Final Fantasy VII
Disc 1: Kalm to Junon
Outside Midgar
Kalm
The plot wants you to head northeast to Kalm, but you can detour first. If you go east to the Chocobo Farm and say “Wark” to the chocobo by the fence, you can get Choco-Mog Materia early. You can also buy Chocobo Lure Materia for 2,000 Gil.
If you are feeling brave, you can try to learn Beta from the Midgar Zolom. Poison it with Bio, link Fire Materia and Elemental Materia on defense for whoever has Enemy Skill Materia, then survive the counterattack after it stands up. If you are not strong enough yet, you can level in the Mythril Mines and come back later.
To advance the plot, head to Kalm. Talk to people and loot the town before going to the inn:
- First house: hidden Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP under the stairs.
- Second house: Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP in the upstairs wardrobe.
- Third house: Vincent's WeaponsVincient's Weapon. Attack: 38; Attack %: 118; Connected Slots: 2; Unconnected Slots: 1; Growth: NO GROWTH! in the chest up the spiral stairs, and a Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Vitality by 1 in a cabinet upstairs.
- Far-right house: Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP under the stairs.
The shops have new materia, including Earth Materia and Heal Materia. Check weapon slots before upgrading, since materia growth matters. When you are done, go to the inn and head upstairs.
Flashback
You control Cloud in Nibelheim. In Tifa’s house, go upstairs and play the piano “just a little.” The notes to remember for later are:
DO RE MI TI LA DO RE MI SO FA DO RE DO
On the PlayStation controls from the old notes:
X, Square, Tri, R1+Tri, R1+Square, X, Square, Tri, R1+X, O, X, Square, X
If you do it right, Cloud should say he managed to play well. Read the letter if you want, but do not search Tifa’s dresser if you are trying to be polite.
At the inn, talk to Zangan, then talk to Sephiroth upstairs twice and sleep. Follow Sephiroth and Tifa toward the reactor. When the bridge breaks, you can try to take Sephiroth’s materia from the menu. He will not let you, but it is fun to try. (I want a AccessoriesAccessory: Vitality+50, Spirit+50!)
In the reactor, follow the pipes and chain to the core, close the valve, and keep talking to Sephiroth. When Cloud skips ahead, go to Shinra Mansion, enter the hidden basement, and follow the scenes. After the fire starts, check Cloud’s house and then return to the reactor. After the next reactor scene, you wake up back in Kalm.
My First Chocobo
When you regain control, open the cabinet on the far left of the inn room several times to get a Restoration ItemsTarget: All, Restores ALL HP/MP. When you leave, you receive the Key ItemsKey Item: Use to change party members at save points and on the world map, which lets you swap party members at save points and on the world map.
Buy Barret’s Barret's WeaponsBarret's Weapon. Attack: 23; Attack %: 98; Connected Slots: 2; Unconnected Slots: 1 if you can. Do not worry too much about Tifa's WeaponsTifa's Weapon. Attack: 24; Attack %: 106; Connected Slots: 2; Unconnected Slots: 1, because you can steal a Tifa's WeaponsTifa's Weapon. Attack: 31; Attack %: 110; Connected Slots: 2; Unconnected Slots: 2 in the Mythril Mines soon.
Head east along the river, mountains, and ocean until you reach the Chocobo Farm. Say “Wark” to the chocobo by the fence to get Choco-Mog Materia if you haven’t already. Talk to Choco Billy and buy a Chocobo Lure Materia plus at least five 5x Chocobo ItemsUse to distract a chocobo during battle. Set battle speed slow and ATB to wait, then run around in the area where there are Chocobo tracks to try and catch one.
When a chocobo appears, throw it a green immediately, then defeat the monsters with it. Be careful with queued attacks; if one character kills a monster, the next queued attack may hit the chocobo. Once you catch one, cross the marsh to the cave. You should be fast enough to avoid the Zolom now.
