WEAPONS

[thelynchpin]

Ok, I get the impression the Weapons were created by the planet, in order to protect itself.

So WHY is it, that, on Disc 3, do Emerald and Ruby Weapon, easily the 2 hardest creatures in the whole game, sit there and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING apart from put up a half-decent fight if attacked?! Why aren't they attacking Sephiroth, or say, attacking Midgar which is sucking up so much Mako?

In fact, only one Weapon does anything like that. Diamond attacks Midgar, and, in particular, the Shinra HQ, which is of course the main benefactor in draining the Mako. Even then though, it seems as though Diamond protects Sephiroth.

And the only thing Ultimate does is to attack Mideel, the least disruptive human settlement on the planet.

I just find the behaviour of the Weapons realy strange. Anyone able to suggest reasons for what they do? Please?

[FinalCloud]

well i would say that there just there to fight, thats my opinion

[Rude]

Don't forget Sapphire who attacks Junon and gets demolished by the original Sister Ray.

[Raistlin]

Well, I've always thought about it like this:

The Planet created the WEAPONs to be used in a crisis, however, the WEAPONs themselves have minds of their own, and aren't too bright. So, when summoned, they just kind of blunder around, and, unless the threat to the Planet pops up and kicks them in the arse, do little. I guess that the Planet would rather the WEAPONs kill all life than succumb to whatever threat is present. Diamond seemed to have a little more sense and attacked Midgar. Who knows why. Meh
As for Ultimate WEAPON, now that I think about it, isn't Ultimate sort of small? The others are huge, but Ultimate isn't really that big comparitively. Maybe he's younger, and attacked Mideel completely randomly. Maybe it's actually just one of those unexplained quirks in the game, and discussion about this subject is nigh useless.

Anyways, why make them so obviously...well, stupid? *shrugs* Maybe if they were too intelligent they could ban together and take over the world. I dunno. Ask the Planet.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Like Raistlin said, the purpose and instinct of the Weapons, once unleashed, is to kill of prettymuch everything on the Planet in order to give it a chance to start over again. So, just because there were no scenes specifically devoted to showing Ultimate attacking anything besides Mideel, you can rest assured that it was keeping itself occupied tearing up the countryside and such. Sapphire and Diamond just had more sense to go after targets especially dangerous to the Planet's welfare.

Ruby and Emerald just flounder around because they were only added to the game so that it could have some mega-tough optional bosses. They were never meant to be thought of specifically in regards to the plot. But, if you really wanted to do that, you could easily reason that they're just even more senseless than Ultimate.

[Raistlin]

And Ultimate did attack other places(sort of). In disc 3, if you decide to fight him, he goes over towns and such and seems to begin to cast some sort of beam. I dunno.

[PhoenixAsh]

I'm guessing Ultima is 'small' because it's a flying monster. Diamond isn't that bright, he does actually just walk towards Midgar then stop. Ultima just hangs around a lake till you attack it.
I don't think the planet would just make giant killing machines, without deciding what they were gonna do. I agree there's something up.
Oh and where does it name Sapphire?

[Raistlin]

Diamond stops? I've always been waiting for him by the shore, so I don't know what he does if you're not there. Anyways, you're supposed to fight him. He's going to attack Midgar. :P

Also, it doesn't name Sapphire. It was a name suggested for the "un-named" WEAPON when the game first came out, and it just kind of stuck.

I think the Planet actually did just make giant killing machines, so it wouldn't lose to a crisis.
What's so bad about that anyways? People have suggested that Holy wiped out the human race. I find that much more appalling than creating "giant killing machines."

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

The game does name Sapphire, but it doesn't name it Sapphire. Its real name is WEAPON, and it's the only individual monster whose name is supposed to be spelled in all-capitals like that. If you use Sense on the other Weapons when you fight them, you can see that they're called "-------- Weapon," not "-------- WEAPON." The official strategy guide incorrectly wrote all their names the all-capitals way, though, which I suppose is where the confusion started.

I still call'im Sapphire Weapon, tho'. 'Tis merely an aesthetic preference.

Originally posted by Phoenix 17
Diamond isn't that bright, he does actually just walk towards Midgar then stop.

He has to stop, or you might miss the fight.

Ultima just hangs around a lake till you attack it.

Again, game mechanics.

I don't think the planet would just make giant killing machines, without deciding what they were gonna do.

As has already been said, the Planet did decide what to have them do: tear up absolutely everything to make way for a fresh start.

[PhoenixAsh]

They're trying to stop a crisis? Yet they neither head towards Meteor's target, nor Sephiroth. They give the birds, fish and sand worms a good kicking though...

[Raistlin]

Until Disc 3, Sephiroth had a barrier around the Crater which kept everything out. It's not until right before the fight with Diamond that it's taken out. So, after that, only Ultimate, Ruby, and Emmy are alive. All three of them are included, as Kishi said, for game mechanics: they all give valuable items. Diamond and Sapphire are the only ones that aren't, and both of them attacked Shinra's main bases. As I said before, more power to them. heh

The crisis that summoned the Weapons was not Sephiroth, nor Jenova. Both of them were on the Planet for years beforehand. It was Meteor. How, exactly, would you reccomend going to attack a meteor?
Also, I don't think the Weapons are intelligent enough to know a strategy, so they wouldn't have known about Holy and such.

[PhoenixAsh]

Sephiroth was the one summoning meteor. I think he'd be a good target.
The planet has been hit before by meteor, it knows what it's like.
Are you suggesting the planet just created them, then when meteor turns up, "Go! Charge! Attack! Oh... right, I didn't give you the ability to do what your designed for... Tell ya what, go attack them people over there and hope noone noticed....."

[Raistlin]

"Sephiroth was the one summoning meteor. I think he'd be a good target."

Kishi and I have stated numerous times that the Weapons were not intelligent. They wouldn't be able to make any connection.

"The planet has been hit before by meteor, it knows what it's like."

When? Unless you mean the pictures in the Temple of the Ancients. But, if so, where's the big-ass Crater it'd leave, even if Life started over?

"Are you suggesting the planet just created them, then when meteor turns up, "Go! Charge! Attack! Oh... right, I didn't give you the ability to do what your designed for... Tell ya what, go attack them people over there and hope noone noticed.....""

No, they have ability. They are awesome killing machines, capable of destroying almost anything. They are random killing machines. When the Weapons are unleashed, there's three possibilities:

1. The Weapons fail. The crisis wins, and the Planet is destroyed. Worst possibility.
2. The Weapons destroy the crisis right off the bat, and then go back to sleep. Best possibility.
3. The Weapons destroy the crisis, but in the process kill off most/all life. Life starts over. This is somewhere in the middle.

The Planet is just preferring #3 over the crisis winning.

[PhoenixAsh]

"When? Unless you mean the pictures in the Temple of the Ancients. But, if so, where's the big-ass Crater it'd leave, even if Life started over?"

Umm how bout the Northern Crater?

"Kishi and I have stated numerous times that the Weapons were not intelligent. They wouldn't be able to make any connection. "

They wouldn't have to, although I don't believe the planet would design them to be stupid, it could at least direct them.

"No, they have ability. They are awesome killing machines, capable of destroying almost anything. "

They don't have the ability, they don't even try and stop the crisis. I mean seriously, the planet designed these things to take out the crisis, and random or not you'd think it would send them vaguely towards Jenova or Meteor.

[DelightfulSpekkio442]

I thought the Northern Crater came from Jenova...

~MJE~