Final Fantasy VII - PC PS1/Walkthrough
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Destroying Reactor No. 1
Shinra, Avalanche, and Mako
Final Fantasy VII begins in the industrial metropolis of Midgar, an enormous circular city powered by the Shinra Corporation's Mako reactors and separated into the underground slums and the surface-level affluence. The consumption of Mako, the lifeforce of the planet, is a highly controversial practice, and the eco-terrorists known as Avalanche are committed to ending Shinra's rampant plundering of the world's most precious resource.
Cloud and Barret
You'll take on the persona of a mercenary named Cloud Strife, an ex-warrior of Shinra's SOLDIER army with a sour attitude and a mysterious past, hired by Avalanche to help them blow up one of Shinra's Mako reactors. When you gain control of Cloud, head off the train you arrive on to meet Barret, another member of the team with a gatling gun for a hand, as well as fellow Avalanche members Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge.
Setting the Bomb
Follow everyone into the reactor, then get ready to fight in your first battle against a pair of guards. Use these first few easy battles to adjust to the game's combat system and acquaint yourself with the in-fight menus. Kill the guards with your simple physical attacks for now, and proceed to the elevator. Take it down, then head out and follow Jessie over the gap. Descend the ladder, then run along the pipes and take the next ladder down to a Save Point. Use it to save your game, then head southeast and pick up the Restore Materia along the way to the reactor core. As you start to set the bomb, your party is attacked by the Guard Scorpion.
Boss: Guard Scorpion
As the first boss of the game, the Guard Scorpion is designed to give you an idea of the different means of tackling Final Fantasy VII's enemies. Use Cloud's Bolt spell for big damage against the Scorpion, and have Barret just attack with his gun. When the Scorpion raises its tail, don't attack, as it will counter with a powerful Tail Laser that damaged both Cloud and Barret. If you're struck enough times, you'll be able to use a Limit Break, which is a powerful release of energy capable of dealing massive damage to its target. Use Potions to heal and keep up this pattern until the Guard Scorpion is scrap metal.
Escape from the Reactor
You'll now have 10 minutes to escape Reactor No. 1 before the bomb detonates. Head back out the way you came, stopping to save your game at the Save Point. When you find Jessie, help her up and continue up the elevator and out of the reactor. The Mako reactor will explode, leaving the mission a rousing success.
Follow Barret as the team splits up and you'll soon run into a Flower Girl; buy a flower from her and continue. You'll face three groups of soldiers, all of which you should fight for the Experience Points (EXP). Soon you'll flee by jumping to the train below, where you'll meet up with Barret et al. Speak to everyone to learn that you have fake IDs to get past the security checkpoints, and ride the train to your destination.
Sector 7 Slums
Tifa
Speak with Barret, then head to the bar to meet Tifa, the girl Cloud promised to protect when they were both children; you can give her the flower you bought, if she catches your fancy. Barret will show up and call a meeting in the hideout downstairs. Ride the pinball machine/elevator down and listen as Barret & Tifa try to convince Cloud to join Avalanche. You'll watch a flashback of a younger Cloud and Tifa, living in their little hamlet outside of Midgar, just before Cloud goes off to join SOLDIER. You'll also hear the name Sephiroth for the first time, a legendary warrior of SOLDIER and Cloud's idol. After that quaint walk down memory lane, Barret appears and gives Cloud his payment of 1,500 Gil. Cloud agrees to join the next mission to blow up a second reactor.
After a good night's rest, listen to Barret's plan to blow up Reactor No. 5, and watch the tutorial on equipping Materia. Now leave the bar and buy some equipment for Cloud, Barret, and Tifa from the shops around town, as well as the Fire and Restore Materia. Also, check out the Beginner's Hall for several tips on playing the game, as well as an All Materia, which lets you cast spells on multiple targets. Now leave the slums to the north and return to the train station. Board the train, and you'll learn that your fake IDs will no longer get you through the security checkpoints unnoticed. When the alarms go off, run through the five cars and speak to Tifa to jump off the train.
Through the Tunnels
Head north through the tunnels until you reach a grid blocking the way ahead. Open the hatch on the left and climb down the ladders all the way to the bottom. Head for the next ladder heading up, then crawl through the ducts until you reach Jessie. Go west from here and descend the ladder to the Save Point. Use it, then climb the ladder near Biggs to reach the reactor.
Reactor No. 5
Slide down the pipe and make your way to the reactor core as you did in Reactor No. 1. Set the bomb, then return to where you slid down the pipe and climb the stairs to the elevator. Ride it up, then make your way to the room with three switches. You have to push all three switches at the same time, so press yours at the same moment as your allies press theirs. Head through the door and use the Save Point, then head to the north, where you'll run into none other than President Shinra himself, who sics the Air Buster on you.
Boss: Air Buster
You'll be surrounding on the Air Buster throughout the battle, so whoever is standing behind it should attack it for twice the normal damage. Again, the Bolt spell is strong here, so use it whenever the Air Buster is facing you, and use your Limit Breaks when they become available.
The reactor explodes after the battle, and Cloud falls down to the Sector 5 slums below.
Sector 5 Slums
Aeris
After Cloud recovers from his plunge, he'll meet the Flower Girl from before, Aeris. Agree to be her bodyguard, and Reno, a member of Shinra's Turks, shows up to pursue you. You'll run to the upper floor, but Aeris will fall to the floor below. Tell her to "hold on a minute," then push the western barrel down to take out one of the Turks. When she calls out to you for help again, push the northern barrel down to take out another Turk. Finally, push the eastern barrel down to take out the third Turk. You and Aeris will be reunited, so cross the beam to the northwest and jump out of the hole in the roof.
Jump across the rooftops to the left until you end up back on the ground. Save your game here, and ignore the men blocking the way into Sector 6. Take the path northwest and then north to the slums. Return Aeris to her house and agree to stay the night and leave in the morning. In the middle of the night, you'll have to sneak out of the house to keep Aeris out of danger, so walk out, and avoid the creaking sections of the floorboards until you're outside. Head northwest and Aeris will have caught up with you, so grudgingly agree to let her escort you the rest of the way.
Sector 6 Slums
Take the route to Sector 6 until you reach a playground, where Cloud and Aeris stop to take a break. After talking about the past, you'll see Tifa riding a cart into the distance, and Aeris runs off. Follow her into Wall Market.
Wall Market
Speak to the man at the Honey Bee Inn to discover that Tifa's inside Don Corneo's mansion. Shop at the stores around the market, then head for the mansion. You won't be able to get in unless you're a woman, so Aeris comes up with the brilliant idea of dressing you up as one.
The House of Don Corneo
Enter the dress shop, speak to the little girl, then head to the bar to convince the tailor to make you a dress. Choose a "soft" dress that "shimmers." Now you need a wig, but where to find one? The gym, of course. Enter the squat contest and win to receive the Blonde Wig. Now head to the restaurant and order the Special. Tell the waiter it was "all right" and receive a Pharmacy Coupon. Take it to the Pharmacy, select the Digestive, and take that to the woman in the bar bathroom to receive the Sexy Cologne. Enter the northeast building now and speak to the man about the vending machine in the Inn. Stay the night at the Inn, and in the morning spend 200 Gil at the vending machine. Take the prize back to the man in the northeast building to receive the Diamond Tiara. Finally, you're going to need some sexy underwear, so speak to the large man wandering around on the way to the Honey Bee Inn and he'll give you his Membership Card to the Inn. Choose to enter the Group room to receive some form of undergarment, then enter the Bee Room and have the girls put some makeup on you.
Return to the dress shop and get pretty. Enter Don Corneo's mansion, climb the stairs and head through the door on the left down to the basement to find Tifa. She'll tell you that an informant told her Corneo had some information regarding Shinra, which is why she's even here in the first place. After the man calls down to you from above to get ready, head up to the room in the middle of the second floor. Don Corneo will come in and choose one of you to be his special lady friend. If you collected everything from the town, Corneo will choose Cloud, and you'll be taken to the Don's lovemaking bed. Answer his questions as you see fit before Tifa and Aeris break in to spoil Don's party. You'll discover that the head of Public Safety Maintenance, Heidegger, hired Corneo to find out about Avalanche, because Shinra is going to break the support post holding the plate above Avalanche's hideout to crush them.
The Don will end the interrogation by pulling a switch which opens a trap door beneath your party. Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris will drop right down into the sewers.
