============================================================
Table of contents
1: Purpose of this FAQ
2: Common problems and issues addressed in the FAQ
3: Benefits of downgrading a materia's rank
4: Costs of downgrading a materia's rank
5: When to downgrade a materia's rank
6: Warnings and Precautions
7: Materia Classes and Ranks
8: FAQ Conventions and Terminology
9: General procedure for downgrading a materia's rank
10: Creating Status Defense-class materia with stat bonus
11: Exploiting Status Defense fusion product ranks
12: Converting your source materia into ST-type or DEF-class
13: Common problems with Steal, Mug, Smart Consumer, or Gil Toss
(a) mastered Mug(M) always becomes Gil Toss
(b) downgrading Gil Toss to Mug (or Steal)
(c) downgrading Smart Consumer to Steal
14: Common problems with Graviga, Darkness, or Quake
(a) mastered Darkness(M) always becomes Quake
(b) mastered Graviga(M) always becomes Darkness
(c) downgrading Quake to Darkness (or Graviga)
15: Examples of transferring stat bonus (+X) between various materia
(a) transferring (+X) from Stop Blade, Death Blade, etc.
(b) transferring (+X) from Darkness (or Mug) to Curaga
(c) transferring (+X) from HP/VIT/SPR Up++ to Curaga
(d) transferring (+X) from MP/AP/MAG UP++ to Curaga
(e) transferring (+X) from Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword to Stop
(f) transferring (+X) from Graviga to Steal
(g) transferring (+X) from Darkness to Steal
(h) transferring (+X) from Darkness to Assault Twister
(i) transferring (+X) from HP/VIT/SPR-type to Gravity-class materia
(j) transferring (+X) from ATK-type materia to Gravity-class materia
16: Special considerations when transferring stat bonuses
(a) transferring (+X) to Ultimate, Punch, or Other-class materia
(b) transferring (+X) from ATK-related materia
(c) transferring (+X) from Drain-effect materia
(d) transferring (+X) from AP-class materia
(e) transferring (+X) to Gravity-class materia
(f) transferring (+X) to Dash, Dualcast, Full Cure, or DMW materia
17: Transferring (+X) from mission rewards to other materia
18: More ways to prep your source materia for downgrading
19: Miscellaneous Notes
(a) Limited Availability of Steal, Smart Consumer, and Mug
(b) Building stat bonuses on Drain Sword materia
20: Frequently Asked Questions
(a) How do I make Mug?
21: Credits
22: Version History
23: Contact Info
24: Disclaimer / Legal Information
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Section 1: Purpose of this FAQ
While building up on materia and transferring stat bonuses between materia is
usually a straightforward task, there are several situations where problems
arise and normal fusion methods do not work.
The purpose of this guide is to provide information and examples which will
allow players to 'downgrade' the rank of their materia, which allows the
transfer of stat bonuses between materia, particularly from higher ranking
materia to lower ranking materia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This FAQ has two main parts:
(1) the general theory of downgrading;
(2) practical examples, including common problems and issues.
This is an ADVANCED materia fusion FAQ and is meant to be used in conjunction
with the excellent FAQs (by Kouli and Absolute Steve) and/or the Materia Fusion
guide (by nunuu), all available at www.gamefaqs.com.
This guide assumes that the reader:
-- is familiar with the basics of materia fusion
-- understands the concept of materia levels, materia classes, fusion ranks
-- understands how to use fusion to UPgrade materia
-- understands how stat bonus values/types are affected by fusion
-- knows how to obtain various materia (e.g., from monsters, missions, shops,
and/or fusion, etc.)
If you're unfamiliar with or have problems with the above topics, you should
take a look at the other FAQs out there before attempting to use this guide.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You can downgrade materia and transfer stat bonuses from almost all classes
EXCEPT the Ultimate-class, Punch-class, and Other-class materia (due to their
special nature).
The stat bonus you end up with will always be equal to (or greater than) the
stat bonus of the source materia. However, you will lose part of the stat
bonuses on the other materia used in the downgrading process, simply as a
result of the way the stat bonus of the fusion product is calculated.
materia(+X) + materia(+Y) = materia(+Z)
Z = (larger stat bonus) + (HALF of smaller stat bonus) + (item bonus)
============================================================
Section 2: Common problems addressed in this FAQ
If you are looking for a quick fix to your problem, you can skip the theory and
go straight to the "Common Problems" and "Examples" sections. But if you can't
find any examples that fit your exact situation, understanding the theory will
probably help you figure out a solution.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Commonly occurring problems which can be solved by 'downgrading' the rank of
your materia while keeping the stat bonus intact:
o Costly Punch keeps turning to another materia.
o Darkness keep turning into Quake.
o Mug keep turning into Gil Toss.
o I have Gil Toss, but I want Mug with the same stat bonus.
o I have Quake, but I want Darkness with the same stat bonus.
o I want to move my stat bonus from HP Up++ to Curaga.
o I can't get Drainga to change to anything else.
o I want to transfer the stat bonus from a mission award to another materia.
============================================================
Section 3: Benefits of downgrading a materia's rank
(aka "Why bother?")
The ability to downgrade a materia is important because it enables you to:
(1) transfer a stat bonus (in its entirety) from one materia to another
materia;
(2) prevents undesired transformations into other kinds of materia;
(3) it allows for greater flexibility in fusion
============================================================
Section 4: Costs of downgrading a materia's rank
The downgrading process, while useful, definitely has costs and penalties
because:
(1) the steps can be rather complicated;
(2) it consumes SP (although usually not much as long as you're merely
transferring the stat bonus and not upgrading it);
(3) it takes time and/or gil to obtain the specific materia you need for the
various steps;
(4) it frequently results in the loss of materia levels -- mastered materia
often turn into unmastered materia (although that's desirable in some cases);
(5) it uses up materia, and often the higher-ranking materia.
============================================================
Section 5: When to downgrade a materia's rank
Basically, it depends on your particular situation. It's up to the individual
player to decide whether it's worth the effort to downgrade and/or transfer a
stat bonus, or whether it's more convenient to simply start over.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When is downgrading NOT necessary?
Downgrading is NOT necessary if:
(a) you can easily transfer the stat bonus by straightfoward fusion (e.g., when
your source materia with the stat bonus is Ultimate-class, Punch-class, or
Other-class); and/or
(b) you don't mind ending up with an upgraded version of your original source
materia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When is downgrading helpful (or even necessary)?
