Nibelheim is a field map in Final Fantasy VII, visited twice. It is a town located at the base of Mt. Nibel in the Nibel Area. The town is first seen in a flashback during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", in which Cloud recounts his version of events that occurred in the Nibelheim Incident. Later, the entire party revisits Nibelheim briefly in the chapter "Unnatural Hometown", and much later, and a variety of powerful items can be found within the town.
Layout[]
Overview[]
Location of Nibelheim, indicated by crosshair.
Nibelheim is located to the west on Gaia's Western continent, specifically in the Nibel Area of the world map.
The town comprises of five accessible buildings and the mansion at the outskirts. The route next to the mansion exits Nibelheim and leads up to Mt. Nibel. There are two times the player enters Nibelheim during the story and takes full control of where they go. The first time is Cloud and Sephiroth during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" in a flashback told at Kalm of the time before Nibelheim was razed, and the second time is with the party during "Unnatural Hometown" in the restored Nibelheim.
Town[]
Town, current day
The exit at the south of the town leads to the world map. The exit at the north leads to the small portion of world map between the entrance to Mt. Nibel and Nibelheim, surrounded by mountain on either side. During the interactive flashback in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", neither exit takes the player to the world map: they can't exit from the south and the north takes the player straight to Mt. Nibel.
Surrounding a water tower (which the characters refer to as "well") there are five accessible buildings. The south-westerly building is the Inn, while the north-westerly is the Item Store. On the right, from the top-right down is Cloud's House, Tifa's House, and the Siblings' House.
At the back of the town is Shinra Mansion, a mansion owned by Shinra though long abandoned.
The town is visited with three different appearances. The first is the Nibelheim of five years ago, the second is Nibelheim aflame, and the third is a re-built Nibelheim, which is notably different in its paving and street lights' signage.
The town appears in various flashbacks and illusions outside of "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago". The well is a point of focus on the promise Cloud and Tifa made in their youth. Sephiroth conjures illusions of Nibelheim when the party is in Whirlwind Maze to try prove that Cloud was not present five years ago.
Inn[]
Inn 1f (top) and 2f (bottom).
The inn is found in the bottom-left of the town. During the flashback in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", Cloud must enter the inn to talk to Sephiroth to continue with the events on Mt. Nibel after having visited the places around town.
- 1f.
During the first visit in the present day, the innkeeper charges 100 gil for a room. The second selectable option, "What's your story?", prompts Cloud to ask what is going on with the town being intact; to which the innkeeper replies saying he grew up in in Nibelheim and that it never burned down. If Tifa is present, or Cloud if she is not, says he is lying. The innkeeper refutes this. Notably, if the player asks the innkeeper about the situation in town, Aerith does not appear in the Church in the Slums by the flower bed after the party defeats Jenova∙LIFE in "Parting with Aeris". This appears to be a glitch.
There is a man in a black cape in the back room only before the Reunion, shortly into the start of disc 2 in "Beyond the Snow Fields". From him the player can receive a Luck Source, unless the player already got a Mind Source from the black cape outside the mansion.
- 2f.
Sephiroth is found on the second floor during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", and talking to him continues the Mt. Nibel events.
Item Store[]
Item Store.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", nothing occurs here. During the present day visit, the man in the black cape standing next to the fire gives an Elixir only before the Reunion shortly into the start of disc 2. The woman at the desk sells items.
Siblings' House[]
Siblings' House 1f (top) and 2f (bottom).
A two-story house in the bottom right of the town. This area is known as "Nibelheim House" in the menu in English versions of the game, though in the Japanese version it is "The house with the small older sister and younger brother" (小さな姉弟がいた家, chiisana shitei ga ita ie?). The siblings are in the first floor during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago". When the party visit the town in the present day, two black cloaked figures appear on the second floor, sharing their speech patterns with the siblings.
- 1f.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", there is a lady and two children on the first floor. During the visit with the main party, there is nothing on the first floor.
- 2f.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" there is nothing on the second floor. During the visit with the party before the Reunion shortly into the start of Part 2, two black cloaks can be found here from whom the player can get a Luck Source.
Tifa's House[]
Tifa's House 1f (top) and 2f (bottom).
In the flashback during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", if the player enters Tifa's house and does certain things, she will ask whether Cloud actually did it. Replying "No" will take the player outside the room. The events here directly the script later on, and in the Whirlwind Maze, when Sephiroth creates an illusion of a burning Nibelheim, and makes Cloud question what he did while in-town. Additionally, when on the piano, selecting "Yeah, I jammed on it" and correctly playing the tune gives the player a chance to pick up an Elemental Materia upon returning later.
