Spell-weaving airborne lizards found in the Sector 5 slums. Inquisitive by nature, they cannot resist collecting shiny objects such as jewelry.
Enemy Intel
Rust Drake is an enemy in Final Fantasy VII Remake found in the Sector 5 Slums following the collapse of the Sector 7 plate, as part of the odd job "Chocobo Search" in Chapter 14 - "In Search of Hope". It can also be fought in the Shinra Combat Simulator as part of the "High Flyers" challenge. It can be a tough opponent if the player is not prepared, as it flies while also absorbing magic attacks, further limiting the player's options in fighting it.
Stats[]
Attacks[]
= Physical damage- = Magical damage
| Attack | Pic | Description | Block | KBKnockback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wing Cutter
|
Charges at a target | |||
| Glide
|
Flies up and then charges at a target. | |||
| Talon Snatch
|
Dives at a target to grab them. | |||
 Fire Breath
|
Flies up, then dives down at a target while breathing  Fire.
|
|||
| Black Hole
|
|
Creates an orb of gravity that persists for 45 seconds and pulls in party members, dealing fractional damage equal to 10% of their remaining HP when touched. | ||
| Dark Ball
|
Deploys three floating orbs. | |||
| Gravity
|
|
Charges for 10 seconds before detonating a large orb of gravity. Sustaining damage equivalent to 25% of its maximum HP interrupts the casting and the enemy's dark aura is dispelled. If Gravity detonates, it will reduce the HP of any party member within range to 1. |
Battle[]
Rust drake is a unique, larger and stronger variant of the drake family of monsters. It is enveloped in a dark aura that makes it impervious to status-inflicting spells and offensive magic for a vast majority of the battle. It is a dangerous creature that employs various projectile attacks, including gravity-based. Like the other drakes, the rust drake will usually fly high and maintain a distance from the player.
Much like its weaker counterparts, it can dive at the player, with its Glide attack being particularly strong as it will launch characters up in the air if they are hit while not blocking. It can also use Talon Snatch to bind characters, who are taken into the air, and after a few moments, it uses Talon Dive, slamming its victim against the ground, dealing heavy damage. Occasionally, it will use Fire Breath, flying across the characters while unleashing flames in a cone.
Its most dangerous attacks are the gravity-based ones, such as Black Hole, which creates an orb of gravity that persists for 45 seconds and pulls in party members, dealing fractional damage equal to 10% of their remaining HP when touched. Once it attempts to cast Gravity on the party, the drake will hover closer to ground to charge the attack for 10 seconds, at during this moment it will be vulnerable. If the rust drake sustains damage equivalent to 25% of its maximum HP during this time, the casting of Gravity will be interrupted and its dark aura will be dispelled. If the drake succeeds in casting the spell, it will reduce the HP of any party member within range of this attack to 1.
Unlike its weaker counterparts, the rust drake is, much like most of the biological creatures, weak to 
Ice. It is also weak to 
Wind, being a flying type. However, due to its protective dark aura, it resists magic.
Strategy[]
Ideally, the player should open with Barret using Lifesaver followed by Steelskin to minimize the damage. Fire Breath and Talon Snatch should be dodged by rolling to the side. If the rust drake starts casting Black Hole, it is recommended to run as far as possible from it, as this attack is very difficult to escape from since it sucks characters in.
When the drake is charging its Gravity attack, the player should work fast to attack and interrupt it. Tifa can launch a Starshower followed up by a Divekick combo, as the Starshower's buff will greatly strengthen Tifa's next ability. Simultaneously, Barret can launch Maximum Fury and Overcharge while Cloud charges up ATB with regular melee attacks. If the player inflicts enough damage while the rust drake is still casting, it will be interrupted and its dark aura will dissipate.
Dispelling the rust drake's dark aura is imperative as it makes it vulnerable to magic spells, including status debuffs and offensive magic. Cloud can then cast 
Stop on the drake while Tifa melees to charge 2 ATB bars for a Starshower followed up with either a Blizzaga or Aeroga for massive magic attack damage. If Cloud has enough ATB to spare, he can likewise cast offensive magic to help deal the final blow to the drake.
As the drake hovers out of reach a lot of the time, Barret can be used as the main attacker with a ranged weapon, and be equipped with 
Elemental Materia paired with 
Ice Materia or Wind Materia in his weapon. Having Magnify Materia paired with Healing Materia helps for fast recovery in case the drake will pull off Gravity. The player can also cast Regen with this set-up. Cloud is the party's best magic-user at this point, but with Regen the user's 
Magic does not matter. Synergy Materia paired with Ice or Wind can play a major role once the dark aura is nullified.
Hard Mode[]
On the hard difficulty, the rust drake will be more aggressive, more resilient to flinching, and will often hang in the air for longer, out of player's reach. It will use its abilities more often, most notably Black Hole and Fire Breath. It will also be harder to interrupt after grabbing a character with Talon Snatch.
When fought during Chapter 14, "In Search of Hope", the player will want to conserve as much MP as possible for the boss later on. Therefore, minimizing the use of offensive spells is important. Synergy Materia and MP Absorption Materia are helpful.