A common situation is when you want to transfer that nice ATK+60 bonus from a
mastered Stop Blade (like the one obtained through mission 8-6-6) to another
materia (e.g., Darkness).
Another common situation is when you want to increase the bonus on certain
mastered materia (Mug or Darkness) without changing them into Gil Toss or
Quake, respectively. Unfortunately, if you attempt to fuse a mastered Mug or a
mastered Darkness, you always get an automatic +1 fusion rank bonus, which will
frequently turn Mug or Darkness into Gil Toss or Quake, respectively.
So how can you stop a mastered Mug or Darkness from changing to Gil Toss or
Quake?
Well, you can't. But through downgrading, you can revert your mastered materia
back to an unmastered materia, which gets rid of that unwanted +1 fusion bonus.
============================================================
Section 6: Warnings and Precautions
-- Always SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!! before attempting any materia fusion, just in
case something goes wrong or something unexpected occurs. I can't emphasize
this strongly enough. Saves are quick and cheap, and there are no prizes for
getting through the game with the fewest number of saves.
-- Pay close attention to the materia ranks (1-8) and levels (1-4, mastered),
as well as the order of fusion, to ensure the correct materia dominates and you
end up with the desired materia in the end.
-- Remember that if you fuse two mastered materia together, you will end up
with a mastered materia. In some cases this is good, but in other cases, you
don't want to end up with a mastered materia.
-- This process works best if the stat bonus you're trying to transfer is the
largest stat bonus in any fusion you make.
-- Always keep at least one spare lower-rank Item materia (Steal, Smart
Consumer, Mug) in your inventory AT ALL TIMES and do NOT use that spare(s) in
fusions! (see Section #19(a))
--- There's no way to test every possible scenerio, so I make NO guarantees as
to a successful outcome. Use the information in this FAQ at your own risk!
============================================================
Section 7: Materia Classes and Ranks
(this table is adapted from nunuu's Materia FAQ, with the materia names changed
to the US version)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Materia Class | Materia (Rank)
==============================================================================
Fire | Fire (1), Fira (3), Firaga (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice | Blizzard (1), Blizzara (3), Blizzaga (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thunder | Thunder (1), Thundara (3), Thundaga (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heal | Cure (1), Cura (2), Curaga (4)
| Regen (3), Full Cure (6)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense | Barrier (2), M-Barrier (3), Wall (7),
| Elemental Ward (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Defense | Esuna (1), Dispel (2), Status Ward (4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drain Magic | Drain (2), Drainra (5), Drainga (7),
| Osmose (3), Osmoga (6)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Magic | Poison (2), Silence (2), Stop (4), Death (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Fire | Dark Fire (1), Dark Fira (3),
| Dark Firaga (5), Hell Firaga (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Ice | Dark Blizzard (1), Dark Blizzara (3),
| Dark Blizzaga (5), Hell Blizzaga (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Thunder | Dark Thunder (1), Dark Thundara (3),
| Dark Thundaga (5), Hell Thundaga (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gravity | Gravity (2), Graviga (4), Darkness (6), Quake (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultimate | Tri-Thundaga (3), Tri-Fire (4),
| Electrocute (5), Flare (6), Energy (7), Ultima (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speed Sword | Jump (1), High Jump (5),
| Assault Twister (3), Assault Twister+ (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Speed Sword | Poison Aerial (3), Silence Aerial (5), Death Jump (6),
| Poison Twister (2), Stop Twister (4), Death Twister (7),
| Status Strike (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sword Skill | Power Attack (1), Vital Slash (3), Exploder
| Blade (6), Blast Wave (5), Elemental Strike (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Sword Skill | Poison Blade (1), Silence Blade (2), Stop Blade (4),
| Death Blade (5), Dispel Blade (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire Sword | Fire Blade (1), Fira Blade (3), Firaga Blade (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice Sword | Blizzard Blade (1), Blizzara Blade (3), Blizzaga
| Blade (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thunder Sword | Thunder Blade (1), Thundara Blade (3), Thundaga
| Blade (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drain Sword | Drain Blade (2), Power Drain (5), Aerial Drain (8),
| Osmose Blade (3), Power Osmose (6)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item | Steal (2), Mug (6),
| Smart Consumer (4), Gil Toss (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Punch | Goblin Punch (1), Iron Punch (2), Magical Punch (4),
| Hammer Punch (6), Costly Punch (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HP | HP Up (1), HP Up+ (3), HP Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MP | MP Up (1), MP Up+ (3), MP Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP | AP Up (1), AP Up+ (3), AP Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATK | ATK Up (1), ATK+ (3), ATK++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIT | VIT Up (1), VIT Up+ (3), VIT Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAG | MAG Up (1), MAG Up+ (3), MAG Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPR | SPR Up (1), SPR Up+ (3), SPR Up++ (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SP Turbo | SP Turbo Magic (4), SP Turbo Attack (5), SP Turbo (6),
| SP Barrier (7), SP Master (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other | Libra (1), Dash (3), DualCast (8), All DMW (8)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================
Section 8: FAQ Conventions and Terminology
Here are some shorthand terms used in this FAQ:
"source" is the original materia you start with
"target" is the materia you want to end up with
"dominant" is the higher ranked/leveled/placed materia in the fusion
"subordinate" is the lower ranked/leveled/placed materia in the fusion
"(+X)" indicates the stat bonus you want to transfer
"(M)" indicates that the materia is mastered
If a materia is not labeled (M), assume that it is unmastered.