Tifa's house has more interactions during "Unnatural Hometown", when the player goes there with the party. The back room on the first floor a man in a black cape will relinquish a Turbo Ether. Upstairs, another black caped man gives a Platinum Fist, a double AP growth weapon for Tifa.
On the table in Tifa's bedroom a note is found.
| "Periodic Report to Professor Hojo" 1 Clone Activity Report Unfortunately, no 'CLONES' have left this town this quarter. As previously reported, the 'CLONES' seem to be sensing something. But all they say is, 'reunion' or 'Sephiroth' and show no other signs of activity. |
| 2 Confidentiality Report A total of eight people have visited this town this quarter. Fortunately, none knew about the incident five years ago. Therefore, no one knows the town was restored exactly as it was five years ago. Our staff, disguised as townspeople have improved their acting skills, and we do not report any problems at this time. That is all. |
If the piano is played on three times (either selecting "I forgot" or "I remember" and then 
to quit), the player can discover 1 gil. When Tifa is the party leader in disc 2, playing the piano gives the player an Elemental Materia, but only if the player made Cloud jam on the piano during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" flashback. Doing this again when Cloud returns as party leader with Tifa in the party will get her Limit Break manual, Final Heaven.
Cloud's House[]
Cloud's House.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", if the player visits Cloud's House, they can choose to watch clips of the events showing Cloud's conversations with his mother.
During the visit with Cloud and the party, a lady lives in Cloud's house who refutes Cloud grew up there.
Mansion[]
The mansion is found on the town outskirts, and in the present day is more of an "optional dungeon" field than a town field, as there are no NPCs, random encounters occur, and the player can solve puzzles for various good rewards. If the player visits the basement the first time the story takes the party to Nibelheim, they get a short cutscene and score a Destruct Materia.
There is a black caped man outside the mansion who relinquishes a Mind Source unless the player already got the Luck Source from the inn.
Quests[]
Main scenario[]
Nibelheim is visited in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" during Cloud's flashback. The player controls a young Cloud and can interact with the residents, where some interactions will trigger dialogue from the present day party as they question Cloud's story of the events.
In "Unnatural Hometown", the visit is brief, as the objective is not really within Nibelheim itself. While visiting the town, the player can interact with some of the townspeople who will deny any events of the Nibelheim Incident and that Cloud and Tifa grew up there, though there is otherwise little to discover until later after the events in "Searching for the You of That Day".
The area is also shown briefly in "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches", and in "Searching for the You of That Day".
Yuffie[]
The Mystery Ninja can be fought in the forests in the Nibel Area.
Piano[]
The piano in Tifa's house can be used to acquire a number of items.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", Cloud can go into Tifa's House and into Tifa's room, and play on the piano. If the player makes Cloud say "Yeah, I jammed on it", followed by "I forgot", a tutorial is shown.
 Do
|
 Do
|
Re
Mi
Fa
) or (
Do Mi So (C)
Do Fa La (F)
Re So Ti (G)
Mi So Do (C)
) or (
Do Mi So (C)
Do Fa La (F)
Re So Ti (G)
Mi So Do (C)
Going up to the piano again and choosing "Just a little" will give the notes to the "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII". It is not necessary to play this tune during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", during "Unnatural Hometown", or when Tifa returns as the party leader. Simply selecting the "jam option" during the flashback and hitting any of the keys is sufficient.
| "Do... Re... Mi... Ti... La... Do... Re... Mi... So... Fa... Do... Re... Do... Forget it..." |
On the first visit to Nibelheim with the party, playing on the piano three times either selecting "I forgot" or "I remember" and then pressing start to quit, the player earn Tifa's secret savings, 1 gil. If the player leaves the room down the stairs and back, the player can get 1 gil from the piano again by doing the same. The player can do this unlimited times.
Returning to Nibelheim with Tifa as the party leader (during "A Shocking Reunion") can earn an Elemental Materia, but only if Cloud "jammed on" the piano in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago". To attain the Materia, Tifa must check the piano.
After "Searching for the You of That Day", with Tifa in the party, and regardless of whether the player played the piano previously, playing the "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII" tune will reveal a letter to Tifa from Zangan, containing her ultimate Limit Break, Final Heaven. This is the only time when the player needs to play the tune to obtain something from the piano. If Cloud automatically plays the first note of the tune, the player can skip to the second button in the sequence.
