Final Fantasy 7 (VII) Remake Intergrade: Merc’s Master Guide 🦉

Introduction: So, You Want to Be a Mercenary? An AVALANCHE Orientation

Welcome to Midgar, rookie. Don’t drink the water. 🤢

Alright, listen up. You’ve just landed in Midgar, the giant pizza-shaped city 🍕 that runs on Mako, the planet’s lifeblood. The Shinra Electric Power Company is slurping it up like a late-night milkshake. 🥤 The sky? Yeah, that’s a giant metal plate. The sun? Just a bunch of really expensive light bulbs. 💡 And the locals? A charming mix of corporate drones, folks just trying to get by in the slums, and a passionate group of eco-warriors called AVALANCHE.

You’ve signed on for a job with that last group. Their mission: save the planet. 🌍 Your mission: get paid. 💰 Simple, right?

Wrong. Things in Midgar are about to get complicated. You’re going to fight giant robots 🤖, sewer monsters, a literal house 🏠 (yes, really), and a guy with a sword longer than your list of regrets. This isn’t your average gig. This is a journey, and you’re going to need more than a big sword and spiky hair to survive it.

That’s where this manual comes in. This isn’t your standard, paint-by-numbers walkthrough. We’re not just going to tell you what to do. Any rookie can follow orders. A master understands why they’re doing it. This guide is all about strategic philosophy. It’s about understanding the rhythm of combat 💃, the soul of your squad, and the awesome dance of Materia that turns a desperate brawl into a symphony of destruction. 🎶

We’re here to turn you from a greenhorn getting knocked around by Guard Hounds into a SOLDIER-class threat that makes President Shinra spill his coffee. ☕ So grab your Buster Sword, check your Materia slots, and let’s get to work. The planet isn’t going to save itself, and more importantly, that paycheck isn’t going to cash itself.

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A Quick Word on “Intergrade” (AKA The PC Player’s Starter Pack) 🖥️

Before we dive into the Mako-fueled madness, let’s clear up some corporate jargon. If you’re reading this on a PC, you’ve likely got FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE. Don’t let the fancy name fool you. For PC players, Intergrade is the standard, definitive version of the game.

Think of it as the full starter pack. It includes two major components:

1. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE: This is the main event 🎬, the full base game that covers the Midgar portion of the original story. You’ll follow Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Aerith on their explosive crusade against Shinra.
2. DLC “FF7R EPISODE INTERmission”: This is a brand-new, standalone story episode starring the spunky ninja from Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi 🥷. Her adventure runs parallel to the main game’s events and introduces new characters, combat mechanics, and a heaping dose of Wutai charm.

This guide covers both. We’ll be dissecting the main game’s combat and characters, and then giving Yuffie her own dedicated masterclass. Intergrade also throws in a goody bag 🎁 of extra items like weapons, armor, and Summon Materia (Carbuncle, Chocobo Chick, and Cactuar), which you can claim from the “Gift Box” in the main menu.

So, rest easy. You’ve got the complete package. No extra purchases required, no content left behind. Now, let’s talk about how to actually use all this stuff.

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How to Use This Guide: From Greenhorn to SOLDIER 📈

This manual is structured to build your skills from the ground up. Whether you’re a JRPG veteran who remembers the original game’s blocky polygons or a complete rookie who thinks “Materia” is a type of Italian cheese 🧀, we’ve got you covered.

• Section 1: The Art of the Brawl 💥We’ll start with the universal laws of combat in Midgar. This is your boot camp. We’ll deconstruct the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, demystify the crucial Pressure and Stagger mechanics, and give you a complete encyclopedia of Materia.
• Section 2: Know Your Squad 👨‍🎤💪🥊🌸This is the heart of the guide. Each playable character gets their own in-depth chapter, breaking down their unique playstyle, abilities, advanced techniques, and optimal builds. You’ll learn why Cloud is more than just a swordsman, why Barret is the team’s unshakeable anchor, why Tifa is the undisputed queen of stagger, why Aerith is a magical artillery cannon, and why Yuffie is a whirlwind of ninja chaos.
• Section 3: A Merc’s Work is Never Done 🗺️Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals and your team, we’ll put your skills to the test. This section provides strategic walkthroughs for every major boss 🐲, a comprehensive guide to all side quests, and elite tactics for the game’s secret superbosses.
• Section 4: Leisure & Livelihood 🎯A merc’s life isn’t all fighting. Here, we’ll cover how to dominate Midgar’s minigames, from Whack-a-Box to the infamous pull-up challenge 🏋️. We’ll also detail the most efficient ways to farm Gil, EXP, and AP to max out your characters and Materia.

Read it cover to cover or jump to the section you need. Either way, by the time you’re done, you’ll be ready for anything Shinra can throw at you.

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Section 1: The Art of the Brawl – Core Combat Philosophy 💥

The ATB Gauge: Your License to Be Awesome 💳

First lesson, rookie: this isn’t your typical hack-and-slash. See those blue bars under your health? That’s your Active Time Battle (ATB) gauge. This is the most important resource in the game. It is your currency for doing anything cool. Spells ✨, abilities ⚔️, using items 🧪—they all cost ATB. Without it, you’re just a person with a comically oversized weapon flailing around.

The core combat loop of Final Fantasy VII Remake is a beautiful blend of real-time action and command-based strategy. Your standard attacks (mashing $□$) do middling damage. Their real purpose, their 9-to-5 job, is to generate ATB.

Think of basic attacks as putting in the hours at the office; spending ATB on commands is the glorious paycheck 💰 you get to spend on something awesome, like a massive explosion or life-saving healing. This is the fundamental mental shift you must make. You are not mashing Square to kill the enemy; you are mashing Square to earn the right to kill the enemy with your abilities. Fighting with a full ATB meter and still just using basic attacks is like working overtime for free. Don’t do it.

Here’s the strategic breakdown:

1. Generate ATB ⚡: Engage the enemy with basic attacks. Strong attacks (holding □) often generate more ATB per hit. Blocking and taking damage also generates ATB, rewarding defensive play.
2. Spend ATB 💸: Once a segment of the ATB gauge is full, slow down time by opening the command menu. This is your thinking time. Is an enemy weak to fire? Cast Fire 🔥. Is your ally about to die? Use a Potion or cast Cure 💚. Is the enemy about to be staggered? Unleash a powerful damage ability.
3. Switch Characters 🎮: Your AI-controlled teammates build ATB incredibly slowly. They are, to put it bluntly, lazy. To be effective, you must constantly switch between characters. Jump to a character with an empty gauge, land a few hits to build up a charge, issue a command or two, and then switch to someone else who needs ATB. This keeps your entire team active and ready to contribute, turning your party from one active fighter and two cheerleaders into a coordinated three-person death squad.

Mastering this rhythm of generating and spending ATB across your entire party is the first and most critical step to dominating combat in Midgar.

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Pressure & Stagger: How to Make a God Bleed 📉

Every tough enemy in this game, from a lowly Shock Trooper to the mighty Bahamut, has an orange bar beneath its health. This is the stagger gauge. Filling this bar is your primary objective in every significant fight. Ignoring it is like trying to punch your way through a brick wall. Staggering an enemy is like finding the hidden door in that wall. 🚪

The process has two distinct phases, and understanding the difference is what separates frustrated button-mashers from tactical geniuses.

