Hints
New Game+
Beat the game and wait until it tells you to save after the credits.
Avoid Battles
Most battles in missions can be avoided. Simply hug walls while you're running through areas and battles should be easily avoided. This trick will always work in round-shaped rooms, though it has less of a chance of working in other situations.
Find the Cursed Ring
At the very beginning of the game, after you fight Behemoth, you will be quickly brought to the second chapter. You'll have a scene with a character named Kunsel, who will brief you about all sorts of important stuff. He'll then tell you to check out the nearby supply pod, where you'll find a Bronze Bangle. However, if you check the pod again, and again, and again (twenty more times, in fact), you will find an item called the Cursed Ring.
The Cursed Ring is a statistical powerhouse, raising your HP, MP and SP by 10%, as well as increasing all stats by ten points. However, you can't use limit breaks, you can't level up, and you can't access the DWMs during battle, meaning it's both a blessing and a curse!
Mission Difficulty
There are hundreds of optional missions in the game, and each and every one of them are worth your time. You'll get lots of special items, gear and materia for completing them, not to mention Gil and "experience" that will go towards leveling up. However, you may notice that there are difficulty levels affixed to each mission. Keep in mind that these fluctuate depending on your level, so if a mission is listed as "very hard" and you don't want to undertake it at the present time, it will become "hard" and then "normal" (and so on) as the difficulty level adjusts to your ever-raising level. This ultimately makes every mission in the game manageable at one point or another.
Unlock Item Fusion Tome
To unlock the Item Fusion Tome, complete mission 8-2-1.
SP Conversion
If you're in need of SP, here's a good way to convert your materia to massive amounts of it. Take any status-raising materia (such as HP Up), and fuse it with a Chocobo Feather or another item that will raise the materia's attributes. Have the attribute added high (which shouldn't take too much SP), keeping in mind that the better-leveled the materia, the better this will work. Once you get the materia, convert it into SP.
By converting a materia like SP++ (30+) fully mastered, I got 150,000 SP. The rarer the materia converted, the more SP you will get from it.
9,999 HP
If you want 9,999 HP, try the following. Fuse together two fully-leveled HP Up materias together, and fuse into the materia twenty-five Elixirs (you have to have the item-materia fusion skill to do this). The end result will be an HP Up+ materia with +360% HP (or around there). Elixirs are fairly rare items, but you can get the Elixirs you need by doing missions.
Missiles in Banora
Early in the game, you'll reach a town called Banora. Near the end of the mission there, you'll encounter a weird little minigame where missiles will be shot towards you and you'll have to cut them down out of midair. This seems like a useless exercise, but in fact how many missiles you manage to halt will give you more time when you have to get back to Angeal's mom's house. What's more, you'll get items and other rewards for cutting the missiles down. If you use the added time to scour the town for more items and grab them all, you'll get an additional substantial reward, including an Ether, a Soma, an X-Potion, an Elixir and a Phoenix Down.
Following Aerith
When you need to follow Aerith around Midgar, you can stand in front of her and she'll literally push you to where you need to go. Just be sure to steady yourself in front of her so that she doesn't walk past you.
Fast Materia Mastering
After leveling-up to a fairly high level (around the time you get the DMW called Lucky Stars), you're in a good position to master your equipped Materia rather easily. Head to the game's very first mission, which should be extremely easy for you to complete by this point. Because of the parameter breaks, dying there is unlikely. You can master your equipped Materia rather easily by hitting this mission up over and over again.
Completion bonus
Successfully complete the game and save when prompted after the credits. You can resume the game using your cleared saved game file with your previously earned items, gear, Materia, and more.
Stat boost
When you meet Hojo in the laboratory, talk to him once then go to the glass pod near him and enter it. The was the pod in which Red XIII was trapped in Final Fantasy 7. Once entering, Hojo will lock you up and ask a few questions. Based on your answers, you will be given a stat boost by Hojo.
