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When Final Fantasy 7 Remake blasted on to the scene in 2020, the groundwork for the trilogy’s battle system had been forged. But only four characters were playable at the time.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthadds another three for a total of seven, leaving only Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine for the third installment.
That means, in addition to Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Barret, players can now enjoy the battlefield antics of Red XIII, Yuffie, and Cait Sith. There’s considerable depth involved in controlling each of them. We’ll give you the rundown on all of FF7 Rebirth’s party members right here.
This guide is a work in progress. Check back soon for more in-depth analysis of each party member!
Cloud Strife
In the tradition of many an RPG protagonist,Cloud is your all-rounderon the battlefield. He hashigh stats in both Attack and Magic, making his offensive value the most versatile in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Cloud’s also one of the best party members forstaving off the enemy by blocking, becausewhen you block in Punisher Mode,you not only mitigate many forms of damage; you’re able to evenpressure many enemies simultaneously.
Many of Cloud’s Weapon Upgrade abilitiesboost his Punisher Mode to increase its effectiveness.
Give Cloud a couple of Magic Materia orbsto take advantage of his very solid Magic stat. Also, anHP Upisn’t a bad idea, since his HP is around the middle of the pack, but he’s such a frontliner that he can benefit from more.ATB Staggerwill help Cloud keep his skills at the forefront.
Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith maintains her lore-savvy nature asFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s premier magician. HerMagic Stat is the highest in the game, exceeding even Cloud’s by a considerable degree. HerMagic Defenseis above average as well.
New to Rebirth, Aerith has aconsiderably improved arsenal of character abilitiesthat will increase not only her offensive output, but especially herprotective capabilities.
In addition to a more diverse setWards,abilities likeLustrous Shieldprevent foes from targeting Aerith with reckless abandon by conjuring up a magical shield. Aerith’snon-MP Folio elemental abilitieshave a wide area of effect, adding to her mastery of the magical arts.
Aerith makes a great healer, and an even better offensive caster.Healing and Cleansingmake sense, as doany of the four elemental spell sets. Hook anAuto-Cast on Healingto save you from forgetting to have her save you when it counts.
Tifa Lockhart
Tifa is the FF7 Remake trilogy’spremier physical fighter. Her abilities all tend towardboosting her offensive prowess or hitting the enemy hard, and of course,her Attack stat is sky-high.
She also has afast-paced fighting stylewhich speeds up the rate at which she strikes, which in turnspeeds up her ATB bar. Her Speed stat, in and of itself, is only somewhat above average; but by design, she’s still swift.
Many of Tifa’s abilities synergize well, creatingcombos even beyond what Unbridled Strength can achieve. To top it all off,Tifa excels at aerial combat- something that will come in handy against Rebirth’s myriad airborne foes.
We wouldn’t recommend hooking Tifa up with much by way of Magic Materia. She has thesecond-lowest Magic stat after Barret. Better to increase Tifa’s preexisting pro withAuto-Unique Ability, ATB Stagger, First Strike, Strength Up, and such!
Barret Wallace
Barret is one of Rebirth’stwo best ranged fighters. But more individually,Barret has the highest HP and Defense stats in the game. He’s your tank, plain and simple; he’sdesigned to brush off physical hits while being hardy enough to endure a few blows from magic.
On the other hand, Barret’s Magic is truly dreadful. But his abilities make the most of his gun-arm withmighty strikes in the form of bullets and uppercuts.They also bring his stalwart side even further.
Steelskinramps up hisdamage reductionandhis resistance to being interrupted.Lifesaver increases Barret’s HPbeyond its already-glorious amount while allowing him tosoak up damage intended for other party members.
Pile on the HP Upsand watch as they grow,pushing Barret’s hit points into absurd territory. Consider tossing him aMagic DefenseMateria as well, since this is one weakness you’ll want to shore up rather than ignore.Fortificationfits his whole ‘defensive’ M.O.!
Red XIII
Red XIII joins in Rebirth after being introduced in Remake, and he certainly leaves an impression. He’s lightning-quick;once you nab his Speed +30 on his Folio, it’s handily the highest in the game.
Not only does this mean that Red’sATB gauge fills up swiftly; to compliment the effect,Red XIII’s spinning attack is frightfully fastas well. He also hasMagic Defense to rival even Aerith’s, and pretty good Attack and Magic.
Red’sVengeance Modebuilds when he defends. After a successful block,use Counterspinto deal gobs of damage. You can activate it any time, though it’ll stick around for longer if youwait until the bar is filled. Vengeance Mode boostsAttack and Speed- he’s a beast.
Choosing the right Materia for Red XIII can be tricky, but tomake his Vengeance-fueling style work better, go with Steadfast Block and Precision Defense. Give Red someMagic Materiaas well. There’s no wrong way to go, but Fire feels fitting?
Yuffie Kisaragi
Yuffie isa stagger-building, long-rangeninja whosebest stat is Luck, which means her odds forinflicting critical damage are boosted.
This is splendid, seeing as after you use Yuffie’s unique ability,Throw, you’ll want to sync it with one of her fourElemental Ninjutsuto increase the damage-over-time with a second string of strikes that cantarget the enemy’s weaknessrapidly.
That rapidity, in turn, means ample chances for criticals to trigger. You do want toplay cautiously, keeping Yuffie out of harm’s reachwhenever possible. Her HP isn’t good, nor are her defenses anything to write home about.
Since Yuffie’s got all four elements in the bag with Ninjutsu, her Materia can be freed up for other areas.Steal is best with Yuffie, since the odds of success are linked to Luck. We like to make Yuffie our debuffer, withDisempowerment and Binding.
Cait Sith
The last to join you is Cait Sith, a chatty cat witha moogle doll that can be summoned to the battlefieldas botha mount and a fellow combatant. It’s a lot.
There’s a lot you candowith that moogle doll, too.It can act as a shield;you canjump into the air on itto strike from above; you’re able to use it tocounterattacks that Cait SIth himself has evaded. There are other, zanier things at Cait Sith’s disposal.
Fortune Tellingrandomly deals small damage, tons of damage, or nothing at all. But itwallops the enemy hardwhen it has favorable results. If Cait Sith has any particular stat strengths, we’ve honestly not found them, buthe’s not a bad second-class all-rounderafter Cloud.