Phase 1: The “Pressure” Phase 😵

When you exploit an enemy’s weakness (like hitting a robot with lightning ⚡) or deal a significant amount of damage in a short time, you’ll see the word “Pressured” appear over their stagger bar. This is your opening. A pressured enemy is temporarily stunned and, most importantly, their stagger gauge fills up much, much faster.

This is not the time to use your biggest damage moves. That’s like using a finishing move at the start of a fight. Instead, this is when you use abilities specifically designed to build stagger. These are often named with words like “Focus.”

• Cloud’s Focused Thrust: A multi-hit lunge that significantly increases stagger.
• Barret’s Focused Shot: A concentrated blast that does massive stagger damage.
• Tifa’s Focused Strike: A quick, evasive strike that builds stagger immensely.

Using these abilities on a pressured enemy will send their stagger bar skyrocketing. This is the “Can we break them?” phase. Your goal is to fill that orange bar as efficiently as possible before the enemy recovers.

Phase 2: The “Stagger” Phase 🤯

Once the bar is full, the magic happens. The enemy collapses, completely helpless, and a damage multiplier appears (starting at 160%). This is the “Let’s kick them while they’re down” phase. Your objective now completely changes: forget the stagger bar and focus on dealing as much damage as humanly possible before the stagger ends.

This is where Tifa Lockhart becomes the most valuable person on the planet. 🥊 Her unique Triangle abilities—Whirling Uppercut, Omnistrike, and Rise and Fall—have a special property: they increase the stagger damage multiplier. By unleashing these in sequence, Tifa can raise that multiplier from 160% to well over 200%, sometimes even approaching 300%. Every point she adds makes every subsequent attack from the entire party hit that much harder.

The optimal stagger sequence is a beautiful piece of teamwork:

1. The enemy is staggered.
2. Immediately switch to Tifa. Use Unbridled Strength to increase her Chi level, then unleash her Triangle combos to boost the damage percentage 📈.
3. While Tifa is doing her work, command your other characters to use their most powerful, multi-hit, or high-damage abilities. This is the time for Cloud’s Infinity’s End, Aerith’s Ray of Judgment, or Barret’s Maximum Fury.
4. Unleash Summons and Limit Breaks. The stagger phase is the perfect window to use these ultimate attacks, as the enemy can’t move and will take amplified damage. 💥

Recognizing this two-phase cycle is everything. Using a stagger-building move like Focused Thrust on a fully staggered enemy is a waste of ATB and a missed damage opportunity. Know the phase, know your job, and you will bring down giants.

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Materia for Dummies (and Shinra VPs): A Comprehensive Encyclopedia 🔮

Welcome to the soul of Final Fantasy VII’s customization: Materia. These glowing orbs are crystallized Mako that grant you magical abilities, new commands, passive buffs, and even the power to summon god-like entities. Slotting them into your weapons and armor is how you define a character’s role in battle.

There are five flavors of Materia, each color-coded for your convenience:

• 💚 Green (Magic Materia): Your bread and butter. These grant access to spells like Fire, Cure, and Haste.
• 💙 Blue (Support Materia): These do nothing on their own. They must be linked to another Materia in connected slots to add a special effect.
• 💛 Yellow (Command Materia): These add new abilities to your command menu that aren’t spells, like Steal or Assess.
• 💜 Purple (Complete Materia): These are passive buffs, increasing stats like HP, MP, or Luck, or granting special skills.
• ❤️ Red (Summon Materia): The big guns. When equipped, these allow you to summon a powerful entity to fight alongside you in major battles.

Finding and leveling up Materia is a core part of your journey. The following compendium lists every Materia available in the base game and the INTERmission DLC, what it does, and where to find it.

The Grand Materia Compendium

Materia Name	Type	Effect at Each Level	Location/How to Obtain
Healing	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Cure; Lvl 2: Cura; Lvl 3: Regen; Lvl 4: Curaga	Chapter 2 (Automatic); Purchasable from shops/vending machines.
Cleansing	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Poisona; Lvl 2: Esuna; Lvl 3: Resist	Chapter 3 (Purchasable); Chapter 5 (Chest).
Revival	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Raise; Lvl 2: Arise	Chapter 4 (Chest).
Fire	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Fire; Lvl 2: Fira; Lvl 3: Firaga	Cloud’s starting Materia; Purchasable.
Ice	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Blizzard; Lvl 2: Blizzara; Lvl 3: Blizzaga	Chapter 3 (Cave in Scrap Boulevard); Purchasable.
Lightning	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Thunder; Lvl 2: Thundara; Lvl 3: Thundaga	Barret’s starting Materia; Purchasable.
Wind	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Aero; Lvl 2: Aerora; Lvl 3: Aeroga	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 02.
Poison	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Bio; Lvl 2: Biora; Lvl 3: Bioga	Chapter 6 (Vending Machine); Chapter 10 (Chest).
Barrier	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Barrier; Lvl 2: Manaward; Lvl 3: Manawall	Chapter 4 (Automatic Story Reward).
Binding	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Sleep; Lvl 2: Silence; Lvl 3: Berserk	Chapter 9 (Chest in Machinery Graveyard).
Subversion	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Breach; Lvl 2: Dispel	Chapter 11 (Dropped by Ghoul boss).
Time	💚 Magic	Lvl 1: Haste; Lvl 2: Slow; Lvl 3: Stop	Chapter 14 (Reward for ‘Missing Children’ side quest).
Assess	💛 Command	Lvl 1: Assess; Lvl 2: Assess all targets	Chapter 3 (Given by Chadley).
ATB Boost	💛 Command	Cooldown reduces with level	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 04.
Chakra	💛 Command	Restores 20%-40% of HP based on damage taken	Tifa’s starting Materia; Chapter 8 (Chest); Chapter 14 (Corneo’s Stash).
Prayer	💛 Command	Heals party for a small to significant amount	Aerith’s starting Materia; Chapter 14 (Corneo’s Stash).
Steal	💛 Command	Steal items from enemies	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 07.
Enemy Skill	💛 Command	Use learned enemy abilities	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 16.
Ninja Cannonball	💛 Command	(Yuffie) Fire a cannonball that deals damage based on ATB spent	INTERmission Chapter 2 (Chest).
Elemental	💙 Support	Weapon: Adds 8%/15%/23% linked elemental damage. Armor: Halves/Prevents/Absorbs linked elemental damage.	Chapter 6 (Discovery); Chapter 14 (Reward for ‘Angel of the Slums’ side quest); INTERmission Chapter 1 (Chest).
Magnify	💙 Support	Expands range of linked spell (effect reduced)	Chapter 9 (Chest in Machinery Graveyard); INTERmission Chapter 1 (Reward for ‘Happy Turtle Ad Campaign’ side quest).
Warding	💙 Support	Reduces duration of linked status effect by 25%/50%/100%	Chapter 10 (Sewer); Chapter 13 (Underground Lab); INTERmission Chapter 1 (Chest).
Synergy	💙 Support	Ally follows leader’s attack with a spell from linked Materia	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 09.
HP Absorption	💙 Support	Absorb 20%/30%/40% of damage dealt by linked Materia	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 19; INTERmission Chapter 1 (Junk Shop).
MP Absorption	💙 Support	Absorb 0.1% of damage dealt by linked Materia	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 18; INTERmission Chapter 1 (Junk Shop).
AP Up	💙 Support	Doubles AP earned for linked Materia	Transforms from Pedometer Materia after 5000 steps; INTERmission Chapter 2 (Chest).
HP Up	💜 Complete	Increases Max HP by 10%-50%	Multiple locations starting in Chapter 2.
MP Up	💜 Complete	Increases Max MP by 10%-50%	Multiple locations starting in Chapter 6.
Magic Up	💜 Complete	Increases Magic Attack by 5%-25%	Multiple locations starting in Chapter 7.
Luck Up	💜 Complete	Increases Luck by 10%-50%	Chapter 3 (Darts Minigame); Chapter 8 (Whack-a-Box).
Gil Up	💜 Complete	Increases Gil earned by 100%	Chapter 16 (Shinra Combat Simulator).
EXP Up	💜 Complete	Increases EXP earned by 100%	Chapter 16 (Shinra Combat Simulator).
Deadly Dodge	💜 Complete	Perform a powerful attack after dodging	Chapter 2 (On the street).
Parry	💜 Complete	Parry and counter incoming attacks	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 12.
First Strike	💜 Complete	Increases ATB gauge at the start of battle	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 03.
Auto-Cure	💜 Complete	Automatically cast Cure on injured allies	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 01.
Item Master	💜 Complete	Increases item efficacy in battle	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 11.
Provoke	💜 Complete	Draw enemy attention when allies are injured	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 08.
Steadfast Block	💜 Complete	Reduce damage and gain more ATB when guarding	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 05.
Skill Master	💜 Complete	Gain ATB when using 3 types of commands	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 17.
ATB Stagger	💜 Complete	Gain ATB upon staggering an enemy	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 14.
ATB Assist	💜 Complete	Increase allies’ ATB when using two commands back-to-back	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 13.
Refocus	💜 Complete	Allows use of the Refocus Limit Break	Aerith’s starting Materia; Chapter 8 (Colosseum).
Pedometer	💜 Complete	Transforms into AP Up Materia after 5000 steps	Chapter 14 (Outside Aerith’s House).
Ifrit	❤️ Summon	Summons Ifrit	Chapter 3 (Automatic Story Reward).
Chocobo & Moogle	❤️ Summon	Summons Chocobo & Moogle	Chapter 6 (Behind the fans).
Shiva	❤️ Summon	Summons Shiva	Complete Chadley’s VR Mission in Chapter 8.
Fat Chocobo	❤️ Summon	Summons Fat Chocobo	Complete Chadley’s VR Mission in Chapter 8.
Leviathan	❤️ Summon	Summons Leviathan	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 15.
Bahamut	❤️ Summon	Summons Bahamut	Complete Chadley’s Battle Intel Report 20.
Ramuh	❤️ Summon	Summons Ramuh	(INTERmission) Complete Chadley’s VR Mission in Chapter 1.
Carbuncle	❤️ Summon	Summons Carbuncle	Included with Digital Deluxe / INTERGRADE package.
Cactuar	❤️ Summon	Summons Cactuar	Included with Digital Deluxe / INTERGRADE package.
Chocobo Chick	❤️ Summon	Summons Chocobo Chick	Included with Digital Deluxe / INTERGRADE package.

