Thunder (VII Remake)

Thunder
(サンダー, Sandā?)
Availability
Required	Lightning Materia
Classification
Type	Attack magic
Skillset	Magic
Element	Lightning
Specifications
MP cost	5
Cast time	Instant
Area of effect	.5 meters
Power	250
Stagger rate	2 Pressured: 8
Interrupt strength	50
Interrupt defense	40
Special effect	Knockdown
Related pages
Versions	Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Recurring appearance	Thunder (ability)

Deal a small amount of lightning damage.

Description

Thunder is a magic spell in Final Fantasy VII Remake and "Episode INTERmission". It is granted by the Lightning Materia, and is the basic Lightning-elemental spell below Thundara and Thundaga. Thunder deals a small amount of lightning-elemental damage, but has a minimal MP cost, and a short casting time.

In the downloadable demo, Thunder is one of two magic spells that Barret Wallace can use, along with Cure. Thunder is also a materia in the Fort Condor minigame in INTERmission on the following boards: Sorcerer Board II, Battalion Board I, and Grandmaster Board. The spell damages a chosen target.

Mechanics

Magic Materia	Lightning Materia
Effects	Small Lightning damage .5 meter area-of-effect No charge time
Interrupt stats	Interrupts targets with <50 interrupt defense Interrupted by attacks with ≥40 interrupt strength
Compatible Support Materia	Magnify Materia Synergy Materia HP Absorption Materia MP Absorption Materia
Unconditional weapon passive bonuses	Lightning Damage Up Elemental Damage Up MP Saver: Attack Spells
Special Interrupt(s)	Knockdown (knocks down interrupted target)

Damage formula:
$(2 \times User's\ Magic\ Attack\ - Target's\ Magic\ Defense) \times 2.5$
Stagger formula:
$\text {4 or 16} \times Target's\ Lightning\ Rate\ Modifier \times Target's\ Magic\ Rate\ Modifier$
Where 16 is used rather than 4 while the target is Pressured, and "Target Lightning Modifier & Target's Magic Modifier" are the respective stagger rate modifiers of the target.

Use

Thunder costs 5 MP to cast, and can be cast by those with level 1 lightning materia equipped. The spell has many uses against low-level enemies, and can be used to both deal considerable damage, killing many early enemies, as well as pressuring and staggering more powerful enemies at low levels. Among its peers— Fire, Blizzard, and Aero—the main strengths of Thunder are that it is guaranteed to hit its target, and that it can damage enemies weak to the lightning element, such as machines. In Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, wind spells also always hit, however.

Thunder is outclassed by Thundara. Though its low MP cost and short cast time can make it useful in some circumstances, Thundara still hits enemies very quickly and is guaranteed to hit, meaning there is less reason to use Thunder unless short on MP. At level 3, once Thundaga is obtained, Thunder is effectively redundant.

The Thunder spell can be amplified by pairing the lightning materia with Support Materia. Pairing it Magnify Materia is particularly useful, as Thunder is guaranteed to hit all enemies, while pairing it with HP Absorption Materia and MP Absorption Materia can be useful to a character's sustainability. However, these materia are often best used with more powerful spells. Thunder can also be used effectively with Aerith's Arcane Ward to cause it to be cast twice.

In Episode INTERmission, Yuffie can already deal elemental magical damage without MP cost with her Elemental Ninjutsu, and so equipping her with spells is less relevant. Thunder may be more useful on Sonon Kusakabe, or when paired with magnify.