Final Fantasy VII Rebirth battle system

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth promo 29 — A battle in *Final Fantasy VII Rebirth*.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a real-time battle system with strategic elements. The player controls one party member in a group of up to three frontline whom they can switch between. Party members use normal attacks to build up their ATB (Active Time Battle) gauges, which can be expended to use items, abilities, and spells gained from by weapons and materia fitted on weapons and armor. Party members also have a limit gauge to unleash limit break abilities, and can summon monsters in some battles.

A key mechanic introduced in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is synergy, which is expanded from Episode INTERmission, involving two party members. Synergy skills are simple team-up attacks that do not cost ATB charges, and can include basic attacks, defensive moves, counterattacks, or maneuverability; using them increase ATB for both characters involved. Consuming multiple ATB gauges on different party members adds synergy charges, which allows them to perform synergy abilities together, which are powerful attacks that also grant temporary bonuses to both users, such as increased stagger time, unlimited MP, raising limit levels or an extra ATB gauge. Synergy abilities can rival the damage of level 1 limits, altering the flow of battle, and determine which party members should be paired together in a lineup.

Party members are customized by selecting their weapon, armor, accessory, and materia. The equipment can drastically change the playstyle and role of each party member, based on the attributes and materia slots of the weapon equipped.

The battle system in Rebirth is an evolution on the battle system in Final Fantasy VII Remake, with a wide variety of balance changes, updates and additions. Aside from the introduction of synergy abilities, the battle system also expands aerial combat for some party members, and reassigns some abilities in their moveset (such as Deadly Dodge Materia and Parry Materia now being incorporated in Cloud and Tifa's default movesets).

The battle system remains largely the same across each difficulty mode, though it changes in Classic Mode where any actions in-between using command menu abilities are automated, though the player can still take over and control them if they wish. On Dynamic Mode, enemies levels now scale based on the party's to keep combat challenging and avoid overleveling. On Hard Mode, the player cannot use items and some bosses have additional abilities and attack patterns.

Mechanics[]

Overview[]

As with Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a real-time combat system fused with an ATB gauge. Players control one of up to three party members, although new to Rebirth is a backline of party members who are in the background of a battle but cannot be controlled or participate outside of synergy abilities if the frontliners are defeated. The currently controlled party member can use normal attacks and unique abilities to build ATB gauges, as well as guard to reduce damage, or dodge to try to avoid damage. Guarding at a precise moment before a blockable attack will cause no damage to be taken, known as a perfect guard.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth promo 30 — Tactical Mode.

Players can enter Tactical Mode by opening the commands menu, where time is slowed and ATB can be consumed to use abilities. Commands include Abilities (a list of character abilities and any gained from Command Materia), Magic (a list of spells from equipped Magic Materia), Item, Summon (ability to summon the equipped Summoning Materia), Limit (ability to use a limit break if available), and Synergy Ability. Aside from Limit and Synergy Ability, each of these cost ATB. Commands can also be assigned to shortcuts, including items and limits. Consuming ATB will add bars to a party member's synergy, and when enough bars are filled on two party members, they can consume them for a synergy ability.

While one party member is controlled by the player, the others will be controlled by AI. Players are encouraged to switch between party members frequently. This allows players to consume ATB to use more synergy abilities, and is the most efficient way to build ATB gauges faster and use abilities. Computer-controlled party members will play defensively, but can still be issued commands. Certain materia can also dictate how party members act when not controlled.

When a party member reaches 0 HP, they are incapacitated until revived with either a spell or an item. If the incapacitated character is the player character, another party member becomes the controlled party member. When all party members are incapacitated, it is Game Over, and the player has the option to return to a previous save file or to repeat the battle. Party members are revived on minimal health if the player wins the current battle with them KO'd. Certain boss enemies can temporarily remove party members out of combat, and if all are removed, it also results in a game over. Similarly, if all party members are inflicted with the Petrify status ailment and turn to stone, it is game over.

ATB[]

Stagger[]

Main article: Stagger (VII Rebirth)

Same as in Remake, enemies have a stagger gauge that, when filled, renders them temporarily incapacitated and vulnerable to damage. Certain characters like Tifa, Aerith and Cait Sith have abilities that can increase the bonus damage percentages staggered enemies take.