The Mythril Caves
Set battle speed back to normal. Link Fire Materia with All Materia, equip Choco-Mog Materia, and remove Chocobo Lure Materia. The Matra Magic Enemy Skill is excellent here if you have it.
Inside the cave, head right, grab the Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP, and open the chest for a Restoration ItemsTarget: All, Restores ALL HP/MP at save point or on world map. Climb the vines on the left and pick up Long Range Materia. One good setup is Cover Materia plus Long Range Materia on Cloud in the back row.
Return to the entrance and head left/down. At the split, take the lower-right path for a Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Spirit by 1. Use sources on Cloud as you get them. Return to the crossroads, head left, and meet a very Rude person. >.> Anyway, listen to the Turks, then go up through the doorway for an Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores ALL HP/MP and a Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 500 HP. Climb the left vines to exit.
Junon Area
Optional: Fort Condor
Fort Condor is an optional side quest that provides an opportunity to earn some decent rewards if you’re willing to keep coming back to this location.
- You will find the fort just south of the cave exit. Talk to the man outside and volunteer to help. You need at least 5,000 Gil to contribute. There is an item shop and a materia shop with Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Restore.
- Talk to everyone, rest and save, then go to the top and talk to the man at the large window. Check the Fort Condor page for the battle schedule. The first reward can be Red XIII's WeaponsRed XIII's Weapon. Attack: 37; Attack %: 100; Connected Slots: 0; Unconnected Slots: 3; Growth: Double, which gives Red XIII three double-growth slots.
Yuffie
Read this whole bit before talking to her. Wander in forests until you encounter Mystery Ninja. If you meet Capparwire enemies, Matra Magic clears them quickly. If you meet Formula enemies, steal a Yuffie's WeaponsYuffie's Weapon. Attack: 30; Attack %: 101; Connected Slots: 2; Unconnected Slots: 2 for Yuffie.
After beating Mystery Ninja, do not use the save point and do not leave the screen. Talk to her and answer:
| Yuffie says | You answer |
|---|---|
| ”… One more time, let’s go one more time!” | Not interested |
| ”You’re pretty scared of me, huh!?“ | …petrified |
| ”I’m really gonna leave! REALLY!” | Wait a second! |
| ”You want me to go with you?” | …That’s right |
| ”All right! I’ll go with you!” | …Let’s hurry on |
Yuffie joins with Throw Materia. The fight gives 240 XP and 40 AP.
Lower Junon
When you first enter Junon, you’ll want to make sure you’re ready for a Boss Battle. This boss is out of range for physical attacks. Make sure Cloud has long-range materia and that your other characters either have ranged weapons or good magic. If you have Beta, equip your Enemy Skill Materia. It’s a single opponent, so don’t worry about junctioning all for offensive magic. Linking All Materia and Restore Materia is a good idea, though. Equip a Poison Materia to allow you to cast bio on him. If you have Choco-Mog Materia, that’s also pretty powerful here.
When you’re ready, enter Junon, go around the first house, and head down the steps behind it. After the scene, you fight Bottomswell from the back row.
Boss: Bottomswell
Bottomswell has 2,500 HP and 100 MP. It is weak to Wind, so Choco/Mog works well. Bio can poison it, and Fire/Bolt are useful. Physical attacks cannot reach unless you have Long Range Materia. It has nothing to steal. You will receive a AccessoriesAccessory: Strength+10.
You’re now thrust into a CPR mini-game. When you press Square, you’ll watch the breath bar rise. It goes up nine breaths to the top. When you get there, press Square again to exhale. I had to repeat this five times to complete the mini-game. After the cut scene, rest at the old man’s house.
Optional: Fort Condor
After resting, you can return to Fort Condor as Cloud for battle 2 and win a AccessoriesAccessory: Protects against Status Abnormalities: Berserk, Fury and Sadness. After that, head back to Lower Junon
Talk to the team in town to trigger a short scene scene with Priscilla. You should receive the Shiva Materia.