Easy gil
Minerva is the goddess of the planet that Genesis sees after his last defeat. She is also an optional Boss that you can fight. She is extremely difficult to defeat. She has 1,000,000 HP and can kill you with one hit if you are not careful. She is under the final "Great Cavern of Wonders" mission. You must have at least 70,000 HP because she has an attack that does damage of at least around 60,000 to 68,000 if you have Barrier and are guarding. You can steal 99 Phoenix Downs from her though. You can use these for unlimited gil and Soldier Points. Steal the Phoenix Downs, wait for her to attack (because you will die), then sell the Phoenix Downs. They are worth a lot of gil. For the Soldier Points, use the gil you got from selling them to buy Materia, then convert it to Soldier Points. Note that Minerva can eliminate Raise status with one of her attacks.
Easy experience
Use the following trick to get easy SP, Materia leveling, and experience. Once you have received your vacation time at Junon Beach, you will have a new mission under the "Mysteries Of The World" category called "Fun In The Sun!". Complete this mission set to unlock "More Fun In The Sun!" The second mission in this sub-category is called "We Hope It's A Vacation". In this mission, Sea Worms fall out of the sky about a half dozen at a time. This conitinues until about fifty have been destroyed. They are easy to kill, but they can hit you with Stop. You may want to equip Sprint Shoes. Once you have obtained Quake Materia from Wutai's secret shop you can kill up to six enemies at a time in this mission. Doing so greatly increases your SP multiplier. They also drop a lot of MAG Mako Stones for Materia fusion. The DMW seems to react quite a bit to this mission; expect lots of Modulated Phases. This mission never expires. Exterminate worms as much as desired.
Joining Genesis' Fan Club
In Chapter 8 when you need to make Aerith the flower wagon, go to Loveless Ave. Talk to the Genesis fan back in the alley. Then, talk to the Genesis fan in the fountain section and suggest that the two clubs join up. Return to to the lady in Loveless Ave. and she give you membership to the club.
Joining Angeal's Fan Club
In Chapter 8, when you make the flower wagon for Aerith, talk to the boy in the fountain area of Midgar. He will say that his mother is missing and never came back. Go to the Sector 1 Train Platform and the mother will be standing by the wall when you walk in. Ask her why she is abandoning her son and answer "A mother without honor is nothing but a monster." Then, go back to the boy in the fountain and you will be in the Angeal Club.
Joining Sephiroth's Fan Club
You can actually join Sephiroth's fan club, the Silver Elite, as well as Angeal's club and Genesis' two clubs. To find the woman for admission you must wait until you can access the Park in the slums. This is after Zack falls from the plate while pursuing Hollander. When you get the chance again, go to the park and look near the blocked off entrance to the next sector (this is where Shinra will collapse the plate to try to wipe out AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy 7). She will be standing next to the play set. You may have to move the camera to see her. She will ask you three questions about Sephiroth. Even if you get one wrong, you may still try again as many times as desired. Answer all three questions and she will accept you into the club. Unfortunately, there are only a few e-mails from the club, but they are still interesting.
Navigating through the missions
When navigating through the missions, you can hug the walls or borders and avoid unnecessary conflicts and still get all the chests in the area (for example, places where it is narrow or on the rope bridge in the caves you cannot sneak by). All encounters are mostly activated in the center of the room or opening. Hug the wall if you are going through a very difficult mission and you know you can take the objective.
Mission difficulty levels
The game automatically labels missions with a difficulty based on your level. However, it does not take into account stat bonuses from Materia or accessories, so you could actually play a very hard mission and find it to be about normal difficulty.
Seven Wonders of Nibelhiem
When you first come into Nibelhiem, talk to the boy on the east side of the town. He will tell you that there are Seven Wonders you can help him solve. Note: Do not go to the Mako Reactor with Sephiroth until the first two are completed.
First Wonder: Inspect the water tower to solve the wonder of the town's red water supply. You will get the Phoenix Summon here.
Second Wonder: Inspect the painting of the girl in the guest room in the inn. Go back to the boy, then back to the painting. Walk downstairs and see if the innkeeper walks upstairs. If not, inspect the painting again. Slowly follow him without passing him or starting the scene with Sephiroth.
Third Wonder: When escorting Cloud and Tifa back to town, talk to each child in the intersection with the Mako Fountain. Take the path behind the children all the way to the end to encounter the "wonder" bombs. Destroy all three of them before they explode by hitting them as they expand to make them shrink again. Once you defeat them, go back to the village and exchange the Gold Shard you received for defeating them for a Safety Bit.