Sewers
When you recover from the fall, you will almost immediately be attacked by the sewer-dwelling Aps.
Boss: Aps
Aps is weak to fire, so have whoever owns the Fire Materia cast it on the beast over and over. Aps has a Sewer Tsunami attack that damages both itself and your party; depending on the direction of the Tsunami and whether your characters are in the Front or Back row, the attack will be powerful or weak. Keep casting Fire and attacking Aps while someone heals the party with the Restore & All Materia.
Climb the ladder afterwards and keep walking until you reach a second ladder. Descend it, then go up the stairs and take the Steal Materia from the ground before jumping down the hole. Now descend the stairs here and go through the busted fence to another ladder. Climb it to reach the Train Graveyard.
Train Graveyard
Save your game here, then climb the ladder to get one top of one of the trains. Leap to the twisted metal, then go left and then north to a barrel containing an Echo Screen. Go southeast from the barrel, enter the train, then go out the lower end of it. Ascend the ladder to reach the top of the train on the right, then down the one north from here. Head into the train, go up, then head out. In this new area, enter the lower of the two oddly colored trains to move one train out of the way, then enter the second one to move it and create a walkway to Sector 7.
Sector 7 Pillar
As you arrive at the base of the Sector 7 support pillar, you'll hear gunshots being fire overhead. Wedge will get shot off the tower and fall to his death, but not before telling you to save Barret, who's up on the pillar tower somewhere. Aeris will go off to warn the people of Sector 7 to flee the area while Cloud and Tifa begin their ascension of the tower. Climb the stairs until you reach Barret, and be sure to equip him with Materia as soon as he rejoins your party. Shortly thereafter, Reno of the Turks appears and starts the timer on the bomb that will destroy the pillar. He then attacks you.
Boss: Reno
Avoid using the Bolt spell here, but apart from that, use whatever method causes the most damage on him (probably physical attacks from Cloud and Barret, and Fire or Ice magic from Tifa). If Reno encases one of your party members with his Pyramid, just attack that character to bring them back into the fray.
Tifa will try to disarm the bomb after the battle, but she can't seem to get it done. Then Tseng of the Shinra Corporation appears in a helicopter, revealing that he has kidnapped Aeris (referring to her as the Last Ancient) and that the bomb cannot disabled. The bomb then goes off. Cloud & Co. make their escape as the pillar breaks and the plate crashes down on the Sector 7 slums.
Journey to the Shinra Building
After dealing with your sorrow and anger amidst the rubble of Sector 7, go south from the Sector 6 playground to regroup, then head back up to find the Sense Materia. Now make your way back to Aeris's house and speak to her "mother" to learn more about Aeris, the last of the Ancients, and also find out that Barret's daughter is safe. When you're all done here, return to Wall Market and speak to the man in the Gun shop. Buy the three batteries he's selling, then follow the children to a wire heading up. Climb the wire to the next screen, then up a little more before jumping off to the left side and heading right to the first socket. Place the battery here, then cross the propeller. Cross the train tracks and place a battery in the second socket to open the way ahead. Continue to the wire and climb it to the next screen; insert your last battery here to receive an Ether. Climb back down, then time your jump so you land on the swinging wire and take it across to the other side. Head up the pipe leading to the Shinra Building.
Shinra Building
Save your game before taking a step further. You have two options available to you on how to infiltrate the Shinra Corp. Building: sneak in by climbing up the 50-odd flights of stairs (tedious), or rush in guns blazing via the elevator (awesome). For the purposes of this walkthrough, we'll be taking the gung-ho approach.
Head straight through the front door for an immediate battle with the building's security guards. Head to the second floor and buy some supplies from the shop, then step onto the elevator from the third floor. You'll stop at random floors on the way up and fight enemies whenever this happens until you reach the 59th floor. Fight the guards on the staircase here to obtain the Keycard 60, then take the elevator they were guarding to the 60th floor. Here, sneak past the guards by using the statues, then call Barret and Tifa over when the coast is clear. Head to the 61st floor and find the man circling the tree in the middle; speak to him and choose the second response to gain the Keycard 62. Head to that floor.
Speak with Mayor Domino here and he'll tell you to guess his new password for the next keycard. Just guess from his list until you get it right (it's "MAKO" more often than not), then head up to the next floor. Examine the large computer here to discover that you can open three doors on this floor, and only three doors on this floor. Set the computer to "All Clear" and leave the room. Head to the north wall and open the door on your left. Go through it and go left to a second door, but don't open that one; open the one to the south instead. Now head into the room on the left to grab the first Coupon off the floor. Climb into the air duct here and go down, right, then up at the fork. Drop down and grab the second Coupon. Leave the room now and go left; open the final door here to grab the last Coupon. Now return to the computer and exchange your coupons for some nice treasure, then head up to the 64th floor.
Enter the room to the west to heal your party for free and save your game. That's all for this floor, so head on up to the 65th floor. Take the Midgar parts from around the room and place them in the Midgar model until all four slots are filled with the corresponding pieces. Return to the room with the stairs now and open the chest for Keycard 66. Head up, then climb into the duct above the toilet in the northwest bathroom. Go forward and you'll overhear a meeting between President Shinra and his lackeys, Reeve, Palmer, Scarlet, and Heidegger, regarding Sector 7. Another associate, Hojo, arrives, and mentions experimenting on Aeris. When the meeting concludes, return to the bathroom and take the stairs to the 67th floor.
Red XIII
Here, proceed to the giant storage tank that reads "JENOVA" and Cloud will have one of his "mental attacks." Now go north, open the chest containing the Poison Materia, and save your game at the Save Point. Take the elevator up to find Aeris and a catlike creature named Red XIII trapped in glass tubes with Hojo about to perform experiments on them. Barret blasts both of the tubes open, freeing Aeris and Red XIII, who joins your party. Choose whether to kick Tifa or Barret out, then get ready to fight one of Hojo's nastier specimens.
Boss: Sample HO512
This boss will be accompanied by the smaller H0512 Opts, but just ignore them, as they'll revive shortly after you kill them. Focus your attacks on Sample H0512 itself, and use Red XIII's Fire magic along with your limit breaks to sheer off chunks of HP. The Sample has a proclivity for Poisoning your party, but just ignore it, as it won't do too much damage, and you'll expend too many turns trying to get rid of it.
After the fight, form a three-person party of your choice, and pick up the Enemy Skill Materia from Aeris's tube. Now speak to the lab assistant to claim the Keycard 68. Return the elevators on the 66th Floor and you'll be captured by Tseng and Rude of the Turks, and taken to President Shinra. Shinra tells you about the Cetra, i.e. the Ancients, and his plan to find the Promised Land and drains its supply of Mako. You're then carted off to your prison cells.
A New President
When you're there, check on your teammates, particularly Aeris, and then choose to sleep. When you wake, the door to the cell will be open; exit and get Tifa, who goes off to get Aeris. Talk to Barret and acquire the cell key from the dead guard, then follow the bloody trail all the way to President Shinra's office. You'll find the president there, murdered, impaled upon a large sword that Cloud identifies as Sephiroth's. You'll then meet the new President, Shinra's son Rufus, on the roof the building. Aeris will flee to the elevators with Red XIII and Barret; make sure to unequip Cloud and Tifa's Materia and equip them on your current party members (with Lightning going to Red XIII and Restore going to Aeris), because you'll fight a dual boss once you step aboard the lift.
Boss: Hundred Gunner/Heli Gunner
Since Red XIII's normal attack can't reach the Hundred Gunner, have him cast Bolt on the boss to make up for it (and it doesn't hurt that the Gunner is weak to Lightning magic). Have Barret attack with his gun arm while Aeris heals the party. After you sufficiently damage the Hundred Gunner, it will transform into the Heli Gunner, which has less HP but stronger attacks than its first form, including the ability to inflict status ailments. Use your limit breaks whenever they become available and keep up with your Bolt/Gun/Healing pattern from the first half of this fight.
Control will then revert back to Cloud, who takes on the new President Rufus alone. Be sure to attach the Restore Materia, as you'll need for its Cure spell.
Boss: Rufus
Rufus is accompanied by something call the Dark Nation, which casts protective magic on itself and Rufus. Take it out first, then focus all your attacks on the new president. Use your limit break when it's available, and heal with Cure when your HP gets low. Rufus has only 500 HP, so this battle will just go back and forth until Rufus drops.
