History Main / PenUltimateWeapon

* In ''SkiesOfArcadia'', the Vorlik Blade is the InfinityPlusOneSword. In the the expanded Gamecube rerelease Legends, however, it plays PenultimateWeapon to a secret sword that can only be claimed through OneHundredPercentCompletion.

So you just found out that TheDragon is [[LukeIAmYourFather the hero's father]] and got the Final Ultimate Maximum Infinity Sword, now you just got to TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and...wait, what? Why is this random sword you found better than the supposed "ultimate weapon"?

* Strangely, the ''KingdomOfLoathing'' has ''two''. At about level five, you get to smith your class's "Epic Weapon", which has a high power and gives a large stat boost. Soon after that, you get to turn it into the "Legendary Epic Weapon", which has even ''more'' power and a larger stat boost. However, both eventually end up getting outclassed by weapons acquired later on.
** For some classes, however, having an Epic weapon doubles the duration of the buffs they cast, and the Legendary Epic Weapon triples them, so they remain quite valuable.
** Not to mention that the developers have yet to unveil every part of the Nemesis quest, the first two parts of which involve smithing the aforementioned weapons, and the third part of which drops a NiceHat for your current class. Speculation is that the next part of the quest (yet to be implemented) will reward you with a pair of pants comparable to the hat, but who knows? The next part (or ones after it, if applicable) could include yet more upgrades to your Epic Weapon.
*** And indeed, the recent unveiling of the final part of the Nemesis Quest has your Legendary Epic Wepon upgrade to your Ultimate Legendary Epic Weapon when fighting your nemesis's OneWingedAngel form. The [=ULEW=] all have the highest possible weapon power (coupled with a lower-than-normal requirement to equip), large stat boosts, all the benefits of the older forms and give access to a special combat move when equipped - and for buffing classes, the buff duration is quadrupled.

** Ironically, in the rerelease, he gets screwed by the ''lack'' of this. Everyone gets a great upgrade to their weapon, making their last weapons obsolete. Frog gets a weapon that is slightly worse than the Masamune. Worse, since the Masamune is a plot item, you lose it {and the upgrade} every new game, though you ''do'' get to keep the new item from the BonusDungeon, which is probably the point of it. He does get the Champion Badge {an improved Hero's Badge}, which needs to be used with... the Masamune. It also halves all his MP costs.

Quite frequently overlaps with SwordOfPlotAdvancement. May be replaced by an InfinityMinusOneSword.

** Also in ''OcarinaOfTime'' the Master Sword is overpassed in range and damage produced by the Bigoron Sword, with the later picked in an optional quest and having the only disadvantage of needing to be wielded with the two hands making impossible to use the shield. Still the weapon used to finish the BigBad is the Master Sword.

** Specifically, in ''[[ALinkToThePast Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past]]''. The Master Sword can be upgraded ''twice'', making the original Master Sword your Infinity Minus Two Sword.
** Funny, considering there are only 4 swords in that game. Infinity Minus Three would be your starting weapon.

[[AC:MMORPGs]]

** Not only do new equipment could come out, new, more dependable methods of improving existing equipment have come out often over time. Any weapon considered good before new items used to enhance equipment, would be less good because it becomes easier (though more risky and costly) to make something better then before.

* Happens a lot in Maplestory. Considering the max level being lv 200 and the highest level equipment available overseas in the Korean version being 140, there will always be much room for game designers to add better, and stronger equipment in the future.

* The Apocalypse in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is one of Cloud's best weapons, is hidden in a late-game optional area and is very powerful, but the Ultima Weapon you win from the BonusBoss is superior.
** It gets worse - getting to that optional area requires you either breed a Golden Chocobo or kill the same BonusBoss that gives you Ultima Weapon. So it's very likely you'll outclass the Apocalypse ''in the process of getting to it''.

* The Apocalypse in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is one of Cloud's best weapons, is hidden in a late-game optional area and is very power, but the Ultima Weapon you win from the BonusBoss is superior.

* In ''TheLegendOfZelda'' titles, the Master Sword is frequently outclassed by other weapons and or improved versions of itself.

* The Excalibur from ''FinalFantasyI'' is second in power to the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Masamune]], which is found in the final dungeon.

-->'''''The Ultimate Rule:''' Anything called "Ultima (whatever)" or "Ultimate (whatever)" isn't. There's always at least one thing somewhere in the world which is even more.''
-->-Rule #191 of TheGrandListOfConsoleRolePlayingGameCliches

* In ''[[FinalFantasy Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls]]'' for the Game Boy Advance, you obtain the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ragnarok]] after defeating [[BonusBoss Shinyru]] on the 20th level of Lifespring Grotto. However, after you complete all 40 levels of [[BonusDungeon Whisperwind Cove]] and kill the weaker Death Gaze and obtain the less powerful Lightbringer, you can find a treasure chest that contains the [[FinalFantasyVI Ultima weapon]], a sword that can be equipped by any class and like the ''FinalFantasyVI'' sword it was named after, does damage based on the wielder's HP, making it twice as strong as the Ragnarok.