Attributes[]

Main article: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth attributes

Each party member and enemy has a variety of attributes (stats) that affect their performance in combat. These stats are improved by leveling up, boosted by equipment and some abilities. All units have an HP, determining how much damage they can take before being incapacitated, and an MP, determining how many spells they can cast.

The Attack Power determines the amount of physical damage dealt by attacks and abilities. This attribute is determined by the core Strength attribute, as well as the equipped weapon. The Magic Attack attribute works similarly, determining the amount of magic damage dealt by a user. This is derived from the weapon and the Magic attribute.

Much like the damaging attributes, defensive attributes work similarly, determining how much a character resists damage. Defense determines the amount of resistance to physical damage, and is derived from the equipped armor and the Vitality attribute. Likewise, Magic Defense determines resistance to magic damage, and is derived from the equipped armor and the Spirit attribute.

The Luck attribute determines a characters' chance of dealing a critical hit (both physical attacks and magic spells can critical), or successfully stealing from enemies. The Speed determines how fast a character's ATB gauge charges.

Damage types[]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has five damage types, which can be individually resisted and combined with elements.

Physical, associated with normal melee and ranged attacks.
Magic, associated with spells, Aerith, Yuffie, Cait Sith's and Cloud's magic variants of their normal attack, and certain abilities.
Physical / Magical, associated with attacks that have both a physical and magical component.
Proportional, associated with attacks that deal a certain percentage of damage.
Fixed, associated with abilities and effects that deal a certain fixed number of damage points.

Elements[]

There are four elements in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, each with an associated Magic Materia. Enemies can either be weak, resistant, or immune to an element, though different enemy types are generally weak to a particular element. Certain enemies can absorb specific elements.

The elements are as follows:

Fire, associated with the Fire Materia. Humanoids are normally weak to it.
Ice, associated with the Ice Materia. Biological enemies are normally weak to it.
Lightning, associated with the Lightning Materia. Machines are all weak to it.
Wind, associated with the Wind Materia. Flying enemies are normally weak to it.

The Elemental Materia can also provide both durability against elemental attacks, or add elemental damage to normal attacks. Several weapon passives can increase the added damage dealt from elemental attacks and spells.

Statuses[]

Status effects come in the form of beneficial and detrimental effects. A beneficial effect can be canceled out by its opposing detrimental effect, and vice versa.

Status effects are as follows:

Bravery, increasing attack damage. Opposed to Debrave.
Faith, increasing magic damage. Opposed to Defaith.
Protect, increasing defense.
Shell, increasing magic defense.
Barrier, halving physical damage taken.
Manaward, halving magic damage taken.
Shield, nullifies physical damage taken.
Reflect, causing spells to bounce off a target onto another.
Haste, increasing the rate the ATB gauge fills. Opposed to Slow and Stop.
Resist, granting immunity to debuffs.
Regen, providing HP regeneration over time. Opposed to Poison.
Auto-Life, automatically reviving after KO.
Poison, providing HP damage over time. Opposed to Regen.
Silence, preventing spells from being cast. Spells subject to this effect are marked with a Vulnerable to Silence icon.
Sleep, preventing a unit from acting.
Slow, reducing the rate the ATB gauge fills. Opposed to Haste.
Stop, freezing a target in place. Opposed to Haste.
Toad, dramatically weakening a unit's damage and limiting their abilities.
Debrave, reducing physical damage. Opposed to Bravery.
Defaith, reducing magic damage. Opposed to Faith.
Berserk, increasing the physical damage they take, but also increasing physical damage they deal.
Fury, increasing the physical damage they take, but also increasing the rate the limit gauge builds. Opposed to Sedate.
Sedate, reducing physical damage taken, but reducing the rate the limit gauge fills. Opposed to Fury.

Enemies may have resistances or immunities to several debuffs, though in cases where bosses are not immune to a debuff, exploiting this vulnerability can be critical to winning the battle. All mechanical enemies are immune to poison and sleep. Resistance to debuffs among party members can be provided through accessories, through the Warding Materia, as well as weapon passives.

