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Blade Beam is Cloud's first level 2 Limit in Final Fantasy VII. It is a magical attack that strikes at a target for 3.5 times Cloud's base physical damage, and then hits other enemies with shockwaves dealing approximately Cloud's normal damage.
Blade Beam is performed by Cloud swinging his sword down, at which point a green light beam fires directly from the blade towards an enemy, leaving a rippling effect. After the enemy deals damage, shockwaves then hit the adjacent enemies.
Obtained
Blade Beam is obtained by killing 120 enemies with Cloud. Early on, this can be sped up using the Enemy Skill Materia, particular if Matra Magic has been learned. Matra Magic deals typeless magic damage to all enemies for only 8 MP, allowing Cloud to quickly kill waves of enemies in the Grasslands Area, in the Mythril Mine, or in the forests of the Junon Area. Later on, the large forest in the Nibel Area past Mt. Nibel features a wave of six enemies (Battery Cap) to be killed, and overall has around 4.4 enemies per encounter.
Use
Blade Beam deals damage at 3.5 times Cloud's normal physical damage, and then hits nearby enemies with a shockwave dealing damage close to Cloud's normal damage. This means it is best targeted at the largest target, or the target with the most HP, as the splash damage will hit smaller targets. Blade Beam deals magical damage, but nonetheless relies on Cloud's physical stats, meaning its damage is based on Cloud's Strength stat and his currently equipped weapon.
After using Blade Beam seven times, Cloud obtains his second 2 Limit Break, Climhazzard. Climhazzard deals more damage to a single target than Blade Beam, but does not have splash damage. This means Blade Beam remains useful against groups of enemies, while Climhazzard should be used on larger single targets and bosses.
Blade Beam is eventually outclassed by Cloud's level 3 Limit Breaks, as Meteorain and Finishing Touch both deal damage to all enemies, but the damage is never reduced and will hit all targets for the same amount. Though Meteorain is less reliable than Blade Beam, its damage output is nonetheless higher overall, and is worth the tradeoff of Cloud's Limit charging slower.