Final Fantasy VII Complete Guide (75 Sections) | AntMag

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Welcome to Final Fantasy VII! Released in 1997, this legendary JRPG took the world by storm, setting a new standard for epic storytelling and immersive worlds. You'll step into the boots of Cloud Strife, a mercenary with a mysterious past, as he joins the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE to fight against the Shinra Electric Power Company, a shadowy corporation draining the planet's life force. Prepare for a sprawling adventure filled with unforgettable characters, dramatic plot twists, and strategic turn-based combat.

This guide is your essential companion to navigating the vast world of Gaia and uncovering all its secrets. We'll help you master the Materia system, defeat challenging bosses like the infamous Sephiroth, and ensure you experience all the game's endings. Whether you're hunting for every hidden item, aiming for a perfect playthrough, or just want to understand the intricate lore, we've got you covered.

Ancient Forest

Walkthrough

1
Enter the Ancient Forest. Head east to find suspended pitcher plants.
2
Grab three bugs and place them near the pitcher plants.
3
Release a bug into the western-most pitcher plant from the elevated ledge.
4
Run down, grab another bug, and release it into the second pitcher plant while standing on the first.
5
Repeat for the third pitcher plant. Jump across the filled pitcher plants to reach the land to the east.
6
Grab one of the two frogs and head south to a carnivorous plant.
7
Stand on the carnivorous plant's leaf and release the frog to swap it with the Supershot ST.
8
Head east and use a tongue plant to leap across a gap.
9
Go north around a tree to find the Spring Gun Clip.
10
Continue east to the next screen.
11
To the east, you'll find another carnivorous plant. Grab a bug and approach the tongue plant to jump to a ledge above.
12
Enter the small cave and release the bug to trigger an event.
13
Grab the frog and place it in the nearby pitcher plant.
14
Jump onto the second, filled pitcher plant, then onto a tongue plant further east.
15
You'll land east of the carnivorous plant. Grab the frog hopping around.
16
Head further east onto a ledge between two pitcher plants. Place the frog in the western pitcher plant.
17
Wait atop the filled pitcher plant; the frog will propel you onto a mushroom.
18
Grab the beehive, then jump down.
19
Toss the beehive into the carnivorous plant to distract it.
20
Snatch the Slash-All Materia.
21
Pick up the frog and place it in the eastern pitcher plant. Wait for it to propel you east over another carnivorous plant.
22
Continue east to the third screen.
23
Immediately east are two pitcher plants leading to a tongue plant. Gather a bug to the east and place it in the first pitcher plant.
24
Grab a second bug nearby and place it in the second pitcher plant.
25
Use the tongue plant to reach the forest canopy.
26
Navigate the branches: head west, then south-west to a branch in the foreground. You'll find the Minerva Band.
27
Continue south along the branch and jump west.
28
Return to the previous screen. Place the frog back in the eastern pitcher plant and use the tongue plant to cross the carnivorous plant.
29
Head back to the screen with the two pitcher plants and fill them with bugs again. Use the tongue plant to reach the canopy.
30
Once in the treetops, head west, then north-east along a bough. Wrap around behind it and follow a smaller branch east.
31
Follow another bough south-east and use a broken tree-branch as a ledge to leap to a trio of tongue plants.
32
These will carry you to another bough further east. Loot the item bag to score the Typhon Materia.
33
Head north-west to the upper reaches of the bough and use the tongue plants to return west.
34
Continue south-east down and around the broken branch you used as a ledge earlier.

Tips

The Supershot ST has high Attack (97) but its Materia sockets have no AP growth.
The Spring Gun Clip is an excellent upgrade for Red XIII with 87 Attack and six Materia sockets.
The Minerva Band is a powerful armor for female characters, offering good defense, Materia sockets, and immunity to Fire, Cold, Gravity, and Holy damage.
The Typhon Materia is a rare wind-based attack.

Black and Gold

Once you have a Green or Blue Chocobo, you’ll want to start looking towards the next color, an amalgamation of the two; the Black Chocobo. To get this critter, however, you’ll have to race. Head over to the Gold Saucer and talk to Ester in the Chocobo Square to race. Pick your mount and course, then win the race. To win, switch from Automatic to Manual control, speed up as fast as you can, and hold down the R1 + L1 buttons (Page Up + Target on PC) to regenerate stamina. Sprint near the end of the race if necessary.

Every time you win a race, you’ll earn rank-specific prizes, which can be redeemed for GP. There are four ranks: C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank. Every time you win three races, your Chocobo’s rank will increase. Green and Blue Chocobos might reach S-Rank. For this venture, you only need to get your Blue and Green Chocobos to A-Rank.

Once you have A-Rank or S-Rank Green and Blue Chocobos, return to the farm and breed them, feeding them a Carob Nut. With any luck, you should get a Black Chocobo, capable of crossing rivers, shallow water, and mountains. This will allow you to cross a river to the north-west of Costa del Sol to find the barren plains that house the cave containing the HP MP Materia.

To get a Gold Chocobo, you’ll need to acquire a Zeio Nut and capture a Wonderful Chocobo. Fly to Goblin Island in the north-eastern corner of the world map and enter the woods to encounter Goblins. Steal a Zeio Nut from them. Then, make your way to the snowy western half of the northern continent to find Chocobo tracks south of Icicle Inn. Here you can find the Wonderful Chocobo, who keeps company with “Jumping” enemies. Kill the bunny bodyguards and catch a Wonderful Chocobo of the opposite gender of your Black Chocobo. Feed them Sylkis Greens, then race them until they’re A-Rank or S-Rank.

