The freeflow combat introduced with the FF VII Remake has been further improved to make it more flexible and allow for better character synergies. You have a lot of mechanics to master here. So, let’s look at some essential combat tips you should follow while playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
FF VII Rebirth introduces many new playable characters, each with a unique fighting style, strengths, and weaknesses. We’ll talk about a few fundamental mechanics you should follow while fighting baddies in this game to help you get a grip on the combat.
Party Setups
Before diving into the actual combat tips for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, let’s prepare for the fight by adjusting our party setups and looking at other important mechanics.
Since Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has many new characters and the game offers a semi-open world setting with much exploration needed, you can make 3 different character parties.
Each party can have 3 characters, and you can customize shortcut keys for each party member to reduce the menu surfing mid-combat. You are supposed to make teams that excel at different types of combat.
You can quickly swap between parties by pressing X on the controller to open the command menu and then pressing L1/R1.
A team with Aerith and Barret will excel at spell-based and ranged combat. A team having Yuffie and Tifa will be better off fighting close-quarter encounters that don’t have many flying enemies. Experiment with different team builds and see what suits you.
Manage Materia and Weapons
Next, you need to ensure that you have equipped the right weapons and materia for each character (based on the kind of build you are aiming for). Go into the Materia and Equipment screen to make these adjustments.
If you are making a defensive Aerith build, for example, then you need to make sure that all of her materia is focused on assessing enemies and supporting the team with heals and buffs. Having the right equipment will make a lot of difference even when you are not actively playing as that party member.
Dont Buy Weapons
Yeah, you read that right. Dont buy weapons in FF VII Rebirth. Every weapon can be found inside a crate out in the open world. If you are a keen explorer, you’ll find everything before you reach the end of each chapter.
If you miss out on any weapon, it’ll automatically be added to the weapon vendor’s inventory. Then you can buy it from them. But the point is….why waste money when you can get the same weapon and accessory for free?
This is another great incentive for players to explore the beautiful regions of FF VII Rebirth and open up every single chest they lay their eyes on. Save your money for other stuff and any accessories you might have missed out on.
Use Assess Materia
Using the Assess materia allows you to find out about the enemy’s weaknesses and resistances. This is an excellent way of knowing which spells and abilities will work best against said enemy. You should have the Assess materia equipped in every team you make.
The best practice is to use Assess as soon as the encounter starts to gauge the enemy and then fight accordingly. It’ll save you a lot of time and make difficult fights a heck of a lot easier.
Stagger and Pressure
Stagger and pressure are still two of the most important combat mechanics you need to know about in FF VII Rebirth. An orange bar (under their HP bar) will start filling up whenever you attack an enemy. The enemy will get staggered once the orange bar fills up, allowing you to deal multiplied damage while the enemy is disoriented.
Pressure works in the same way. You have to constantly keep hitting an enemy with elemental attacks (use the elements that the enemy is weak against) to put them in a pressured state where they are off-balance and open to more attacks.
Certain character abilities and Synergy attacks deal more damage to staggered and pressured enemies.
Make sure you have a plan when fighting formidable foes and don’t just button mash. Use your abilities after staggering the enemy for maximum damage.
Synergy Abilities
We saw synergy abilities being introduced in the Intergrade DLC for FF VII Remake. Every character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can perform certain synergy abilities with other characters (based on who is in the party).
But you cannot use these abilities as soon as the fight starts. You’ll see a dotted blue bar in the bottom right corner of your screen. Those are your synergy ability charges. You fill these blue dots by using ATB abilities.
The Synchro Cyclone Synergy Ability, which Tifa & Cloud are using in the video clip above, requires both characters to have 4 filled dots each. This means both characters need to use their ATB abilities enough times to charge up 4 blue points before they can use that synergy attack.
Synergy abilities are best used when the enemy has been staggered so you can deal maximum damage. Some synergy abilities provide passive buffs like unlimited MP, increased Limit Break damage, etc.
Keep experimenting with different party setups to experience all the different synergy abilities and plan out different combat styles based on the enemy you are facing.
Cloud’s Ranged Slash Attack
Remember how much of a hassle it was for Cloud to fight against flying enemies in FF VII Remake? Well, we are pleased to report that Cloud’s arsenal now includes a very handy anti-air slash attack.
Use can use it whenever you want by dodging once and then pressing the attack button. This ranged attack is perfect for dealing with flying enemies that would otherwise cause a lot of problems for Cloud.
You don’t always need Barret in your team to fight against airborne enemies. Rejoice!
These were some of the most useful combat tips we gathered while playing through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Play and mess around with team synergies to develop unique fighting styles. Stick with WIG for more in-depth FF coverage and enjoy the game!