"ST-type" refers to the following classes of status-inflicting materia:
- Status Magic
- Status Fire
- Status Ice
- Status Thunder
- Status Speed Sword
- Status Sword Skill
"DEF-class" = Defense class
"StDef-class" = Status Defense class
"Status Fire/Ice/Thunder" refer to the following classes:
- Status Fire
- Status Ice
- Status Thunder
"Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword" refer to the following classes:
- Fire Sword
- Ice Sword
- Thunder Sword
"ATK-related" refers to the following classes of attack-type materia:
- Speed Sword
- Sword Skill
- ATK
"Drain-effect" refers to the following classes of materia:
- Drain Magic
- Drain Sword
"Ult/Punch/Other" refers to the following classes of materia:
- Ultimate
- Punch
- Other
"Stat-type" refers to the following classes of stat-related materia:
- HP
- MP
- AP
- ATK
- VIT
- MAG
- SPR
"HP/VIT/SPR" refers to the following classes of defensive stat-related materia:
- HP
- VIT
- SPR
============================================================
Section 9: General Procedure for downgrading a materia's rank
Downgrading a materia involves turning your source materia into a StDef-class
materia -- usually Status Ward(rank 4), but occasionally Dispel(rank 2) or
Esuna(rank 1). This is essential because the highest Rank materia in the
StDef-class is 4. It doesn't matter if you're fusing two mastered Rank 8
materia, because as long as the product is a StDef-class materia, its maximum
materia rank is 4.
Once you have a StDef-class materia (Status Ward or Dispel or Esuna) with your
desired stat bonus (+X), you can use the normal fusion/upgrade methods to turn
that Status Ward(+X) or Dispel(+X) materia into almost any type of Rank 4+
materia (using Status Ward) or Rank 2-3 materia (using Dispel) or even Rank 1
materia (using Esuna) with the same stat bonus.
The general process goes as follows:
Step[A] - transform your source materia(+X) into:
(1) ST-type materia(+X); or
(2) DEF-class materia(+X); or
(3) Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword-class materia(+X).
Step[B] - transform the resulting Step[A] materia(+X) into a StDef-class
materia(+X).
Step[C] - fuse the resulting StDef-class materia(+X) with the appropriate
materia (except Ult/Punch/Other-class materia) to get your desired target
materia(+X)
It's generally best to wait until the very last step to include items to
increase (+X) or to change it to a different kind of stat bonus.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Question: Can't you use other materia classes beside Status Defense for
Step[B]?
Answer: Possibly, but Status Defense is the best because there are lots of
high-ranking status-inflicting materia, which maximizes your options, and
Status Defense-class materia behaves nicely in fusions. The other possible
options (e.g., Sword Skill) can react rather unpredictably in materia fusion.
============================================================
Section 10: Creating Status Defense-class materia with stat bonus
Here are the materia class combinations that will produce a StDef-class materia
(usually Status Ward, but occasionally Dispel).
Defense + ST-type materia
Status Magic + HP/VIT/SPR materia
Status Magic + ATK materia
Status Fire/Ice/Thunder + HP/VIT/SPR materia
Status Speed Sword + HP/VIT/SPR materia
Status Speed Sword + ATK materia
Status Sword Skill + HP/VIT/SPR materia
Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword + HP/VIT/SPR materia
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When producing a StDef-class materia from a DEF-class materia, you can use any
ST-type materia.
When producing a StDef-class materia from ST-type materia, you can use any
HP/VIT/SPR-type materia or any ATK materia, as long as it has an equal or lower
rank/level than the ST-type materia you are fusing it with.
When producing a StDef-class materia from Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword materia, you
can use any HP/VIT/SPR materia.
============================================================
Section 11: Exploiting Status Defense fusion product ranks
Fusion ranks for StDef-class materia
1 - Esuna(rank 1)
2 - Dispel(rank 2)
3 - Esuna(rank 1)
4 - Status Ward(rank 4)
5 - Dispel(rank 2)
6 - Status Ward(rank 4)
7 - Status Ward(rank 4)
8 - Status Ward(rank 4)
Therefore, if the StDef-class product of a fusion has a fusion rank of 4 or
6-8, you will get Status Ward(rank 4).
HOWEVER, if the product fusion rank is 3, you get Esuna(rank 1).
HOWEVER, if the product fusion rank is 5, you get Dispel(rank 2).
Don't ask me why the game developers did this, but this is actually a good
thing. This quirk won't hurt the process of transferring your stat bonus and
it's even helpful in certain situations (i.e., when your target materia is rank
1-3, like Steal).
Remember that using one mastered materia in a fusion adds a +1 bonus to the
fusion rank of the product, while using two mastered materia adds a +2 bonus.
Example 1 - Stop Blade(rank 4) and VIT Up(rank 1)
Fusion rank of product = 4
(1) Stop Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Example 2 - mastered Stop Blade(rank 4)(M) and VIT Up(rank 1)
Fusion rank of product = 4 + 1 = 5
(1) Stop Blade(+X)(M) + VIT Up = Dispel(+X)
Example 3 - Stop Blade(rank 4) and mastered VIT Up(rank 1)(M)
Fusion rank of product = 4 + 1 = 5
(1) Stop Blade(+X) + VIT Up(M) = Dispel(+X)
Example 4 - mastered Stop Blade(rank 4)(M) and mastered VIT Up(rank 1)(M)
Fusion rank of product = 4 + 2 = 6
(1) Stop Blade(+X)(M) + VIT Up(M) = Status Ward(+X)
Example 5 - Death Blade(rank 5) and VIT Up(rank 1)
Fusion rank of product = 5
(1) Death Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Dispel(+X)
Example 6 - Death Blade(rank 5) and mastered VIT Up(M)
Fusion rank of product = 5 + 1 = 6
(1) Death Blade(+X) + VIT Up(M) = Status Ward(+X)
Example 7 - Silence Blade(rank 2) and mastered VIT Up(M)
Fusion rank of product = 2 + 1 = 3
(1) Silence Blade(+X) + VIT Up(M) = Esuna(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When your target materia is Rank 2-3 (e.g., Graviga, Steal, etc.), your
objective is to produce a Dispel(rank 2) materia with your stat bonus.
Typically, you will do this by downgrading Status Ward(+X)(rank 4) to
Dispel(+X)(rank 2).
Downgrading Status Ward(+X)(rank 4) to Dispel(+X)(rank 2):
(a) Status Ward(+X) + (Barrier or MBarrier) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(b) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Dispel(+X)
Downgrading mastered Status Ward(+X)(M)(rank 4) to Dispel(+X)(rank 2):
(a) Status Ward(+X)(M) + (Barrier or MBarrier) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(b) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Dispel(+X)
However, sometimes you will be lucky enough to produce a Dispel(+X) directly
when the StDef-class product of a fusion is Rank 5 (see examples above).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Upgrading Dispel(+X) to Status Ward(+X) is a straightfoward upgrade using a
mastered Dash or any DMW materia. However, there's usually no benefit for
doing it.
