Template:Sideicon The Sector 1 Reactor is one of the eight Mako Reactors built by the Shinra Electric Power Company to power the city of Midgar, appropriately found in Sector 1, in Final Fantasy VII. Its layout is the same as the Sector 5 Reactor. The Sector 1 Reactor is the northernmost reactor in Midgar, and is even referred to as the "Northern Reactor".
Story
The eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, in an attempt to save the Planet from the corrupting ways of Shinra, attacks the reactor. The effort is led by Barret Wallace who is accompanied by Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and the recently hired mercenary Cloud Strife. The team captures a train and uses it to break into the reactor grounds, which are defended by Shinra guards.
The team fights its way down into the main generator, and prepares to put the charges in. Cloud has a brief flashback to the incident in Nibelheim and suffers a psychic disturbance. Before the charges can be pulled, the robot Guard Scorpion attacks, and is defeated by Cloud and Barret before they and the rest to AVALANCHE make their way back out before the reactor explodes.
The explosion causes massive destruction with unknown numbers of civilian casualties. Cloud and AVALANCHE scatter to regroup at the train heading for the Sector 7 slums. The reactor remains closed, and when Shinra places the Sister Ray cannon within Midgar, seven reactors charge up its blast, Sector 1 Reactor still out of commission.
Geography
Entrance
The entrance is a metallic, brown-ish area full of large pipes, rusting doors and machinery. It is a set of joined rooms with terminals, though aside from a treasure chest, has little of interest to the player other than dialog interactions. At the northeast-most location, the player can access the elevator.
Elevator
When accessed, the elevator only contains a small space, with a button to press for it to either ascend or descend. On the first ascension up using the elevator, dialog between Barret and Cloud initiates.
Main Staircase
The main staircase is a large, expansive room, with a red tint on the stairways, dark brick walls and metallic pipes. Here, the player must descend the stairs down to a door at the bottom, which leads to the upper piping area. Later, the player must ascend to escape the Reactor.
Upper Piping
A damaged area, the upper piping is full of rusting metallic tubes. The player must cross the brick surface to the ladder, in order to climb below to the lower piping, and later ascend to escape the Reactor.
Lower Piping
Similar to the upper piping, this is a metallic area with ladders and pipes that the player must descend in order to reach the core, and later ascend to escape the Reactor.
Core
The core is a large expansive area with only a single walkway leading towards it, surrounded by metallic pipes and heavy machinery. Here, a cutscene initiates, and the first boss of the game, Guard Scorpion, is fought. Following this, the detonator will set, and the player must run to escape its explosion.
Quests
Destroying the Reactor
The first quest in the game, Cloud and Barret begin at the Entrance, where Biggs and Jessie allow them to enter through the doors to the elevator, which Jessie operates. Following this, they must descend down through the staircase, the pipes and finally reach the core. A timer initiates, and Guard Scorpion must be fought to proceed. After this, the two must run back beating the time, rescuing Jessie along the way up the pipes, and finally escaping the Reactor before being caught in the explosion.
Musical themes
On the reactor grounds "Opening - Bombing Mission" (オープニング~爆破ミッション, Ōpuningu ~ Bakuha Misshon?) plays. The theme has been remixed several times, and also appears in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
"Mako Reactor" plays inside the reactor itself until the Guard Scorpion battle begins, where the background theme changes back to "Bombing Mission".
Other appearances
Final Fantasy VII demo
The Sector 1 Reactor bombing mission is the setting for the two PlayStation demos of Final Fantasy VII. Two versions of the demo exist, often differentiated by the third playable character: Aeris or Tifa. The Aeris demo is of earlier build and still has many changes from the final version. The Tifa demo is closer to the playable segment in the full game. In the final game of course, neither girl is playable, and only Cloud and Barret are in the player's party. Both demos end when AVALANCHE escapes the exploding reactor.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Final Fantasy Record Keeper
A former member of SOLDIER has come to destroy one of the Mako Reactors--machines that harness the planet's Lifestream to generate power.
Description
Mako Reactor No. 1 is the first dungeon available whose completion unlocks Mako Reactor No. 5 in the Final Fantasy VII realm.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Gallery
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
Trivia
- During the mission Cloud has a moment where he breaks down and hears a voice that says, "This isn't just a reactor". In a scene that was scrapped from the final version of the game, Cloud would have had a conversation with Sephiroth where the latter would have explained what Mako Reactors really are. The "This isn't just a reactor" memory is a remnant of this deleted scene.
- The PC port had a bug that occurred intermittently to crash he game at the start of the game as the train pulls into the station and an AVALANCHE member kicks a soldier. QA reported this bug as the port was being finalized, and all the programmers were scrambling to reprogram and debug it.[1]