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Advanced Synergies: Making Your Magic Orbs Play Nice 🤝

Any rookie can slot a Fire Materia and call it a day. A professional understands that the real power lies in the linked slots on your gear. These special, connected slots are where you pair a Support (Blue 💙) Materia with another Materia to create powerful synergies. This isn’t just about adding more options; it’s about fundamentally changing how your characters function.

• Elemental 💙 + [Fire/Ice/etc. 💚]: This is the most fundamental synergy.
  • On a Weapon ⚔️: This imbues every one of your standard attacks with the linked element. Why is this good? Against an enemy weak to that element, every single sword swing or punch now builds their pressure gauge. It’s free, consistent pressure that costs no MP or ATB!
  • On Armor 🛡️: This grants resistance to the linked element. At Level 1, it halves the damage. At Level 2, it nullifies it completely. At Level 3, it absorbs the damage, healing you. This is the ultimate form of strategic counter-building. Facing a boss that spams fire? Slot Elemental+Fire on your armor and suddenly their signature move becomes a free heal. 🙌
• Magnify 💙 + [Healing/Barrier/etc. 💚]: This is all about action economy.
  • Why it’s Game-Breaking: An ATB bar is a precious resource. Magnify allows a single-target spell to hit all enemies or all allies for the same ATB cost. The effect is slightly reduced, but the trade-off is almost always worth it. Linking Magnify+Haste lets you buff your entire party’s ATB generation at once. Linking Magnify+Healing turns Cure into a party-wide lifesaver, essential for surviving massive AOE attacks. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
• HP Absorption 💙 + [Any Damage Materia 💚/💛]: This creates a “lifesteal” effect, healing you for a percentage of the damage dealt by the linked Materia’s ability.
  • The Philosophy of Self-Sufficiency: Why use an ATB bar to heal when you can heal just by attacking? This synergy shines when paired with abilities that hit multiple times. For example, linking HP Absorption with the Deadly Dodge (💜) Materia means your evasive maneuver now becomes a wide-sweeping attack that also heals you!
• Warding 💙 + [Poison/Time/etc. 💚]: This is proactive defense.
  • The “Nope” Button 🚫: Certain enemies, especially in Hard Mode, rely on crippling status effects like Sleep, Stop, or Instant Death. Instead of reacting with Esuna, you can prevent the problem entirely. Linking Warding with the Materia that inflicts a status effect grants you resistance to it. A maxed-out Warding Materia provides full immunity. This is non-negotiable for certain superboss fights.

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Weapon Upgrades: It’s Not the Size of the Sword… 🛠️

Forget everything you know about RPGs where you toss your starting weapon in the trash by the second town. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, every weapon is viable from the moment you get it until the credits roll. 💯 The key is understanding that weapons aren’t linear upgrades; they are effectively different “subclasses” for each character.

Each of the six weapons per character has a unique skill grid, where you spend Skill Points (SP) earned from leveling up and finding manuscripts to unlock new Materia slots, stat boosts, and powerful passive abilities. The path you take through these grids defines your character’s build.

Let’s use Cloud as the prime example.

• His Buster Sword is a fantastic all-rounder. ⚖️
• But then you find the Hardedge, a weapon with enormous physical attack boosts but pitiful magic stats. 💥
• Later, you might find the Mythril Saber, which has low physical attack but massive magic boosts. 🔮

The “best” weapon doesn’t exist; the “best” weapon for your current strategy does.

Want a pure physical damage Cloud? Upgrade the Hardedge. Want to build a magic-slinging spellblade? The Mythril Saber is your go-to. Need survivability for a tough Hard Mode boss? The Iron Blade offers the Reprieve ability, which lets you survive a fatal blow with 1 HP, a passive that might be more valuable than any raw stat boost.

Match your weapon choice to your intended build, not the other way around. Before spending your SP, look at the entire weapon core. What are its base stats? How many Materia slots can it unlock, and are they linked?

For those who find this overwhelming, there’s a handy “auto-upgrade” feature. By pressing △ in the upgrade menu, you can set a weapon to automatically prioritize balanced, attack-focused, or defense-focused upgrades.