() Dispel(+X) + Dash(M) = Status Ward(+X)
() Dispel(+X) + DMW materia = Status Ward(+X)
============================================================
Section 12: Converting you source materia into ST-type or DEF-class
The simplest way to accomplish this is to make the ST-type or DEF-class materia
dominant in the fusion and the source materia subordinate. Determining which
materia controls the product of a fusion goes as follows:
materia rank (1-8) -> material level (1-4, master) -> order in fusion (1st,2nd)
Therefore, to insure that ST-type or or DEF-class materia is dominant:
(a) The ST-type or DEF-class materia(rank) should be equal or greater than the
source materia(rank) - (for a few exceptions, see Section #18).
(b) If the ST-type or DEF-class materia(rank) and the source materia(rank) are
equal, then the ST-type or DEF-class materia(level) needs to be equal or
greater than the source materia(level).
(c) If both the ST-type or DEF-class materia(rank)(level) and the source
materia(rank)(level) are equal, then the ST-type or DEF-class material needs to
be in the first fusion slot.
Note with high-ranking source materia, your options will be very limited. The
Item and SP Turbo materia classes each have a rank 8 materia, so the only thing
you can use to downgrade Gil Toss(rank 8) or SP Master(rank 8) is a Status
Strike(rank 8) of equal or greater level. The DEF-class method will not work
in downgrading most Rank 8 materia because the highest ranked DEF-class materia
is Wall(rank 7).
This method of obtaining a ST-type or DEF-class materia works for nearly all
classes of target materia and nearly all kinds of ST-type materia with the
following exceptions:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Exception 1 - ATK-related materia
When you fuse Status Fire/Ice/Thunder with ATK-related materia AND the
resulting fusion product is Rank 7-8, you run into problems due to a quirk in
the Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword fusion product ranks. (see Section #16(b))
However, if your source materia is already Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword, you don't
have to worry about this issue at all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Exception 2 - Drain Magic and Drain Sword materia
Drain-effect materia (e.g., Drain Magic and Drain Sword) often refuse to change
classes, even when it's clearly the subordinate materia in the fusion. (see
Section #16(c))
============================================================
============================================================
Section 13(a): mastered Mug(M) always becomes Gil Toss
Unfortunately, if you attempt to fuse a mastered Mug or a mastered Darkness,
you always get an automatic +1 fusion rank bonus, which will frequently turn
Mug or Darkness into Gil Toss or Quake, respectively.
Here are examples of downgrading a mastered Mug(M) to an unmastered Mug, using
the ST-type method.
Example - changing mastered Mug(+X)(M) to unmastered Mug(+X):
(a) Hell Firaga + Mug(+X)(M) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Mug + Status Ward(+X) = Mug(+X)
Example - changing mastered Mug(+X)(M) to unmastered Mug(+X):
(a) Dispel Blade + Mug(+X)(M) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Mug + Status Ward(+X) = Mug(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here is an example of downgrading a mastered Mug(M) to an unmastered Mug, using
the DEF-class method.
Example - changing mastered Mug(+X)(M) to unmastered Mug(+X):
(a) Wall + Mug(+X)(M) = Wall(+X)
(b) Wall(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 7 or less) = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Mug + Status Ward(+X) = Mug(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now that you have a unmastered Mug(+X), you can fuse it with other materia and
items without changing it to Gil Toss.
============================================================
Section 13(b): downgrading Gil Toss to Mug (or Steal)
Here are Item-based examples of transferring a stat bonus from a higher-ranked
materia to a lower-ranked materia:
Example - downgrading Gil Toss(rank 8) to Mug(rank 6):
(a) Status Strike + Gil Toss(+X) = Status Strike(+X)
(b) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Mug + Status Ward(+X) = Mug(+X)
Example - downgrading mastered Gil Toss(rank 8)(M) to Mug(rank 6):
(a) Status Strike(M) + Gil Toss(+X)(M) = Status Strike(+X)(M)
(b) Status Strike(+X)(M) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Mug + Status Ward(+X) = Mug(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here is an example of a double downgrade of Gil Toss to Steal:
Example - downgrading Gil Toss(rank 8) to Steal(rank 2):
(a) Status Strike + Gil Toss(+X) = Status Strike(+X)
(b) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Status Ward(+X) + (Barrier or MBarrier) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(d) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Dispel(+X)
(e) Steal + Dispel(+X) = Steal(+X)
============================================================
Section 13(c): downgrading Smart Consumer to Steal
Example - downgrading Smart Consumer(rank 4) to Steal(rank 2)
(a) Death Blade + Smart Consumer(+X) = Death Blade(+X)
(b) Death Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Dispel(+X)
(c) Steal + Dispel(+X) = Steal(+X)
Unfortunately, if you attempt to fuse a mastered Mug or a mastered Darkness,
you always get an automatic +1 fusion rank bonus, which will frequently turn
Mug or Darkness into Gil Toss or Quake, respectively.
Here are examples of downgrading a mastered Darkness(M) to an unmastered
Darkness, using the ST-type method.
Example - changing mastered Darkness(+X)(M) to unmastered Darkness(+X):
(a) Hell Firaga + Darkness(+X)(M) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - changing mastered Darkness(+X)(M) to unmastered Darkness(+X):
(a) Dispel Blade + Darkness(+X)(M) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here is an example of downgrading a mastered Darkness(M) to an unmastered
Darkness, using the DEF-class method.
Example - changing mastered Darkness(+X)(M) to unmastered Darkness(+X):
(a) Wall + Darkness(+X)(M) = Wall(+X)
(b) Wall(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 7 or less) = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now that you have a unmastered Darkness(+X), you can fuse it with other materia
and items without changing it to Quake.
Unfortunately, if you attempt to fuse a mastered Graviga, you always get an
automatic +1 fusion rank bonus, which will frequently turn Graviga into
Darkness.
Here are examples of downgrading a mastered Graviga(M) to an unmastered
Graviga, using the ST-type method.
Example - changing mastered Graviga(+X)(M) to unmastered Graviga(+X):
(a) Hell Firaga + Graviga(+X)(M) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
Example - changing mastered Graviga(+X)(M) to unmastered Graviga(+X):
(a) Dispel Blade + Graviga(+X)(M) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here is an example of downgrading a mastered Graviga(M) to an unmastered
Graviga, using the DEF-class method.