** However, the Ultima Weapon in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is really Cloud's strongest sword, [[SituationalSword so long as he has high HP]]. Not to be confused with the monster of the same name who is actually not even one of the toughest bosses.
*** Reversed with the final reward for the BonusDungeon: You need at least a black chocobo to enter the Ancient Forest early and get the Apocalypse sword, which has triple materia growth. The trouble involved with breeding chocobos however means that most players won't be seeing this dungeon until you kill Ultima Weapon...and are awarded with the InfinityPlusOneSword for doing so.

* The Excalibur from ''FinalFantasyI'' is second in power to the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Masamune]], which is found in the final dungeon.
* The Twelve Sealed Weapons from ''FinalFantasyV''. Even though four of them are the most powerful weapons of their respective types, they end up being inferior to those gained elsewhere.

* In ''FinalFantasyIV'', the [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Legend Sword]] that Cecil gets upon his {{Heel Face Turn}} is quickly outclassed, but can be upgraded to the much better Excalibur near the endgame, once you get Adamant. Excalibur still turns out to be the PenultimateWeapon, though, as following a "secret" path in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon leads you to the ''vastly'' better [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ragnarok]].
** And in the DS UpdatedRerelease, even Ragnarok is one-upped by the Onion Sword which you can get in exchange for a rare item an enemy RandomlyDrops.
** And in the GBA UpdatedRerelease it's instead one-upped by the Lightbringer found in the epilogue.

'''Examples:'''

* In [[FinalFantasy Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls]] for the Game Boy Advance, you obtain the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ragnarok]] after defeating [[BonusBoss Shinyru]] on the 20th level of Lifespring Grotto. However, after you complete all 40 levels of [[BonusDungeon Whisperwind Cove]] and kill the weaker Death Gaze and obtain the less powerful Lightbringer, you can find a treasure chest that contains the [[FinalFantasyVI Ultima weapon]], a sword that can be equipped by any class and like the FinalFantasyVI sword it was named after, does damage based on the wielder's HP, making it twice as strong as the Ragnarok.
** The 20th Anniversary Edition tops this with the Barbarian Sword, which has 134 attack, where the Ultima Weapon could only go up to 100.
* While you spend at least one-third of ''FinalFantasyII'' chasing after the Ultima spell, it really isn't that great if the player doesn't max out every spell, weapon level and stat; otherwise a Flare or Holy spell does more damage.
** However, the Ultima Weapon in ''FinalFantasyVII'' is really Cloud's strongest sword, [[SituationalSword so long as he has high HP]]. Not to be confused with the monster of the same name who is actually not even one of the toughest bosses.
*** Reversed with the final reward for the BonusDungeon: You need at least a black chocobo to enter the Ancient Forest early and get the Apocalypse sword, which has triple materia growth. The trouble involved with breeding chocobos however means that most players won't be seeing this dungeon until you kill Ultima Weapon...and are awarded with the InfinityPlusOneSword for doing so.
* The Eternal Blade in ''TalesOfPhantasia'' is outclassed by some BonusDungeon weapons. It doesn't stop other [[TalesSeries Tales games]] from using it as a proper Infinity Plus One Sword. ''TalesOfEternia'' reverses this, as it's the Excalibur that serves as the PenultimateWeapon to the Eternal Blade.
** Likewise, Lloyd's Material Blade in ''TalesOfSymphonia'' is outclassed quickly by the Ninja Sword found in the last dungeon (to add insult to to injury, the FinalBoss is also weak to it) and two sidequest rewards (the Valkyrie Saber and the Kusanagi). Lloyd's Devil Arm should [[InfinityPlusOneSword outclass all of them]] unless you have been running from most of the fights.
*** Even sadder, the [[JokeWeapon paper fans]] you can buy in Luin are at least as good as, if not better than, the Material Blade.
*** Funnily enough, the scene where Lloyd gets the Material Blade is accompanied by this quote: "I doubt you have a blade in your possession that can match it." Guess what? You can get one of these sword sets before that point.
**** Well, now, let's be fair to poor [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dirk]]. Lloyd [[DualWielding uses two swords at once]]. Dirk is almost certainly referring to how Lloyd doesn't have a sword that ''matches'' the one he's just received from Kratos, thus why he proceeds to give him another one that becomes the other half of the set.
**** The Material Blades also allow you to use the LimitBreak, as they are the two component swords of the Eternal Sword. And they [[RuleOfCool just look cool.]]
** In ''Eternia'', the Eternal Sword might also still count depending on when you get it. As it was only the ultimate weapon in terms of sheer power, sacrificing other stats for it. Not to mention its Time element weakens it against certain enemies. The game had a few other weapons like it too. The true InfinityPlusOneSword was the Last Fencer. While not as strong in terms of sheer strength, it had no element, and the advantage of raising all stats at once. It also may or may not be named after one of titles Cless gets in Tales Of Phantasia. So um... TakeThat?
* Although the Dragon Sword is implied to be the InfinityPlusOneSword of the first ''BreathOfFire'', it is outclassed by not only the Trirang and the Emperor's Sword, but one weapon you can ''buy'' from a store, the Flame Sword.
* [[TheElderScrollsThreeMorrowind The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]: While Chrysamere is hailed as the best long sword in the game and is a true {{BFS}}, it is slightly inferior to the [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Hammer Of Plot Advancement]] Sunder, which at no point is described as anything but a tool to achieve the final task (it ''is'' a hammer). According to the GuideDangIt, the InfinityPlusOneSword are supposed to be Goldbrand and Eltonbrand, but those are StatisticallySpeaking even worse than Chrysamere. The true InfinityPlusOneSword is [[spoiler:a custom enchanted Daedric Battleaxe, using [[AGodAmI Vivec's]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu soul]].]]
** Or [[spoiler:Almalexia's, if you have Tribunal.]]