Escape from Midgar
President Rufus will flee the scene afterwards, so run back inside and speak with Tifa. Your party will eventually end up in a truck, fleeing down the highway away from the Shinra Building with Cloud riding a motorcycle next to them. You'll have to slash at the Shinra soldiers pursuing you and the truck, and any damage you incur here will carry over to the boss battle at the end of this section. Stay close to the truck at all times and take out the lead bikers so that they crash and subsequently knock down any bikers behind them. When you reach the end of the road, you'll have to fight the Motor Ball.
Boss: Motor Ball
Once again, the boss's weakness is Lightning-based magic, so slam it with Bolt while your other party members attack and heal. The Motor Ball's strongest attack is its Rolling Fire, which can wreak a lot of damage, so be sure to use your Restore/All Materia in conjunction with Cure to heal the whole team. And it goes without saying: use your limit breaks when they come up.
You're now at the edge of the city, ready to step out into the great beyond. As you can't have your whole team trundling about the open fields, you'll need to choose a three-person party and set off onto the overworld map. Save your game here, then head northeast to the aptly-named village of Kalm.
Kalm
Cloud's Flashback
Check the houses around town for treasure, and buy new equipment from the shops before you meet up with your party at the Inn. Head upstairs, and you'll watch a flashback to Cloud's days as a SOLDIER battling a monster on the way to Nibelheim with Sephiroth. When you reach the town, you'll meet up with Tifa, who is to be your guide to the malfunctioning Mako reactor. The next day you'll journey to the reactor on Mt. Nibel; when you enter, close the valve as Sephiroth commands, and take a look into the pod to see a member of SOLDIER being changed by high exposure to Mako. Sephiroth flips out, asking if he was created the same way, and starts slashing up the place with his sword. Back in the Shinra Mansion in town, Sephiroth pores over the old records and discovers that Jenova was a Cetra, and that it was used by Professor Gast to create Sephiroth. The next day, Sephiroth burns down the town and sets off to free Jenova from the Mako reactor, and Cloud challenges him in combat. But before the fight begins, Cloud blacks out, and can remember nothing further.
Now that the flashback is over, go back downstairs to receive the PHS, which allows you to switch your party members at any time from Save Points or the world map. Your party decides to hunt Sephiroth down, so your first stop should be the farm to the southeast.
Chocobo Farm
Speak the word "Wark" to the chocobo standing at the fence to obtain the game's first summon Materia, then enter the house and tell him you want to cross the swamp. Now leave and step inside his barn, then speak to Chocobo Billy about chocobos and buy the Chocobo Lure Materia from him, as well as a few Tantal Greens. Return to the overworld map now and equip the Chocobo Lure Materia onto one of your teammates, then run over the V-shaped footprints on the ground until you enter a battle with some enemies and a chocobo. Immediately feed it one of your Tantal greens, then quickly kill the other enemies until only the chocobo remains. The battle will end and you will be riding the chocobo! Now enter the marsh to the west and outrun the monster swimming around in it until you reach the cave entrance on the other side.
Mythril Mine
Head into the mine and go northeast to find some treasure and the Long Range Materia, then return to the entrance. Go south now, and right at the fork for a Mind Source. Go back to the fork and go west until you run into Rude and Elena of the Turks, who will tell you they're following Sephiroth as well, and that he's been spotted heading for Junon harbor. When they're gone, climb the vine and follow them out of the cave.
Recruiting Yuffie
From the exit, go north until you reach a forest area surrounding some mountains. Walk around in the forest until you encounter a Mystery Ninja in combat. Beat her, and when you regain control, DO NOT use the Save Point. Instead, talk to the ninja and tell her you're "Not interested" in fighting again. Tell her you're "Petrified" of her, then tell her to "Wait a second" when she starts to leave. When she asks if you want her to join her, tell her "That's right" and finally "Let's hurry on." You now have the ninja Yuffie in your party! Now head for the city on the western coast of the continent, save your game on the map, and then enter.
Junon
Saving Priscilla
Go south through town to the shoreline to find a young girl named Priscilla playing with a dolphin. She thinks you're with Shinra, but before you can argue, she's attacked by Bottomswell, the sea monster.
Boss: Bottomswell
This is where that Long Range Materia you picked up in the Mythril Mine will find its use: Bottomswell is too far away for anyone other than Barret (or Yuffie) to reach with their normal attack, unless the Long Range Materia is equipped. For those who can't reach the beast, have them cast magic. From time to time, Bottomswell will encase one of your teammates in a water bubble that will sap away their HP; hit that character with a weak spell like Fire to get rid of it. Keep your HP above 200 at all times, because Bottomswell will hurl one last Big Wave attack at you when it dies.
You'll have to perform CPR on Priscilla now, so follow the onscreen button prompts until she's resuscitated. She'll be taken back home then, so speak to the woman in front of the house near the entrance to town and she'll offer to put you up for the night for your gallantry. The next morning, find the rest of your party in the center of town, then find Priscilla again to receive the Shiva summon Materia. It seems President Rufus is in town, and you need a way to reach the upper level of the city to get to him. You'll receive a whistle from Priscilla that makes her dolphin leap into the air, which you can use to reach the pole heading up. When you start in the water, stay exactly where you begin, call the dolphin, then call it again, and you'll be on the pole. Climb it up to the top to see an airship landing on the tarmac.
The Parade
Go south from here and ride the large lift down, then go through the southern door. Head into the room to the north and a Shinra commander will mistake you for a soldier and tell you to get dressed in your uniform for the parade. Find the uniform in the locker second from the left, then watch the demonstration of the march. When you're ready, go outside and follow the soldiers through the alley into the parade. Take your place, then push the onscreen button prompts to mimic the rest of the soldiers until the parade is over.
The Send-Off
Back in the locker room, you'll watch another demonstration on the send-off for President Rufus. Learn the moves, then head into the hallway to save your game. Take the southwest exit and start checking out the shops, and be sure to buy Revive from the Materia shop. Now head for the dock and perform your send-off as best you can, and you'll receive a reward afterward depending on well your performance went. Now head onto the Cargo Ship.
Cargo Ship
Speak to your party members scattered around the ship, then find Red XIII; speak to him and save your game. Go back and speak to Aeris, and she'll ask about Barret. Go back to the deck and head to the west to find him. An alarm will go off about an intruder on the ship, which your teammates think could be Sephiroth. Head below decks and speak to the soldier in red to trigger Sephiroth's appearance and a battle with Jenova-BIRTH.
Boss: Jenova-BIRTH
Start the battle by casting your Summons on Jenova-BIRTH, then follow them up with your strongest spells. Jenova-BIRTH has a bevy of powerful attacks at her disposal, so you'll need to keep up the Cure/All spell with greater frequency than the usual boss battle. On the plus-side, her powerful attacks will charge your limit breaks fairly quickly, allowing you to break several of them out by the fight's end.
Listen to Cloud's recap of the storyline after the fight, and be sure to pick up the Ifrit Materia off the floor, as it's another powerful Summon. The ship will then dock in the sunny harbor of Costa Del Sol.
Costa Del Sol
You'll run into Hojo here, not that he's anything to worry about at this point of the game, and your party will wander off to soak up the sun. You can check out the shops around town if you like (buying some Softs would be a good idea), otherwise, don't waste anymore time than you have to here and leave. Head south to the river, west, then north to Mt. Corel.
Mt. Corel
On your way up the mountain, you'll pass by a man who speaks of a man that went up the mountain before you, and the description fits Sephiroth perfectly. Keep heading north, then take the stairs down to the reactor, then south. Follow the tracks until you reach a Save Point, use it, then go right to a fork in the train tracks. Choose the upper path, and when the path gives way, hold LEFT and hammer on the CIRCLE button quickly to grab hold of a ledge leading to a Wizard Staff. Now continue to the right to find a W Machine Gun, then go back to the fork and take the bottom route. Go left on the upper path at the next fork, then pound the CIRCLE button again to avoid falling. Take the Transform Materia and go back to the fork, then head to the next area.
When you reach the shack, hit the switch inside to lower the bridge below you. Before heading for the bridge, climb the hill next to the shack to reach a nest of baby birds and 10 Phoenix Downs. If you don't mind being completely heartless, kill the chicks' mother and take the Phoenix Downs for yourself. Now go back to the fork in the tracks and take the lower path to reach the bridge you lowered. Cross it, then go left and down at the next fork in the path. Go right at the bottom for some treasure, then return to the fork and take the other path to exit the mountain.
