Create a gust of wind that damages nearby enemies and launches them toward you.
Description
Windstorm is Yuffie's default ability in "Episode INTERmission" in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. For a cost of 1 ATB segment, it creates a powerful windstorm wherever Yuffie's weapon is currently that damages all enemies with physical Wind damage within the impact zone. When synergized with Sonon, it is melee range, more powerful, and boosts stagger damage %. Windstorm is one of Yuffie's best abilities.
Windstorm is not a returning ability from the original Final Fantasy VII, but a new addition to Remake. It plays on Yuffie's role as a versatile fighter, as the player can precisely set the storm's detonation point by either throwing Yuffie's weapon to stick to a target and unleash it there, or use it when Yuffie has hold of the weapon to damage everything directly around her. When synergized, it is especially good against staggered foes.
Obtain[]
Windstorm is a default ability for Yuffie. Synergized Windstorm becomes available when Sonon joins during "The Handoff" in "Wutai's Finest".
Use[]
Weather this!
Yuffie when using Windstorm
Windstorm is a versatile ability that deals powerful physical Wind damage to anything it hits, and is unleashed without a delay. If Yuffie is surrounded by enemies, she can retrieve her weapon (if not already holding it) and then use Windstorm, damaging everything directly around her and pulling them in towards her, reminiscent of a combination of Aerith's Sorcerous Storm in the base game and Aero-type spells. The close-range Windstorm allows Yuffie to indefinitely stay in the ninjutsu damage type without her shuriken returning.
Windstorm can also be used as a ranged attack, by throwing Yuffie's weapon with to stick to a target, and then using Windstorm, which "detonates" directly on the enemy the weapon was attacking, dealing strong Wind damage to the enemy at the epicenter as well as targets around it, also returning the weapon to Yuffie without needing to use Retrieve. Windstorm is usually more useful in this ranged format, as Yuffie specializes in attacking from afar while staying at a safe distance from enemies.
When Yuffie is synergized with Sonon, Synergized Windstorm only has one form, attacking the area around the pair, while increasing a staggered enemy's damage multiplier, similar to Tifa's abilities, allowing the player to rack up damage on a vulnerable target.
As Windstorm deals physical damage, its damage is boosted by higher Strength on Yuffie, Elemental Materia linked with an elemental Magic Materia in her weapon (though it does not change the element of the attack), and chthonian armlet with Gozu/Mezu drive. It is especially good with Gozu drive, which adds 10% of Yuffie's current HP as bonus damage on top of the damage Windstorm already does normally. Yuffie can quickly spam the ranged Windstorm by building up ATB under Haste.
Windstorm is excellent in both normal battles and in boss encounters. Windstorm is especially good against the Wind-weak Ramuh, with or without Sonon. The player is best staying a distance away from Ramuh, and a good strategy is to throw the shuriken, attack with ninjutsu until Yuffie has ATB, and then use Windstorm. When Yuffie has First Strike Materia, she can finish basic battles quickly by throwing her weapon to an enemy as soon as the battle starts and then using Windstorm right off the bat. This can be used for grinding in the Shinra Combat Simulator.
Windstorm is key to completing the hardest Shinra Box Buster level. Throwing Yuffie's weapon to a large 1500 pts box, and then unleashing Windstorm, will destroy the box. Using it to clear groups of stacked smaller boxes also works well. The player can throw Yuffie's weapon to a large box or a stack of boxes, and leave the weapon there while destroying other boxes with ninjutsu, and when she has the ATB, unleash Windstorm; the ability will detonate in whatever box the weapon was stuck in, returning Yuffie's weapon. If two 1500 pts boxes are next to each other, Windstorm may even blow both apart.
Because of Yuffie's Windstorm and Wind Ninjutsu, she can do powerful Wind damage in both physical and magical forms without needing to spend MP, meaning she has little need for Aero-type spells. Windstorm is always Wind-elemental, and is unaffected by whatever element Yuffie has active via Elemental Ninjutsu.