Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a mind-bogglingly massive game. From a bevy of content to a plethora of unique systems and mechanics, there’s a lot going on in Square Enix’s action RPG, which, of course, means there might be some things in your first few hours that you might find a little difficult to fully get in the groove of. As such, as you prepare to dive into the game’s offerings, here, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks that will make the process of easing you into it a little bit smoother.
KEEP SWAPPING CHARACTERS DURING COMBAT
Let’s start with some pointers that you’re likely going to be familiar with if you’ve played FF7 Remake. More specifically, let’s start with character switching, because it cannot be overstated how crucial it is. Though you may be tempted to just stick to playing as Cloud or only swapping to a different character when a specific situation calls for it, it’s crucial to constantly keep swapping back and forth between your active party. Building up your characters’ ATB bars so they can use their unique spells and abilities is the whole point of Rebirth’s combat, and that’s something that happens significantly faster when you’re actively controlling a character- so keep swapping.
MASTER EACH CHARACTER’S UNIQUE MECHANICS
It’s impressive to see just how significantly playable characters in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth differs from each other, with each coming with their unique play styles, mechanics, strengths, and weaknesses- and as you might imagine, understanding those attributes and using them to your advantage in battle is crucial. Tifa, for instance, can dole out special, extra powerful attacks in real-time with the triangle button, but each time you use the Unbridled Strength ability (which requires an ATB charge), that special move gets powered up- though it also gets reset when you take damage. There’s Aerith, who, as the healer, can be more prone to taking damage, which means smartly using her Ward Shift ability to maintain distance from enemies and avoid being hit is key. Red XIII comes with a unique mechanic in the form of the Vengeance Gauge, which fills up every time you block an attack, and allows you to unleash special, exclusive attacks. Then there’s Barret, of course, who’s the ranged specialist and best suited to attacking, say, flying enemies, while his Overcharge ability can also be incredibly useful in applying pressure to foes. Speaking of which…
FOCUS ON PRESSURING AND STAGGERING ENEMIES
Like in Remake, combat in FF7 Rebirth’s combat is hugely reliant on pressuring and staggering foes (especially in boss battles), because that is, of course, when you can really start doing some significant damage to enemies’ health bars. And though regular attacks do contribute to that, they don’t do it too effectively. The best and fastest way to pressure and stagger enemies is to pinpoint their specific weaknesses and using attacks and abilities that target those, so keep that in mind.
KEEP ASSESS EQUIPPED AND USE IT ON ALL ENEMIES
Speaking of pinpointing weaknesses, it cannot be overstated how vital it is for you to have at least one active party member who has the Assess Materia equipped. Though you might be tempted to fully deck out your party with healing and damage-dealing Materia, Assess in particular is something you shouldn’t miss, seeing as it’s what’s used to identify what enemies are weak to, what they are resistant to, and more. Ideally, you should be using Assess on all enemies, but if that sounds like too much of a timesink, at least make sure to do it on the particularly tougher ones, from bosses to minibosses to just regular ones that may be higher level than you.
BUILDING TOWARDS SYNERGY ABILITIES
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth introduces a new combat mechanic in the form of Synergy Abilities, where two party members come together to unleash special combo attacks. They tend to be incredibly useful, especially in the tougher battles, but building towards them can be a complicated process (at least initially). Each character builds up Synergy by using ATB abilities, though only specific ones that come with special icons do that, which means you’ll have to pick and choose with abilities to use, if building up Synergy is your main objective. Additionally, building up Synergy with just one character isn’t enough- both characters need to have built up enough of it before they can unleash a combo attack together (which is, once again, it’s important to keep switching characters during combat).
USE FOLIOS TO UNLOCK ELEMENTAL ABILITIES THAT DON’T USE MP
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth overhauls its progression mechanics in a number of ways, chief among them being Folios, which are (sort of) similar to FF10’s Sphere Grid. Each character has their own Folio, and the more you raise your party level, the more unlockable skills become available. From raising your base stats to unlocking new Synergy Abilities, there’s plenty of options available here. Particularly useful, however, are special elemental ATB attacks that don’t use up any MP. These are particularly useful for targeting enemy weaknesses and building up their pressure and stagger meters, so make sure each character has at least a few of these elemental abilities unlocked.