North Corel
Enter the ramshackle town of North Corel and buy new equipment for your teammates. There's not much to do here, so head west past the "Gold Saucer" sign. You'll learn a little about Barret's past in a cut scene, and learn why he hates Shinra so much. Now ride the tram up to the Gold Saucer casino.
Gold Saucer
In order to gain entrance to the Gold Saucer you'll have to pay either 3,000 Gil for a one-time visit or 30,000 for a lifetime pass. Buy the 3,000 Gil pass and enter, unless you really love the casino and feel like coming back here at least nine more times and have the money at this point in the game, in which case go ahead and pick up the lifetime pass. Pick someone from your crew to join you as you wander around, and head to Wonder Square when you're ready to progress the story. You'll meet the fortune teller Cait Sith here, who will join you after telling you that you will lose something dear to you.
Now head to Battle Square and you'll find several people shot up by someone described as "a man with a gun on his arm." The casino owner, Dio, thinks your posse is responsible, and dumps you all into the Corel Prison.
Corel Prison
When you land, go south through the fence to save your game, then meet up with the rest of your allies in the house below it. Barret will tell you about another man who had a gun grafted onto his arm: his friend Dyne, who was the only person in the village against Shinra at the time. Barret believes it was Dyne who killed those people in the Gold Saucer, so you'll have to find him to set things straight. Head back outside and go north to the opening in the fence next to the corpse. Walk through it, and keep going north until you reach another opening in the fence on your right. Go through that opening, keep heading east to the junkyard, and go north to find Dyne, who seems to have gone slightly insane. Barret must face him alone in combat, man to man.
Boss: Dyne
Make sure Barret is in the back row, and that he has the Restore Materia equipped so that he can heal himself, and fire away at Dyne with his most powerful gun (the W Machine Gun, if you picked it up earlier). Keep your HP above 300, because Dyne has a few nasty attacks like S-Mine and Molotov Cocktail that take off chunks of life. Keep up the back-and-forth, using your limit breaks until Dyne falls.
Chocobo Race for Freedom
Dyne regrets his murderous ways after the battle and throws himself off a cliff in despair, but not before handing over his wife's pendant. Take it to Mr. Coates at the cargo truck and he'll agree to help you out. He'll tell you that one of your team must win a chocobo race up at the Gold Saucer, and then you'll win your freedom. A woman named Ester will agree to be your manager, and on the elevator ride up to the Saucer, listen to the tutorial on chocobo racing. When you reach the top, be sure to take the Ramuh Summon Materia from the floor on the north wall, then wait for the jockeys to be called. When Ester reappears, talk to her to begin the race.
Sprint ahead of the pack from the start as far as you can without completely draining your chocobo's stamina, then hold R1 and R2 to recover it as you continue forward on the track. Don't worry if you lose; you'll just have to try again if that happens, and you won't be penalized for it. When you eventually win, you'll receive a pardon from Dio, as well as a buggy that can cross deserts and rivers! When you've made your new party and are back on the overworld map, head south from the Gold Saucer to the structure surrounded by forest, and enter Gongaga village.
Gongaga
Head up the path after you arrive and you'll run into several of the Turks, including Reno. They don't mince too many words; you'll be thrust into battle with Rude and Reno almost immediately.
Boss: Reno, Rude
These two Turks won't put up much of a fight, especially if you use your Chocobo/Mog Summon to stun them. Focus on Reno first, as the item he drops is better than the one Rude drops, taking him out with spells, summons, and attacks before turning your wrath on Rude. The battle won't last long.
When they're gone, head northeast at the fork until you reach the back of the broken reactor, where you'll overhear Scarlet and Tseng talking about creating a new weapon for Shinra. After they leave, "reach back" into the broken reactor to find the Titan Summon Materia, then return to the first fork in the path and go northwest to another fork. The northeast path leads to the village itself where you can loot the houses and buy items from the shops, and the northwest path leads to the exit. Pick up the Deathblow Materia on your way out to the world map, and get back in your buggy. Head west along the river and cross it again, then head through the canyon until your buggy breaks down. Get out and enter Cosmo Canyon.
Cosmo Canyon
Red XIII will announce that he's home upon entry, as well as revealing his real name: Nanaki. Ascend the stairs to the west and speak to Red XIII to learn a bit about his past, and his charge to defend the canyon. After the conversation, go upstairs and climb the ladder to meet Red XIII's grandfather, Bugenhagen. Form a party of three, then return Bugenhagen to be admitted to his planetary holograph machine. Bugenhagen will tell you that the planet is crying out in pain, and about the Lifestream: the souls of all living things joined with the planet to keep it alive. Since Shinra is sucking the Spirit Energy (Mako) from the planet, the planet is on a one-way course to destruction.
Afterwards, your party sits around a campfire, and Red XIII speaks ill of his cowardly father, who abandoned his mother and left her for dead when the Gi tribe attacked. Bugenhagen appears then and tells Cloud and Red XIII to accompany him for an unknown reason; select a third member of your party and be sure to save your game at the weapon shop before following him. Bugenhagen will lead you to the Cave of the Gi.
Cave of the Gi
Inside, Bugenhagen will tell you that this cave houses the ghosts of the Gi tribe. You'll have to fight them as you make your way through the caverns, and they can be fierce at times, especially if Red XIII is under-equipped. Climb down the ladders and rope all the way to the bottom here, then head past the two holes and enter the third. Break the rock open and step through the door, then go left at the fork. Walk over the slippery stuff on the floor, then go south to the next area. Take the Added Effect Materia off the ground, then return to the previous screen. Now go right from the slippery floor, then north at the next fork you come to. Go left at the top, then head to the northwest exit.
When you reach the five tunnels, enter the one second from the right and run into the spider web for a battle against a rather difficult arachnid. Kill it, then take the X-Potion from the chest, which will be used for a very specific purpose coming up. Return to the five tunnels and take the one second from the left, then go north through the two spider webs and through the door at the end to face a boss.
Boss: Gi Nattak
Here's where you'll be using that X-Potion you just picked up: hurl it at the boss and it'll die a quick, painless death, even though it's technically already dead. But we're not splitting hairs, here.
Now take the Gravity Materia and follow Bugenhagen north. Bugenhagen reveals that it was Red XIII's father, Seto, that stopped the Gi and saved their village, and here he rests, forever stone. Red XIII realizes he was wrong about his father, and decides to continue his journey with Cloud & Co. The next day, the buggy is fixed and ready to roll, so take it north across the river to the hometown of Cloud and Tifa, Nibelheim.
Nibelheim
To both Cloud and Tifa's surprise, the town is still completely attacked, not burned to cinders as they remember it. Check the houses around the village for treasure and speak to the locals if you care to, then head into the Shinra Mansion to the north.
Shinra Mansion
Examine the piece of paper on the floor here for a clue as to a safe's combination; select the invisible fourth options for this clue: "(4) Right 97." Now enter the room to the left of the stairs, then look behind the piano for this clue: "(2) Left 10." Exit and ascend the stairs, then enter the top right room. Head north at the fork and walk up to the door; examine the floor here for this clue: "(3) Right 59." Return to the stairs and go left into that room. Open the chest containing an Enemy Launcher, then check it again to find the final clue: "(1) Right 36." Go north from here to find the safe, and use the four clues to unlock the combination: Right 36, Left 10, Right 59, Right 97. You'll have to fight the Lost Number. The Lost Number can be very difficult for under-leveled parties, and defeating it is entirely optional. If you're not strong enough to take it down now, return to Nibelheim later in the game and kill it; you'll want to, as doing so leads to another member for your party.
Boss: Lost Number
If you managed to learn the Big Guard enemy skill from the Beach Plugs on the shores next to Costa Del Sol (and if you haven't, I suggest going back and learning it by Manipulating them with Cait Sith's Manipulate Materia), this fight will go a lot easier. Also, fight the local enemies until everyone's limit breaks are ready to roll out. Use Big Guard on your party and unleash your limit breaks at the start of the battle, and cast Bio on it to sap away the Lost Number's HP. If it turns orange, hit it with your physical attacks, and if it turns violet, cast magic on it. You can also try hitting it with your Chocobo/Mog Summon to stun it.