Example - changing mastered Graviga(+X)(M) to unmastered Graviga(+X):
(a) Elemental Ward + Graviga(+X)(M) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(b) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now that you have a unmastered Graviga(+X), you can fuse it with other materia
and items without changing it to Darkness.
============================================================
Section 14(c): downgrading Quake to Darkness (or Graviga)
Here are Gravity-based examples of transferring a stat bonus from a
higher-ranked materia to a lower-ranked materia:
Example - downgrading Quake(rank 7) to Darkness(rank 6):
(a) Hell Firaga + Quake(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - downgrading mastered Quake(rank 7)(M) to Darkness(rank 6):
(a) Hell Firaga(M) + Quake(+X)(M) = Hell Firaga(+X)(M)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X)(M) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - downgrading mastered Quake(rank 7)(M) to Darkness(rank 6):
(a) Status Strike + Quake(+X)(M) = Status Strike(+X)
(b) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - downgrading Quake(+X)(rank 7) to Graviga(+X)(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + Quake(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
Example - downgrading Darkness(+X)(rank 6) to Graviga(+X)(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + Darkness(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
============================================================
Section 15: Examples of transferring stat bonus (+X) between various materia
Here are examples of transferring a stat bonus between various materia:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(a): transferring (+X) from Stop Blade, Death Blade, etc.
Example - changing Stop Blade(rank 4) to Darkness(rank 6):
(a) Stop Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - changing mastered Stop Blade(rank 4) to Darkness(rank 6):
(a) Stop Blade(+X)(M) + VIT Up = Dispel(+X)
(b) Darkness + Dispel(+X) = Darkness(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(b): transferring (+X) from Darkness (or Mug) to Curaga
Example - changing Darkness(rank 6) to Curaga(rank 4) via St-Def-class method:
(a) Hell Firaga + Darkness(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing Darkness(rank 6) to Curaga(rank 4) via DEF-class method:
(a) Wall + Darkness(+X) = Wall(+X)
(b) Wall(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 7 or less) = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing Mug(rank 6) to Curaga(rank 4) via St-Def-class method:
(a) Hell Firaga + Mug(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(c): transferring (+X) from HP/VIT/SPR Up++ to Curaga
Example - changing HP Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + HP Up++(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing VIT Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Blizzaga + VIT Up++(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing SPR Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + SPR Up++(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(d): transferring (+X) from MP/AP/MAG Up++ to Curaga
Example - changing MP Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + MP Up++(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(a) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing AP Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + AP Up++(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(a) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - changing MAG Up++(rank 5) to Curaga(rank 4):
(a) Hell Firaga + MAG Up++(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(a) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(e): transferring (+X) from Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword to Stop
Example - changing Firaga Blade(rank 5) to Stop(rank 4):
(a) Firaga Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Stop + Status Ward(+X) = Stop(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(f): transferring (+X) from Graviga to Steal
The two materia used in step(d) must NOT be mastered or you won't end up with
Dispel(+X)!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(g): transferring (+X) from Darkness to Steal
Example - changing Darkness(Rank 6) to Steal(Rank 2):
(a) Hell Firaga + Darkness(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Status Ward(+X) + (Barrier or MBarrier) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(d) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Dispel(+X)
(e) Steal + Dispel(+X) = Steal(+X)
The two materia used in step(d) must NOT be mastered or you won't end up with
Dispel(+X)!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(h): transferring (+X) from Darkness to Assault Twister:
Example - changing Darkness(Rank 6) to Assault Twister(Rank 3):
(a) Hell Firaga + Darkness(+X) = Hell Firaga(+X)
(b) Hell Firaga(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Status Ward(+X) + (Barrier or MBarrier) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(d) Elemental Ward(+X) + ST-type materia(rank 5 or less) = Dispel(+X)
(e) Assault Twister + Dispel(+X) = Assault Twister(+X)
The two materia used in step(d) must NOT be mastered or you won't end up with
Dispel(+X)!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(i): transferring (+X) from HP/VIT/SPR-type materia to Gravity-class
materia
Fusing a Gravity-class materia (e.g., Darkness, Quake, etc.) with a
lower-ranking HP/VIT/SPR-type materia will almost ALWAYS produce a DEF-class
materia. So in order to transfer the stat bonus to a Gravity-class materia,
you need to first change your HP/VIT/SPR-type materia to a StDef-class materia.
Example - transfering (+X) from HP Up++(rank 5) to Darkness(rank 6)
(a) Stop Blade + HP Up++(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
Example - transferring (+X) from VIT Up+(rank 3) to Quake(rank 7)
(a) Stop Blade + VIT Up+(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Quake + Status Ward(+X) = Quake(+X)
Example - changing SPR Up++(rank 5) to Quake(rank 7):
(a) Hell Firaga + SPR Up++(+X) = Status Ward(+X)
(b) Quake + Status Ward(+X) = Quake(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 15(j): transferring (+X) from ATK-type materia to Gravity-class materia
Fusing a Gravity-class materia (e.g., Darkness, Quake, etc.) with a
lower-ranking ATK-type (ATK, Sword Skill, Speed Sword) or Fire/Ice/Thunder
Sword-type materia will almost ALWAYS produce a Sword Skill-class materia. So
in order to transfer your stat bonus to a Gravity-class materia, you need to
first change your ATK-type or Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword-type materia to a
StDef-class materia.
Example - transfering (+X) from ATK Up++(rank 5) to Darkness(rank 6)
(a) Dark Firaga + ATK Up++(+X) = Firaga Blade(+X)
(b) Firaga Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Darkness + Status Ward(+X) = Darkness(+X)
============================================================
Section 16(a): transferring (+X) to Ultimate-, Punch-, or Other-class materia
You can transfer a stat bonus to Ult/Punch/Other-type materia ONLY UNDER VERY
LIMITED CONDITIONS -- specifically, you can only do this when the source
materia is also a Ult/Punch/Other-type materia.
The problem is caused by the fact that Ult/Punch/Other-type materia will NEVER
retain their properties UNLESS fused with another Ult/Punch/Other-type materia.
