While pounding away at enemy weak points is one path to victory, true mastery of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s (FF7R) combat comes from excelling at defense as well as offense. You need to learn when and how to counter enemy attacks precisely with counter and parry attacks. By doing this, you can mitigate damage, build the ATB bars, and plan your next attack.

Read More: The Ultimate ATB (Active Time Battle) System Guide for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (FF7R)

But, sadly, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s (FF7R) counter and parry attack are special ability unique to Cloud and Sephiroth. In this guide, I’ll break down the ins and outs of counter and parry attacks, and how you can use these abilities effectively. Let’s learn how to counter and parry in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Master Counter and Parry in FF7R

Cloud and Sephiroth have mastered techniques that allow them to turn an enemy’s attack into an opportunity for counterattack. If you learn how to counter and parry properly, then you can greatly shift the tide of battle in your favor.

Harnessing Cloud’s Inner Fury

Cloud’s Punisher Mode unlocks his potential for devastating counters. By entering this stance at the perfect moment, right as an enemy attack is about to land, Cloud absorbs the impact and lashes back with a vengeance. Timing is everything here. Activate Punisher Mode a split second before impact to trigger a forceful counter that will punish your foe.

With practice, Cloud can maintain Punisher Mode for more extended periods, enabling him to counter any physical attack that comes his way. However, this does leave him more vulnerable to ranged or magical attacks. Wield Cloud’s fury wisely, and he will become an impenetrable fortress, returning every blow tenfold against those foolish enough to strike him.

Sephiroth’s Graceful Retaliation

While Cloud relies on raw force for his counters, Sephiroth takes a more elegant approach. By entering his Retaliation Stance, Sephiroth can nimbly parry incoming attacks with surgical precision. The timing requires finesse. Execute your parry in the split second before impact, and Sephiroth will fluidly redirect the enemy’s force, taking no damage.

Once parried successfully, Sephiroth wastes no time retaliating. With feline agility, he ripostes, driving his blade home in a single graceful motion. To wield Sephiroth’s parry effectively, you must find the perfect balance between patience and action. Master this exquisite timing, and no enemy attack will go unpunished.

Key Tips for Counter and Parry Mastery

• Observe enemy attack patterns and learn to perfect your timing.
• Balance parry timing between reducing damage and triggering counters.
• Rely on dodges more against quick, unblockable or grab attacks.
• Parry less to build Stagger faster against Pressured enemies.
• Punisher Mode deals very high damage, especially on Staggered foes.
• Swap characters to manage ATB gained from successful parries.
• Perfect Block chains generate huge ATB gains.
• Make sure to equip Warding Materia against caster enemies.
• Tactical Mode can help time parries flawlessly.
• Upgrade weapons for additional Parry bonuses.

The path to combat greatness lies along the razor’s edge that balances aggressive offense and impenetrable defense. While it takes practice, memorizing enemy patterns and developing sharp reflexes will allow you to parry and counter your way to victory against Shinra’s worst.

Also check out: Mastering Enemy Pressure and Stagger in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

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The long-awaited Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is coming to gamers, but if you want to get a sneak peek of what is to come in the game, you can start by checking out the Demo.

Read More: What We Know About Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Trophies So Far

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues the story from Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. This time, the story is set out to be different than the initial ending of FF7. With different timelines and universes interluding, we are in for a new adventure with our favorite crew.

If you are a long-time Final Fantasy fan, then you know that Square Enix treats the players with a demo version before the game’s initial release. This can give more insights into what we can expect and how much change we are getting in the story.

So, if you can’t wait for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth anymore and want to check out the choices and consequences in the Demo, then this guide will help you through just that!

All Demo Choices and Results in FF7R

Here are the results of all the choices you make in the Demo –

Fall of a Hero in Nibleheim

Action 1: Go On (Strife Residence)

Action 2: You went to my place? (Tifa’s House)

Action 3: Did You Actually Play the Piano?

Action 4: You went through my stuff!?

Read More: Does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Demo Progress Carry Over?