** Specifically, in ''Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past''. The Master Sword can be upgraded ''twice'', making the original Master Sword your Infinity Minus Two Sword.

** It also happens in a linked Oracles game, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess.
* The Ultimate Bat in ''{{Earthbound}}'' is an Infinity Minus Four Weapon; there are actually four more bats in the game with greater offensive power, three of which are discovered in the course of normal gameplay. The Legendary Bat is quite strong, but the super-rare Gutsy Bat is the true InfinityPlusOneSword.
* The Excalibur from ''FinalFantasyI'' is second in power to the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Masamune]], which is found in the final dungeon.
* The Twelve Sealed Weapons from ''FinalFantasyV''. Even though four of them are the most powerful weapons of their respective types, they end up being inferior to those gained elsewhere.
* Albel Nox's Crimson Scourge from ''[=~Star Ocean: Till the End of Time~=].''
** At least you can upgrade it to your liking.
*** In Star Ocean 2, Claude's Penultimate weapon is the Eternal Sphere, which stuns enemies with each blow. It's very much out-classed by the Levantine found in the final dungeon, with nearly twice the attack power.
* Alucard's Sword in ''{{Castlevania}}: Symphony of the Night''. When you get it back, you may or may not have found a better sword (or a certain rod and shield combination). The ''real'' ultimate weapon is the [[RandomlyDrops rarely-dropped]] Crissaegrim, which has lower attack power than the Alucard Sword but does more damage per swing anyway due to DeathOfAThousandCuts.
** It's subverted in ''Portrait Of Ruin'' where the Vampire Killer is hyped up to be a powerful (if not the most powerful) weapon the hero could have...but he has it already, and due to a seal on its power, it's the weakest weapon in the game. Only by beating a BonusBoss do you unlock its true power, and due to the fact that most enemies in the game are weak to both holy and whip-type damage, it really does outpower and outrange damn near every weapon you can get.
* In ''FinalFantasyIV'', the [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Legend Sword]] that Cecil gets upon his {{Heel Face Turn}} is quickly outclassed, but can be upgraded to the much better Excalibur near the endgame, once you get Adamant. Excalibur still turns out to be the PenultimateWeapon, though, as following a "secret" path in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon leads you to the ''vastly'' better [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ragnarok]].
** And in the DS UpdatedRerelease, even Ragnarok is one-upped by the Onion Sword which you can get in exchange for a rare item an enemy RandomlyDrops.
** And in the GBA UpdatedRerelease it's instead one-upped by the Lightbringer found in the epilogue.