In other words, there's NO way to transfer a stat bonus (e.g., HP+999%) from a
Stat-type materia (e.g., HP Up++) to Costly Punch -- period. Fusing Costly
Punch with ANYTHING (except a Ultimate-class, Punch-class, or Other-class
materia) will change Costly Punch into something else.
Dash, Dualcast, and DMW materia NEVER retain their properties, even when fused
with each other, so it is impossible to build stat bonuses on them.
Full Cure NEVER retain its properties, even when fused with another Full Cure,
(you end up with Curaga) so it is impossible to build stat bonuses on it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Downgrading Ult/Punch/Other-type materia
There is NO way to downgrade Ultimate-class or Punch-class materia, so the
fusion product will always be same as the higher ranking materia (or higher if
either or both materia used are mastered).
HOWEVER, since Dash, Dualcast, and DMW materia NEVER retain their properties,
even when fused with each other, it is possible to downgrade these materia to
Libra(rank 1). This is useful when you wish to transfer the stat bonus from a
mission reward (i.e., DMW materia(+X)(M)) to another upgradable materia (e.g.,
Mug or Darkness).
Within their own special little group of materia, Ult/Punch/Other-type materia
usually behave just like other materia with respect to dominance and fusion
ranks.
() Costly Punch + Libra(+X) = Costly Punch(+X)
() Costly Punch + Ultima(+X) = Costly Punch(+X)
() Ultima + Costly Punch(+X) = Ultima(+X)
() Electrocute + Libra(+X) = Electrocute(+X)
() Energy + Magical Punch(+X) = Energy(+X)
() Flare + Libra(+X)(M) = Energy(+X)
() Flare(M) + Libra(+X)(M) = Ultima(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The only way you can build a stat bonus on a Ult/Punch/Other-type materia is by
using the following method:
Ult/Punch/Other-type materia + (Ultimate-class, Punch-class, Other-class
material of equal or lower rank) + (stat boosting item) = Ult/Punch/Other-type
(w/ stat bonus)
Example - building a stat bonus on Costly Punch
(a) Costly Punch + (Ultimate-class, Punch-class, Other-class material) + (stat
boosting item) = Costly Punch (w/ stat bonus)
Since Costly Punch is Rank 8, you can use any Ultimate-class, Punch-class,
Other-class material of rank 8 or less (Tri-Thundaga, Tri-Fire, Electrocute,
Flare, Energy, Ultima, Goblin Punch, Iron Fist, Magical Punch, Hammer Punch,
Libra, Dash, Dualcast, DMW materia).
However, if you are trying to build a stat bonus on Tri-Fire(rank 4), you can
only fuse it with unmastered Ult/Punch/Other-type materia of Rank 4 or less
(Tri-Thundaga, Goblin Punch, Iron Fist, Magical Punch, Libra, Dash).
Therefore, if you're uncertain about which materia you want to put a stat bonus
on, it's best to build up the bonus on unmastered Libra(rank 1) materia. That
way, you will have no problems later on when you want to transfer that stat
bonus to Costly Punch, Flare, Ultima, etc. Libra also has the benefit of being
cheap (1000 gil) and readily available from Research Dept QMC, which you
automatically get in the storyline (Chapter 4).
Again, remember that Dash, Dualcast, Full Cure, and DMW materia NEVER retain
their properties, even when fused with each other, so it is impossible to build
stat bonuses on them.
============================================================
Section 16(b): transferring (+X) from ATK-related materia
A quirk in the Fusion Ranks 7-8 for Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword-class materia (e.g.,
Firaga Blade, etc.) causes problems if you are attempting to transfer a stat
bonus from an ATK-related materia (e.g., ATK, Sword Skill, Speed Sword)
If you attempt to use Rank 7 Status Fire/Ice/Thunder materia (e.g., Hell -ga)
in the fusion, you will produce Elemental Strike, which is a Sword Skill-class
materia instead of Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword-class. This is usually undesirable
because there is no direct way to change Elemental Strike into Status Ward,
although you can do it indirectly.
Therefore, if you are trying to transfer a stat bonus from an ATK-related
materia, do NOT use Hell -ga(rank 7) materia. Instead, you should use:
(1) Rank 5 Dark -ga materia (e.g., Dark Firaga, etc.); or
(2) Rank 5+ Status Sword Skill-class materia (e.g., Death Blade, Dispel Blade,
Status Strike); or
(3) Rank 5+ Status Speed Sword-class materia (e.g., Death Twister).
Here's are examples involving the transfer of a stat bonus from ATK
Up++(+X)(rank 5) to Status Ward(+X)(rank 4):
Example 1 - using Dark Firaga(rank 5)
(a) Dark Firaga + ATK Up++(+X) = Firaga Blade(+X)
(b) Firaga Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Example 2 - from ATK Up++(+X), using Dispel Blade(rank 7)
(a) Dispel Blade + ATK Up++(+X) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Example 3 - using Hell Firaga(rank 7)
(a) Hell Firaga + ATK Up++(+X) = Elemental Strike(+X)
(b) Elemental Strike(+X) + (any Status Magic or Status Sword Skill) = Dispel
Blade(+X)
(c) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
As you can see, using Hell -ga(rank 7) materia requires extra steps to achieve
the desired StDef-materia(+X).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Other examples of transferring (+X) from ATK-related materia
Example - Sword Skill - from Exploder Blade(rank 6) to Curaga(Rank 4)
(a) Dispel Blade + Exploder Blade(+X) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Curaga + Status Ward(+X) = Curaga(+X)
Example - Speed Sword - from Assault Twister(rank 3) to Graviga(Rank 4)
(a) Dark Firaga + Assault Twister(+X) = Firaga Blade(+X)
(b) Firaga Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
Example - Speed Sword - from Assault Twister(M)(rank 3) to Graviga(Rank 4)
(a) Dispel Blade + Assault Twister(+X)(M) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
(c) Graviga + Status Ward(+X) = Graviga(+X)
Example - Speed Sword - from Assault Twister+(rank 7) to Status Ward(Rank 4)
(a) Dispel Blade + Assault Twister+(+X) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
============================================================
Section 16(c): transferring (+X) from Drain-effect materia
Drain effect materia (e.g., Drain Magic, Drain Sword) often refuse to change
classes from a Drain-effect materia, even when it is clearly lower in rank
and/or level.