Vincent
When the Lost Number is destroyed, take the Odin Materia and the Basement Key from the safe. Head to room on the right of the second floor and take the secret door to the basement. Head north into the room before the library and examine the coffin to speak to the strange red-cloaked man inside, then talk about Sephiroth with him. He'll tell you to leave, but examine the coffin again when he does and ask him who he is. He'll tell you his name is Vincent, formerly of the Turks, and close his coffin again. Go to the library and you'll run into Sephiroth of all people, who mutters some vague words about a "reunion" and a "calamity from the skies" before tossing a Destruct Materia at Cloud and leaving. Take the Materia and start up the stairs. Vincent will catch up to you and agree to join your party.
Heal up and save your game outside of town, then head back in and take the familiar north exit to Mt. Nibel.
Mt. Nibel
Take the path to the first fork in the road and go north to acquire a Rune Blade, then return to the fork and keep going left. Cross the bridge and pass the pipes for now, opting instead to descend the two ladders. At the bottom of the second one, examine it but don't continue down; instead take the door to your left and head south until you reach a cave. Enter, then go north and west to find a Sniper CR. Now head to the northeast corner of the cavern and take the center path heading southwest to the cave's exit. Take the Elemental Materia from the left side of the fountain, then go south into another cavern. Return to the door behind the reactor leading to the pipe room and step into the second pipe from the left to find an All Materia. Save your game, then walk right up to the beast sitting to the right to instigate a brawl.
Boss: Materia Keeper
Make sure Vincent is equipped with the Sniper CR and the Deathblow Materia so that he delivers accurate critical attacks to the beast, and have the Enemy Skill Materia equipped on someone to learn the Keeper's powerful Trine spell (incidentally, you'll need to seriously heal up after it casts it on you). Try to Poison this boss to keep sucking away its HP and use your limit breaks as they become available.
Take the Counter Attack Materia off the ground after the fight and walk east to the exit. Back on the world map, go west around the mountain and northeast to Rocket Town.
Rocket Town
Another aptly-named village. Head north through town and speak to the old man standing outside the Item Shop twice to obtain the Yoshiyuki sword, then go out the back door of the northeast house to speak to Shera about meeting "the Captain." Now head to the northern end of town to the giant rocket, climbing up the various wires, stairs, and ladders until you reach the entry hatch.
Cid
You'll meet Captain Cid inside, who'll gladly tell you all about the rocket and how Shinra nixed their space program, leaving Cid high and dry. When he's had his say, return to Shera's house and she'll tell you how she single-handedly ruined Cid's dreams of entering outer space. Palmer from the Shinra Corporation shows up then along with President Rufus, trying to take Cid's plane, the Tiny Bronco. Cloud & the gang rush out to stop Palmer from stealing the Bronco, triggering a boss battle.
Boss: Palmer
Stun the obese Palmer with your Chocobo/Mog Summon and just hit him with your strongest physical attacks. Palmer is a pushover, but you'll still have to heal every now and then if your HP gets low. When you've knocked off 6,000 HP from the fat man, a truck will come careening out of nowhere and slam into him, effectively ending the fight.
Everyone, including Cid, piles into the Tiny Bronco after Palmer bites it and attempts to fly away, but the Shinra soldiers shoot the tail and bring it down, making it flightless for the time being but a darn good boat nonetheless. Cid also joins the group, as he apparently has nothing better to do now that Shinra has most certainly disowned him. He tells you that Rufus was looking for Sephiroth in the Temple of the Ancients, but you'll need a Keystone to get inside it. Steer the Tiny Bronco north to the desert, then disembark and walk to North Corel. Take the tram back to the Gold Saucer.
Return to the Gold Saucer
The Battle Arena
Buy another ticket if you didn't purchase the lifetime pass, then go straight to the Battle Square. Climb the stairs to Dio's Show Room and examine the Keystone on the pedestal. Dio says he'll let you borrow it if you entertain him by fighting in the Battle Arena. The Arena can last eight battles, if you survive that long, but it doesn't matter how many you make it through; Dio will lend you the Keystone regardless. Head back to the tram and try to take it down now, but you'll discover that it's temporarily out of order and that you'll have to stay the night at the Ghost Hotel.
The Date
Now, depending on how well you've treated your other teammates, one of them (most likely Aeris or Tifa) will go on a date with Cloud in the Gold Saucer. Participate in the play in the Event Square, and ride the gondola as the romantic tension nears the breaking point. It's possible to have Yuffie or even Barret join on you on this date instead of Aeris or Tifa, but you'll have had to work hard on disrespecting the others for any chance of that happening.
The Spy
Meanwhile, it seems Cait Sith is wandering around suspiciously. Follow him around and you'll soon discover he was working as a spy the whole time, and has sneakily taken the Keystone and handed it over to Tseng. You'll also reveal the fact that Cait Sith isn't even real; he's a robot being controlled by someone at Shinra. Oddly enough, Cait Sith is allowed to remain in your party despite his treachery. In any case, form a three-person group in the morning and take the tram off the Gold Saucer. Return to the Tiny Bronco and sail southeast until you reach the eastern continent, then disembark on the first beach you come to. Walk northeast to the Temple of the Ancients.
Temple of the Ancients
Make your way through the maze, using the old men to save your game, and head through the VI door when you reach the clock room. Catch the man running around in the doors here to unlock the door at the top of the room, then listen to Sephiroth's plan to "become one with the planet" by unleashing the Meteor spell upon it. Sephiroth unsurprisingly escapes your clutches, leaving you to fight the Red Dragon instead.
Boss: Red Dragon
If you have any Fire Rings, equip them along with the Fire/Elemental Materia to lessen the damage this boss inflicts. Use Big Guard if it's in your arsenal, and Regen as well, then lay into the Red Dragon with your most powerful Ice-Based spells and Summons, like Odin. Per usual, bust out the limit breaks when they're charged, and the Red Dragon's 6,800 HP will seem a paltry sum.
The Black Materia
Pick up the Bahamut Materia after the battle and examine the floating pyramid to discover that the entire Temple is Black Materia, and that the only way you can claim it is by solving the puzzles of the Temple from within to shrink it. This creates an obvious problem for your flesh-and-blood allies that don't want to be crushed by the shrinking mass. Thankfully, Cait Sith offers to stay in the Temple for you, seeing as how he's only a robot. Touch the pyramid to initiate this sequence, then leave the room. Equip the Bahamut Materia on someone and save your game, then take the north path through the clock room to the door. When you try to head through the door you'll be attacked by the Demon's Gate.
Boss: Demon's Gate
Place everyone in your party in the back row, and cast Big Guard & Regen to grant everyone further protection from this very difficult boss. Summon Bahamut and Odin right away to inflict some massive damage, and lay into the Gate with your physical attacks, avoiding offensive magic as it doesn't hurt much. Have your healer keep everyone above 600 HP, preferably higher, because this boss can hit hard. Keep attacking it, and use a soft if it succeeds in Petrifying you.
After you escape the temple, Cait Sith succeeds in shrinking it down for portability, getting smashed in the process. Cloud picks up the Black Materia, but then Sephiroth appears and takes control of Cloud's body, forcing him to hand it over. Cloud blacks out, dreams of Aeris going to the City of the Ancients far to the north, and comes to in Gongaga village. When you regain control, form a party and leave town, heading south to the Tiny Bronco. Hop aboard and take it all the way to the northmost continent. Dock at the southernmost beach, then walk to the Bone Village.
Bone Village
Digging for the Lunar Harp
Talk to the man sitting in the doorway here, and tell him you're looking for the Lunar Harp, which is what you need to get through the forest ahead. Hire five workers to stand around the area and they will all turn in the direction of the Harp. Have them dig for it where their lines of sight all meet, and the next morning you'll have the Lunar Harp in your possession.
The Forest
Now head into the forest to the west, then follow the path to the next screen and the sleeping forest will "awake." Before you do anything else, stand still and wait until you see a red spot of light randomly appearing. Catch it to receive the Kjata Summon Materia, then head north. Take the Water Ring from the chest under the log here, then take the left path through the log to the north exit. You'll soon be back on the overworld map, with the Forgotton City just ahead.
