Psychic's Charm + Chocobo Armband
Two accessories that quietly carry Aerith for the entire mid- and late-game. Both are missable; both are short detours.
Psychic's Charm — best caster accessory (Junon)
Gives bonus MP, bonus Magic, and Silence immunity — i.e., your spellcaster never gets locked out by an enemy debuff. Get this early and Aerith never feels weak again.
How to craft it
- Complete enough World Intel in Junon to unlock the classified Intel boss fight — the Mind Flare.
- Beat the Mind Flare to drop Mind Flare's Crown.
- Excavation site recipe in Junon contains the Psychic's Charm transmuter recipe.
- Craft at any Transmuter with the Crown + region materials.
How to actually beat the Mind Flare
- Highly resistant to all attacks and magic.
- Pressure trigger: Synergy abilities. Build the Synergy gauge by spending ATB on abilities/spells, then unleash a Synergy Ability. He pressures, then you stagger.
- Stagger ramp: Cloud's Focus Thrust during pressure builds the stagger bar fast.
- Use a summon once available — solid percentage of HP gone.
Chocobo Armband — triple AP for materia farming (Mt Nibel)
Only 2 materia slots, but materia in those slots earn 3× AP. Levels rare materia in a third of the time.
How to get it
- Mt Nibel side quest: Esoteric Secrets of the Elders.
- Capture the Mt Nibel Chocobo — lure it past the growing cactuses blocking its path.
- Collect 30 (or 45) Choco Grass while riding — most float above water.
- At 45 you can also trade for a Galah Horn weapon for Cait Sith.
- Beat the Chocobo Sage in a 1v1 race. Use the Blue Chocobo for its bubble power. Practice the map; drift on long arcs.
- Reward: Chocobo Armband.
Pairing
- Slot the Chocobo Armband on whoever you're farming materia on (usually Aerith for spellcaster materia).
- Slot the Psychic's Charm on Aerith always for permanent Silence immunity + magic boost.
If stuck: if the Chocobo Sage keeps beating you, you're using the wrong Chocobo. The Blue Chocobo's bubble is the only viable option for that course.