Fourth Wonder: The fourth wonder is in the Shinra Manor about a laughing safe. Go to the northwest room on the second floor to find a piece of paper and the safe, which containing clues for how to open the safe.
* First digit: Knowledge overflowing. Count the number of books not on the bookshelf in the room on the east side by looking through the keyhole. Count the books on the floor and on top of the book shelf.
* Second digit: Unwelcome faces. Count the number of Dorky Faces in the east room on the first floor. They disappear and reappear but in the same places.
* Third digit: Tasty reminders of home. Count the number of Dumbapple and/or cans in the room on the second floor in the back of the west wing. Also look for them behind or under furniture.
* Fourth digit: Resting on all four feet. Count the number of chairs in the west room of the first floor.
Go back to the room and put in the deciphered code and find a Cactuar in the safe and the Vital Slash Materia. Return to the boy in town to find out about the fifth wonder.
Fifth Wonder: The boy speaks of bloodcurdling moans in the caverns of the Shinra Manor. Go to the caverns and defeat four Sahagins. Go into the rooms on the side of the cavern and unlock each coffin until you find a man in the coffin, who is none other than Vincent.
Sixth Wonder: Note: You must do the preceding five wonders first. While in Nibelhiem when Sephiroth has set the town on fire, the boy is standing near the store. He says that his mother is trapped inside and you have 1:00 to get her out. Unfortunately there is too much smoke to see, so you must blindly guide Zack through the building. First, guide him to the far right of the store, then toward the rear, then left, next to the front, and finally to the right. Press X when prompted and lead Zack back through the same route and out the front door. The boy will give you an ATK Up++.
Seventh Wonder: Note: You must do all preceding wonders first. The boy sends you a message in the Outskirts of Nibelhiem in the following chapter about the state of the village and the lack of a Seventh Wonder. He has left a treasure as a thank you for rescuing his mother somewhere in the village, if Zack can find it. Rush past the Save Point toward the farmhouse in the Nibelhiem Outskirts and look on the ground near the fence for a glowing red object. It is the Wall materia, which is the Seventh wonder.
Status Ward materia
Status Ward materia can be found in multiple missions. If you equip it, you will be immune to any status ailments that your equipped Materia can cause. Note: This works for the Dark and Hell Materia, such as Dark Blizzard or Hell Firaga. If you combine a Hell Materia with a Status Ward Materia, you will be immune to the following: Silence, Poison, Stop, and Death. It works very well in the latter missions.
Recommended equipment combinations
The following equipment combination is very effective. Notes: Genji armor is obtained by getting the DMW completed 100%. The Brutal and Gold Hairpin can be found in the "Seeking Priceless Items" missions. Mog's Amulet can be bought, and Ribbon is obtained by completing the "Seeking Priceless Items" mission category.
Materia
* Hell Firaga (Magic +75)
* Libra (Attack +68)
* Status Ward (HP +999%)
* Mug (Vitality +100)
* Wall (MP +400%)
* Curaga (Spirit +84)
Accessories
* Mog's Amulet (foes drop rare items only; all steals are rare, Luck +5) or Ribbon (immune to all status ailments but Death)
* Genji Armor (Break HP limit; new limit 99,999, always endure and regen)
* Gold Hairpin (Break MP limit; new limit 9,999)
* Brutal (Break Damage limit; new limit 99,999)
Gongaga mini-game
While in the Hills of Gongaga, after you start the scene with Genesis and Hollander, fight up to seven battles in the hills then try to leave the area. Zack will notice a chest falling down the waterfall. Select the "I bet there will be more" option and play the treasure chest mini-game. Monsters will come down as well as chests. The boxes and monsters will come down four times, repeating the same pattern.
Wave 1 (chest): Middle
Wave 2 (monsters): Left and right
Wave 3 (chest): Far left
Wave 4 (chest): Far right
These waves will repeat four times after the fourth wave. The more boxes you get, the better the prize. If you touch the monsters, Zack will become temporarily paralyzed. The best way to dodge them is to get out of the river then go back in once they are gone.
