7 tips to help you get started with "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth"

The world of "Rebirth" is huge. There are all kinds of things to discover and do. The game is most fun if you play it without a guide. Nevertheless, there are a few tips that will make the game easier for you.

Exploring the world

Get your chocobo first

Chocobos not only help you get around faster than on foot, they also allow you to reach other areas. That's why the riding birds are extremely useful when exploring the world. When you arrive in a new area on the world map, the first thing you should do is complete the chocobo mission. This will allow you to complete further exploration missions at the same time, which are useful.

Weakening espers

Esper are mystical, legendary creatures that support you in battle. They are extremely useful for winning the sometimes challenging boss battles. One Summoner Materia can be found in each region of the world of "Final Fantasy VII". However, you must first defeat them in Chadley's VR simulator. The virtual battles against the legendary creatures are difficult. However, you can weaken them by completing World Report missions. This is possible up to three times. This makes recruiting the Esper child's play. Later, you can still compete against their more challenging variant in the VR simulator.

Fight

Always use the Analyse Materia for new opponents

It's not just the bosses that can give you a hard time. The normal opponents can also be tough. That's why you should always exploit their weak points. The Materia "Analysis" will tell you what these are. Cloud equipped it at the start of the game. I didn't take it away from him until the end. If you come across unknown opponents, you should use your first ATB unit to analyse them. After that, you can specifically exploit the enemies' deficits.

Codes with elemental attacks

Enemies' weaknesses often have to do with the elements. Most human enemies are susceptible to fire, for example. In "Final Fantasy VII Remake", you could only trigger elemental attacks with magical attacks or the corresponding materia. Thanks to the new codes, you no longer need to have the corresponding materia equipped in "Rebirth". On the skill board, you can unlock elemental attacks for all characters that you can trigger without using magic. So if you are surprised by an opponent with a specific elemental weakness, you can exploit this with the corresponding attack.

Always equip all weapons and upgrade them automatically

In "Remake", early-game weapons were also suitable for the endgame. This also applies to "Rebirth". It's tempting to play through the game with just the iconic armoured sword (Buster Sword). You should refrain from doing so, at least for a short time. Each weapon has a special ability. If you use it often enough, the character will learn it permanently. You can then also use it with other weapons. There are some helpful skills among the various special abilities, which is why it is advisable to unlock them as soon as you receive the weapon.

As in the previous game, you can upgrade your weapons. However, the system is no longer as complex. If you don't want to spend time on this, you can have them upgraded automatically. This is based on attack, defence or balance. In most cases, I did well with the automatic upgrades.

General

Keep an eye on your relationship status

No, this is not a guide to Tinder. But Cloud's relationship with his fellow contestants is important in "Rebirth". There is a night-time rendezvous in the Gold Saucer towards the end of the game (in Chapter 12). Who Cloud meets there depends on his relationship status. You can influence this through side missions. So if you want to go out with the lively Yuffie, you should build up a good relationship with her before the date.

The pause menu is your friend

"Rebirth" is bursting with mini-games. However, some have sluggish animations before and after starting. If you frequently fail a game, they can be annoying. Fortunately, there is a pause menu. If you realise you've made a mistake, press the options button and restart the minigame. In certain cases, you can even start from a checkpoint. And if you don't like the game at all, you can also end it in the pause menu.