The tune is as follows:
| PlayStation |  ,  ,  ,  +, +,, , , +,  ,, ,
|
|---|---|
| PC | [CANCEL], [SWITCH], [MENU], [PAGEUP]+[MENU], [PAGEUP]+[SWITCH], [CANCEL], [SWITCH], [MENU], [PAGE UP]+[CANCEL], [OK], [CANCEL], [SWITCH], [CANCEL] |
| Switch | ,  ,  ,  +, +, , , , +,  , , ,
|
| "Tifa, what's happened to our town? Was it all an illusion‚ or just a dream? No‚ it was neither. I remember trying to get people out of the flames‚ but not having the strength... Burning with anger‚ I went to the reactor to kill Sephiroth." |
| "But he was nowhere to be found. Instead‚ I found you‚ collapsed inside. I felt saving you was far more important than going after Sephiroth. There were several others that were still alive inside, but I was only able to save you." |
| "As I was coming out of the reactor, Shinra troops were just arriving. I recall a scientist named Hojo was in charge. He ordered the troops to gather up everyone still alive for the experiment. I didn't know what type of experiment he was talking about, but I wasn't about to let them have my dearest student." |
| "Putting you on my back‚ I headed down the mountain to the village. I used the Cure spell on you many times." |
| "And started to head for Midgar to look for a doctor for you. I didn't like that city, and my Cure spells weren't helping." |
| "I decided to go to Midgar to find a doctor I could trust. I'm worried about you‚ but I can't settle down in one place for very long. Have you recovered fully? Are you well?" |
| "I wonder how many years have passed since then? I just got into town again, but I can't believe it... The whole town is back to normal, except for the strange people with black clothes all around." |
| "The town reeks of Shinra, but I won't go after them. You may think I'm running from them, but it's just that I don't want anything to do with Shinra anymore. Feels like time is running out." |
| "I'm sure you'll find this letter. And this gift for you. It should come in handy. I can't even jump anymore. But I hope you continue to sharpen your skills and remember what I taught you." |
| "To my most precious student‚ From Zangan" |
Flashback interactions[]
Things the player chooses to do in the flashback during "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" is referenced later in the game in the Whirlwind Maze when Cloud recalls his memories. He starts by saying: ...Five years ago, I came back to Nibelheim, to inspect the reactor. I was sixteen. The town hadn't changed at all. What did I do? Oh yeah...
| Dialogue | Required action |
|---|---|
I saw my mom. I saw the people in town. |
Enter Cloud's House and respond All right...when Barret asks if Cloud saw his family. |
Yeah, I went to Tifa's room. There, I... |
Enter Tifa's room and respond Yeswhen Tifa asks Cloud if he entered her room. |
I played the piano! |
Jam on the piano and press any of [Menu], [OK], [CANCEL] or [SWITCH] (, , , in the original PlayStation version).
|
I looked in the drawers! |
Interact with Tifa's drawers and receive "Orthopedic Underwear". Even if Cloud responds Just kidding. Don't get mad., he will still admit this here. |
I read the letter addressed to Tifa! |
Interact with Tifa's desk and respond in the affirmative to all of Tifa's questions, and finally Yeah, I rememberwhen Tifa asks if Cloud remembers all of it. |
Cloud will always end by saying I spent the night and went to the reactor in Mt. Nibel. I was excited about it.
Items[]
Shops[]
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| Potion | 50 gil |
| Hi-Potion | 300 gil |
| Phoenix Down | 300 gil |
| Tent | 500 gil |
Treasures[]
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
| Luck Source | Black cape in the Inn (unless the player already got the Mind Source from outside the manor) |
| Elixir | Black cape in Nibelheim Item Store |
| Turbo Ether | Black cape in Tifa's house's kitchen |
| Platinum Fist | Black cape in Tifa's house upstairs |
| Luck Source | Black cape in Siblings' House upstairs |
| Mind Source | Black cape outside the manor (unless the player already got the Luck Source from the inn) |
| Elemental | Tifa's piano |
| Final Heaven | Tifa's piano |
The black capes around Nibelheim yield various stat-boosting sources when spoken to. The one outside the mansion gives a Mind Source, but the text box has an error, saying "Mind Plus". Like in the quantum Potion bug, the same variable is used for obtaining this Mind Source as for the Luck Source obtained from the black cloak on the bottom floor of the inn; when the player picks up either one, the other registers as already being taken, so it is impossible to pick up both. Because players are likely to visit the inn before the mansion (as the party arrives from that side of the area), many likely never obtain the Mind Source.
Musical themes[]
When Nibelheim is first visited in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", the track "On That Day, 5 Years Ago" (5年前のあの日, Gonen Mae no ano Hi?) plays. When the party later visits the town, the background music changes to "Anxiety" (不安な心, Fuan na Kokoro?, lit. Anxious Heart). Inside the Shinra Mansion, the background music switches to "Those Chosen by the Planet" (星に選ばれし者, Hoshi ni Erabareshi Mono?). Inside the basement the music turns to "The Nightmare Begins" (悪夢の始まり, Akumu no Hajimari?).