Forgotten City
Go left from the four-way intersection to the next screen, then enter the house to save your game. Exit and head northeast to the stairs to find an Aurora Armlet, then return to the intersection and go east. Take a right at the next fork to obtain a Guard Source, then take a left at the fork to reach another house. Take the Enemy Skill Materia from behind the bed, leave, then come back inside and rest. Cloud will sense that Sephiroth is here, so head back to the four-way intersection and go north this time. Enter this house and take the Comet Materia from the top, then go down to the southwest path to the bottom and save your game at the Save Point.
The Fate of Aeris
You'll find Aeris on the center platform, and Cloud will start to be taken over by Sephiroth. He raises his sword to slay Aeris, but stops and fights back the urge. Sephiroth then appears with his Masamune and finishes the job, stabbing Aeris through the body and killing her. He then disappears, leaving you to fight another piece of Jenova.
Boss: Jenova-LIFE
Make sure someone has the Water Ring you found in the forest equipped, because Jenova's attacks will only heal that character and prevent you from losing this battle. Use the Titan and Bahamut Summons along with Quake magic to take Jenova-LIFE out in a hurry, and learn the Aqua Lung attack from her using the Enemy Skill Materia if you haven't already.
After the battle, Cloud will place Aeris's body into the ocean, where it sinks to the bottom to rest forever. Your party will return to one of the houses to discuss what has happened, and decide to keep pursuing Sephiroth to take back the Black Materia. When you regain control, go northeast and climb the spiny structure to the top, then proceed to the western cave. Climb the second crack in the wall to the top, then go left and climb up the next one. Keep heading up the cracks until you reach a ladder, then descend it to find a Magic Plus Materia hidden behind a rock. Climb the ladder again to the top and head through the door, out of the cave. Walk through the snow here until you reach Icicle Inn.
Icicle Inn
Enter the house east of the entrance to town and examine the Glacier Map on the wall. Take it, then shop for items and equipment around town. Speak to the woman at the northern end of the village and tell her you're "going anyway" and Elena of the Turks will show up. Push the onscreen buttons to dodge her punch (CIRCLE and then LEFT) and afterwards, head to the house in the middle of town and take the little boy's snowboard. Now head to the north part of town again and proceed to the Great Glacier.
Great Glacier
You'll have to ride the snowboard down the icy hillside here in a pleasant but ultimately pointless diversion. If you're following this walkthrough, take lefts at both forks in the sloping path until you reach the bottom. Now go east two screens to the wide open space, then keep heading north, picking up the Added Cut Materia and touching the hot spring on the way, until you reach a large snowfield. Periodically the snow will change the camera's direction, so use the markers you can plant in the snow to keep your head straight. Head east until you reach a cave, then speak to the woman inside and fight her. Afterwards, pick up the Alexander Summon Materia, then run around on the snowfield until you collapse from the cold. You'll end up in Holzoff's cabin, and he'll explain the finer aspects of mountain climbing. Listen to what he has to say, save your game at the Save Point, then head north of the cabin to Gaea's Cliff.
Gaea's Cliff
At any point during the ascent your body temperature drops to 30 or below, press the SQUARE button repeatedly to warm yourself back up, otherwise you'll freeze (and do note that you cannot do this while you're physically climbing). Climb to the ledge above you, and keep climbing up the only path to cave at the top. Head through the cave, cross the bridge, and head east through the wall on the opposite side to find a very valuable Ribbon. Now go north from the eastern end of the bridge, cross the next bridge, and take the northwestern door to yet another bridge. Cross it and run to the top, where you'll find a rock. Push it and it will roll down, knocking out the spikes blocking the way ahead.
Take your new path until you're back outside, then climb up again to a fork. Head up from the fork, and right from the next until you reach another cave. Head inside, save your game at the Save Point, then leave through the northeast door. Take this route to a Fire Armlet, and as you fight the four battles beneath the falling icicles, opt not to "jump down" when it asks you. Go left from the last icicle, keeping along the edge until you reach the treasure chest on the right side, and then jump down. Return to the Save Point, use it, then head through the large door to the north. Pick up the Enhance Sword on your way back to the cliffs. Head up at the first and seconds forks, then enter the cave and save your game there. Run to the southeast to encounter the Schizo.
Boss: Schizo
There are two halves to this boss, one Fire-based and one Ice-based. Avoid summoning Ifrit or Shiva, because you'll harm one half and heal the other. Instead, make sure your party members are equipped with items such as the Fire Ring, Ice Ring, Fire Armlet, Aurora Armlet, and Fire & Ice/Elemental Materia to help cut down on Schizo's attacks. Your more powerful summons like Bahamut, Alexander, and Odin will come in handy here, but don't use the aforementioned ones or Kjata. Watch out for the powerful 1,000+ damage the Schizo inflicts on your party when one of its halves is killed, and heal up appropriately afterwards.
Now climb up the rest of the mountain to the top and you'll see a large crater with energy writhing around in it. Head into the Whirlwind Maze.
Whirlwind Maze
Head down to the bottom here where you'll be forced to include Tifa in your party, if she's not there already. Now go west, jump down, and keep heading west to pick up the Neo Bahamut Materia. Run north to the Save Point, use it, and go west. Here the powerful winds will rush across the screen and then fade to a dead calm; it goes without saying that you can only head across here when the winds have died down. When you reach the other side, talk to the folks in cloaks for a couple of items, then go north along the path to another barrier of wind. Head through it the same as before and you'll encounter Sephiroth once again. He vanishes, leaving you another piece of Jenova to fight.
Boss: Jenova-DEATH
Make sure you have the Fire Ring equipped on someone and the Fire Armlet on another to nullify Jenova-DEATH's attacks on them, then just lay into it with physical attacks until its 25,000 HP are gone. You can also try using your Chocobo/Mog Summon to stun it, though it really isn't necessary.
The Reunion
You'll recover the Black Materia after this fight, so give it to a party member to keep it safe. Now head north to find the MP Turbo Materia, take the Poison Ring from the chest, and save your game at the Save Point. Keep heading north, make your way through the next barrier of wind, and continue until you reach a series of illusions and flashbacks. Sephiroth reveals that Cloud was constructed from pieces of Jenova by Professor Hojo. It appears Cloud was an incomplete Sephiroth clone that took the place of a boy named Zack; it was Zack who grew up in Nibelheim with Tifa, not Cloud. Sephiroth then tricks your party into handing the Black Materia back over, triggering the release of the four Weapons, legendary monsters created by the planet to rid it of impurities. They're now under Sephiroth's control, and Sephiroth seals himself in a barrier around the crater, waiting as Meteor slowly approaches the planet. Cloud, meanwhile, is swallowed up by a crack in the earth, sucked into the lifestream.
Return to Junon
The Public Execution
When all the madness has died down, the game will pick up with Tifa and Barret locked in a lab in the city of Junon, waiting for your public execution. When Heidegger ties up Barret's arms, follow him out, stopping to save your game at the Save Point and slap on some Materia, of course. After Scarlet straps Tifa into the gas chamber, the guard she's with suspiciously drops the key to her shackles on the floor. Just as Tifa is about to get the gas, one of the Weapons attacks the city, effectively averting attention away from her. Cait Sith, fresh in a new robot, shows up in disguise and knocks Scarlet unconscious. Take out the guards here, then watch as Weapon crashes into the city, dislodging the pipes leading into Tifa's chamber and releasing the gas.
Escape
Cait Sith has an idea on how to save Tifa involving heading to the airport, so take the only unlocked exit from the chamber and head down the path, stopping to pick up Yuffie, who's here posing as a reporter. Take the elevator up and approach the airship; the game will then revert to Tifa. Use the key from the floor to unlock your manacles, then push the glowing switch on the left to stop the gas floor. Odd that this switch would be built on the inside of the gas chamber of all places, but now is not the time to question logic. Try to open the door and you'll see a cut scene of Shinra blowing Weapon's head off with their cannon, but not before it cuts open a hole in the chamber ceiling.
Climb out of the chamber and down the side of the building, then north to the end of the cannon. When Scarlet appears to stop you, slap her again and again until she's had enough (even if you haven't). Your allies appear in Shinra's Highwind airship then to rescue Tifa, and the team (including Red XIII and Cid) flies off, away from the city.
The Highwind
Head downstairs to the bridge, and speak to your party members to find out that the lifestream sometimes spurts out from the ocean floor, and that maybe Cloud will come out there? Seems pretty unlikely, but you don't have a better plan, so form a party and head for the only town you haven't visited yet: Mideel, located on the southwestern island.
