Final Fantasy 7 Tips For A Newbie

[Busterman64]

Ok, so I recently went to my Goodwill and I actually found a copy of Final Fantasy VII, with all 3 disc, (THANK YOU GOD) and the ps1 version of FF IV (the one from FF Chronicles)...somehow all in the same game case( ...a mix up I guess, but hey...I'm not complaining). I'd been wanting to play this game for a good while now, but......I'm a newbie to the ps1 FF games and I feel like a few tips would help me out greatly since I've heard about rare steals and some hidden stuff(weapons, items, summons, etc) and I would to not fall for or miss some stuff. So any tips and tricks would be helpful to me (No spoilers please...expect the one about Sephiroth using "Jump" on Aerith...almost everyone knows about that)! Please and Thank you in advance!

[Alex95]

Don't die.

........That's all I can give you as I have yet to make it farther than the beginning of VII myself XP

[Mikethfc]

Use Aeris, she's one of the best characters for late game

[Water Mage]

This not much of an advice, but there's something important,

Grind, especially when it comes to materia.

This may seem obvious, but leveling up your materia is really important.

[Busterman64]

About 3 hours in (Aerith leading me back to Sector 7)...so far so good! Kinda looking everywhere just in case I find hidden goodies and I'm grinding here and there.

This not much of an advice, but there's something important,
Grind, especially when it comes to materia.
This may seem obvious, but leveling up your materia is really important.

Seeing how much it takes for you to reach the next level for materia, grinding for it makes a LOT of sense!

Edited January 18, 2016 by Busterman64

[sirmola]

Check a missable guide (like this one: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186442320 ). large portions of the first part of the game are not revisitable. THis notably includes your first chance at an "enemy skill" and "elemental resistance" materia. there is other stuff that you can miss easily latter (such as some ultimate weapons). As for grinding, i find that it's like pokemon in that random encounters are usualy enough if you are reasonably smart.

Edited January 22, 2016 by sirmola

[Jedi]

Also the ways to get Limit Breaks is as such, everyone starts with their first level 1 one, so the way to get your 2nd one in level 1 is to use it a certain amount of times.

Then to get the first limit in level 2, that character in particular will have to a kill a certain amount of enemies, then you will need to use this limit a certain number of times, and repeat.

4th level limits are unique though, you need to cap out Level 3, and get the special item for level 4, which is found differently for each character.

Generally FF7 isn't too hard of a game, but I'd grind more for limits and materia than for actual levels, also pay attention to equipment because sometimes it has effects to Materia growth, and some halt it all together.

[Zera]

Aw man, I entered this topic thinking you had 7 tips for Final Fantasy, but instead you want tips for Final Fantasy VII. Please edit topic title.

[Original Alear]

Aw man, I entered this topic thinking you had 7 tips for Final Fantasy, but instead you want tips for Final Fantasy VII. Please edit topic title.

7 tips for 14 games? (ignore any spinoffs or sequels) It'd be a meager feast.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Sane Young Dog Man

[Elieson]

Make sure to rely on Deathblow

[Bankai]

If you master any all materia it sells for a lot of gil.

[animeapple]

if you dont know anything about the game i suggest looking up an online guide

there is loads of stuff hidden in this game and it would take me way to long to explain everything that hasnt already been said by someone else

but i dont really think all of that information is needed... if you truly want to experience the game properly... play it blind

and use a guide only if you are stuck...

on your second run of the game... go at it... find EVERYTHING but not on your first run...

just my opinion... but do whatever you want

[JSND Alter Dragon Boner]

use aerith shes op on purpose

[Busterman64]

About 20 hours in and I'm doing pretty good. I thank everyone for the tips because it helps!

Don't die.

........That's all I can give you as I have yet to make it farther than the beginning of VII myself XP

Better than nothing! Besides, I doing a good job, I haven't died once yet (had a close call with a giant snake thing though...)! :3

Check a missable guide (like this one: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186442320 ). large portions of the first part of the game are not revisitable. THis notably includes your first chance at an "enemy skill" and "elemental resistance" materia. there is other stuff that you can miss easily latter (such as some ultimate weapons). As for grinding, i find that it's like pokemon in that random encounters are usualy enough if you are reasonably smart.

Search everywhere and fight everything. Got it! :3

Was that giant snake thing in the marsh the one with the missable ES?

Also the ways to get Limit Breaks is as such, everyone starts with their first level 1 one, so the way to get your 2nd one in level 1 is to use it a certain amount of times.

Then to get the first limit in level 2, that character in particular will have to a kill a certain amount of enemies, then you will need to use this limit a certain number of times, and repeat.

4th level limits are unique though, you need to cap out Level 3, and get the special item for level 4, which is found differently for each character.

Generally FF7 isn't too hard of a game, but I'd grind more for limits and materia than for actual levels, also pay attention to equipment because sometimes it has effects to Materia growth, and some halt it all together.

This is quite helpful. So I need an item for the last Limit break, ok then. Good thing I like to grind in RPG's (for the most part)!

Make sure to rely on Deathblow

Already all over that! It helps since I can now still attack normally(somewhat) when I have OverLimit up (equipped on Cloud).

If you master any all materia it sells for a lot of gil.

