though bosses almost always have fixed item spoils. By the time the player gets Bahamut, they are likely at high enough level that random encounters are in the highest tier.
Use[]
Rare Item is best not equipped unless the player knows specifically how it will affect the items the enemies they are fighting carry and desires the result. Simply keeping it equipped will actually be a detriment, preventing the player from ever getting the rarest mugs or drops.
Certain potentially useful times to equip it include:
- To get North Winds from Glacial Eye
- To get Dragon Skin from Anacondaur and Blue Dragon
- To get Dynamo Stones from Cockatrice and Blitz (the player will not get Power Generator with Mug from Blitz if they equip Rare Item)
- To get Strength Love from Wendigos
- To get Water Crystals from Grand Mantises
- To get Life Rings from Mesmerizes
- To get Energy Crystals from Ruby Dragons (however, Energy Crystals are more easily obtained from Elnoyle as long as the party is on a high enough level, as Elnoyle is unaffected by LV Up)
- To get Giant's Rings from Behemoths
- To get Inferno Fangs from Hexadragons
- To get Curse Spikes from Creeps, Forbiddens, Imps, and Malboros
- To get Moon Stones from Toramas
- To get Star Fragments from T-Rexaur
- To get Healing Mail from Turtapods (but they would be easily mugged from Snow Lions)
- To get Str Up from Raijin in Lunatic Pandora
Citations[]
- ↑ ForteGSOmega (2010, February 2). Final Fantasy VIII – Battle Mechanics FAQ. GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024.