The only way to change Drain-effect materia into other classes of materia is to
fuse them with the following:
- Heal (max rank 4)
- Defense (max rank 7)
- Status Defense (max rank 4)
- Fire/Ice/Thunder Sword (max rank 5)
- Item (max rank 8)
- HP, MP, AP, ATK, VIT, MAG, SPR (max rank 5)
- SP Turbo (max rank 8)
In order to get a class change, the Drain-effect materia needs to be
subordinate in the fusion. This is not a problem with Drain-effect materia of
Rank 5 or less. But with Drain-effect materia(rank 6 or more), options become
much more limited. For example, to change Drainga(rank 7) to another class,
you're basically stuck with using Wall(rank 7) or Gil Toss(rank 8).
However, once you manage to shift the (+X) away from the Drain-effect materia,
you can use the method described in this FAQ to transfer (+X) to other materia.
Here are examples involving the transfer of a stat bonus from a mastered
Drainga(+X)(rank 7)(M) to Status Ward(+X)(rank 4):
Example 1 - using mastered Wall(rank 7)
(a) Wall(M) + Drainga(+X)(M) = Wall(+X)(M)
(b) Wall(+X)(M) + Poison = Status Ward(+X)
Example 2 - using Gil Toss(rank 8)
(a) Gil Toss + Drainga(+X)(M) = Gil Toss(+X)
(b) Status Strike + Gil Toss(+X) = Status Strike(+X)
(c) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here are some more examples involving other Drain-effect materia:
Example 3 - changing Aerial Drain(rank 8) to Status Ward(rank 4)
(a) Gil Toss + Aerial Drain(+X) = Gil Toss(+X)
(b) Status Strike + Gil Toss(+X) = Status Strike(+X)
(c) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Example 4 - changing mastered Aerial Drain(rank 8)(M) to Status Ward(rank 4)
(a) Gil Toss(M) + Aerial Drain(+X)(M) = Gil Toss(+X)(M)
(b) Status Strike(M) + Gil Toss(+X)(M) = Status Strike(+X)(M)
(c) Status Strike(+X)(M) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Example 5 - changing Power Drain(rank 5) to Dispel(rank 2)
(a) Elemental Ward + Power Drain(+X) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(b) Elemental Ward(+X) + Poison = Dispel(+X)
Example 6 - changing Power Drain(rank 5) to Status Ward(rank 4)
(a) Elemental Ward + Power Drain(+X) = Elemental Ward(+X)
(b) Elemental Ward(+X) + Poison(M) = Status Ward(+X)
Example 7 - changing Osmoga(rank 6) to Status Ward(rank 4)
(a) Wall + Osmoga(+X) = Wall(+X)
(b) Wall(+X) + Poison = Status Ward(+X)
============================================================
Section 16(d): transferring (+X) from AP-class materia
The best way to transfer a stat from AP-class materia is by using Status
Fire/Ice/Thunder or DEF-class materia. Using other materia (Status Speed
Sword, Status Sword Skill, etc.) causes problems because you will almost always
end up with a Speed Sword materia instead of StDef-class materia.
============================================================
Section 16(e): transferring (+X) to Gravity-class materia
In certain instances, Gravity-class materia will change in fusions even when
they clearly should be dominant by rank/level/placement. Therefore, when
transferring stats from the following classes of materia to Gravity-class
materia, you MUST convert your source materia to an StDef-class or DEF-class
materia first. Otherwise there's a very good chance that you won't end up with
a Gravity-class materia after fusion.
============================================================
Section 16(f): transferring (+X) to Dash, Dualcast, Full Cure, or DMW materia
You CANNOT transfer or build stat bonuses on Dash, Dualcast, Full Cure, or DMW
materia.
PERIOD.
Dash, Dualcast, and DMW materia NEVER retain their properties, even when fused
with each other, so it is impossible to build stat bonuses on them.
Full Cure NEVER retain its properties, even when fused with another Full Cure,
(you end up with Curaga) so it is impossible to build stat bonuses on it.
============================================================
Section 17: transferring (+X) from mission rewards
Congratulations, you've cleared a mission and now you have a mastered materia
with a hefty stat bonus. But what if you don't like High Jump or Stop Sword?
Here are ways you can transfer the significant stat bonuses from various
mission rewards to other, more useful types of materia (e.g., Darkness,
Graviga, Mug, etc.)
Once you have a StDef-class materia (Status Ward or Dispel) with your desired
stat bonus (+X), you can use the normal fusion/upgrade methods to turn that
Status Ward(+X) or Dispel(+X) materia into almost any type of Rank 4+ materia
(using Status Ward) or Rank 2-3 materia (using Dispel) with the same stat
bonus.
Option 1 - using Wall(rank 7)(M)
(a) Wall(M) + Drainga(+X)(M) = Wall(+X)(M)
(b) Wall(+X)(M) + ST-type materia(rank 7 or less) = Status Ward(+X)
Option 2 - using Gil Toss(rank 8)
(a) Gil Toss + Drainga(+X)(M) = Gil Toss(+X)
(b) Status Strike + Gil Toss(+X) = Status Strike(+X)
(c) Status Strike(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Remember that for Drain-effect materia, you can NOT use Hell -ga materia to
transfer stat bonuses.
Option 1 - using Dispel Blade(rank 7)
(a) Dispel Blade + High Jump(+X)(M) = Dispel Blade(+X)
(b) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Option 2 - using Dark Firaga(rank 5)
(a) Dark Firaga(M) + High Jump(+X)(M) = Elemental Strike(+X)(M)
(b) Elemental Strike(+X)(M) + (any Status Magic or Status Sword Skill) = Dispel
Blade(+X)
(c) Dispel Blade(+X) + VIT Up = Status Ward(+X)
Remember that for ATK-type materia, it is tricky to use Status
Fire/Ice/Thunder-type materia to transfer stat bonuses.
Option 5:
() target materia + Flare(+X)(M) = target materia(+X) OR upgraded version of
target materia(+X)
Be careful with Option 5, because once you shift the (+X) bonus away from
Flare, you will NEVER be able to transfer it back to another
Ult/Punch/Other-type materia.