Battle rewards[]

After defeating an enemy in battle, rewards are earned by the party. These include EXP, gil, any item drops, weapon proficiency, and AP. EXP is used for increasing the characters' level, and is shared across all party members, while AP is used for leveling up materia and is shared among the currently equipped materia of all characters in that battle. Weapon proficiency is used to permanently learn the weapon's ability.

For item drops, enemies have a chance for a normal item drop or a rare item drop. The rare item is more valuable, but has a lower drop rate, while the normal item has a chance to drop when an enemy is killed. Drop rates differ between enemies and between the items they hold. In addition to item drops when defeating an enemy, some items can be stolen using the Steal command provided by the Steal Materia during battle, and the success rate depends on the Luck of the character using the ability as well as the steal rate of the item. Enemies can also be morphed by equipping the Morph Materia. Unlike in Remake, there are no unique items to be acquired from steal, nor morph.

Party members[]

There are seven party members in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth:

Cloud Strife, a melee attacker who wields broadswords in battle. His moveset includes a mix of dealing raw damage and countering opponents, especially with his unique ability to switch to Punisher Mode. Introduced in Rebirth is his ability to perform ranged magic attacks by attacking after dodging, and abilities that are effective against aerial enemies.
Barret Wallace, a ranged attacker who wields gun-arms in battle. Barret has the highest durability of the party, and his support abilities make him a great defensive option who can draw fire from enemies to protect the party, particularly using Lifesaver. Barret no longer has the ability to equip melee weapons, but has an otherwise expanded moveset with new abilities.
Tifa Lockhart, a melee brawler who fights with her fists and knuckles equipped. Her strengths are her single target damage that is the highest physical damage of any party member, her very high mobility, and her ability to build up an enemy's stagger gauge quickly and to increase stagger bonus damage. Her unique ability is Unbridled Strength. New to Rebirth are aerial versions of her abilities and attacks, making her more potent against aerial enemies.
Aerith Gainsborough, a ranged spellcaster who uses staves to fire homing magic projectiles from a distance. She has supportive limit breaks unlike other party members, and her Soul Drain ability and potent magic attributes make her the strongest spellcaster in the party. Her new unique ability in Rebirth is Ward Shift, allowing her to teleport to one of the wards she has placed in battle, and her normal attacks are capable of inflicting Tempest and Fleeting Familiar from Remake.
Red XIII, a melee attacker who uses collars to enhance his attack. Red XIII has very high durability and his moveset is based around counterattacking, making him both an attacking threat and a defensive support for the party. His unique ability is Vengeance Mode, which he can activate after filling his gauge by guarding against attacks, and which increases his damage and allows him to use Siphon Fang to heal himself while dealing damage.
Yuffie Kisaragi, a ranged ninja who wields a shuriken, and is able to change the elemental affinity of her attack on a whim. Yuffie can throw her weapon to stick to an enemy to deal passive damage while she acts elsewhere. When her shuriken is attached to an enemy, Yuffie uses magical ninjutsu as her normal attack. Yuffie's balanced attributes and ability to deal ranged and melee damage make her a strong all-around damage dealer depending on situations, while her very high maneuverability allows her to get around the battlefield with ease.
Cait Sith, a unique party member with megaphones as his weapon and the ability to summon a moogle in battle with Let's Ride!. Cait Sith without his moogle has strong offensive attributes and can deal ranged and melee damage but is very vulnerable, while riding his moogle gives him access to many more abilities ranging from supportive to offensive abilities. Cait Sith relies on his moogle to draw damage away from himself, but is otherwise versatile and can be useful in different scenarios.

Five begin at the start of the game, while new party members are unlocked as the story goes on. Each is the main player-controlled character during a few quests. Cloud is the most frequently controlled, used by the player throughout most of the story.

Abilities[]

Main articles: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth abilities or Limit (VII Rebirth)

Party members have access to a variety of abilities from the "Abilities" menu. Each party member has a default ability available from the start, and additional abilities are provided by the weapon they equip. Once an ability is used in a certain way (depending on the weapon), and proficiency with it reaches 100%, the party member permanently learns the ability. Abilities range from a variety of combat techniques to supportive abilities, and are core to how each party member plays.