One universal tip: no matter the weapon, always prioritize unlocking new Materia slots first. More slots mean more flexibility, which is the ultimate power in this game. 🔑

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Section 2: Know Your Squad – Character Masterclasses 🌟

Cloud Strife: The Brooding All-Rounder with a Buster Sword Complex 👨‍🎤

The Philosophy of Cloud

Cloud is the poster boy for a reason. He’s the reliable, versatile core of any team. He’s a true all-rounder, boasting high Attack and Magic Attack stats. He can be built as a frontline physical powerhouse, a nimble spellblade, or a sturdy defensive fighter. His identity is defined by his unique ability to switch combat stances on the fly, making him the most adaptable character in your arsenal. Your job as the player is to read the flow of battle and shift his style to meet the moment.

Tools of the Trade – Operator vs. Punisher

Cloud’s entire gameplay revolves around his Mode Shift ($△$) ability, which swaps between two distinct stances.

• Operator Mode 🏃‍♂️: This is his default, balanced stance. Think of this as the “mobility and preparation” mode. In Operator Mode, Cloud is agile. He can execute fast attacks, dodge freely, and guard against ranged attacks and magic. This is your go-to stance for building ATB safely and repositioning.
• Punisher Mode 💥: This is his aggressive, high-risk, high-reward stance. Think of this as the “commitment and punishment” mode. In Punisher Mode, Cloud’s movement slows to a crawl, and he can no longer guard against ranged or magic attacks. The trade-off? His standard attacks become a powerful, wide-sweeping combo. More importantly, while holding Guard ($R1$) in this mode, Cloud will auto-counter any incoming melee attack with a powerful slash. This is your stance for dealing massive damage to a staggered enemy or punishing an aggressive melee attacker.

Mastering the Stance Dance (Advanced Tech)

Switching between these modes isn’t just about choosing offense or defense; it’s a deep mechanic in itself.

• The Stance-Switch Parry 🛡️⚔️: This is the single most important advanced technique for Cloud. You don’t have to be sitting in Punisher Mode, holding block and waiting. From Operator Mode, if you press △ to switch to Punisher Mode at the exact moment a melee attack is about to land, Cloud will perform an instant parry and counter. This gives you the powerful counter without the risks.
• Animation Cancels: The Disorder ability (from the Nail Bat) is a fantastic tool for this. Using it in Operator Mode switches you to Punisher Mode, while using it in Punisher Mode switches you back to Operator. This allows for seamless, aggressive combo strings.

Ability Breakdown

• Focused Thrust (Buster Sword): Your primary stagger-building tool. Use this when an enemy is Pressured.
• Triple Slash (Iron Blade): Your go-to for crowd control. Cloud dashes between up to three enemies. 💨
• Infinity’s End (Hardedge): The finisher. One of the highest single-hit damage abilities in the game. Use this only on a staggered enemy. gigantic
• Blade Burst (Mythril Saber): A non-elemental ranged magic attack. Great for hitting flying enemies 🦅 or for a magic-focused Cloud.
• Counterstance (Twin Stinger): A manual counter. Costs 1 ATB but braces for an attack and retaliates with a powerful, wide swing.

Builds & Armory

Cloud’s weapons allow for diverse builds.

Weapon	Ability	Location	Strategic Role
Buster Sword	Focused Thrust	Starts equipped	The perfect all-rounder. ⚖️ Balanced stats and a crucial stagger-building ability.
Iron Blade	Triple Slash	Chapter 3 (Automatic)	Crowd control specialist. 👥 Good for clearing groups of enemies.
Nail Bat	Disorder	Chapter 8 (Side Quest ‘Kids on Patrol’)	A high-crit, low-stat weapon. Its main utility is the Disorder ability for stance dancing. 🦇
Hardedge	Infinity’s End	Chapter 9 (Wall Market Weapon Shop)	The pure physical DPS sword. 💥 Highest raw Attack stat.
Mythril Saber	Blade Burst	Chapter 11 (Vending Machine)	The mage’s blade. 🔮 Sacrifices Attack for a massive Magic stat.
Twin Stinger	Counterstance	Chapter 17 (Chest)	The balanced defensive option. 🛡️ Good stats and the invaluable Counterstance ability.

Sample Builds

• The Unstoppable Juggernaut (Physical DPS) 💥
  • Weapon: Hardedge
  • Materia: Elemental+[Weakness], HP Up, First Strike, ATB Stagger, Luck Up.
  • Strategy: Build ATB in Operator, switch to Punisher to deal heavy damage. Once staggered, unleash Infinity’s End.
• The Spellblade (Magic Build) 🔮
  • Weapon: Mythril Saber
  • Materia: Fire/Ice/Lightning, Magic Up, MP Up, First Strike, ATB Boost.
  • Strategy: Use basic attacks to build ATB, then use Blade Burst for free ranged damage or cast powerful spells to exploit weaknesses.

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Barret Wallace: The Walking, Talking Gatling Gun 💪

The Philosophy of Barret

Barret is the heart and the anchor of AVALANCHE, and his combat role reflects that perfectly. With the highest HP and Vitality in the game, he is the party’s designated tank 🛡️. His gun-arm makes him the premier ranged damage dealer, essential for shredding flying enemies 🦅 and applying constant, safe pressure from afar. Playing Barret effectively means embracing his role as a protector, drawing enemy fire and creating space for his more fragile teammates.

Tools of the Trade – Overcharge and Support

Barret’s kit is simple, direct, and incredibly effective.

• Overcharge (△) ⚡: This is Barret’s signature move and his primary ATB generation tool. It unleashes a powerful burst of energy that deals significant damage and massively fills his ATB gauge. It has a long cooldown, but you can speed this up by tapping △ repeatedly (Charge).
• Lifesaver and Steelskin 🛡️: These two abilities are the foundation of his tanking identity. Steelskin temporarily reduces damage taken. Lifesaver is the game-changer: when active, Barret will take damage intended for other party members. This allows glass cannons like Aerith and Tifa to operate with far less risk, knowing their personal bodyguard is absorbing stray hits for them.

Mastering the Big Guy (Advanced Tech)

• Animation Canceling ⏩: You can cancel the recovery animation of most of his ATB abilities by immediately tapping △ to begin his Charge animation. This simple trick shaves off valuable seconds, getting Overcharge back online faster.
• The “2 ATB Chakra” Trick 🩹: This is a fantastic, non-obvious technique. The Chakra Materia (💛) heals a percentage of missing health. If you have two full ATB bars, you can select Chakra, and then immediately select it again from the command menu before the first animation finishes. The game will register both commands, resulting in a double-potency burst heal for just two ATB bars. For a high-HP character like Barret, this can be a full heal from near-death.

Ability Breakdown

• Focused Shot (Light Machine Gun): Consumes all ATB to fire a single blast that does extremely high stagger damage. Use this when an enemy is Pressured.
• Maximum Fury (Big Bertha): Consumes all ATB to unleash a sustained barrage of bullets. Excellent for a staggered enemy.
• Point Blank (EKG Cannon): A close-range blast that sends enemies flying. Surprisingly powerful.
• Smackdown (Wrecking Ball): A melee-only ability where Barret smashes the ground, sending nearby enemies flying. 👊

Builds & Armory

Barret can be a ranged tank, a surprising magic user, or even a close-quarters brawler.

