I thought Haer'Dalis' swords were pretty cool..there's a noticible difference in an opponent once he's stolen some dex from them.
And in some of the NPC's cases, they *haven't* been adventuring. Nalia's a rich-girl wannabe, Aerie's been in a circus, etc.
It does kind of stink a little, but really, it's EASY to re-equip all the party members as you go out questing. Gold is earned for spending, after all.
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Playing the cutest li'l Chaotic characters since 1996.