Mideel
Check out all the shops in town to buy new equipment, and speak to the chocobo with Mimett Greens in your possession; scratch it behind the ears to obtain the Contain Materia. The locals are talking about a "pokey-headed" kid that washed ashore recently, so head to the clinic to find Cloud there, afflicted with Mako poisioning, his mind completely gone. Tifa decides to stay with Cloud until he recovers while the rest of your party heads back to the Highwind. After using Cait Sith to listen in on President Shinra's plans to collect Huge Materia from Corel and Fort Condor, your party will elect Cid as the new leader. Form a party, then fly to North Corel.
Huge Materia - Corel
Enter the town and take the northern exit, then make your way back to the reactor on Mt. Corel. Take out the guards standing outside it and watch as a train shoots out of the reactor, carrying the Huge Materia out with it! The party will hop on its own train to catch up with it, and you only have ten minutes to do so. When you've caught up with the train, hop aboard and battle your way up the cars until you reach the point where you must stop the train. Press UP and TRIANGLE when your party stops talking, then UP and TRIANGLE again after the next conversation. The train will stop inches before plowing into North Corel, and the Huge Materia will be yours. The villagers will be so pleased with you not destroying their village that you'll receive the Ultima Materia, which you should start using post haste.
Stay the night at the inn for free, then enter the house at the end of the southern ramp and speak to the woman to obtain a level 4 limit break for Barret. Then leave town, get back on the Highwind, and fly to Fort Condor, southeast of Junon.
Huge Materia - Fort Condor
Speak to the man at the fort and offer to help him battle Shinra. Climb the rope and ladders to the top floor and speak to the man about the battle. You can buy soldiers and play the mini-game if you feel like it, or you can do this the easy way: buy no troops and start the mini-strategy game at once. Don't bother setting up your units; instead push R1 twice to speed up the game until the enemy boss attacks you.
Boss: Grand Horn
The Grand Horn has a ridiculously pitiful 8,000 HP and can be dispatched with just a few limit breaks or Summons. Keep slashing away until it's defeated, which won't take long.
After the fight, climb up to the condor's nest and collect the Phoenix Materia, then speak to the man sitting at the table to obtain the second piece of Huge Materia. Now board the Highwind and return to Mideel.
Cloud's Subconscious
Enter the clinic to find Cloud still in his brain-dead state. A sudden shaking signals the arrival of Ultimate Weapon, which your party must face.
Boss: Ultimate Weapon
You won't be able to kill the Ulitmate Weapon in this battle; instead your goal is to stay alive and damage it enough to scare it away. Cast Regen and Big Guard on the party right away, and just keep attacking it and healing it turns tail and flees.
The ground will start to break apart after the Ultimate Weapon's departure, and Tifa and Cloud will end up falling straight into the lifestream. Here Tifa will enter a strange world within the lifestream, populated by memories and various facsimiles of Cloud. When you gain control, speak to the northernmost image of Cloud and head toward the mind-version of Nibelheim to confirm that Zack came to Nibelheim five years ago, not Cloud. Now talk to the Cloud to the west, learn that perhaps Tifa's memories are suspect as well, then speak to the eastern Cloud. Eventually you will see the true events that occurred at the Mt. Nibel reactor five years ago: After Sephiroth slashed Tifa with his sword, it was Zack who came to stop him, and ended up getting royally wounded in the process. But Cloud was there after all, disguised as one of the guards! He takes up Zack's sword and stabs Sephiroth with it, then comes to Tifa's aid. And as Sephiroth limps away, Cloud finishes the job and tosses him into the abyss, killing him. It seems Cloud never made it into SOLDIER, but instead took on Zack's persona, too embarrassed to reveal his failure.
After all the revelations, you'll be washed up near the ruins of Mideel, surrounded by your party, with Cloud's mind intact once more. When you return to the Highwind, form a party, and listen as Cait Sith says that there's another piece of Huge Materia you can claim, from the underwater reactor at Junon. Fly there and enter the city.
Underwater Reactor
Take the elevator up here by paying the soldier a measly 10 Gil, then head down the road and Cloud will notice that the large cannon used to kill the first Weapon is gone now. Run to the next screen, then go southwest and fight the small group of soldiers standing around there. Now head down into the reactor.
Get on the elevator heading down and you'll be attacked by more soldiers. Defeat them and ride the lift down to the bottom, where more soldiers await. Now go southeast, southwest, and then southeast again to the Save Point. Use it, then head through the door and take the elevator down to the next level. Go north to reach another elevator, then cross the walkway to another Save Point. Run north from here and then east to a pair of doors, both guarded by soldiers. Make quick work of them and you'll see that the Huge Materia is being transported to the loading docks. Run to the docks where Reno awaits. He chooses not to fight you, opting instead to let the Carry Armor kill you.
Boss: Carry Armor
The Carry Armor has two arms that it can use to grab party members and incapacitate them, so take them out first before focusing on the body itself. You'll want Big Guard here, and Regen as well, because the Carry Armor has multiple attacks that shave off thousands of HP. Note that this boss is weak against Lightning-based spells; use this to your advantage and rain down your most powerful Bolt spell with extreme prejudice. If you've leveled up Ultima by now, this would be an ideal time to use it as well.
The Submarine
Now fight your way into the large submarine, save your game at the Save Point, and run straight to the bridge. Kill or capture the soldiers here, it doesn't matter. Drop into the pilot's seat, read the manual on sub-operation (easier than you might think) and take the sub out of the dock. Steer the sub forward to the red sub ahead of you, face it, then fire torpedoes at it when it's locked-on. Now your sub will intercept a signal ordering all troops to return to Junon, as the final Huge Materia is being transported to Rocket Town. Before you do, though, surface and steer your submarine to Bone Village. Get as close as you're able, then submerge and go through the trench here to the end. Head into the tunnel to the northeast and take the Key to the Ancients from the end of it. Now take your sub as far to the southeast as you can, then look around for the destroyed red sub on the ocean floor. Steer your sub next to it to grab the Huge Materia. Now return to the surface and dock at Junon to witness the last Huge Materia being taken to Rocket Town. Get aboard the Highwind and fly there yourself.
Return to Rocket Town
Shinra is preparing to fire the Huge Materia at the approaching Meteor using the rocket here, so battle your way through the guards and make your way up to the rocket's entry hatch. On the way, you'll have to fight Rude of the Turks.
Boss: Rude
Take out the two soldiers accompanying Rude here, then, before you get to the killin', steal the Ziedrich from him. Now just use your physical attacks and limit breaks to tear his meager 9,000 HP to pieces.
Outer Space
Make your way to the cockpit now and dismiss the pilots. Before you can stop the rocket, however, Palmer launches you all into outer space, sans countdown. Cid's plan is to hop into the escape pod at the last second, so you have a little time to reclaim the Huge Materia before this happens. Climb the ladder to the right and enter the room to find the compartment holding the Materia. It's sealed with a password, though, and you only have three minutes to figure it out. For the sake of brevity, the password is: CIRCLE, SQUARE, X, X. Take the Huge Materia, climb back down, then go south until an oxygen tank explodes and traps Cid, the very oxygen tank Shera warned him about years ago. Shera shows up then, having snuck aboard, and helps free Cid. The party escapes in the pod and returns to the planet's surface.
Meanwhile, the rocket continues on its course and slams into Meteor, taking off a chunk but not stopping it in the slightest. Back aboard the Highwind, your party decides to speak to Bugenhagen to see if he can help in any way. Fly to Cosmo Canyon and talk to Bugenhagen, who tells you to take him to the City of the Ancients. Cloud also stashes the Huge Materia here; inspect the lower-right one for the Bahamut Zero, then return to the Highwind and fly to the Forgotten City.
Return to the Forgotten City
Go left from the intersection and keep going past the house to the northeast. Take the top path here through a crack, then down the stairs to the central platform. Bugenhagen will tell you that Aeris was the only one who could have summoned Holy to combat Meteor, but she's dead now, so that plan's out. He'll also notice some writing on the central device about using the key you found underwater on the music box. Bugenhagen turns the key in the box, triggering a cut scene where you realize the Materia needed to summon Holy fell into the ocean from Aeris after she was murdered. Sephiroth is preventing her soul from entering the lifestream, therefore preventing Holy from being summoned.