KEEP CHECKING CHADLEY’S COMBAT SIMULATOR
Chadley returns in Fina; Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and once again, given how many systems are tied to him, he’s a character you’re going to be interacting with quite a bit. One system in particular that you definitely shouldn’t ignore is his combat simulator, which returns from FF7 Remake as well. The simulator keeps adding new challenges with some regularity, and the rewards they dole out can be quite useful, so they’re definitely worth tackling whenever you get a chance. Keep in mind, however, that how much you’re engaging with the side content (and specifically, the open world combat challenges) will determine how many of the simulator’s challenges you unlock- which, incidentally, is why it’s worth your while to keep engaging with said open world combat challenges.
SMASH ALL BOXES
An obvious one, and one that doesn’t need explaining if you’ve played FF7 Remake. Throughout Rebirth’s world, you’ll find small boxes scattered in different places, from wooden ones to metallic ones, all bearing the Shinra logo. When you spot these boxes, smash them with Cloud’s buster sword. From potions, hi-potions, and ethers to moogle medals to mako shards to restore your MP, they frequently yield handy rewards.
CHECK FOR DISCOUNTED ITEMS AT ALL ITEM VENDING MACHINES
Like its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth lets you attain items in a variety of ways, and while you can of course purchase them at regular shops, you’ll also find plenty of item vending machines throughout the world (usually during main quests and in dungeons). Each new vending machine will usually have at least one item on offer that’s being sold at a discounted price, and it’s a good idea to purchase that item as long as you have the gil for it. Even on the rare occasion that you may not have immediate need for that item, it’s best to go ahead and buy it anyway, because there’s a good chance that it comes in handy later, even if it’s for selling it back at a higher price than you purchased it for, thanks to the discount.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CUES IN THE OPEN WORLD
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth adopts an open world approach, and it stuffs that world full of a variety of side activities and optional content. You can, of course, just look at the map and follow markers, but there are also plenty of environmental, diegetic cues to look out for in the open world itself, for those who prefer more organic exploration. Chocobo chicks, for instance, will lead you to rest stops that can be repaired and unlocked as fast travel points. Glowing, blocky crystals can be smashed to release wisps that will lead you to summon crystals. Birds can lead you to lifesprings. Keep an eye out for such cues when you’re out exploring.
SEEK OUT SUMMON CRYSTALS
Those aforementioned Summon crystals are well worth keeping an eye out for. Entering each new region unlocks a combat challenge for a new Summon in Chadley’s combat simulator, and though you can take them on as soon as they do, seeking out Summon crystals and analyzing their data will allow you to take on that challenge on lower difficulties, making it easier to add that Summon to your arsenal. There are three Summon crystals in each region, and analyzing each unlocks a progressively lower difficulty option.
SEEK OUT THE CHOCOBO STABLE EACH TIME YOU ENTER A NEW REGION
As soon as you enter a new region of the world, make it a priority to seek out its chocobo stable. Until you do that, that region’s chocobo won’t become available to you, which means you’re going to have to travel on-foot, while you won’t be able to do excavation activities and quests either. Additionally, travelling between regions is also possibly only at specific points at chocobo stables.
CHECK NOTICE BOARDS IN TOWNS
Each major town and city in Rebirth’s world has a notice board, and though these are usually empty when you first enter a city, more often than not, after making progress in the main story, new side quests do become available. Some of these can actually be much easier to miss entirely unless you’re pickin them up from notice boards, so make sure to check them every once in a while.
BUILD A SOLID QUEEN’S BLOOD DECK
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is brimming with a startling variety of minigames, but Queen’s Blood, the card game that’s sort of inspired by The Witcher 3’s Gwent, is perhaps the star of the show. You’ll be collecting cards and improving your deck throughout your journey (unless, of course, you choose not to engage with the minigame, though we wouldn’t recommend that), and building the perfect deck can be quite tricky, depending on the challenge level of the opponent you’re facing. While having cards that can cover tiles on the board in a balanced manner is obviously important, it’s also crucial to keep an eye on their specific requirements for being played, how much they add to your score, and what kind of unique abilities they may or may not have that affect friendly and/or opposing cards. Of course, requirements will vary from game to game, depending on what cards your opponent is playing with, so keep swapping the cards in your deck as and when needed. You can also have multiple custom decks ready to go simultaneously, so if you really get into Queen’s Blood, it’s a good idea to have multiple decks ready. Also make sure to keep an eye on any useful new cards or booster packs that you can purchase at certain shops and vendors.
DON’T IGNORE THE ITEM TRANSMUTER
The item transmuter is another one of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s new additions, and it’s one that’s well worth investing time in. Using the resources you pick up while exploring the world, you can craft your own items and gear, which, in turns, allows you to save your money for other things. The more new items you craft, the more your item transmuter levels up, which in turn unlocks more (and better) items to craft, so our recommendation would be to keep using your transmuter whenever you can.
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