Optional: Fort Condor
Before using the Key ItemsKey Item: Call Mr Dolphin in Lower Junon to call Mr. Dolphin, you can choose “I’ll Pass” and return to Fort Condor for battle 3, which rewards you with an Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP. After that, head back to Lower Junon and down to the water.
When you are ready to advance the plot, jump into the water and use the Key ItemsKey Item: Call Mr Dolphin in Lower Junon. The dolphin will jump you high into the air. If you happen to be at the exact right spot, you’ll land on a beam and can climb up. Rather than explain where you need to be, just
. The video shows one miss, then the correct spot for the jump.
Upper Junon
Press the yellow box to lower the elevator, enter the building, and change into the Shinra uniform in the locker room. Save just outside the locker room.
During the parade, follow the instructions and try to enter the line quickly. Good ratings can earn items or Gil. Afterward, practice the send-off drill. It is worth getting good at this because the rewards are useful.
Before the send-off, shop around Junon:
- First materia shop: Revive Materia and Seal Materia.
- Third shop, bottom floor: Enemy Skill Materia.
- Third shop, second floor: Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Spirit by 1 and Miscellaneous ItemsNot a useful item...?.
- Third shop, nearby room: Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Luck by 1.
- Third shop, upper floor: Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Vitality by 1 and Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Strength by 1.
- Inn-area materia shop: Fire Materia, Ice Materia, Lightning Materia, Earth Materia, and Poison Materia.
- Accessory shop: AccessoriesAccessory: Protects against Status Abnormality: Darkness and AccessoriesAccessory: Protects against Status Abnormality: Sleep.
- Second-to-last shop: Stat-Up ItemsTarget: 1, Permanently raise Speed by 1 and another Miscellaneous ItemsNot a useful item...? upstairs.
For the send-off drill, follow along and use X for the special ending. Around 80 mood can earn HP Plus Materia. A very high score can earn Cloud's WeaponsCloud's Weapon. Attack: 36; Attack %: 100; Connected Slots: 0; Unconnected Slots: 3; Growth: Double, a Cloud weapon with double growth.
The Ship
When you regain control, open the lower-left chest for an Restoration ItemsTarget: 1, Restores 100 MP. Yuffie is seasick nearby; give her a Status Abnormality ItemsTarget: 1, Cures Sadness if you want to help her date score. There is an All Materia behind her, but you cannot get it yet.
Date choices:
- Tell Aeris you will take her on an airship ride to help Aeris.
- Agree with Tifa to help Tifa.
- Say “dunno” or “I don’t know” to avoid helping that character.
Talk to everyone, then go upstairs. Tell the upper-right sailor “something’s missing” to access a small shop. Talk above deck, then return downstairs and talk to Aeris. The sailor blocking the way should move.
After talking to Barret, choose a party, equip new weapons and materia, and save. I like giving Steal Materia to Red XIII and Yuffie, and linking Seal Materia with All Materia to sleep enemy groups while stealing.
Go downstairs and collect the All Materia Yuffie was blocking earlier. Then climb the ladder, follow the catwalk, and open the chest to get Yuffie’s weapon: Yuffie's WeaponsYuffie's Weapon. Attack: 30; Attack %: 103; Connected Slots: 0; Unconnected Slots: 3; Growth: Double. Heal your characters and prepare for the next battle. You can’t use Steal or Seal, so probably replace those materia (unless you want the speed benefit from Steal Materia.) Be sure you’ve equipped both the Choco-Mog Materia and the Shiva Materia. When ready, talk to the man at the front.
Boss: Jenova BIRTH
Jenova BIRTH has 4,000 HP and 110 MP. It has no useful steal and is immune to sleep. Use summons, magic, limit breaks, and regular damage. Shiva and Choco/Mog work fine, and Beta is excellent if you learned it earlier.
You receive a AccessoriesAccessory: Protects against Status Abnormalities Frog and Small. After the fight, pick up Ifrit Materia behind Cloud before leaving.