Weapon	Ability	Location	Strategic Role
Gatling Gun	Focused Shot	Starts equipped	A solid, balanced starting weapon. Focused Shot remains one of his best stagger tools.
Light Machine Gun	Lifesaver	Chapter 6 (Automatic)	The quintessential tank weapon. 🛡️ Unlocks Lifesaver and has defensive upgrade nodes.
Big Bertha	Maximum Fury	Chapter 13 (Weapon Shop)	The premier ranged physical damage weapon. 💥 Highest raw Attack among his guns.
Steel Pincers	Charging Uppercut	Chapter 14 (Moogle Emporium)	A melee weapon that surprisingly boosts Magic Attack. 🔮 Tailor-made for a “mage-brawler.”
Wrecking Ball	Smackdown	Chapter 14 (Side Quest ‘Subterranean Menace’)	The pure physical melee weapon. 👊 High attack power for a brawler build.
EKG Cannon	Point Blank	Chapter 16 (Talk to Hart)	The dedicated mage weapon. 🧙‍♂️ Sacrifices Attack for a huge boost to Magic Attack and HP.

Sample Builds

• The Unmovable Turret (Ranged Tank) 🛡️
  • Weapon: Light Machine Gun
  • Materia: Provoke, Steadfast Block, HP Up (x2), Prayer, Lifesaver (Ability), Steelskin (Ability).
  • Strategy: Keep Steelskin and Lifesaver active. Use Overcharge and Focused Shot from a safe distance while drawing enemy fire.
• Wrecking Ball Brawler (Melee DPS) 👊
  • Weapon: Wrecking Ball
  • Materia: Deadly Dodge, HP Up, Parry, ATB Assist, Chakra.
  • Strategy: Get in the enemy’s face. Use Overrun (the melee Overcharge) to close gaps and Smackdown for crowd control. It’s a completely different, high-risk way to play Barret.

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Tifa Lockhart: The Stagger Queen & Pugilist Professor 🥊

The Philosophy of Tifa

If Barret is the anchor, Tifa is the storm. She is, without question, the game’s premier rushdown fighter and stagger specialist 👑. With the highest Attack and Speed stats in the game, her entire design revolves around relentless offense, building ATB faster than anyone else, and utterly demolishing enemies during the stagger phase. Playing Tifa is not about patience; it’s about creating and exploiting openings with a flurry of fists and feet.

Tools of the Trade – The Chi System

Tifa’s gameplay is powered by her unique Chi mechanic, managed through her ability Unbridled Strength.

• Unbridled Strength 💪: Using this ability (for 1 ATB) increases Tifa’s Chi level (Level 1 $\rightarrow$ Level 2). Each level of Chi enhances her basic attack string with more powerful hits. More importantly, it upgrades her unique Triangle attack.
• The Triangle Attacks (The Stagger Multiplier) 📈: This is Tifa’s secret weapon. As her Chi level increases, her △ attack cycles through three powerful techniques:
  1. Level 1: Whirling Uppercut
  2. Level 2: Omnistrike
  3. Level 3: Rise and Fall
• Using one of these abilities consumes a level of Chi. Their primary purpose during the stagger phase is not just damage; they are the only abilities in the game that manually increase the stagger damage multiplier. A standard stagger starts at 160%. A skilled Tifa can use these to push that percentage up to 300% or even higher, exponentially increasing the party’s damage.

Mastering the Flow (Advanced Tech)

Tifa has the highest skill ceiling in the game.

• Divekick Cancel 👟: Tifa’s Divekick ability has a slight startup. However, if you use it while she is airborne (like after her standard uppercut or Whirling Uppercut), the startup is almost completely eliminated for a much faster burst of damage.
• Focused Strike Cancel 🏃‍♀️: Focused Strike is a fantastic ability that dodges backward before lunging forward to build stagger. Its recovery animation can be canceled by immediately inputting a basic attack or a dodge, making it incredibly safe and spammable.

Ability Breakdown

• True Strike (Purple Pain): A powerful blow that deals massive bonus damage to a staggered enemy. This is your primary damage-dealer during the stagger phase.
• Starshower (Feathered Gloves): A flurry of attacks that also buffs the damage of the next ability or spell you use. The perfect setup for a devastating True Strike.
• Chi Trap (Mythril Claws): Creates a stationary orb of energy that deals continuous damage. Excellent for passive stagger buildup on large or immobile enemies.

Builds & Armory

Tifa’s builds focus on maximizing her speed, damage, and ATB generation.

Weapon	Ability	Location	Strategic Role
Leather Gloves	Divekick	Starts equipped	Solid starting weapon with a reliable damage ability. 👟
Metal Knuckles	Overpower	Chapter 5 (Dropped by Crab Warden)	The raw physical power choice. 💥 Highest potential Attack stat.
Sonic Strikers	Focused Strike	Chapter 7 (Chest)	A balanced weapon that grants the essential Focused Strike for building stagger.
Feathered Gloves	Starshower	Chapter 10 (Chest)	An excellent balanced option. ⭐ Starshower provides a great damage buff.
Mythril Claws	Chi Trap	Chapter 13 (Dropped by Failed Experiment)	Tifa’s dedicated magic weapon. 🔮 Enables a surprisingly effective mage build.
Purple Pain	True Strike	Chapter 16 (Chest in Shinra Tower)	Arguably her best overall weapon. 💯 Great stats, boosts crit rate, and grants True Strike.

Sample Builds

• The Boss Melter (Stagger Specialist) 📈💥
  • Weapon: Purple Pain
  • Materia: ATB Stagger, First Strike, Luck Up (x2), Skill Master, HP Up.
  • Strategy: Build ATB and Chi levels. Once the enemy is staggered, immediately use Unbridled Strength to max Chi, unleash Triangle combos (Rise and Fall $\rightarrow$ Omnistrike $\rightarrow$ Whirling Uppercut) to skyrocket the damage bonus, then spam True Strike.
• The ATB Battery (Party Support) 🔋
  • Weapon: Feathered Gloves
  • Materia: ATB Assist, Parry, First Strike, Skill Master, Time (for Haste).
  • Strategy: Use rapid combos and canceled Focused Strike to constantly use two ATB commands back-to-back. This will trigger ATB Assist, feeding ATB to Cloud and Aerith. Tifa becomes the engine that runs the entire party.

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Aerith Gainsborough: The Flower Girl Who Hits Like a Nuke 🌸💣

The Philosophy of Aerith

Do not be fooled by the flowers and pink dress. Aerith is a weapon of mass destruction. She is the party’s dedicated black mage, a glass cannon who possesses the highest Magic Attack stat in the game by a colossal margin. 🔮 Her playstyle is completely magic-oriented and revolves around zone control. She trades mobility for the ability to manipulate the battlefield with powerful wards and unleash devastating spells from a distance. To play Aerith effectively is to treat her like a piece of magical artillery: find a safe spot, set up your fortifications, and rain down elemental fury.

Tools of the Trade – Wards and Tempest

Aerith’s power isn’t just in her spells, but in her ability to create magical zones, or “Wards.”