I'll do that...after hundreds and hundreds of battles! I mean, those AP numbers...they are freakin' huge! I guess that's what double growth is for.

if you dont know anything about the game i suggest looking up an online guide

there is loads of stuff hidden in this game and it would take me way to long to explain everything that hasnt already been said by someone else

but i dont really think all of that information is needed... if you truly want to experience the game properly... play it blind

and use a guide only if you are stuck...

on your second run of the game... go at it... find EVERYTHING but not on your first run...

just my opinion... but do whatever you want

You got that right! I went back to the Chocobo Farm when I got the Buggy and I talked to the chocobo near the gate. I watch all the chocobos all do a dance......and then I got the Chocobo/Moogle summon.

I literally had my jaw drop when I saw I got a summon. To be honest...it kinda made me happy because I wasn't sure how they would have hidden stuff in the game that's 3D. My worries have been put to rest.

Oh, and I try to be as blind in the game as I can...,but I do still look up some stuff like Fort Condor battles, rewards for minigmes, items/weapons uses, and how to get Yuffie...that first and last one especially since I knew Yuffie was in the game as a hidden party member and I wanted her since KIngdom Heart got me to like her and Leon...not Squall, Leon (but...I didn't expect her to be SO missable though. It did not take long since I waited till the Gongaga area and she was the my 4th or 5th encounter...so lucky me). Also, DEAR LORD, the time limit for each of the Fort Condor battles are too close for my tastes! I want just about everything from those battles, but jeez...it's a bit of a pain to stop and head back every time something happens plot wise.

And...well...the guide spoiled a bit of stuff for me. Not a lot, but a little. Something about being "caught" and visiting Cloud somewhere...so I'm guessing Cloud leaves your party at one point...for whatever reason. I wonder why? Oh well, I'll find out eventually.

use aerith shes op on purpose

That saddens me so much. I know that Sephiroth uses "Jump" on her later and I felt like I should focus on everyone else because of that, but......she's so dang good and I really like to use her! Oh man...it's gonna be painful when I reach "THAT" part of the game... :(

[Tip Giver]

Don't use Vincent when you get him. His Limit Break Is BAD

[Lord_Brand]

Most Materia duplicates itself when you master it, so be careful of how much you buy, especially early on. It can be tempting to just buy three of everything - Fire, Ice, Lightning, Restore, etc. - so every active party member has a copy, but you'll never have anywhere near enough room to equip all the Materia in your inventory even with just one copy of everything, so the better option is to just assign different types to different party members and divvy your party up by role. One focuses on healing and buffing, another focuses on damage dealing, the third Steals, Scans, and attacks, etc. One exception to this is Restore Materia, which you should try to equip everyone with. I highly recommend pairing Restore with All, as that helps you keep your party healed up.

Barrier + All and Time + All are also useful combinations, as they let you buff your party's defenses and action speed. Of course, damage-dealing Materia + All can help you nuke enemy parties faster. I especially recommend Fire + All on your way to Junon, as the plant monsters you encounter can and will wreck your $#!t unless you use Fire-All to defeat them quickly.

When you get Elemental Materia, KEEP THEM ON YOU AT ALL TIMES. You want to raise AP on them as quickly as possible. Once your Elemental Materia are at level 3, you can pair them with elemental Materia and use damage-dealing spells to heal yourself and possibly your party. Same goes for when you have element-absorbing armor or accessories. However, bear in mind that Restore Materia can still be used to heal in the field, while elemental Materia cannot.

The basic Cure spell is generally enough to keep your party healed up outside of battle even in the late game. In battle, you'll still want to consider Cure 2 or Cure 3 of course, but outside of battle, a few castings of the basic Cure spell is often more effective for its cost.

Cloud will be in your party the longest, so he's a good candidate for the Materia that need the most AP, like Summons. However, I also found myself putting Barrier and Time on him a lot, usually because other party members needed to catch up on Limit Breaks, prompting Cloud to play support.

Steal's success rate is determined by the user's level compared to the target's, so Cloud will be your best candidate for that as well.

Deathblow is generally not worth it due to its inaccuracy, but Vincent's Sniper CR has 255% Acc, meaning he's guaranteed to hit with it, making it a great weapon to use with Deathblow.

Cover Materia helps immensely when grinding Limit Break levels, especially in tandem with the Fury status.

When grinding Materia, equipment with Double or Triple growth rates are obviously preferable.

Try to get Lv.4 Suicide from Mus in the field near the Chocobo Ranch whenever you have an Enemy Skill Materia that doesn't have it yet, as well as a party member whose level is a multiple of 4. This is one of those Enemy Skills you can potentially miss once your party members all hit level 97.

Stealing Gold Armlets from Dragons in Mt. Nibel is a great way to raise some cash when you first find them. The dragons are also worth a decent amount of AP.

Before you take on the fifth level of the Pagoda in Wutai, you might want to wait until you have all four Enemy Skill Materia, because that will be your last opportunity to learn Trine. Also learn Laser on as many ES Materia as possible in Corel Prison, because you won't get another chance to learn Laser until near the end of the game.

Prepare to take a lot of trips back to Fort Condor. Including when you don't have an airship or Chocobos yet, only the buggy or plane.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Lord_Brand