Final Fantasy VII Remake All Weapons: Character Builds and Best Materia

Looking for all of the weapons in Final Fantasy VII Remake and their locations? Looking for character build ideas for each weapon, and materia recommendations? Well, you've come to the right place. In this Final Fantasy VII Remake PS4 guide, we're going to go over where you can find every weapon in the game, and also break down each weapon's strengths as well as what materia you should consider slotting.

All Cloud Weapons

Buster Sword

Location: Cloud's starting weapon.

Strengths: A solid all-round weapon for Cloud. Its upgrades lean towards physical attack power, but overall, the Buster Sword allows Cloud to fulfil a number of different roles thanks to the wide range of stat boosts that it provides. If you want Cloud to be your front line fighter, capable of dishing out good damage while also casting magic here and there, you can't go wrong with the Buster Sword.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Any elemental spell materia is a good fit here in order to cover weaknesses.
  
• Healing - With the Buster Sword, Cloud shouldn't be your primary healer, but he can still support his allies with a healing materia equipped.
• Elemental - Elemental materia isn't always useful depending on the enemy that you're facing, but it can help Cloud fulfil a damage dealing role if you're up against a foe that's weak to certain elements.
• HP Up - HP Up is always useful for any character, especially if they're on the front lines.
• Parry - With the Buster Sword, Cloud is already a fine all-round fighter, but Parry materia gives him an extra defensive edge when things get tough.
• Steadfast Block - A great fit for Cloud regardless of his weapon. Less damage and more ATB from blocking is a benefit that should not be sniffed at if you're always fighting enemies face to face.

Iron Blade

Location: Given to you near the beginning of the game, can't miss it.

Strengths: Another good all-round weapon for Cloud, but with more of a focus on defence and magic. The Iron Blade is a great choice if you want Cloud to be more of a tanky character with magic support, while still dishing out decent physical damage.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - With the Iron Blade's magic-based upgrades, having Cloud shoot off a spell every now and then is recommended.
  
• Healing - Cloud can provide solid support with this weapon's upgrades.
• Revival - Given the defensive upgrades of the Iron Blade, Cloud may well be your last party member standing in some tougher fights. Being above to revive his allies is a big plus.
• Barrier - Again, Cloud can provide good support with the Iron Blade.
• HP Up - An obvious choice, especially if you're playing Cloud defensively.
• MP Up - MP Up gives Cloud the additional MP that he may need when supporting his allies.
• Magic Up - If you really want to bolster Cloud's magic, Magic Up might be a worth a shot.
• Parry - Parry adds to Cloud's already solid defence.

Nail Bat

Location: A reward for completing the 'Kids on Patrol' side quest in Chapter 8.

Strengths: The Nail Bat transforms Cloud into a highly specialised physical fighter. It doesn't have any magic boosting upgrades, instead focusing almost exclusively on critical hits and critical damage. If you want Cloud to do nothing but smash his enemies into pieces with as many criticals as possible, this is the weapon for you.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra Materia - Cloud may be taking quite a beating with the Nail Bat since he'll almost always be right in the face of your enemy. Chakra can keep his HP topped up during difficult fights.
  
• ATB Boost - Cloud's already dealing big physical damage with the Nail Bat, and ATB Boost lets you double down. More ATB means more ability spam when a foe is staggered.
• HP Up - An obvious choice since Cloud will always be up close and personal with the enemy.
• Luck Up - The Nail Bat is already adept at scoring critical hits — why not boost it even further.
• Deadly Dodge - Additional attacks after you dodge. With the Nail Bat, your ideal job is to just never stop attacking.
• ATB Stagger - Even more ATB boosts for Cloud whenever he staggers an enemy. And based on his damage output, that's going to be quite often.
• Steadfast Block - Okay, so Cloud can't attack all of the enemies all of the time, so some kind of defensive fallback plan is a good idea. The ATB boost is a really nice bonus.

Hardedge

Location: Buy it from the weapon shop in Wall Market.

Strengths: Hardedge is an extremely potent physical attack weapon, opting for raw damage output as opposed to critical damage like the Nail Bat. What's more, it boasts several magic-based upgrades, while also providing some decent defensive perks. A great choice if you want Cloud to rely on his physical abilities, but don't want him to be completely one dimensional. Surprisingly versatile depending on slotted materia.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra - A decent way to keep Cloud's HP topped up when he's fighting at the front.
• HP Up - More HP is never a bad thing.
• Parry - A solid defensive option for a weapon that's already suited to close combat.
• ATB Stagger - It's wise not to pass up more ATB gained from using this high damage weapon.
• Steadfast Block - Less damage, more ATB. What's not to like?