• Wards as Fortresses 🏰:
  • Arcane Ward (Her #1 Ability): Anyone standing inside this ward will cast any offensive spell twice for the MP cost of a single cast. ✌️ This is the source of her astronomical damage output. A single Firaga becomes two. It is, without exaggeration, the most powerful damage-multiplying tool in the game.
  • ATB Ward: Creates a zone where allies who spend ATB charges have a portion of that ATB refunded to them.
  • Lustrous Shield: Summons a magical barrier that blocks projectiles. A crucial defensive tool.
• Tempest (△) 🌪️: Her unique skill. By holding △, Aerith charges a magical projectile. A quick tap fires a small crystal. A full charge unleashes a large, slow-moving orb that explodes for massive area damage.

Mastering the Battlefield (Advanced Tech)

Aerith’s biggest weakness is her fragility and low mobility. Keeping her alive is a strategic challenge.

• Aggro Management 🎯: This is the absolute key to success with Aerith. The game’s AI is programmed to primarily target the character you are currently controlling. If you stay on Aerith for too long, the entire enemy force will swarm her.
• The Solution: Control Aerith just long enough to place a ward and queue up a long-casting spell, then immediately switch to Cloud or Barret to draw the enemy’s attention away. By the time they turn back, Aerith’s spell will have landed, and you can switch back to her to repeat the process.
• Ward Shifting teleport: The Ward Shift ability (from her weapons) lets Aerith instantly teleport between any of her active wards, allowing for incredible repositioning and tactical flexibility.

Ability Breakdown

• Soul Drain (Guard Stick): A vital ability that deals minor damage but absorbs MP from the target. It absorbs even more MP from a staggered enemy. On Hard Mode, this ability is non-negotiable for sustaining her spellcasting.
• Ray of Judgment (Mythril Rod): Aerith’s ultimate damage spell. It costs two ATB bars and calls down a massive beam of energy. This is her Infinity’s End—a devastating finisher to be used on a staggered boss (while standing in an Arcane Ward, of course!).

Builds & Armory

Aerith’s builds are all about maximizing her magical output.

Weapon	Ability	Location	Strategic Role
Guard Stick	Arcane Ward	Starts equipped	Essential for its Arcane Ward ability, the cornerstone of her damage output. 🪄
Silver Staff	Sorcerous Storm	Chapter 8 (Moogle Emporium)	A solid early-game staff with a useful close-range AOE ability.
Arcane Scepter	Fleeting Familiar	Chapter 9 (Side Quest ‘A Dynamite Body’)	Summons a fairy 🧚 that attacks alongside Aerith, adding extra passive damage.
Mythril Rod	Ray of Judgment	Chapter 11 (Chest)	The premier magic damage weapon. 💥 Highest Magic Attack stat and her ultimate damage ability.
Bladed Staff	Lustrous Shield	Chapter 11 (Steal from Eligor boss)	A defensive option that provides the Lustrous Shield ability for cover. 🛡️
Reinforced Staff	ATB Ward	Chapter 17 (Chest)	A support-focused staff that unlocks the ATB Ward, turning Aerith into an ATB battery. 🔋

Sample Builds

• The Artillery Cannon (Magic DPS) 💣
  • Weapon: Mythril Rod
  • Materia: Magic Up (x2), MP Up (x2), Fire/Ice/Lightning, First Strike.
  • Strategy: Set up an Arcane Ward in a safe spot and unleash double-cast -ga level spells. Use character switching to keep enemies off her.
• The Ultimate Support (Healer & Buffer) 💖
  • Weapon: Reinforced Staff
  • Materia: Magnify+Healing, Magnify+Barrier, Magnify+Time, Revival, MP Up.
  • Strategy: Place an ATB Ward near your fighters. Use magnified spells to apply Haste, Barrier, and Regen to the entire party. She becomes the ultimate force multiplier.

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Yuffie Kisaragi: The Wutai Ninja of Organized Chaos (INTERmission DLC) 🥷

The Philosophy of Yuffie

Yuffie is a whirlwind. She is the ultimate versatile warrior, a high-octane, high-skill character who embodies the concept of a “glass cannon” 💎. She is incredibly agile and can switch between long-range magical assaults and close-quarters melee combos in an instant. Her entire playstyle is built on mobility, elemental exploitation, and a dizzying array of options. She has an answer for everything, but her low durability means a single mistake can be costly. Playing Yuffie is about embracing controlled chaos.

Tools of the Trade – Shuriken and Ninjutsu

Yuffie’s core mechanic is her oversized throwing star and her innate ninjutsu abilities.

• Throw/Retrieve (△): Pressing △ throws her shuriken, which will stick to an enemy. While the shuriken is away, her basic attack ($□$) changes from a melee combo into a volley of long-range Ninjutsu projectiles 💨. Pressing △ again performs Retrieve, which instantly teleports Yuffie to her shuriken’s location. This isn’t just a way to get her weapon back; it’s a primary mobility tool for instantly closing gaps or escaping danger.
• Elemental Ninjutsu 🔥❄️⚡🌬️: This is Yuffie’s signature, and arguably most powerful, ability. For the cost of a single ATB bar, she can imbue her Ninjutsu attacks with Fire, Ice, Lightning, or Wind. This makes her incredibly efficient. While other characters need to spend MP, Yuffie can adapt to any enemy on the fly.

Mastering the Ninja Arts (Advanced Tech)

• Brumal Form 🏃‍♀️: This is far more than just a dodge. It’s an ATB engine. The ability costs a small amount of ATB to use, but a successful dodge with it will grant you more ATB than you spent. A skilled Yuffie player can use Brumal Form to weave through a barrage of attacks, emerging with a full ATB gauge.
• Synergy with Sonon 🤝: When playing the INTERmission DLC, Yuffie is paired with Sonon. Pressing L2 engages Synergy, which causes Sonon to follow up on Yuffie’s attacks.
• The advanced strategy is to treat Synergy like a toggle switch. Keep it off to build ATB on both characters independently. Once an enemy is pressured, toggle it on to unleash powerful synchronized attacks, then toggle it off again to start rebuilding.

Ability Breakdown

• Windstorm (4-Point Shuriken): A versatile AOE attack. If her shuriken is stuck in an enemy, the whirlwind appears on the enemy, pulling in nearby foes.
• Banishment (Steel Reaper): Yuffie’s ultimate finisher. This ability has three power levels (I, II, III). It increases in power each time you use another ATB ability. A fully charged Banishment III unleashes a massive burst of damage that also inherits the element of your active Elemental Ninjutsu.

Builds & Armory

Yuffie’s builds can focus on her elemental flexibility or her raw damage potential.

Weapon	Ability	Location	Strategic Role
4-Point Shuriken	Elemental Ninjutsu	Starts equipped	The cornerstone of her kit. 🔥❄️⚡🌬️ A fantastic all-rounder.
Boomerang	Brumal Form	INTERmission Chapter 1 (Chest)	The defensive weapon. 🏃‍♀️ Unlocks Brumal Form, essential for high-level play.
Steel Reaper	Banishment	INTERmission Chapter 1 (Chest)	The damage-focused weapon. 💥 Has the highest raw attack and the Banishment finisher.
Cactuar	Cactuar Caper	Included with INTERGRADE package	A novelty weapon whose ability throws a Cactuar. Fun, but not strategically optimal. 🌵

Sample Builds

• The Elemental Exploiter 🔥❄️⚡
  • Weapon: 4-Point Shuriken or Boomerang
  • Materia: First Strike, ATB Assist, Skill Master, HP Up.
  • Strategy: Start every fight by assessing the enemy and immediately using Elemental Ninjutsu to match their weakness. Use Brumal Form to dodge attacks and build ATB.
• The Banishment Bomber 💣
  • Weapon: Steel Reaper
  • Materia: First Strike, ATB Boost, Skill Master, HP Up.
  • Strategy: Use cheap abilities like Brumal Form to rapidly build Banishment to Level III. Once an enemy is staggered, unleash the fully charged Banishment for devastating damage.