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (FF7R) is a PlayStation console-exclusive video game by Square Enix. It’s the second game in the Final Fantasy remake series. The game uses the same game engine as Final Fantasy VII Remake, but there are a lot of elements that are new to me. One of them is Combat.

Read More: The Ultimate ATB (Active Time Battle) System Guide for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (FF7R)

Today, I’ll discuss Pressuring and Staggering enemies in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. If you want to learn about ATB (Active Time Battle) system, or how to counter and parry, then read those guides. Before I get into this guide, let’s find out what’s Pressuring and Staggering in FF7R.

Pressuring and Staggering foes is perhaps Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s most vital combat mechanic. Learning to exploit these vulnerable states will turn even the most daunting enemies into helpless targets. This guide will cover battle techniques to Pressure and Stagger any opponent reliably.

How Pressure and Stagger Works

You need to learn how Pressure and Stagger works in FF7R. Here are the basics that you need to know:

Pressure Basics

Enemies have unique Pressure conditions, shown via Assess Materia. If you meet them, you can inflict Pressure, interrupt attacks and boost Stagger build up. The standard methods that you can use to your advantage:

• Exploiting elemental weaknesses
• Landing abilities they are susceptible to
• Attacking specific body parts
• Dealing damage thresholds

Pressured enemies can’t act and generate Stagger faster. Pay attention to an enemy’s Physical and Magical defenses, then target the lower one.

Stagger Basics

Below the HP bars are Stagger gauges. If you fill them, you can inflict Stagger, greatly increasing the damage dealt to the enemy. Key notes that you can follow:

• Each hit fills it slightly based on the damage dealt.
• Abilities like Focused Thrust speed up Stagger build tremendously.
• Pressured enemies build Stagger much faster.
• Staggered enemies have colored sparks and are incapacitated briefly.

You should aim to Stagger tougher enemies as often as possible to deal amplified damage during the window of vulnerability.

How to Charge Up Stagger

You need to fill up Stagger gauges to use Stagger in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Here are tips to fill Stagger gauges quickly:

• Pressuring: Exploit weaknesses first to Pressure, then attack.
• Focused Abilities: Use Focused Strikes, Shots, etc. These rapidly build Stagger.
• Elemental Weaknesses: Target elemental flaws like Frost’s weakness to Fire.
• Synergized Attacks: These charge Stagger much faster than normal abilities.
• Unload Limit Breaks: Limit Breaks also considerably charge the Stagger gauge.

Once close to full, hit the Pressure point again and unleash the most potent attacks. By doing this, you’ll deal a lot of damage.

Maximizing Stagger Damage

While Staggered, enemies take up to 200% more damage. But, you need some strategies to get the most out of your Stagger damage. Here are some strategies to capitalize on this:

• Enter Punisher Mode: Cloud deals 80% more damage during Stagger.
• Use Chi Attacks: Tifa’s unique abilities further boost damage.
• Extend Stagger: Some Synergized Attacks prolong Stagger duration.
• Target Weak Points: Pressured AND Staggered weak points take insane damage.
• Combo Abilities: Chain your most powerful ATB moves together.

Timing this series of attacks just right as Stagger begins will dish out devastating damage.

Using Assess Materia

The key to exploiting Pressure and Stagger is using Assess to reveal details on enemies. This uncovers things like:

• Pressure Points: Where to attack to Pressure them.
• Pressure Weakness: Elements and attacks they are vulnerable to.
• Stagger Method: Quickest ways to fill their Stagger gauge.

You should constantly re-Assess tougher enemies to find their weaknesses. Bosses sometimes reveal weaknesses as HP drops.

Character Pressure/Stagger Roles

In FF7R, each party member has strengths that you can use to get the most out of Pressure and Stagger. Here are some key strengths to leverage:

Cloud

• Focused Thrust and Punisher Mode to shred Staggered enemies.
• Counterstance deals huge damage when timed well.

Barret

• Overcharge to Pressure groups.
• Focused Shot for rapid Stagger buildup.