Mythril Saber

Location: Buy it from the weapon shop in Wall Market in Chapter 14.

Strengths: The Mythril Saber is all about magic. Its upgrades can transform Cloud into one of the party's primary magic users, ideally focusing on offensive magic spells since he fights at close range. But support spells are also an option given the raw magic boosts on offer. If you want Cloud to be a specialised magic user, this is the sword for you.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - With the Mythril Saber, Cloud is capable of dealing huge spell damage.
• Healing - Ideally, Cloud is best suited to being an offensive magic user, but his high stats — thanks to the Mythril Saber — also allow him to support the party when needed.
• Barrier - Again, Cloud is more than capable of supporting his allies with this weapon.
• HP Absorption - Not a necessity, but link HP Absorption to one of your elemental materia, and Cloud can recover a lot of health when he's dealing big spell damage. Can be a surprisingly potent combination.
• MP Up: An obvious choice if Cloud's going all-in on magic.
• Magic Up: Another obvious choice, boosting Cloud's magic damage even higher.

Twin Stinger

Location: Found in a purple chest that's located in Chapter 17. Extremely hard to miss — it's sitting right next to some stairs that you have to climb.

Strengths: A magic-based weapon that's a little more balanced than the Mythril Saber. Alongside its potent magic upgrades, it boasts a few defensive perks as well as some decent physical attack augments. A solid choice if you want Cloud to remain a relatively balanced fighter, but with a knack for either dealing magical damage, or supporting the party with healing or barrier spells.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Twin Stinger has upgrade boosts for all elemental damage, so any of these spells are worthwhile.
  
• Healing - Support magic is well worth considering given Twin Stinger's strengths.
• Barrier - Again, Cloud's fully capable of supporting the party with Twin Stinger equipped.
• Magnify - Magnify allows Cloud to hit multiple targets with spells, or heal multiple allies. Can be a game changer in tougher battles.
• HP Absorption - Worth considering given Twin Stinger's magic preference. Equip it to an elemental spell, hit weaknesses, and Cloud can be pretty tanky.
• MP Up - An obvious choice.
• Magic Up - Bolstering Cloud's magic even a little bit more might be worthwhile.
• Steadfast Block - Given Twin Stinger's slight leaning towards defensive play, Steadfast Block deserves a shout so that you can capitalise.
  

All Tifa Weapons

Leather Gloves

Location: This is Tifa's starting weapon.

Strengths: Like Cloud's Buster Sword, the Leather Gloves are Tifa's all-round weapon with a slight physical attacking edge. Their upgrades are all pretty straightforward, and Tifa gets some nice defensive boosts, with a number of defence and HP bonuses. The perfect fit if you want Tifa to cover every base.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Any offensive magic will do, just to help round out Tifa's tools.
• Healing - Tifa is naturally speedy, so she gains ATB faster than other characters. With a healing spell, she can provide decent support.
• Time - Again, Tifa's already fast, but what if she could be faster? Time materia is worth considering for Haste.
• Chakra - Tifa comes readily equipped with Chakra materia, and it's good for keeping her HP at safe levels.
• Steal - A fair shout given that the Leather Gloves already make Tifa very versatile.
• HP Up - When is HP Up materia ever a bad choice?
• Parry - A solid defensive option for Tifa when she's playing an all-round game.
  

Metal Knuckles

Location: A reward for beating a boss in Chapter 5. Can't miss it.

Strengths: The Metal Knuckles are geared almost entirely towards physical attacks. With these, Tifa is set up to be your main melee damage dealer at the cost of much weaker magic and noticeably lower defences (which aren't that great to begin with). Excellent for pummelling staggered opponents and dealing huge damage, but you need to keep an eye on Tifa's HP in tougher fights.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra - Tifa might be taking some heavy blows on the front lines, so Chakra can be used to keep her fighting. Plus, the lower your HP is, the more Chakra heals. Syncs well with lower defences.
  