Option 3:
() Ultima + DMW materia(+X)(M) = Ultima(+X)
Option 4:
() target materia + DMW materia(+X)(M) = target materia(+X) OR upgraded version
of target materia(+X)
Be careful with Option 4, because once you shift the (+X) bonus away from a
Ult/Punch/Other-type materia, you will NEVER be able to transfer it back to
another Ult/Punch/Other-type materia.
Also, with Option 4, if you use an upgradable materia (e.g., Mug or Darkness)
as your target materia, you will end up with Gil Toss or Quake, respectively.
If you want to end up with the stat bonus on Mug or Darkness, it is much better
to use Option 1 first, then fuse the resulting Libra(+X) with Mug or Darkness.
Otherwise, you'll end up having to downgrade Gil Toss or Quake back to Mug or
Darkness, respectively.
============================================================
Section 18: More ways to prep source materia for downgrading
Here are some alternate ways to prepare your source materia for downgrading or
conversion, which do NOT require the ST-type materia to be dominant (i.e.,
higher ranked and/or higher leveled).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Source materia class: Fire, Ice, Thunder
any Fire/Ice/Thunder + any Status Magic = Status Fire/Ice/Thunder
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Source materia class: Speed Sword
any Speed Sword + any Status Magic = Status Sword Skill
any Speed Sword + any Status Sword Skill = Status Sword Skill
any Speed Sword + any Status Speed Sword = Status Sword Skill
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Source materia class: Sword Skill
any Sword Skill + any Status Magic = Status Sword Skill
any Sword Skill + any Status Sword Skill = Status Sword Skill
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 19(a): Limited Availability of Steal, Smart Consumer, and Mug
Always make sure you keep at least one spare of your lower-rank Item materia
(Steal, Smart Consumer, or Mug) in your inventory AT ALL TIMES and NEVER use
that spare for fusion or convert it into SP. Personally, I strongly recommend
keeping multiple spares of Steal and Mug around, just in case.
Why worry about this? Because in the Item class, the highest ranked materia is
Gil Toss, which has no ability to steal items. Therefore, if you're not
careful with your fusions, you can easily end up upgrading your Mug to Gil
Toss.
While this FAQ tells you exactly how to downgrade your Gil Toss back to Mug,
please note that the process requires a second Mug materia. So if you only
have one Mug materia, then deliberately or accidentally upgrade it to Gil Toss,
you've just lost the critical ability to steal items from monsters unless you
have a spare Steal or Mug materia lying around.
The main problem with the lower ranking Item-class materia (Steal, Smart
Consumer, Mug) is that they are NOT sold in shops and NOT dropped by monsters.
They are one-time rewards obtained during the storyline or from specific
missions - six in total.
These materia can be stolen from various monsters, but that requires that you
have a Steal or Mug already in your possession... which is a big problem if you
don't have Steal, Mug, or Smart Consumer (which is upgradable to Mug) in the
first place.
If you have already obtained these materia, then lose them (via fusion or
conversion to SP), there's no way to get another Steal or Mug until you have
access to the appropriate mission or storyline. If you've already done all the
missions where these materia are available, you're basically stuck until you
get to the last dungeon in the storyline. And if you've gotten and lost all
six lower-rank Item materia, you're completely out of luck until you play New
Game+ and get to your first meeting/date with Aeris.
So keep spares of your lower-rank Item materia and steal more whenever
possible.
(Credit to Piccolo113 for pointing out the limited availability of Steal)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Section 19(b): Building stat bonuses on Drain Sword materia
The fusion product ranks for Drain Sword materia have quirks which can make the
normally straightfoward process of stat building rather tricky.
Normally, when you fuse a materia with an unmastered Libra, you end up with the
same materia. However, with Drain Sword materia, when you fuse with Libra, you
almost NEVER end with the same materia (except Aerial Drain).
() Drain Blade(rank 2) + Libra = Osmose Blade(rank 3)
() Osmose Blade(rank 3) + Libra = Drain Blade(rank 2)
() Power Drain(rank 5) + Libra = Power Osmose(rank 6)
() Power Osmose(rank 6) + Libra = Power Drain(rank 5)
Therefore, in order to build up stat bonuses on Drain Sword materia, you will
often need to do additional fusions (typically with Libra) in order to obtain
the materia you want.
Example: building stat bonus on Power Osmose(rank 6)
(a) Power Osmose + Libra(+X) = Power Drain(+X)
(b) Power Drain(+X) + Libra = Power Osmose(+X)
- Ckenni - for developing an alternate method of downgrading materia and
transferring stat bonuses using Defense-type materia.
- Piccolo113 - for alerting me about issues about Steal's availability
- Kouli - for his excellent FAQ.
- nunuu - for her helpful Materia FAQ.
- Absolute Steve - for his comprehensive FAQ for Crisis Core
- BradyGames - for their helpful materia fusion guide and charts
- Square Enix - for developing and publishing Crisis Core
- GAMEFAQS - for hosting this FAQ.
============================================================
Section 22: Version History
Version 0.9 (April-04-2008) - rough draft
Version 1.0 (April-07-2008) - completed
Version 1.1 (April-12-2008)
-- reorganized the FAQ
-- added more information on how to calculate stat bonuses
-- added more information about exploiting Status Defense fusion ranks
-- added more information about double downgrades and using Dispel
-- added more information about transferring stats from mission rewards
-- miscellaneous corrections
Version 1.2 (April-16-2008)
-- added more info on downgrading Smart Consumer
-- corrected several typos in the Drain-effect materia section
-- added more examples regarding ATK-related materia
-- minor editorial changes for clarity
-- added more examples throughout the guide
Version 1.3 (May-23-2008)
-- change several materia names from the Japanese to the US version
-- corrected several typos through the guide
-- added a new section re-emphasizing the special characteristics and problems
with Dash, Dual Cast, Full Cure, and DMW materia
============================================================
Section 23: Contact Info
If you have any comments, suggestions, or corrections, email me at:
ladytanaka (at) aol (dot) com.
Make sure that you include the subject "Crisis Core Materia Guide".
============================================================
Section 24: Disclaimer / Legal Information
This guide is for informational purposes only. This may be not be reproduced
under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed
on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public
display is strictly prohibited.
This guide in no way or form has any affiliation with Square Enix.
Please do not ask me about posting this game script on your own site. The
finished game script will be posted only on GameFAQs. If you see this guide on
any other website, please contact me about it. Thank you.