*** I see your Vauxhall and raise you the Fiat Punto and Cobalt SS, which are tied for 3rd fastest cars in the game after the Carrera GT and Lotus Elise given full junkman parts. That Cobalt just ''keeps'' accelerating.
** Thats honestly one of the coolest parts of the game, the fact that you can take a Golf GTI and make it faster then the police spawning engine at level 5 is sweet

* ''{{Sword of Vermillion}}'' is a repeated offender. The titular sword is not the strongest sword in the game, there is a stronger blade in an obscure dungeon. It's not even a {{Sword of Plot Advancement}}, getting it is optional and it can be missed. (Especially by {{Save Scumming}}, as getting it requires you let something bad happen to your character.) Also, the game features two items called Ultimate Sword and Ultimate Armor. Neither of them is. And the Dragon Shield, which is heralded as very powerful and requires a little backtracking to get, pales in comparison to a shield you can simply buy in the very next town.
* In ''ChronoTrigger'' Masamune doesn't remain Frog's best weapon for long. (But much later, its upgraded version does.)
** Ironically, in the rerelease, he gets screwed by the ''lack'' of this. Everyone gets a great upgrade to their weapon, making their last weapons obsolete. Frog gets a weapon that is slightly worse than the Masamune. Worse, since the Masamune is a plot item, you lose it {and the upgrade} every new game, though you ''do'' get to keep the new item from the BonusDungeon, which is probably the point of it. He does get the Champion Badge {an improved Hero's Badge}, which needs to be used with... the Masamune. It also halves all his MP costs.
* In ''SkiesOfArcadia'', the Vorlik Blade is the InfinityPlusOneSword. In the the expanded Gamecube rerelease Legends, however, it plays PenultimateWeapon to a secret sword that can only be claimed through OneHundredPercentCompletion.
** Which is all but worthless except as a BraggingRightsReward, because the Vorlik can hit the damage cap anyways.

* The original ''{{Ys}}'' plays this absolutely and irredeemably straight, forcing you to collect the legendary silver (!) equipment before you enter the final dungeon, then giving you better equipment of each type if you search the right treasure chests in that dungeon. Ultimately, the stuff isn't even necessary for beating the final boss, apart from the previous ButThouMust.
** In fact, in many of the games, the final boss can only be damaged with the penultimate sword.
* In the ''SoulCalibur'' games, characters who get Soul Edge, supposedly the most awesome sword ever (except to people who know about the Soul Calibur), have a Legendary weapon that trumps Soul Edge.
** This varies, however, depending on the particular stats and effects of each characters particular Soul Edge and Legendary Weapon.

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** Alucard's Sword is still better than every sword in the game save the Crissaegrim though; there's a massive amount of speed per slash. And the Crissaegrim? A rare drop from an otherwise annoying enemy.

* In [[FinalFantasy Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls]] for the Game Boy Advance, you obtain the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ragnarok]] after defeating [[BonusBoss Shinyru]] on the 20th level of Lifespring Grotto. However, after you complete all 40 levels of [[BonusDungeon Whisperwind Cove]] and kill the weaker Death Gaze and obtain the less powerful Lightbringer, you can find a treasure chest that contains the [[FinalFantasyVII Ultima weapon]], a sword that can be equipped by any class and like the FinalFantasyVII sword it was named after, does damage based on the wielder's HP, making it twice as strong as the Ragnarok.

*** And indeed, the recent unveiling of the final part of the Nemesis Quest has your Legendary Epic Wepon upgrade to your Ultimate Legendary Epic Weapon when fighting your nemesis's OneWingelAngel form. The [=ULEW=] all have the highest possible weapon power (coupled with a lower-than-normal requirement to equip), large stat boosts, all the benefits of the older forms and give access to a special combat move when equipped - and for buffing classes, the buff duration is quadrupled.

* Although the Dragon Sword is implied to be the InfinityPlusOneSword of the first ''BreathOfFire'', it is outclassed by not only the Trirang and the Emperor's Sword, but one weapon you can ''buy'' from a store.
** Though to be fair, the Emperor's Sword is next-to-useless, since you find it ''literally'' right before you fight the final boss.
** The Flame Sword, despite having an unimpressive name, is stronger than the Dragon Sword too. The Emperor Sword is more useful for your other characters to invoke as an item, making the Flame Sword something of an {{Infinity Minus One Sword}}.

** Really ''any'' gear from previous content. Within the same expansions the best gear from one raid tier (with some exceptions) lies between the low and medium grades of the next tier. When new expansions come out, the very best and hard to get stuff from previous one is eclipsed by lowly quest rewards before long.

** Really ''any'' gear from previous content. Within the same expansions the best gear from one raid tier (with some exceptions) lies between the low and medium grades of the next tier. When new expansions come out, the very best and hard to get stuff from previous one is very soon eclipsed by lowly quest rewards.

The reality is, just because everybody you've ever met hailed your shiny weapon as the mightiest in all the world doesn't always mean that they're ''right''. And don't get too attached to that new sword you found - expect to find [[InfinityPlusOneSword a weapon that outclasses]] ''that'' in, or for clearing, the BonusDungeon.