• HP Up - Obviously.
• Luck Up - Tifa already has naturally high luck, so giving her even more isn't a bad idea.
• Deadly Dodge - More physical moves to play around with.
• Parry - Can really come in handy when you want to stay mobile but defend at the same time.
• First Strike - Paired with Tifa's high speed, First Strike lets you gain a large chunk of ATB right off the bat. Perfect for offensive play.
• ATB Stagger - More ATB for Tifa as she punches enemies into bloody pulps.

Sonic Strikers

Location: Found in a purple chest that's located in Chapter 7. It's in one of the corridors that connects the engineering labs where you use the key cards. Very hard to miss.

Strengths: A pretty balanced weapon that has a moderate focus on magic. The Sonic Strikers don't turn Tifa into an all-out mage, but they do allow her to effectively add offensive or support spells — or both — to her toolkit. If you're okay with taking a bit of a hit to her defensive potential, then the Sonic Strikers are worth a shot.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Any offensive magic works well here, given the upgrades.
• Healing - The magic boosts provided by this weapon allow Tifa to become a solid support character.
• Barrier - Same as above.
• Time - The Sonic Strikers do have a few speed upgrades, so Time materia isn't a bad shout if you want Tifa to be even faster, while also buffing her allies.
• ATB Boost - With her naturally high speed, Tifa is already built for building her ATB gauge quickly. With ATB Boost, plus this weapon's magic upgrades, she can ensure that she always has the necessary ATB to cast spells.
• MP Up - Not a necessity, but a solid option if you find Tifa's MP pool to be a little bit shallow.
• Magic Up - Again, not a necessity, but worth considering if you want to give Tifa's magic power an additional boost.

Feathered Gloves

Location: Found in a chest that's located in Chapter 10. In the sewers, at the very first sluice gate that you open, crawl under it and the chest is just ahead.

Strengths: Feathered Gloves are yet another fairly balanced weapon option for Tifa, mostly promoting physical attack. However, they do boast slightly more nuanced upgrades, such as damage reduction on block, and faster ATB gain. Overall they're very hard to fault, and allow Tifa to fill a number of roles while fighting up close with the enemy.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra - Not a bad shout since Tifa will mostly be in the thick of battle with these gloves. The damage reduction on block upgrades should make her surprisingly tanky when played right, so having Chakra on hand for when she does take a beating is good preparation.
  
• Deadly Dodge - Tifa's extended Deadly Dodge attacks are really quite good, and the Feathered Gloves attack boosts make the combo even more effective.
• Parry - Damage reduction on block syncs nicely with Parry materia.
• ATB Stagger - Feathered Gloves don't have the highest physical attack of all Tifa's weapons, but they're still strong enough to warrant ATB Stagger materia.
• Steadfast Block - Again, a perfect fit for a weapon that already has damage reduction on block upgrades.
  

Mythril Claws

Location: A reward for beating a boss in Chapter 13. Can't miss it.

Strengths: The Mythril Claws are Tifa's definitive magic-boosting weapon. That said, they're definitely geared towards offensive magic spells thanks to a number of spell power and elemental upgrades. If you want to take advantage of Tifa's high natural speed and turn her into a Midgar's fastest spell-slinging mage, these claws are for you.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - This weapon is built for offensive magic.
• HP Absorption - Given the high magic power of this weapon, HP Absorption can heal a lot of Tifa's health when linked with the right elemental materia.
• MP Up - An obvious choice.
  
• Magic Up - Another obvious choice.
• ATB Stagger - Not a necessity, but if you're hitting elemental weaknesses and staggering a lot of enemies, ATB Stagger can refill Tifa's ATB gauge incredibly quickly.
  

Purple Pain

Location: Found in a chest that's located in Chapter 16. When you're forced to control Tifa for some platforming, you can find this chest off to the side of the room on top of a platform. To get there, go around the first ladder instead of climbing it, and then cross over there using the hanging bars.

Strengths: Purple Pain is built for making the most of Tifa's critical hits, boasting a number of critical hit rate and critical hit damage upgrades. Tifa already has the fastest physical attacks in the game, which means she can really rack up the damage if she's getting multiple critical hits in quick succession. With a little luck, Tifa can tear through enemies with this weapon.

Recommended Materia:

• ATB Boost - More ATB means more heavy hitting attacks.
• Luck Up - How about we boost that critical hit rate even higher?
• Deadly Dodge - More attacks, please.
• ATB Stagger - Critical hits can fill an enemy's stagger bar very quickly, so why not boost your ATB gain even further?