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Section 3: A Merc’s Work is Never Done – A Strategist’s Walkthrough 🗺️

Major Engagements: Boss Strategy Guide 🐲

This is your tactical briefing for every major boss encounter in both Final Fantasy VII Remake and the INTERmission DLC.

• Scorpion Sentinel (Chapter 1) 🦂
  • Weakness: Lightning ⚡
  • Strategy: This is your first big exam. Use Barret’s Thunder spells. When it barriers up, circle around to its rear to attack the Mako generator.
• Crab Warden (Chapter 5) 🦀
  • Weakness: Lightning ⚡
  • Strategy: Target its legs! Destroying the legs will pressure and eventually stagger it. Use Thunder spells liberally.
• Airbuster (Chapter 7) 🤖
  • Weakness: Lightning ⚡
  • Strategy: The fight is determined before it even starts. Use the keycards in the dungeon to remove some of its components (like the AI cores or bombs 💣). In the fight, stay mobile and zap it.
• Hell House (Chapter 9) 🏠
  • Weakness: Varies (Magic)
  • Strategy: This boss is a puzzle. It puts up elemental barriers. You must hit it with the opposite element to pressure it (Ice ❄️ vs. Fire 🔥, Lightning ⚡ vs. Wind 🌬️). The Assess Materia is your best friend here.
• Abzu (Chapter 10 & 14) 👹
  • Weakness: Fire 🔥
  • Strategy: Keep your distance and bombard it with Fire spells. When it uses Pounce, dodging the attack will pressure it, creating a huge opening.
• Leviathan (VR Mission) 🌊
  • Weakness: Lightning ⚡
  • Strategy: This is a tough fight. Barret is essential for hitting it while it’s flying. Its ultimate attack, Tidal Wave, is unavoidable, so have high HP and cast Manaward (Barrier 💚).
• Bahamut (VR Mission) 👑
  • Weakness: None
  • Strategy: This is a pure DPS race. Bahamut has an attack called Megaflare that he will begin counting down to. If he reaches zero, it’s an instant party wipe. 💀 You must stagger him during the countdown to interrupt it. Save all your Limit Breaks and Summons for this.
• Gigantipede (INTERmission Chapter 1) 🐛
  • Weakness: Lightning ⚡ (Tail)
  • Strategy: Use Yuffie’s Elemental Ninjutsu (Lightning) and focus on the tail. When it summons drones, destroy them quickly with Windstorm.
• Nero the Sable (INTERmission Chapter 2) 💜
  • Weakness: None
  • Strategy: Nero is fast and aggressive. The key is to destroy his Abyssal Wings. A single Synergized Art of War can destroy them, which will immediately pressure him.

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Odd Jobs & Side Hustles: A Complete Quest Guide 📋

Being a merc isn’t just about the big, planet-saving gigs. Completing these “Odd Jobs” is essential for earning unique rewards like weapons, Materia, and manuscripts.

Chapter	Quest Name	Giver	Location	Walkthrough Summary & Rewards
3	Chadley’s Report	Chadley	Sector 7 Slums	Use Assess on two enemy types. Unlocks Battle Intel reports & new Materia. 📈
3	Rat Problem	Item Store Owner	Sector 7 Slums	Defeat Wererats. Reward: 5 Hi-Potions, HP/MP restored. 🐀
3	Nuisance in the Factory	Junk Dealer	Sector 7 Slums	Clear out monsters in the abandoned factory. Reward: 500 gil, Star Bangle. 🏭
3	Lost Friends	Betty	Sector 7 Slums	Find Betty’s three lost cats. 🐱 Reward: Maiden’s Kiss, HP/MP restored.
3	On the Prowl	Wymer	Sector 7 Slums	Defeat a Wrath Hound. Reward: Elixir, HP/MP restored. 🐕
3	Just Flew In from the Graveyard	Gwen	Sector 7 Slums	Defeat a rare drake in the factory. Reward: Star Bracelet. 🐉
8	The Mysterious Moogle Merchant	Moggie	Sector 5 Slums	Purchase a Moogle Membership. Unlocks the Moogle Emporium. 💰
8	Kids on Patrol	Ms. Folia	Sector 5 Slums	Help the kids defeat some monsters. Reward: Nail Bat (Weapon), HP/MP restored. 🦇
8	Weapons on a Rampage	Scared Man	Sector 5 Slums	Defeat malfunctioning Shinra Sweepers. Reward: Protective Boots, HP/MP restored. 🤖
8	A Verified Hero	Sarah	Sector 5 Slums	Get the high score in the Whack-a-Box minigame. 📦 Reward: Elixir, Crescent Moon Charm.
8	The Angel of the Slums	Damon	Sector 5 Slums	Hunt down a monster for the local reporter. Reward: 2,000 gil, HP/MP restored. 😇
8	Paying Respects	Old Man	Sector 5 Slums	Clear out monsters from the old graveyard. Reward: Studded Bracer, HP/MP restored. 묘
9	Burning Thighs	Jules	Wall Market	Beat the squat-thrust minigame. 🏋️ Reward: Mega-Potions, Magic Up Materia.
9	The Party Never Stops	Clothing Store Owner	Wall Market	(Sam’s Route) A series of fetch quests. Reward: Turbo Ether. 🍹
9	A Dynamite Body	Sam	Wall Market	(Sam’s Route) Win a special battle at the Colosseum. Reward: Arcane Scepter (Weapon). 🔮
9	The Price of Thievery	Mireille	Wall Market	(Madam M’s Route) Defeat a group of bandits. Reward: Real Calling Card. 🃏
9	Shears’ Counterattack	Gatekeeper	Wall Market	(Madam M’s Route) Defeat a special monster in the Colosseum. Reward: Arcane Scepter (Weapon). 🔮
14	Missing Children	Ms. Folia	Sector 5 Slums	Find the missing children in the graveyard. Reward: Time Materia. 🕒
14	Chocobo Search	Stablehand	Sector 5 Slums	Find three escaped Chocobos. 🐤 Reward: Sam’s Delivery Lifetime Pass (unlocks fast travel).
14	Corneo’s Secret Stash	Damon	Sector 5 Slums	Find three of Don Corneo’s hidden stashes. 💎 Reward: The Art of Swordplay Vol. III, Prayer Materia.
14	Tomboy Bandit	Johnny	Sector 5 Station	Help Johnny get his wallet back from Kyrie. Reward: Corneo Vault Key. 🔑
14	Secret Medicine	Doctor	Sector 5 Slums	Gather ingredients, culminating in a fight against a Behemoth. 🐾 Reward: Telluric Scriptures Vol. III.
14	Subterranean Menace	Wymer	Evergreen Park	Investigate an underground passage and defeat another Behemoth. Reward: Wrecking Ball (Weapon). 👊
14	The Power of Music	Betty	Wall Market	Find three specific Music Discs. 🎶 Reward: Sharpshooter’s Companion Vol. III.
14	Malicious Goons	Madam M	Wall Market	Defeat goons in Corneo’s mansion. Reward: Elixir. 😠
14	Wavering Heart	Andrea	Wall Market	Beat Andrea at the pull-up minigame. 💪 Reward: Way of the Fist Vol. III, Champion Belt.
INT 1	The Happy Turtle Ad Campaign	Old Snapper	Sector 7 Slums	Find six hidden Happy Turtle flyers. 🐢 Reward: Magnify Materia.
INT 1	Chadley’s Research	Chadley	Sector 7 Slums	Defeat the summon Ramuh in Chadley’s VR simulator. Reward: Ramuh Materia. ⚡
INT 1	Mastering Fort Condor	Polk	Sector 7 Slums	Defeat all seven Fort Condor players. 🐦 Reward: AP Up Materia.

