Unleash an attack that absorbs MP. Absorbs additional MP from staggered enemies.
Description
Soul Drain is Aerith's default ability in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It launches an energy orb at the opponent that deals damage and recovers some MP to Aerith.
Mechanics[]
| Character Ability | Aerith Gainsborough |
|---|---|
| Effects | - Long range - Deals non-elemental magic damage - Drains 3% of Aerith's max MP from a target - Drains 15% of Aerith's max MP from a staggered target - Undead targets drain Aerith's max MP |
| Interrupt stats | - Interrupts targets with ≤50 interrupt defense - Interrupted by attacks with ≥40 interrupt strength |
Compatible  Support Materia |
Elemental Materia
|
| Weapon passive/accessory bonuses | Non-conditional - Critical Hit Rate Up - Ability Critical Hit Rate Up Conditional - Enemy Parts Damage Up - Critical Damage Up - Desperate Striker |
Damage formula:
Where Aerith's Magic Attack is her respective attribute, and Target's Magic Defense is the respective attribute of the target
Stagger formula:
Where 2 is used rather than 1 if the target is pressured, and Target's Magic Rate Modifier is the respective stagger rate modifier of the target
Soul Drain is an offensive ability for Aerith that deals non-elemental magic damage. She will shoot a projectile out of her staff, which will slowly travel toward the target to deal damage and also drain MP from the target.
Soul Drain has a power value of 140, and a stagger rate of 1 (Pressured: 2). After dealing damage, Soul Drain will also restore 3% of Aerith's max MP by draining it from the target. Against staggered enemies, it will instead restore 15% of her max MP. Soul Drain has an interrupt strength of 50. Aerith will have an interrupt defense of 40 while using Soul Drain.
Use[]
Soul Drain complements Aerith's moveset, as she excels at using magic attacks. The main drawback is that the MP absorbed is often minimal unless the enemy is staggered, which limits its use, as ideally Aerith will often be better off unleashing powerful magic or Ray of Judgment when the enemy is staggered rather than waste ATB to regain MP.
Additionally, the MP Absorption Materia can potentially trivialize Soul Drain, as it can restore more MP under the right circumstances, as the MP recovered scales with Aerith's damage output. Hence, maximizing Aerith's 
Magic attribute can potentially allow her to recover more MP than she spent on the spell paired with MP Absorption, especially when exploiting an enemy weakness during stagger. However, when multiple mages are in the party, Soul Drain can be used to refill her MP while allowing another party member to use MP Absorption.
Using Soul Drain against enemies who are damaged by healing magic/restoratives will have a reverse effect, and they instead will drain Aerith's MP.
Soul Drain can be incredibly useful on the hard difficulty, when MP is scarce, but valuable. She can easily use it to refill her MP, especially when she pairs it with 
ATB Stagger Materia, 
ATB Boost Materia, and/or Refocus Materia, as this will allow her to more easily spam it against staggered targets. She can also use Fleeting Familiar to increase its damage output, while enabling Soul Drain to launch and pressure many enemies while she drains their MP.
Etymology[]
The soul, in many religious, philosophical, psychological, and mythological traditions, is the incorporeal and, in many conceptions, immortal essence of a person, living thing, or object.