Grips do not determine the Type of the weapon they are attached to; instead, the Blades determine Type, and the Grip's value for that Type, divided by four and divided by one hundred, is multiplied by the weapon's Strength value in the Damage formula.
This is a small consideration in comparison to Class and Affinity and Damage Points and Phantom Points, even though they are also divided by four hundred and then multiplied by the weapon's Strength, since DP and PP can be much higher, and Class and Affinity can be one hundred.
Hilts[]
Grips for Dagger, Great Sword and Sword
Gem capacity and Slash and Pierce rating are considerations (See Damage for the calculations)
Power Palms cannot be obtained until Undercity East, but once there, they are in great abundance, and the extra Gem slot makes them arguably better even for the Piercing weapons. Spiral Hilts are the best, but only drop from enemies in the Second Dungeon of the Iron Maiden that is not available in the first playthrough
+ There is no such thing as a Blunt-Type Dagger, Sword, or Great Sword, so this stat on Hilts can be ignored entirely.
Grip | Blunt + | Edged | Piercing | Gems |
---|---|---|---|---|
Short Hilt | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Swept Hilt | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Cross Guard | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Counter Guard | 0 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
Knuckle Guard | 0 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
Side Ring | 10 | 12 | 10 | 2 |
Murderer's Hilt | 0 | 13 | 17 | 2 |
Power Palm | 0 | 15 | 12 | 3 |
Spiral Hilt | 20 | 20 | 20 | 3 |
Handles[]
Grips for Axes, Great Axes, Heavy Maces, Maces and Staves
Three gems and the best rating make the Elephant grip unequivocally best for Edged blades. There is only one of these grips each playthrough, in a chest near the end of the Limestone Quarry, but the Bhuj type can be farmed from a Nightstalker in the Temple of Kiltia (16/255) and has only three points less Edged.
Double the Blunt rating of the Elephant means that Grimoire Grip for a Mace or Staff can make up ten points of the fifteen point difference (or more) the third gem would make, on a second weapon or until the Limestone Quarry.
Edged sees more top notch grips with the increasable supply of Bhuj; two in chests in the First Iron Maiden, and one drop from the replacement for the Last Crusader boss in the Hall of Prayer. Many of the Deaths and Liches also drop them. Heavy Grip is good, and early.
Because Axes are equal to Maces in every other respect, they come out on top because of the extra damage from an ultimate grip that matches their damage type.
Grip | Gems | Blunt | Edged | Piercing |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wooden Grip | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Czekan Type | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
Sand Face | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
Sarissa Grip | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
Heavy Grip | 1 | 6 | 15 | 0 |
Gendarme | 2 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
Runkasyle | 2 | 17 | 7 | 0 |
Grimoire Grip | 2 | 21 | 9 | 0 |
Bhuj Type | 3 | 8 | 19 | 0 |
Elephant | 3 | 11 | 22 | 0 |
Poles[]
Grips for Polearms
With the maximum gem capacity of three and only one less Blunt damage, Spiral Pole is the best Pole, and is available relatively early, from a chest in Companions in Arms in the Limestone Quarry. The bad news is that is the only place in each playthrough to get one.
Framea can be obtained as early as Undercity West
Grip | Blunt | Edged | Piercing | Gems |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wooden Pole | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Winged Pole | 2 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
Spiculum Pole | 2 | 12 | 4 | 1 |
Ahlspies | 10 | 14 | 12 | 1 |
Framea Pole | 16 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
Spiral Pole | 15 | 6 | 21 | 3 |
Stocks[]
Grips for Crossbows.
The low maximum gem capacity of one is a major drawback of Crossbows in the late game.
Stone Bullet is best for Blunt damage crossbows; Sonic Bullet for Piercing
Grip | Blunt | Edged | Piercing | Gems |
---|---|---|---|---|
Simple Bolt | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Steel Bolt | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
Javelin Bolt | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Falarica Bolt | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
Stone Bullet | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Sonic Bullet | 5 | 0 | 25 | 1 |