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Midgar’s Most Wanted: Superboss & Secret Fights Guide 😈

Think you’re the toughest merc in Midgar? The game has a few optional challenges to put you in your place.

• Pride and Joy Mk. 0.5 (Base Game Superboss) 🏆This is the ultimate challenge of the base game’s Shinra Combat Simulator. To even unlock this fight, you must be on Hard Mode and have completed every single Colosseum and Shinra Combat Simulator challenge. The fight itself is a five-round gauntlet where you must defeat Shiva, Fat Chocobo, Leviathan, and Bahamut back-to-back before facing the Pride and Joy Prototype itself. This is an extreme test of endurance. The reward is the Götterdämmerung, an accessory that starts the wearer with a full Limit Break gauge.
• Weiss the Immaculate (INTERmission Secret Superboss) 🤍Hidden within the INTERmission DLC’s Shinra Combat Simulator is Weiss. This fight is notorious for its difficulty, requiring near-perfect execution of dodges and parries. Tifa is widely considered the key to this fight. Defeating him is a true badge of honor.
• Top Secrets (INTERmission Superboss Gauntlet) 🥷Yuffie and Sonon’s version of the Pride and Joy challenge. This three-round gauntlet pits the ninja duo against Ramuh, then Bahamut (who summons Ifrit!), and finally the Pride and Joy. It requires a completely different strategy, heavily relying on Yuffie’s Brumal Form for evasion.

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Section 4: Leisure & Livelihood – Minigames & Grinding 📈

Midgar’s Pastimes: A Minigame Mastery Guide

Even a hard-working merc needs some downtime. These minigames offer valuable rewards.

• Whack-a-Box (Chapter 8, 14 & INTERmission) 📦
  • The Goal: Smash boxes for points against a time limit. ⏱️
  • Cloud’s Strategy: Equip the right weapon! The Iron Blade’s Triple Slash is fantastic for clearing clusters of small boxes, while the Hardedge’s Infinity's End can one-shot the big 1,500-point boxes. Build ATB on small boxes, then unleash abilities on the big ones.
  • Yuffie’s Strategy (INTERmission): Use physical attacks ($□$) on orange boxes and Ninjutsu ($□$ with shuriken thrown) on purple boxes. For the durable white 1,500-point boxes, the most-efficient method is to throw your shuriken, wait a split second, then use Windstorm.
• Squats & Pull-ups (Chapter 9 & 14) 🏋️‍♀️
  • The Goal: A rhythm game where you must press a sequence of buttons in time.
  • Strategy for Mastery: This minigame, especially the Pro-level pull-ups against Jules, is a test of concentration. Ignore your opponent. Their animations are designed to distract you. Many players find success by turning off the game music and voices, focusing only on the button prompts and the rhythm. 🎶🚫 Don’t try to go faster than the tempo; focus on perfect, unbroken inputs.
• Fort Condor (INTERmission) 🐦
  • The Goal: A tower-defense style board game where you deploy units to destroy your opponent’s HQ.
  • Core Mechanic: It’s a simple triangle of weaknesses: Red (Vanguard ⚔️) beats Green (Ranged 🏹), Green beats Blue (Defense 🛡️), and Blue beats Red.
  • Strategy for Mastery: Play reactively. Let your opponent place a unit first, then deploy its direct counter. The best boards offer faster ATB recharge, allowing you to deploy units more quickly.

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The Grind: Optimal Farming for AP, EXP, and Gil 🤑

Sometimes, you just need to level up. Here’s the most efficient way.

• Late Game AP Farming (The Definitive Method) 📈📈📈
  • Location: Chapter 16, Shinra Combat Simulator, “Three-Person Team vs. Shinra Warriors” challenge.
  • Method: This is, by far, the fastest way to earn AP in the game. AP gain is the same on all difficulties, so you want to kill things as fast as possible.
  1. Set the game difficulty to Easy.
  2. Select Chapter 16 via Chapter Select.
  3. Equip the character you want to farm with (Cloud is best) with the AP Up Materia (💙) linked to the Materia you want to level. Equip First Strike (💜) and Magnify (💙) + Fire (💚).
  4. Start the “Three-Person Team vs. Shinra Warriors” challenge. The first two rounds consist of enemies weak to Fire. A single Magnified Firaga from Cloud should wipe them out instantly. 🔥
  5. After clearing the first two rounds in seconds, simply open the menu, select “Retry from This Battle,” and repeat. Each run takes less than a minute and yields a substantial amount of AP, which is doubled on the linked Materia. This method will allow you to max out every Materia in the game with relative speed.

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Conclusion: Welcome to the Big Leagues, Merc 😎

You’ve done it. You’ve fought your way through Shinra’s army, taken down skyscraper-sized robots, and even won a pull-up contest. You’ve mastered the flow of combat, learned the unique strengths of your team, and collected enough glowing orbs to open your own jewelry store. 💎 You’re not just a rookie anymore; you’re a seasoned veteran of the Midgar slums.

But the real challenge is just beginning.

A Merc’s Guide to Hard Mode 😈

Beating the game unlocks Hard Mode, and it changes everything. This isn’t just a simple stat boost for enemies; it’s a fundamental shift in strategy that will test everything you’ve learned.

The Rules Change:

1. You cannot use any items. Ever. 🚫 That safety net of Potions and Phoenix Downs is gone.
2. Resting at benches will restore your HP, but it will not restore your MP. 💧

The New Philosophy: Sustainability

With limited MP, every spell cast matters. You can no longer brute-force fights by spamming magic. MP conservation becomes the single most important aspect of combat.

Essential Tools for Survival:

• MP Management: Abilities like Aerith’s Soul Drain and weapons with MP regeneration become invaluable. Breaking Shinra crates is also crucial, as they are your only source of MP recovery in the field (Mako Shards).
• Non-MP Healing: Chakra (💛) and Prayer (💛) Materia, which heal without using MP, become your primary methods of staying alive. A maxed-out Prayer can be a lifesaver.
• Defensive Materia: Synergies like Elemental+[Element] on armor to absorb damage, and HP Absorption linked to abilities, are no longer just powerful—they are essential for mitigating damage and reducing the strain on your limited healing.

Hard Mode is the ultimate test. It forces you to play smarter, more defensively, and more efficiently. But if you’ve absorbed the lessons in this manual, you’re ready. You know your squad, you know your enemy, and you know the why.

Now go out there and show them what a real Midgar mercenary can do. 💪

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade belong to the developer Square Enix

 & publisher Square Enix.

Find the game here! FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE | SQUARE ENIX