Tifa

• Use Omni-Strike to boost Stagger damage multiplier.
• Unbridled Strength and slots to enhance these.

Aerith

• Use spells to exploit elemental weaknesses and Pressure.
• Ray of Judgment and Arcane Ward for heavy Stagger damage.

Red XIII

• Use Siphon Fang to boost HP and MP for Stagger.
• Use the Vengeance mode to Stagger enemies more often.

Final Verdict

FF7R’s combat system is built around properly Pressuring and Staggering enemies. You should learn every foe’s weaknesses, capitalize on them efficiently, and unleash powerful knock-out blows during their incapacitated Stagger windows.

If you flawlessly chain the mentioned techniques together, then you can dominate even the toughest of battles. With practice, you’ll be ready to Pressure and Stagger your way to victory against Shinra’s worst.

Read More: What We Know About Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Trophies So Far

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What is ATB in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? The Active Time Battle (ATB) system is the core of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s (FF7R) hybrid real-time and turn-based combat. Learning to charge and leverage your ATB gauges effectively will grant access to powerful spells, abilities, and items to turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Read More: Does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Demo Progress Carry Over?

The ATB system in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is really different from the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. So, it’s ideal for you to learn the fundamentals and advanced techniques. This guide covers fundamental ATB, what strategies you can use, and advanced techniques to master the system.

ATB System Fundamentals

ATB is one of the core combat mechanics in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Here are some ATB system fundamentals in the game:

• ATB charges in segments represented by bars.
• If you perform actions, you’ll spend ATB segments.
• Powerful moves may cost multiple ATB segments.
• ATB continually charges outside of combat at a slow rate.

You need to manage your ATB bars efficiently. It is crucial as they enable the usage of your strongest attacks. Always keep an eye on your current ATB levels in the upper-right corner of the screen during combat.

Charging ATB Bars

ATB charges automatically in combat over time. But you can speed up the process if you do these:

• Attacking: Landing hits on enemies rapidly fills the gauge.
• Parrying: Parrying can speed up ATB bars fast, especially Perfect Parries.
• Tactical Mode: Time slows, but ATB still charges normally.
• Synergizing: Grants both characters large ATB gains.

You need to string together combos, land parries and utilize Tactical Mode to accelerate your ATB generation.

Conserving ATB

It’s sometimes strategic to conserve ATB charges. Here are a few tips you need to follow:

• Don’t overheal: Use life-saving spells only when needed.
• Wait for Stagger: Unload when the enemy is vulnerable.
• Watch Pruned debuffs: May disable certain ATB abilities.
• Don’t use ATB all the time: Conserve ATB for the boss.

Letting gauges max out is wasteful—find moments to unload impact fully.

Advanced ATB Tactics

First Strike Materia: First Strike begins battles with 1 ATB segment. It’s extremely useful for early game-changers like Assess, Barrier or Haste.

Tactical Switching: I suggest you to switch characters after casting major ATB abilities. This allows others to charge ATB while lengthy animations play out.

L1 Shortcuts: You can access commonly used spells/abilities faster through shortcuts. You should customize them under Battle Settings.

Synergizing: Properly chaining Synergized Attacks together builds ATB rapidly by hitting multiple enemies. So, synergize your characters when you can.

Enemy Intel: You should assess Materia. It reveals what enemy abilities can be interrupted with ATB attacks. Use it wisely.

Overpower Mode: The characters in Overpower Mode gain ATB segments every time they land a hit. You can fill up the ATB bars faster while in Overpower Mode.

Key ATB Management Tips

• Always have First Strike equipped on someone.
• Parry often to expedite ATB charging.
• Switch to inactive characters when animations play.
• Assess enemies to enable weaknesses.
• Use items instead of Cure spells to conserve MP.
• Tactical Mode can buy time to select ATB options.
• Assign shortcuts for most used moves.
• Build ATB before Stagger, then unload.