Diamond Weapon
Now head out of the city, and Cait Sith will tell you that Shinra moved the giant cannon from Junon to Midgar to absorb the Mako energy there. This, in turn, will power the cannon, which will be fired at Sephiroth's barrier. As you board the Highwind once more, the Diamond Weapon will rise from the ocean and approach Midgar, and you're the only ones who can stop it. Before you attempt to put the Diamond Weapon in the grave, you should know that it is impervious to physical attacks, and therefore your only viable means of destroying it lies in your magic. Because of this, you'll want a good supply of Ethers in your inventory, as well as equipment that is strong against fire attacks. When you're ready, land the Highwind and approach the beast waiting patiently outside Midgar.
Boss: Diamond Weapon
As you would with any other boss, cast Regen and Big Guard at the outset to boost your defense. Use your most powerful spells like Comet, Bolt 3, and Ultima as many times as you can on the Diamond Weapon, and beware its Diamond Flash attack, as it causes massive damage to the party and Silences anyone who isn't wearing the protective Ribbon. The Weapon has 30,000 HP to back up its impressive size, but if you're at a sufficient level you shouldn't have a terribly difficult time with it.
Afterwards, the Diamon Weapon isn't quite dead, only momentarily stunned. Luckily, Shinra fires off the huge cannon, blowing a hole straight through the Diamond Weapon as the Weapon fires back with its own blasts of energy. The Diamond Weapon drops dead, and the cannon's blast soars all the way to Sephiroth's barrier, destroying that as well. But the Diamond Weapon's final attack manages to reach the city and take out the top floor of the Shinra Building, slaying President Rufus. Thanks, Diamond Weapon!
Get back in the Highwind and fly to the crater on the northern continent. Cait Sith, now revealed to be Reeve, tells you that Hojo has taken over control of the Sister Ray cannon and is overloading it, meaning that it will soon explode.
Return to Midgar
Fly the Highwind over Midgar and parachute down to street level. After ducking into the alley, save your game at the Save Point and descend through the manhole into the sewers. Go down the stairs and take the ladder down further, then go west and north. Head up the ladder here for the Aegis Armlet, then go back down and south. When you run to the east the floor gives way, dropping you to another level. Head up the ladder and take this route through the pipe. Run up the stairs, save your game at the Save Point, and step through the door. You'll soon run into Elena, Rude, and Reno of the Turks, ready for their final beat-down.
Boss: Elena, Rude, Reno
Each of the three Turks absorbs either Lightning, Ice, or Fire elemental attacks, so avoid using any of those as you lay into them. Use non-elemental Summons and spells, and of course, physical attacks, the old standby. Poison all of them right off the bat to drain their HP considerably, and make sure Big Guard is used to protect you from their occasionally powerful attacks. Also, before you kill them, be sure to steal from each Turk, as they each hold a powerful piece of equipment.
Now that they're defeated, go north, then left at the fork. Take this route up the metal structure to the street level again. Approach the Shinra Building and Heidegger and Scarlet show up on a giant robot killing machine, which they naturally set upon you.
Boss: Proud Clod, Jamal Armor
Attacking the Proud Clod before you destroy the Jamal Armor greatly weakens your attacks, so do the smart thing and focus your offense there first. Cast Big Guard and take out the Armor's 20,000 HP first, making sure to de-barrier anyone whom the boss casts Rainbow Ray upon, as it puts them into Reflect status and makes healing a chore. When the Armor is gone, keep attacking the Proud Clod with physical attacks until it's a smoking pile of nuts and bolts.
You'll obtain the Ragnarok sword for Cloud after the battle, a hefty blade by any standard. Go north from here and save your game. Head up the stairs all the way to Hojo, who'll reveal that he is Sephiroth's father and that he has injected Jenova's cells into his own body. He then attacks with his newfound mutated powers.
Boss: Hojo/Hellectic Hojo/Lifeform-Hojo
As you can see, this fight with Hojo has three phases, with the second being the deadlist. For his first phase, just cast Ultima and other powerful spells along with physical attacks, refraining from using your Summons just yet. Ignore the enemies he calls to join in on the throwdown, hurling all your damage upon the mad scientist himself. In Hojo's second form, he'll boast two appendages that will respawn if you kill them, so again, just focus on Hojo's main body. Now is the time to break out your powerful Summons like Bahamut Zero, as well as your limit breaks. Hojo's third form casts a lot of status ailments, but your Ribbon(s) should protect you from them. Keep hitting him with all your powerful attacks/spells/summons until Hojo is no more.
With the threat of the cannon exploding thwarted, your party returns to the Highwind. Meteor will hit the planet in seven days, so your party goes off to say their goodbyes, or something like that. You'll reconvene on the Highwind, ready to take on Sephiroth, and fly to the northern crater to confront him head-on. It goes without saying that you should spend at least a little time leveling up before tackling this final area.
The Final Dungeon
Enter the cave and open the chest to grab the Save Crystal; you'll need this later to save your game, as there are no other Save Points to be found here. Descend deeper into the cavern along the ledge, winding down to the bottom area. Keep moving through the cave, dropping down when you reach the ledges until you meet up with the rest of your team. Use your Save Crystal here if you wish, then split the party up, choosing who will travel with Cloud. There are three paths for you to take as you split up your teammates, and you can take whichever one you like; for the purposes of this walkthrough, we'll take the right path. Descend the spiraling ledge to the bottom, then keep moving ahead through the wasteland. Go northeast to the next area, then cross the dragon skeleton to the center of the crater. If you didn't use your Save Crystal earlier, use it here.
Speak with your party members, and take the items they all found on the trek down here. Equip your main party with the best equipment and Materia, and be sure to equip the other members not in your immediate team with Materia, too, as it will probably come in handy in the final battles. Now start down the steps and head to the center of the crater, where the final form of Jenova awaits.
Boss: Jenova SYNTHESIS
Jenova has a countdown during this fight, and if you let it reach zero, she'll cast Ultima, killing herself and ending the fight. This adversely affects the final battles with Sephiroth, so don't let the counter get that low. Instead, cast Regen and Big Guard on your party and assault Jenova's body with your absolute strongest Summons and spells. Your physical attacks are also quite viable HP-removers here, so resort to them if all else fails, or if you're just short on MP.
Now, depending on how well you fought Jenova, you'll have to split up your party into one, two, or three teams. Each team will have battle time with Sephiroth, so keep that in mind, and make sure every team is somewhat strong. Choose to continue to the center of the crater, where Sephiroth lies in wait.
Sephiroth
Boss: Bizarro Sephiroth
Though Bizarro Sephiroth has many points you can attack, the only two you should care about are his torso and the core. You can't destroy the torso without first killing the core, so focus all your attacks on that. If you have other parties participating in this battle, they too will have to destroy their side of the core before you can kill Sephiroth's torso. Use your Summons and most powerful spells to take out the core, then the torso. Use the same healing/protective strategy you've used for every nearly every boss in the second half of the game (Big Guard & Regen, for starters).
Little time is spent from the transition from Sephiroth's first form to his final form, Safer Sephiroth. This is the final boss of the game, so steel yourself for a battle to remember.
Final Boss: Safer Sephiroth
This is it, the final (real) confrontation between you and Sephiroth. Sephiroth's stats will be directly linked to your party's, meaning that if your level is high, so will his statistics. Throughout the battle, Sephiroth will prepare for his quite painful Super Nova attack by rising into the air; when he does this, your teammates with short-range weapons won't be able to hit him, so whip out your spells and summons instead. In fact, let loose every powerful summon in your possession, and keep your party constantly protected with Big Guard, even if Sephiroth Dispels it. If Sephiroth happens to cast Barrier on himself, use your Destruct Materia to do away it expediently, and wear Ribbons to keep yourselves status ailment-free. Apart from that, Sephiroth isn't much more difficult than the typical boss, and will go down eventually with persistence. Just remember to take advantage all the healing items in your inventory as you see fit, because you'll never get another chance to use them.
After the battle, Cloud will have to face Sephiroth again, one-on-one, but you can't lose the fight, and after Cloud gets off his Omnislash limit break, the battle is over and Sephiroth is finally a dead man. Now watch the ending to Final Fantasy VII as the planet's lifeforce comes to the rescue, stopping Meteor and making the world a happy place once again.