Genesis's Banora hideout
Once you reach the final stage of the game, Genesis's secret hideout in Banora, you must get the Seven Goddess Materia and set it on the pedestal in the Portal of Severance. However, there is an optional section. You can reach it by defeating all the monsters in the Lake of Oblivion. To do this, check all the Lifestream Springs. When Zack says "The Lifestream has ascended and crystallized," it indicates that you have to fight another enemy first. One of them will make an enemy appear. After defeating it, check the remaining ones again to find the one that spawns the next enemy. Repeat this until all the springs disappear, and a pathway will appear in the back. It will lead to an optional section. Here you must defeat enemies to gain keys to the doors so that you may advance. The purpose of this section is to obtain some extra items in the cells. The cells can be opened by turning the valves on the walls next to each cell. Some of them do not have valves. If it has a hole in the wall, you must find a hole that leads you into that cell. If it does not, it is inaccessible. Once you finish this section, you should have obtained "Iron Bars Key". Use this on the door with the Behemoth behind it. Fight the Behemoth, then use the door behind it to appear in the Portal Of Severance on the second floor. All you can do is take the elevator down to the first floor.
Defeating higher level Dual Horns
In later missions you may encounter Dual Horns called Diceratops or Grand Horn. The Diceratops has Null Magic, so you must use physical attacks, but the Grand Horn is very difficult. It has Null Magic and Null Physical, requiring you to wait for the DMW to get you a combination. Your best bet is to buy Zantetsuken Materia and level it up to the maximum. Also, buy a Lucky Stars Materia, as the Grand Horn has an attack called Gaia's Wrath which will lower your limit level. You cannot control this one at all, so patience is key. You can steal a Pearl Necklace (rare steal) from it.
Additional character locations
Materia
Ifrit Materia: Complete mission 8-1-1 (adds Hellfire to DMW).
Bahamut Materia: Complete mission 8-1-4 (adds Mega-flare to DMW).
Bahamut Fury Materia: Complete mission 8-5-6 (adds Exaflare to DMW).
Odin Materia: Complete mission 8-1-6 (adds Zantetsuken to DMW).
Phoenix Materia: Obtained during "7 Wonders Of Nibelheim" quest (adds Rebirth Flame to DMW).
Items
Cactus Thorn: Complete mission 10-1-3 (adds 1000 needles to DMW).
Tonberry's Knife: Complete mission 10-2-3 (adds Murderous thrust to DMW).
Cait Sith's Megaphone: Find in a treasure chest in mission 8-4-3 (adds Courage Boost! to DMW).
Moogle's Amulet: Find in a treasure chest during mission 8-4-4 (adds Moogle Power to DMW; as well as levels all equipped Materia to Master level).
Magic Pot Tricks: Follow the orders of a Magic Pot (adds Item Mugger to DMW).
DMW scenes
Every DMW character has several scenes which contribute to the percentage in the DMW menu. The following are some of the scenes and when they can be viewed.
Sephiroth
* Zack and Sephiroth are running, then they encounter some machines and monsters. Zack tells Sephiroth he will handle it, but Sephiroth takes them all out nearly instantly.
* Sephiroth is instructing Zack on killing with one blow. Zack kills a Dual Horn in one strike and Sephiroth says it was too weak, and to find another.
* Sephiroth is in the Shinra Mansion basement talking about the Cetra (ancients). This can only be seen after you find Sephiroth in the mansion during the Nibelheim investigation.
Angeal
* Zack and Angeal are surrounded by enemies, and Zack asks why Angeal does not use the Buster Sword. Angeal says it is large and unwieldy.
* Zack and Angeal are in a cave with the bodies of Sahagins around them. Zack is facing one still standing, and Angeal tells him to focus. Zack kills it and Angeal says that was just focusing for the sake of being focused. Zack says it did not feel the same as before.
* Zack and Angeal are in the training room. Angeal says he is going to have Zack fight his data from last month. They begin to fight and use the same attacks at the same time. Angeal stops Zack.
Cissnei
* Zack comes out of the elevator in the Shinra building and asks Cissnei out to dinner. She cannot because she has an assignment. Zack says he will talk to her supervisor, but Cissnei says she would not, as he is pretty scary.
* Genesis copies have Cissnei trapped on LOVELESS Avenue and Cissnei is exhausted. Zack drops down, exclaims "Oh no!", and runs after them. There is a flash, and Reno and Rude are standing next to Cissnei with the Genesis copies on the ground. She says "Pretty good teamwork, huh?"