Fluidly managing your ATB gauges is crucial to combat effectiveness in FF7R. With practice, you’ll intuitively charge ATB quickly, conserve it when needed, and unleash your most impactful abilities, spells, and items at the perfect moments to turn the tide of any battle in your favor.

Also check out: What We Know About Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Trophies So Far

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is set to launch on February 29, 2024, as one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 exclusives. As the second part in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, fans are eager to continue the epic story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest of their party.

Read More: Does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R) Demo Progress Carry Over?

Like any major PS5 release, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth comes packed with trophies for you to earn by completing various story chapters, side content, and challenges. While Square Enix has not officially revealed the complete trophy list yet, a trophy list for FF7 Rebirth was leaked online, which provides insight into what we can expect. Let’s take a look at all 61 trophies.

Warning: Potential minor spoilers below.

All Trophies in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R)

I’ve listed all the trophies in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7R). You can expect 1 Platinum trophy, 1 Gold trophy, 5 Silver trophies, and 54 Bronze trophies. The full leaked trophy list can be found below:

My Take On FF7 Rebirth’s Trophy List

Platinum Trophy

As expected, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a platinum trophy titled ‘The Planet’s Hope’, which requires earning every other trophy in the game. This will involve completing the main story, all side content, collectibles, and more. If the trophy list is accurate, expect this one to take upwards of 100 hours based on developer estimates.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Trophies

The leaked Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trophy list contains 1 gold trophy, 5 silver trophies and 54 bronze trophies.

The sole gold trophy is titled ‘7-Star Hotel’ and involves donating every possible item to Johnny’s treasure trove, hinting at some sort of collection or donation mechanic.

The silver trophies are tied to major milestones like completing all of Chadley’s combat simulations, developing all Materia, defeating an enemy named Gilgamesh, and more.

The majority of the trophies are bronze, linked to story chapters, combat feats, side activities, and collectibles. There are 14 story-related chapter trophies indicating the length of the main campaign. Others are tied to using certain combat abilities, limit breaks and Summons, along with raising experience levels.

Side Activities and Mini-Games

In addition to story and combat trophies, there are also several tied to optional content and mini-games new to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. These include:

• Repairing chocobo stops and finding hidden treasures with a chocobo.
• Participating in and winning the Junon Parade.
• Completing the Queen’s Blood card tournament.
• Scoring well in Loveless musical performances.
• Donating items to Johnny’s Seaside Inn.
• Defeating Sephiroth in 3D Brawler.
• Playing piano songs.
• Winning chocobo races.
• Completing all Musclehead Colosseum bouts.

These mini-game and side quest trophies will likely add considerable length to obtaining the platinum trophy.

Collectibles

Collecting items appears to play a big role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, based on the trophy list. There are trophies for:

• Gathering ‘World Intel’ at multiple locations.
• Finding ‘Protorelics’ in each major region.
• Maxing out the Moogle Emporium merchant rank.
• Donating items to Johnny’s Seaside Inn treasure trove.

Tracking down all collectibles and hidden items in the world will be needed for some of the biggest trophies.

Grinding and Replayability

Like many RPG trophy lists, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth appears to include some grinding. There are trophies for:

• Reaching Level 70 with a character.
• Dealing 300% damage to a staggered enemy.
• Mastering all weapon abilities and limit breaks.

There is also a trophy for completing every chapter on Hard difficulty. So a minimum of two walkthroughs will be required if you want the platinum trophy.

The Road to 100%

Based on the leaked trophy list, completing every task needed for the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth platinum trophy will likely take over 100 hours. There is a lengthy main story to finish, challenging super bosses like Gilgamesh, tons of side content, collectibles to find, and mastery of the combat system required.

While 100 hours may seem daunting, Final Fantasy VII Remake also required extensive playtime for its platinum trophy and was highly rewarding. We expect the same will be true when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on February 29, 2024, for PlayStation 5.

Also check out: Prince of Persia (PoP): The Lost Crown Trophies and Achievements

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Square Enix has released a demo for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The demo allows players to experience a portion of the game prior to its full release on February 29, 2024. But, how much content can you play in the demo?