All Barret Weapons

Gatling Gun

Location: This is Barret's starting weapon.

Strengths: Barret's starting weapon is his most balanced option, sporting a a wide range of basic upgrades. Barret is a naturally tanky character, but the Gatling Gun lets him branch out in a number of directions depending on his equipped materia.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Barret's gun arm already allows him to sit back and attack from a distance but having some magic on hand gives him some additional versatility.
• Healing - The Gatling Gun doesn't boost Barret's magic all that much, but he can still chip in with support now and then.
• HP Up - Barret's naturally high HP makes HP Up materia an easy choice regardless of weapon.
• Steadfast Block - More ATB from blocking always comes in handy.
  

Light Machine Gun

Location: Given to you at the end of Chapter 6. Can't miss it.

Strengths: The Light Machine Gun allows Barret to adopt a more supporting role thanks to a high number of magic upgrades. However, it doesn't forsake physical attack completely, making it a reasonably balanced weapon choice. It's a great fit if you want Barret to be an all-round fighter, while also keeping the party topped up with healing magic.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - While the Light Machine Gun is geared more towards support spells, offensive magic is still worth considering.
• Healing - The weapon's relatively high magic means Barret can do some decent healing.
• Revival - There's a good chance that Barret will be the last one standing in a tough battle, so having Revival materia on hand can really come in handy.
• Barrier - Another solid choice, allowing Barret to support his allies.
• HP Up - This weapon already has some defensive upgrades, and additional HP is always a great fit for Barret.
• MP Up - Barret doesn't have a lot of MP, so MP Up materia can give him the boost that he needs to succeed in a support role.

Big Bertha

Location: Buy it from the Sector 7 Slums Weapon Shop owner in Chapter 13.

Strengths: Big Bertha is all about having as much HP as possible. Barret already has the highest natural HP in the game, and this weapon grants him multiple different stat boosts if he's able to maintain most of his health in battle. If you want Barret to be the party's primary tank while also dishing out big damage, this is the gun for you.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra - Keep Barret's HP topped up with this materia.
• HP Up - An obvious choice for this weapon. Boost Barret's HP to max if you can.
• Steadfast Block - Steadfast Block can significantly lessen incoming damage, which is something you'll want when Big Bertha has so many HP-based boosts.
  

Steel Pincers

Location: Buy them from the Moogle kid in Chapter 14. Costs 7 Moogle Medals.

Strengths: Steel Pincers turn Barret into a melee attacker, but there's much more to them than that. Take one look at their upgrades and it becomes clear that they're designed to transform Barret into an offensive magic user, boasting a load of magic-based boosts. While we're not totally sold on Barret being the party's primary mage, this weapon lets Barret deal big damage, both physically and magically.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice Lightning - Any offensive magic works well here.
• Healing - You can definitely get away with giving Barret some healing materia with this weapon, if you want.
• HP Absorption - Barret has a lot of HP, and keeping it topped up by hitting enemies with linked spell materia isn't a bad idea.
• MP Up - Steel Pincers do boost Barret's MP and MP regeneration quite a bit, but it can still feel like he doesn't have much of it. MP Up materia obviously helps with this.
• Magic Up - Another magic boost.

Wrecking Ball

Location: A reward for completing the 'Subterranean Menace' side quest in Chapter 14.

Strengths: Like the Steel Pincers, the Wrecking Ball turns Barret into a melee attack character. The weapon itself is all about dealing heavy physical damage thanks to a large number of attack boosting upgrades. If you want Barret to be your party's big damage dealer, always up close and personal with the enemy, then the Wrecking Ball is a great choice.

Recommended Materia:

• Chakra - The wrecking ball isn't meant for magic, so Chakra's a good option for Barret to have.
• HP Up - HP for Barret, as always.
• ATB Stagger - More ATB gain so that Barret can really double down on damage.
• Steadfast Block - Barret's going to be right in the thick of battle with this weapon, so having some better defence certainly can't hurt.

EKG Cannon

Location: Pay Hart 10,000 gil in Chapter 16.

