Before Starting Hard Difficulty

Get ready for Final Fantasy VII Remake's Hard Mode! Learn the best farming spots for AP, EXP, and Gil, plus an exploit for MP shards.

Alright, so you've conquered Final Fantasy VII Remake once and you're looking to dive into Hard Mode. That's awesome! It's a whole different beast, but totally manageable with the right prep. Think of this as your pre-game warm-up, making sure you've got all the resources you need before the real challenge begins.

The biggest hurdle on Hard Mode is MP management – you don't get any convenient refill stations anymore. So, before you even think about starting, let's get you set up with some solid farming methods. We'll cover how to rack up AP, EXP, and Gil, plus a neat little trick to get extra MP shards.

AP, EXP, and Gil Farming

Once you've beaten the game, you'll unlock Chapter Select. The absolute best way to grind AP, EXP, and Gil is to use Chapter Select to revisit Chapter 16 on Easy difficulty. Seriously, the rewards are the same as other difficulties, but it's way faster and safer.

Here’s the route:

1. Make sure Cloud has Magify + Fire, First Strike, and the Mythril Saber equipped. A Fury Ring or Circlet is also good.
2. Load up all other materia slots on Cloud and your other party members with materia you want to level up. If you have ATB Boost and ATB Stagger on Cloud, that'll speed things up even more!
3. Head down towards the bridge leading to the Shinra garage.
4. Spam Fire (or Fira/Firaga if needed for the SOLDIERs) on everything that moves. The dogs usually get staggered easily with fire.
5. As soon as you reach the two sliding glass doors that lead into the Shinra building, immediately use Chapter Select to restart Chapter 16.

This loop is super efficient. You're looking at about 279 AP per run (that's 558 if you have AP Up equipped!), it costs nothing, and you can have three party members stocked with materia to level up. Honestly, with this method, Gil and EXP become almost a non-issue, so don't sweat about Gil Up or EXP Up materia.

The whole run takes about three minutes: one minute to get to the garage, and two minutes to clear out the enemies. Easy peasy.

MP Shard Crate Farming Exploit

This is a lifesaver for MP management on Hard Mode. It takes a little patience, but it's worth it.

1. When you break a crate and get an MP shard, manually save your game right after picking it up.
2. Immediately load that save file you just created.
3. Go back and break the exact same crates you just got MP shards from. You'll get more MP shards!
4. Keep repeating this process until you've got all the MP you need or your MP bar is full.

Important Note: This only works on crates that *initially* dropped MP shards. If a crate didn't give you any MP the first time, it won't work on that specific crate.

Farming for Yuffie and Sonon

Yuffie and Sonon don't have as many dedicated grinding spots as the main cast. Your best bet for them is the Combat Simulator. Specifically, the first mission is great for leveling up their materia.

Loadout Tip: Have Yuffie equip First Strike and Boomerang, and make sure the AP Up weapon ability is unlocked. One of them should have the Ninja Armlet, and the Volant Armlet is also a solid choice if you don't mind the single materia slot.

Method 1:

1. Start the "vs. Shinra's Dark Secrets" mission in the Combat Simulator.
2. Spam Throw > Windstorm. It's super effective here.
3. Repeat for all three rounds.

Method 2:

1. Start the "vs. Shinra's Midgarian Monsters" mission.
2. Again, just use Throw > Windstorm.
3. You can quit the challenge before the Behemoth fight if you want to speed things up, either after the first or second round.

A Quick Word on Gotterdammerung:

The guide mentions tackling 'Top Secrets' before starting Hard Mode to get the Gotterdammerung accessory. This is a HUGE help, making Hard Mode significantly easier. If you haven't done it yet, consider it!