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The demo is split into two parts — one covering the Nibelheim flashback sequence and another exploring the Junon area. Both of these parts let us experience a glimpse of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

But, as the time of the release date draws closer, this has led many fans to wonder — will your progress from the FF7R demo carry over when you start the full game? Let’s break it down.

Does Demo Progress Carry Over in FF7R?

Part 1: Nibelheim Flashback

The first part of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo covers the game’s opening chapter, which includes the party arriving in Kalm and Cloud recounting the tragic events that took place in his and Tifa’s hometown of Nibelheim 5 years prior. This sequence will likely be very familiar to fans of the original Final Fantasy 7.

The good news is that you save data, and all progress made in the Nibelheim portion of the demo will carry over seamlessly into the full game. When FF7R launches on February 29th, you’ll be able to continue right where you left off in the demo. Any levels, items, Materia or equipment you obtained will transfer to the full experience.

This means that the Nibelheim flashback sequence can be played in its entirety in the demo, allowing players to explore the town, talk to NPCs and even take on side quests without worry that their time will be wasted. Square Enix has confirmed the Nibelheim portion is the full unlockable chapter.

So feel free to immerse yourself in Cloud and Tifa’s traumatic backstory during the demo, knowing that on February 29th you’ll be able to pick up right where you left off when the full FF7 Rebirth adventure begins.

Part 2: Junon Area

The second part of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo, which becomes available on February 21st, gives players a small taste of the expanded world and open exploration offered in FF7R. You’ll be able to freely roam a portion of the Junon area, taking on side quests, fighting enemies and interacting with NPCs.

However, Square Enix has stated that the Junon portion of the demo has been modified to be more compact compared to how it will appear in the full game. Because of these changes, none of the progress made in the Junon demo will carry over when FF7R launches on February 29th.

The Junon area likely won’t represent any specific chapter, but rather give fans a snippet of the open exploration and gameplay that awaits in the full Rebirth experience. Consider it a demo within a demo — offering a teaser of the expansive world but disconnected from the main story progression and save data.

So feel free to experiment with combat, side quests and exploration during the Junon demo, but don’t get too attached. Any items, levels, or progress will be reset once you begin FF7 Rebirth for real on launch day.

Bonus Rewards for Playing the Demo

To reward fans for playing the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo, Square Enix will provide some enticing bonus items to anyone with demo save data when they start the full game.

By simply having a completed FF7R demo save file on your PS5, you’ll unlock the following rewards:

• Kupo Charm: An accessory that increases the number of items enemies drop after battles.
• Survival Set: A bundle of useful items, including Potions, Ethers, Remedies, and more, to aid your adventure.

These rewards provide some tangible in-game benefits for checking out the demo, without being so good that they undermine progression in the main story. And they give completionists some incentive to fully explore the Nibelheim area, knowing their earned items will transfer over.

The bonuses will likely pop up as soon as the full game detects a completed FF7R demo save file. So, be sure to keep the demo installed if you want to claim your Kupo Charm and Survival Set.

Skip Nibelheim in the Full Game

One final reward for completing the Nibelheim portion of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo is that you’ll have the option to completely skip replaying this chapter when the full game releases.

Since the demo covers the entirety of the first chapter centered around Cloud’s flashback, FF7R will detect that you’ve already completed it and allow you to skip replaying this sequence.

This means you can avoid repetition and instead jump right into the next chapter and unexplored portions of the story. Keep in mind, that you won’t miss any important story or gameplay content since Nibelheim will unfold identically to how you experienced it in the demo.

For those pressed for time or eager to uncover new parts of the story, the ability to skip previously completed chapters adds some great convenience. Just be sure to finish the Nibelheim demo section first.

Final Thoughts

Any progress made during the Nibelheim portion of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo–including levels, items, and equipment–will carry over to the full game. The modified Junon area demo will not transfer progress. All you need to do is keep the demo installed to earn bonus rewards and skip replaying chapters they already completed when the full FF7R experience launches on February 29, 2024.

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