Square Enix is back with the remake of the classic Final Fantasy VII that is sure to make you nostalgic. Players all around the world are excited to join Cloud Strife’s journey all over again, but this time with massively upgraded graphics which render in real-time and realistic characters. Another big change is that the combat will also be in real-time with RPG and hack and slash elements instead of being turn-based like it is in the original. In this Final Fantasy VII Remake Beginner’s guide, you will know tips and tricks that will be very useful when you start playing the game. Let’s begin!
A Beginner’s Guide to Final Fantasy 7 Remake
How to Save Progress Manually
By default, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will save your game automatically. If you’d like to save the game manually, here’s a guide on how to save your progress.
How to Change Difficulty Settings
Final Fantasy 7 has three different difficulty modes which will change your experience of the game as per your requirements. Check out more details about modes and how to change difficulty settings in FF7 Remake.
Focus on the ATB
The ATB (Active Time battle) gauge is a light blue bar which is found at the lower right area of the screen, right under each character’s HP (Health Points). When your character strikes enemies with a weapon, the ATB gauge fills up or charges. It can also fill up without attacking anyone but the speed will be quite slow. When it’s charged, a character can perform actions using skills or casting magic. Get to know more about refilling ATB gauge in our guide.
How to Pressure and Stagger Enemies
Staggering is something you can do in Final Fantasy VII Remake which will render your enemies temporarily paralyzed during which you can subject them to additional damage! Doing this will prove to be quite useful to you during the game. To stagger your enemies, you need to fill up a Pressure bar which is located under their health indicator. You can fill it up by using continuous attacks, especially those that they are weak to.
If your enemy is huge, you can destroy parts of their body to pressure them as well. When you deal enough amount of damage, they will stagger. This is the perfect time to go for a big attack on the enemy, delivering extra damage and eventually knocking them down. Also, focus on your ATB charges which will show you when you can use your powers. Here are more FF7 Remake’s combat tips that you can use in your battles.
What are Limit Breaks?
Limit Breaks are unique attacks that let you unleash huge amounts of damage in the battle, especially after staggering enemies. Level 1 Limit Breaks are available by default to every character from the beginning and Level 2 Limit breaks can be unlocked through challenges. There is also a third Limit Break called ‘Refocus’ that can be used by any playable character. It can be accessed with the Refocus Materia. Equipping Limit Breaks is easy – just do it in the Battle Settings Menu. Once your Limit Break gauge is full, you can open the command menu to choose “Limit Break“. Remember to not hoard your Limit Breaks though because you will lose them after battle.
How to Switch between Party Members
Just like the original game, you will begin the game with Cloud, the main character. Soon, you will meet new characters (like Barret, Aerith and more) who have their own set of skills and abilities. An awesome thing that you can do in this game is switching between these characters who eventually become members of your party. How to change characters? Simply press a direction on the D-pad. That will do it! For more detailed information, read our guide about switching characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Materia List
Materia are those items that allow a character to summon creatures, cast spells, boost stats and abilities. As you keep playing, you will encounter and use a lot of different Materia.
What are the Types of Materia?
- Magic Materia: This will allow you to cast magic spells. It includes Healing, Revival, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Barrier, Wind, Poison, Binding, Subversion, Time and Cleansing Materia. Materia are also named according to colors and Magic Materia is green.
- Command Materia: This will change commands into other actions. You also don’t need to combine this Materia with other Materia types. It includes Chakra, Assess, Prayer, Steal, ATB Boost and Enemy Skill. The color for this Materia is yellow.
- Complete Materia: This will increase your stats and give you buffs. It includes HP Up, MP Up, Magic Up, Luck Up, Gil, EXP Up, Deadly Dodge, Parry, First Strike, Refocus, Auto-Cure, Item Master, Provoke, ATB Assist, ATB Stagger, Steadfast Block and Skill Master. The color for this Materia is purple.
- Summon Materia: This will let you invoke powerful creatures who will fight and viciously attack your enemies for you. It includes Chocobo & Moogle, Ifrit, Shiva, Leviathan, Bahamut, Fat Chocobo, Cactus, Carbuncle and Choocbo Chick. The color for this Materia is red. Read our guide to know about how to Summon Materia avatar.
- Support Materia: This Materia supports the other Materia like Magic, Command or Summon and gives different effects. It includes Elemental, Magnify, Warding, Synergy, HP Absorption, MP Absorption, Pedometer and AP Up. The color for this Materia is blue.
How to Get the Materia Orbs?
At the beginning, Cloud will already have Fire (Magic) Materia. Another character, Jessie, will give you some Magic Materia when you come out of the Mako Factory. For more Materia, you need to unlock them from quests and challenges, get them as drops from enemies and bosses, purchase them from shops and vending machines and complete Chadley’s Battle Intel quests. Chadley is an NPC who will give you new Materia if you complete his Intel quests. Apart from these, you need to always be on the look out for them in the game.
How to Equip the Materia?
All you need to do is go to your character menu, pick the ‘Materia and Equipment’ option and add to the slot there. Each equipment has a fixed number of slots for Materia, so you need to decide accordingly.
How to Level Up Materia Fast
You can gradually level up Materia by gaining Ability Points (AP) that you earn from winning fights. Each Materia has its own requirement in terms of AP. Some need less while some need a LOT.
How to Upgrade Weapons
In Final Fantasy 7 (1997), the only way to ‘upgrade’ your weapons was to get new ones. However, in the remake, players can actually upgrade their existing weapons to get new skills and abilities. To do this, Skill Points (SP) are used. When characters win specific numbers of fights and level up, they are given these SP. Another way to obtain SP is to spend Moogle Medals. So if you want to upgrade your weapons, be sure to collect a good amount of SP in the game. Note that every weapon and character will get equal amount of SP in FF7 Remake.
How to Heal
It’s crucial that you enter your battles with full strength. That’s why you need Items to heal yourself and your party members. For this purpose, you need potions which you can buy from vendors or pick them up from enemies after a winning battle. You can use Items and Magic outside of the battle to heal yourself. You can heal in the battle as well, but this will make you lose a bar of ATB.
We hope these tips will help you to have a wonderful gaming experience in FF7 Remake. Go ahead and understand more important information and useful tips in our Final Fantasy 7 Remake Guides