Strengths: The EKG Cannon is Barret's best option if you want him to make the most of magic while also fighting from at range with a gun arm. On top of hefty magical upgrades it's got a number of critical hit enhancements, making it a good offensive option. That doesn't mean support spells aren't out of the question, though. This isn't Barret's tankiest weapon, but with its high magic you can certainly have him handle healing when necessary.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Make the most of EKG Cannon's high magic.
• Healing - Barret's more than capable of keeping the party healthy with this weapon.
• HP Absorption - HP Absorption's not a bad call if you're hitting elemental weaknesses.
• MP Up - More MP never hurts when you've got high magic.
• Luck Up - EKG Cannon boasts some decent critical hit bonuses, so make the most of them with Luck Up.

All Aerith Weapons

Guard Stick

Location: This is Aerith's starting weapon.

Strengths: The Guard Stick may be Aerith's starting weapon, but it's not as balanced as you might think based on what the other characters have to work with. This thing's actually geared quite heavily towards magic, just like Aerith herself. It's a solid choice if you just want to stick to Aerith's inherent strengths as it boasts a large number of basic but effective magic upgrades.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Aerith is pretty much the best magic user in the game — you're gonna need spells.
• Healing - Offensive or support spells, Aerith can do it all with the Guard Stick.
• Revival - Keep the party fighting fit with Aerith's high MP.
• HP Absorption - Not a necessity, but it can help keep Aerith's HP up when linked with the right materia.
• MP Up - An obvious choice.
• Magic Up - Another obvious choice.

Silver Staff

Location: Buy it from the Moogle kid in Chapter 8. Costs 2 Moogle Medals.

Strengths: The Silver Staff allows Aerith to go all-in on all types of magic, which is arguably the best fit for her. It boasts upgrades that benefit both offensive and support magic, while also boosting her magic power considerably. Once you've unlocked many of these upgrades, it outclasses the Guard Stick as a magic-based weapon.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Any and all offensive spells are a must here thanks to the huge magic upgrades.
• Healing - Aerith can quite easily be your main healer with this weapon.
• Revival - Again, main healer coming through.
• Magnify - Being able to heal everyone at once is huge.
• HP Absorption - Aerith has the lowest natural HP in the party, but HP Absorption can keep her surprisingly healthy as long as it's linked to the right materia.
• MP Up - An obvious choice.
• Magic Up - Another obvious choice.
  

Arcane Scepter

Location: A reward for completing 'A Dynamite Body' side quest or 'Shears' Counterattack' side quest in Chapter 9. The side quest you get depends on earlier events in the story, but either will give you the weapon.

Strengths: This is Aerith's definitive offensive magic weapon. If you want to transform her into one of the party's main damage dealers, you can't go wrong with the Arcane Scepter. Loads of magic attack power upgrades, as well as elemental boosts, ensure that she's hitting enemy weaknesses for maximum damage.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Give Aerith as much offensive magic as you can to ensure that she covers as many weaknesses as possible.
• HP Absorption - Again, Aerith doesn't have much HP, but you can keep it topped up with this materia under the right circumstances.
• MP Up - Obviously!
• Magic Up - Obviously, obviously!
  

Mythril Rod

Location: Found in a chest that's located in Chapter 11. Near the beginning of the Train Graveyard, in the area where you have your very first fight with some rats, head through an abandoned carriage instead of going up the ladder. You'll find the chest in the small open area at the end of it.

Strengths: Yet another magic-based weapon for Aerith, except it also has a few defensive upgrades. There's not really much to say here. If you want to give Aerith just a little more survivability, while also maintaining her magical prowess, the Mythril Rod is a good choice.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - Aerith can work with any offensive magic.
• Healing - Healing magic, too.
• MP Up - More MP, please.
• Magic Up - More magic, please.
• Steadfast Block - A slightly odd choice perhaps, but it works with a few of the Mythril Rod's upgrades, namely the ones that give defensive boosts if Aerith has high HP.

Bladed Staff

Location: Must be stolen from the boss at the end of Chapter 11. You'll need the 'Steal' materia equipped to a character in order to get this weapon.

Strengths: The Bladed Staff's an interesting weapon for Aerith. It has a number of critical hit enhancements, boosting magic damage by quite a bit if you're lucky. But outside of that, it doesn't really offer anything that Aerith's other magic-focused weapons don't.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - You know why this is here by now.
• MP Up - More MP equals more spells equals more potential critical hits.
• Magic Up - Never a bad idea to have Magic Up on Aerith.
• Luck Up - More critical hits!

Reinforced Staff

Location: Found in a chest that's located in Chapter 17. The chest is in the room where this chapter begins, making it very hard to miss.