* Cissnei and Zack are at Costa Del Sol, then Tseng walks by, still in his suit. Zack comments that it must be hot. Cissnei asks if he would have preferred swim trunks. This is only seen after Zack's vacation.
* Zack says "Oh, no where did Hollander go?" Cissnei comes up and says "You lost track of him?" and they talk about it a bit. This is only seen after the chapter where Zack and Sephiroth go to where Angeal and Genesis were sighted in the Mako reactor. It ends with Zack falling from the plate.
Tseng
* Tseng and Zack are in a Mako Reactor. Tseng calls Zack saying it will be bothersome if they call for backup. He jumps down and the Wutai exclaim "Turks!". Zack jumps down and slices his sword. He is between Tseng and the Wutai. The Wutai exclaim "Oh no, SOLDIER!", Tseng shoots them, then says "What are you doing? They've called for reinforcements!"
* Tseng and Cloud are standing next to a chopper in Modeoheim. Zack walks up and says sorry to keep you waiting. This is only seen after the Modeoheim chapter.
* Tseng and Zack are on a roof with a chopper. Zack comments about "The whole thing being destroyed" and Tseng says it is his duty as a Turk to erase all evidence of misconduct.
* Tseng, Reno, Cissnei, and Rude are standing next to a destroyed wall in the Shinra building. Tseng says it is up to Zack to catch them. This is only seen after the assault on the Shinra building by the Genesis copies.
* Tseng and Zack are in the Modeoheim mountains. Zack says "It's them." You see two SOLDIER swords in the ground. Zack says "Sebastian, Essai." Tseng says "I'm sorry. Our dealings with AVALANCHE resulted in SOLDIER casualties." Zack replies "It's okay. In the end, they regained their senses." This scene may only occur after the Modeoheim incident.
Aerith
* Aerith and Zack are in the park, and she asks if Zack can jump to his feet on sand. Zack says he can. He tries it once, fails, asks for another try, and succeeds.
* Aerith is tending the flowers and Zack says "Let me give you a hand." She replies "That's okay. They only want to be tended by me."
* Aerith is taking Zack to the Wall Market. They are right outside the church and Zack says "So this is the slums." He talks a little with Aerith about how they look. She says she has lived there her whole life.
* Aerith and Zack are in the church and she laughs. Zack says "Is it really that weird?" Aerith says no, and that it is just different. This is only seen after the Modeoheim incident when Zack inherits Angeal's Buster Sword and changes his hair.
Cloud
* Cloud is leaning against a pillar in Junon and Zack runs up, saying there he is. The two infantrymen next to Cloud say "This grunt got sick from the ride here!" Zack says "You think he's up for some food?" and the two men say "All right! Food!". Zack says "No, wait! Hm. What to do? Okay, you can come too, but in exchange you have to promise to look out for Cloud." This is only seen after the Junon chapter directly after the Modeoheim incident.
* Zack defeats a monster and puts his sword away saying "Yeah!". Cloud yells "Zack, get down!" and begins shooting. He kills the monster behind Zack. Zack says "Thanks!" and Cloud removes his helmet.
* Zack is laying down on the plains saying "I wish I could show this sky to..." and then Cloud yells "Come on Zack, we have to go!"
* Zack gets off the motorcycle. Cloud is sitting in the side car, slumped over and not moving. Shinra troops come over and Zack says "As you can see my friend is sick. So let's hurry this up." This only occurs after you reach Banora when Cloud has the Mako addiction.
Genesis
* Genesis has a few scenes but they are short, have no subtitles, and feature only him. They can all be seen when you obtain his DMW.
Weiss and Nero
* After defeating Genesis at his special shelter in Banora towards the end of the game, Zack carries him out. He meets back up with Lazard and places Genesis beside the chair. Lazard and the Angeal copy that protected Zack and Aerith die, Zack gives Cloud and Genesis a Dumbapple, then gets one for himself. After eating the Dumbapple, Genesis says a few words, and Zack leaves. Genesis is left there, however. It then shows a scene with two mysterious SOLDIER operatives landing a chopper and taking Genesis. They say "Apparently he is to become our brother." It does not show their faces. If you watch the credits, you will notice that it says under voice actors, the characters Nero and Weiss. Nero the Sable and Weiss are enemies from Dirge Of Cerberus. This game does not explain what they did with Genesis.