The Wind Shard is a material in Final Fantasy 16 that players will receive upon dispatching Garuda during the Awakening main quest. While this item's description does confirm that it is used in crafting, it does not indicate exactly what can be made with it. This may lead some players to wonder about the uses for Final Fantasy 16's Wind Shard, and this guide is here to shine some light on this matter.
Final Fantasy 16: Wind Shard Uses
Quite simply, players can use the Wind Shard that they receive from Garuda to craft Stormcry, a Final Fantasy 16 weapon with 135 attack and 135 stagger. To perform this crafting, fans must simply visit Blackthorne, the blacksmith in Cid's Hideaway, and navigate to his "Craftable Items" tab. Notably, the Wind Shard is the only material that is used in the creation of the Stormcry, making the weapon very easy to obtain.
While the Stormcry is quite powerful straight out of the box, players will undoubtedly want to upgrade it at some point during their adventures. Fortunately, it is possible to improve this weapon, though that is not done by way of reinforcement as it is with many other swords. Instead, Stormcry serves as the beginning of a chain through which players will continually transform the sword into a new and improved version. The first of those transformations sees Stormcry turn into Flametongue, and it can be performed after the Meaning of Life main story quest in Final Fantasy 16 is complete.
To note, replaying the battle with Garuda through Final Fantasy 16's Arete Stone will not award additional Wind Shards. This means that it is not actually possible to have access to every weapon in the game simultaneously, as Stormcry and its transformation will continually be replaced. While this fact should not create any gameplay-related issues, fans that were hoping to have a full collection of swords in their inventories upon reaching the end of the game may find it somewhat disappointing.
For those fans that are unhappy about having to eventually give up the Stormcry, there may be some solace in the fact that there are many better weapons in the game. For example, the Gotterdammerung provides 375 attack and 375 stagger, more than 200 points beyond what is granted by Stormcry. Additionally, playes will receive a Final Fantasy 16 trophy for crafting that sword, which makes pursuing it even more appealing.
Final Fantasy 16 is available for the PS5.