Return to the Chocobo Ranch and breed your Black Chocobo and Wonderful Chocobo, using the Zeio Nut. With any luck, you’ll get a Gold Chocobo, which can cross any terrain on the world map. This allows you to reach Round Island, an unmarked island along the north-eastern edge of the map, where you’ll find the Knights of the Round Materia.

Chocobo Breeding and Racing: Black and Gold

You must have Cloud back in your party before you can race Chocobos, as the Gold Saucer is closed before then.

Cloud must be in your party.
Access to the Gold Saucer.

Walkthrough

1
Feed your Chocobo ten to twenty Sylkis Greens (costing 5000 Gil each from the Chocobo Sage) to improve its stats. This can cost between 50,000 to 100,000 Gil per Chocobo.
2
Head to the Gold Saucer, enter the Chocobo Square, and talk to Ester near the “STAFFROOM” sign to enter races.
3
Choose short courses to speed up the process.
4
Accelerate to your top running speed and hold R1 + R2 (or PC equivalents) to regenerate stamina.
5
Sprint only when you reach the winding blue path at the end of the track if you have sufficient stamina.
6
Win three races with the same Chocobo to move up a rank (C, B, A, S). Normal Chocobos may struggle to reach A rank, but “Good” and “Great” Chocobos only need B rank. Aim to get “Wonderful” Chocobos to A rank.
7
Race at least twenty-four races to get Green, Blue, Black, and Wonderful Chocobos up to A rank.
8
Be aware that Joe and his superior bird may appear in A and S rank races, and rarely in B rank races.

Tips

Feeding Sylkis Greens is expensive but crucial for Chocobo speed, stamina, intelligence, and cooperation. Low stats will make them difficult to control.
Selling an All Materia can help fund the purchase of Sylkis Greens.
Prizes from races vary, but GP is often more valuable than items. You can also win unique Materia like Enemy Away and Sneak Attack, and Accessories like Cat’s Bell and Sprint Shoes.
Counter Attack Materia can only be obtained as a prize from Chocobo racing or by leveling up an existing one.
“Wonderful” Chocobos are recommended for easier progression to A rank.
If you aim to breed Black and Gold Chocobos, you should race at least twenty-four races to get the necessary Chocobos to A rank.

GP
Megalixirs
Counter Attack Materia
Enemy Away Materia
Sneak Attack Materia
Cat’s Bell
Sprint Shoes
Colored Chocobos (Black and Gold)

Breeding Black and Gold Chocobos:

To breed a Black Chocobo, mate an A rank Blue Chocobo with an A rank Green Chocobo. Feed them a Carob Nut.
Once you have a Black Chocobo, note its gender. Travel to the Icicle Inn area.
South of Icicle Inn, find Chocobo tracks on a patch of grass. Run around to find “Wonderful” Chocobos (exclusive to this area and found with Jumping enemies).
Catch a “Wonderful” Chocobo of the opposite gender to your Black Chocobo.
Feed both the Black and “Wonderful” Chocobos Sylkis Greens and get them to A rank (or S rank).
To breed a Gold Chocobo, mate a high-ranking Black Chocobo with a “Wonderful” Chocobo. Feed them a Zeio Nut.
Zeio Nuts can be stolen from Goblins on Goblin Island, located in the forests north of the Chocobo Ranch.

The Gold Chocobo can cross mountains, rivers, and oceans, and can defeat any competition in races, including S rank Joe.

Chocobo Breeding and Racing: Green and Blue

Walkthrough

1
Visit the Chocobo Ranch and speak to the grandfather. Rent barn space for 10,000 Gil per stable. It is recommended to rent all six stables.
2
Talk to Choco Billy in the barn to learn about raising Chocobos. This involves catching them, sending them to the corral, placing them in stables, feeding them Greens to raise stats, racing them to improve their stock, and feeding them the correct Nut to breed them.
3
To catch Chocobos, equip the Chocobo Lure Materia. Feed wild Chocobos Greens to distract them and prevent them from fleeing. Kill their accompanying foes. Once enemies are dead, the Chocobo will be yours. Disembark and send it to the Chocobo Ranch.
4
At the ranch, talk to Choco Billy and select “Moving Chocobos” to view them. Only “Good”, “Great”, and “Wonderful” Chocobos are worth keeping for breeding. You can only store four Chocobos in the corral and six in the barn at any one time.
5
“Good” Chocobos are found east of the Gold Saucer and travel with Spencers. “Great” Chocobos are found near Mideel or north of Rocket Town and travel with Spirals. “Wonderful” Chocobos are found south of the Icicle Inn.
6
To breed a Blue (River) or Green (Mountain) Chocobo, you need any combination of two “Good” or “Great” Chocobos (male and female). The best spot to do this is near Mideel.
7
You will need to steal a Carob Nut to breed these specific Chocobos.

Tips

Feeding Chocobos Greens raises their stats, improving their performance in races and increasing their chances of producing superior chicks.
Sylkis Greens are the best Greens to use for racing and are sold by the Chocobo Sage for 5,000 Gil each.
Racing Chocobos improves their rank, which correlates to their breeding quality.
Rare Chocobos are necessary to obtain some of the best Materia, earn GP for the Battle Arena, obtain Vincent’s ultimate weapon and Limit Break, and access a lucrative dungeon early.
Chocobos of different quality keep different company: “Good” Chocobos travel with Spencers, “Great” Chocobos with Spirals, and “Wonderful” Chocobos with Jumpings.

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