Strengths: The Reinforced Staff leans into more defensive territory by sacrificing all-out magical upgrades. While it still allows Aerith to be the party's main magic user — offensively or in a supporting role — it gives her some solid defensive bonuses to work with. A great weapon to have if you think Aerith is too frail in tougher fights.

Recommended Materia:

• Fire, Ice, Lightning - While the Reinforced Staff does promote a more defensive style of play, Aerith can still be dishing out elemental damage when necessary.
• Healing - Healing magic is always good on Aerith.
• Revival - With slightly more defensive options, Aerith should be able to survive a little longer. If she's the one party member left standing, you'll be glad she's capable of reviving her allies.
• MP Up - More MP!
• Magic Up - More magic!
• Steadfast Block - The Reinforced Staff already reduces incoming damage thanks to upgrades to bolster Aerith's guard, so Steadfast Block seems like a natural fit.

Best Materia in Final Fantasy VII Remake - Recommendations

Alongside the recommended materia that we've listed for each weapon, we also have some advice on the "best" materia to use in Final Fantasy VII Remake. The following materia should always be considered, just because they're so useful.

• Healing Materia
  It goes without saying that Healing materia is a must. At least one character in your party should have healing slotted at all times in order to keep the party healthy without needing to rely on items.
• Chakra Materia
  Though not as instantly useful as Healing materia, Chakra materia is great for when you're low on HP. It restores health based on how much of it you've lost, and it's an ability, not magic, meaning there's no MP cost. Chakra can be a huge help on hard mode in particular, since you can't use items at all. As such, conserving MP is a big deal.
• Barrier Materia
  Barrier can be the difference between life and death in the game's tougher battles. At maximum mastery it halves both incoming physical and magical damage. Barrier is a borderline necessity in some of hard mode's most difficult fights.
• Elemental Materia
  When linked to an elemental spell materia, like Fire, Ice, or Lightning, Elemental infuses your equipment with that element. More elemental damage is stacked on top of your weapon's usual damage as you level Elemental up — and it even works defensively, reducing, nullifying, or even absorbing incoming spells. Elemental materia is situational — you obviously need the right materia linked to it based on your opponent's strengths or weaknesses — but if you're prepared, it can make some fights far, far easier.
• Magnify Materia
  Although it's far from a necessity in the game's earlier chapters, Magnify can be a real lifesaver later on. Magnify allows spells to hit multiple targets when linked, and while it can certainly be useful against enemies of the same type, its real worth lies in healing. Link Magnify to your main healer's Healing materia, and you can restore the health of the entire party. The effectiveness of the magic will be lessened when linked with Magnify, but it becomes less of a problem as the materia levels up.
• Time Materia
  We wouldn't say Time materia is a necessity, but it's still highly recommended. Haste can transform your party into a whirlwind of destruction, while slow can cripple certain enemies. Stop, the materia's mastery magic, outright freezes an opponent for about ten seconds, opening them up to... Well, pretty much anything that you want. It doesn't work on most bosses, but it's still a super effective strategy.
• HP Up Materia
  Equip HP Up on everyone if you can. As its name suggests, this materia gives a percentage boost to the character's HP — and we'd go as far to say that it's a necessity. The HP growths that you get from HP Up can be massive — especially on Cloud and Barret, making your party much, much harder to kill. You can even equip two HP Up materia on one character if you really want.
• MP Up Materia
  You can never have enough MP, and MP Up gives a hefty boost to anyone who has it slotted. It's not as important as HP Up, for obvious reasons, but it can be a huge help, especially when playing on hard mode.
• Steadfast Block Materia
  Steadfast Block saves lives — it's as simple as that. For melee fighters like Cloud and Tifa, Steadfast Block can be unbelievably useful. Not only does noticeably reduce incoming damage while guarding, it also restores more ATB on block, allowing you to strike back in style. An excellent materia that's easy to use.

As part of our Final Fantasy VII Remake guide you can also find out: How Long To Finish The Game?, How Many Chapters Does It Have? as well as information about New Game +, Chapter Select, Endgame, and How to Unlock Hard Mode. We also have Final Fantasy VII Remake Hard Mode Guide: Help, Tips, and Essential Advice for Beating Hard Mode.

For help with side quests, check out our Chocobo Search Side Quest Locations and Corneo's Secret Stash Locations guides.