Another set of unique party member abilities are limit breaks. Once a party member's limit gauge is filled (by taking damage and by staggering enemies), the "Limit" command is added to their list of commands. Limit breaks do not use any ATB and render the user invincible during animation, making them free to use. Party members have up to three limit levels based on how many limit breaks they have unlocked. Each begins at level 1, but can reach higher limit levels using synergy abilities or with accessories.

Other abilities are learned from folios for party members, and are unlocked as SP is gained. These are also mostly unique abilities, but tend to be stronger than those from weapons.

Outside of party member unique abilities, many abilities can also be provided by Command Materia.

Equipment[]

Main articles: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth weapons, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth armor, or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth accessories

Party members equip three pieces of equipment: a weapon, a piece of armor, and an accessory. Equipment pieces are found throughout the story by completing quests, or purchased from shops.

The weapon is the most important piece of equipment. Weapons vary in terms of materia slots, their attributes, and some passive abilities available to them. Gaining SP (skill points) from leveling up and from acquiring manuscripts will upgrade the weapons over time, giving them more ability and materia slots and improving their attributes.

Armor and accessories have different roles. Armor boost the defense or magic defense attributes, as well as providing materia slots. Accessories provide unique effects, which may be simple attribute bonuses, but can also come in the form of immunities to debuffs, automatically granting some statuses, as well as providing enhancements to spellcasting or attacks. Some accessories can be used as replacements for different materia.

Materia[]

The materia system is used to customize and tailor a party member's moveset, and thus their playstyle. The improvements they provide include granting them abilities and enhancing their attributes. Materia are equipped on materia slots provided either by their weapon or armor. Weapon slots expand as the weapons are advanced by upgrading them, though armor slots do not expand.

Materia are earned throughout the story by completing different quests and minigames, by gathering World Intel and purchasing them from Chadley, found in the environment, and purchasing some from shops.

There are five types of materia:

Magic Materia, used to grant magic spells, which require ATB and MP to be cast. These include curative spells such as Cure, offensive spells, such as Fire, and spells applying status effects, such as Haste.
Command Materia, used to grant abilities that require ATB. These are typically supportive abilities, such as Pray or Steal.
Support Materia, paired with other materia in a linked slot to enhance the materia or take advantage of the materia's properties.
Complete Materia, granting passive effects to the wielder, such as improving their attributes, or improving a basic ability.
Summoning Materia, granting the ability to summon a monster in certain battles. These are special materia that have a dedicated slot in the character's weapon, and only one can be equipped at said character at any given time.

Enemies[]

Main article: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth enemies

A battle begins when a group of enemies found on the field first engage the party. When approaching the enemies, a red circular indicator will appear on screen, which increases depending on the player's distance from the enemies and the period they remain within the enemies' line of sight. If the player presses the attack button before the indicator fills up, they'll engage in combat with a first strike, which provides a bonus to their ATB; however, if the indicator fills up before player input, the enemy will have the advantage instead. The player can prevent battles by avoiding the enemy, but if the enemy approaches them, the fight will begin regardless. When battle begins, the current party leader takes over, battle commands are available, and the fight takes place until all enemies are defeated. Players can flee from battles by moving away from enemies at the edges of the arena; some battles, most notably boss fights, cannot be fled.

Affinity to elements comes in the form of either a weakness, a lesser resistance (where they take less damage from an element), a greater resistance (where they take very little damage), an immunity (where they take no damage), or an absorption (where they are healed by an attack of that element). Similarly, enemies can be immune to some status effects entirely (such as all mechanical enemies being immune to poison and sleep), but if not immune are vulnerable to being crippled by them. Players can use this to their advantage.

Some enemies, most notably bosses, have discrete body parts that can be attacked. These typically have their own healthbars and when crippled will result in the enemy being pressured, and sometimes prevent them from using certain abilities.

Enemies that have been fought are listed in the Enemy Intel. Assess Materia reveals permanent information on them, including their weaknesses and how best to pressure them.