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Chadley, the friendly AI boy from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, has decided to embark on a global journey parallel to Cloud’s own inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. And it soon becomes apparent that it’s a darn good thing he did, because the various regions comprising the game’s world map are bursting with stuff to do as a result.
The missions Chadley provides are collectively referred to as World Intel, and they’re your key to experiencing so much of what FF7 Rebirth has to offer. Here’s an overview of every category, complete with some examples of each, so you know what you’ll be getting into.
Fiend Intel
Arguably the most basic category of World Intel,Fiend Intel sends you on short skirmishes against special versions of FF7 Rebirth’s enemies. Using the Grasslands region which we’ll reference regularly in this guide (it is, after all, the first major area), there aresix Fiend Intelsthere.
You can expect that number to be generally reflected elsewhere. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. When you engage in a Fiend Intel battle,MAI, Chadley’s new assistant, will tell you plenty about the foes. Much of this is flavor text, but some of it is practical information.
Once you have completed all available Fiend Intel in a region,you unlock Classified Intel.
Classified Intel
You can think of Classified Intel as something of aone-per-region mark hunt. Mark hunts, first introduced to the Final Fantasy series in the twelfth mainline installment, are like hunts for rare game - that happen to be monsters. Classified Intel fights areepic, more challenging, battles.
The Grasslands is home to theWinged Lacertilian of Yore, Quetzalcoatl.Once Chadley has given you the lead on Classified Intel,you’ll always find your target in a wide-open arenaof sorts somewhere on the regional map.
These spots are automatically marked for you, so you won’t need to worry about getting lost on the way.
Activation Intel
Upon reuniting with Chadley for the first time in Rebirth, he will mentionold towers from the days of the Junon Republic called Remnawave Towers. It’s hardly surprising that, in the spirit of many open-world games,interacting with these towers helps reveal part of the map.
It’s a bit more subtle in Rebirth, as the activation sequence willmark a few types of intel, such as Fiend Intel and Excavation Intel, but not others. Regardless,you’ll want to seek these outin your travels.
They’re about as easy to spot as your average Sheikah Tower in Breath of the Wild, and their general locations are marked on your region maps by default, so it’ll be a cinch.
Excavation Intel
There’s onlya couple of Excavation Intel instances per zone, but they serve a pretty big purpose every time you find one. Upon entering an area designated for Excavation Intel,make sure you’re riding your chocobo. A bluequestion mark symbolwill pop over it.
This is the same process you’ll be dealing with duringburied overworld treasures, but there’s a key difference -those are found either by chance or through spotting rabbits, whereas Excavation Intel is relatively guided.
There’s often akey itemto be found at these - one whichyou will need to craft to advance in a particular side quest. But you’ll also findother new crafting recipes, making Excavation Intel a must if you want to make the most of your arsenal.
Expedition Intel
Among the least-guided types of intel,Expedition Intel involves finding ‘lifesprings’,which are small areas with intense concentrations of the planet’s magic and wisdom.
Listen for hooting and keep an eye out for owls, because these helpful creatures will loosely guide you to the lifesprings. It’s possible to stumble upon them without the aid of an owl, butyou’ll have a much easier time locating themthis way.
A string of three button prompts triggers when you approach the lifespring. Afterward,new regional lore becomes available, not to mention the various routine perks of completing intel (such as EXP, Party EXP, Gil, and more).
Divine Intel
When youenter a new region, Chadley will inform you ofthe local mythical entity (summon monster)of the area’s lore. It’s cool stuff, but more importantly, this meansyou will be able to challenge the summons in the Combat Simulatorto acquire their Materia.
That’s all well and dandy, butthe summons will be incredibly powerfulunless you’ve located theirthree shrinesin each region. Each time you find one via the completion of aDivine Intelspot, an easier mode unlocks, from somewhat weaker to significantly so.
You’ll also be boosting the summons' levels, and evengetting them a new ability, by locating shrines. So, even if you are dead set on fighting each summon at full strength, you should still do these!
One of the best ways to suss out nearby summon shrines is totake note of black cube-like blocks with a bit of fiery coloring. The first time you see one, Chadley will ring you up to explain their purpose -slash them, and a beam of light will point you in the right direction.
Phenomenon Intel
The most important forms of intel,Phenomenon Intel will beginin-depth questlines for Protorelics. These side quests are a blast, with an incredible degree ofgameplaydiversity between the regions,and an increased focus onnarrative.
In the Grasslands, Cloud will be chasing afterBeck’s Badasses,a returning gang of small-time crooks(and all-around fools) from Remake.
This is the most straightforward Protorelic quest you’ll find through Phenomenon Intel - somefeature unique gameplayminigames and more- but it’s still plenty fun.
Always expect the unexpected with Phenomenon Intel!
Chocobo Intel
You won’t always need to engage inChocobo Intelin order to secure access toeach region’s unique type of chocobo, but when you do, you’ll carry forward with the quests byspotting chocobo tracks. Here, you’ll begin aminigamewith the goal of catching the chocobo.
This is done in the Grasslands by default, as you’llneed a chocobo to cross the swampand advance the story. But in the Junon region, for example, you’ll need toinitiate a side questto mark the Chocobo Intel tracks on your map.
Moogle Intel
Say what you will for the moogles' design in the FF7 universe, butmoogles are certainly more prolific in the Remake trilogythan the original game. The most striking example of this isMogstools, magical treehouses where moogles live.
There’s aMogstool in every region, and finding one willinitiate a minigame that tasks you with catching young mooglesfor the resident adult… moogle. It’s a trip; see for yourself. The important part is thatcompleting these minigames increases your Emporium level.
Moogle Emporiums, also found at Mogstools,gain new stock as you find Mogstools. And while you’ll stumble upon these Mogstools all on your own while exploring, they’re categorized as intel becauselocating them fills in some of the regional maps' progress markers.
