Final Fantasy VII

Disc 1: Nibelheim to Rocket Town

Nibelheim

From Cosmo Canyon, head north and slightly east to the river. Cross it and continue north to Nibelheim. Save before entering town.

Things to do in town:

Far-right house, upstairs: talk to the black-caped figure for a .
Next house up: talk to the figures for a , then head upstairs.
Upstairs: talk to the figures for a .
Do not play Tifa’s piano yet. If you wait until Tifa is party leader later, you can get Elemental Materia from it.
General store: talk to the robed guy for an .
Outside the mansion: talk to the figures for a .

Shinra Mansion

Use a outside the town or rest at the inn before heading into the Shinra mansion. The mansion has four rooms on the lower floor, two per side. There are also rooms up stairs on both the right and left side.

Start by entering the small room on the lower-left side of the foyer. Read the note for the hints you need to find the combonation that opens a safe. Be sure to read the hidden fourth clue. After reading the note, you can explore the mansion to find the clues in the following locations:

Room with the piano: examine above and to the right of the piano to find the clue “Left 10.”
Upper room across the hall: open the chest for , then examine the back of the lid to find the clue “Right 36.”
Hall outside that room: examine the floor while walking down the upper hallway to find the clue “Right 59.”
The note itself hides the fourth clue “Right 97.”

Putting all that together in the order from the note, we get the following combination for the safe, but see the prep note below before opening it:

Right 36.
Left 10.
Right 59.
Right 97. (Yes - right again, not left.)

Prep note: You’ll be fighting a decently powerful enemy once you manage to open the safe, so make sure you are ready. Restore Materia linked to All Materia and Time Materia linked to All Materia are useful for this battle. Keep your HP up, as a single powerful attack can wipe out a under-leveled party. Enemy Skill Materia is helpful, but don’t bother with Gravity.

When you’re ready, open the safe. You only have 20 seconds, and if you go past a number you have to start over. You’ll probably do this a fair number of times (at least I did).

Boss: Lost Number

Lost Number has 7,000 HP and 300 MP. Do not bother stealing. Start with Haste, then Big Guard, and use your strongest physical attacks, limit breaks, and Enemy Skills. Choco/Mog can sometimes stop him, which helps a lot.

When he changes form, he becomes much less vulnerable. Keep Big Guard up, but remember to time your Restore or White Wind actions carefully because the magic barrier from Big Guard also weakens your healing magic. Gravity is not useful here. Beta works well early in the fight, but does much less after he changes.

You receive after the battle. Pick up the Odin Materia by the safe, then open the safe again for the Key to the Basement.

In addition to the safe, there are some other treasure in the mansion:

Lower-right room off the foyer: .
Upper-left room: .
Upper-right room: .

Head right to the room with the basement entrance (up the stairs, to the right, in the lower room). Go down the spiral staircase and follow the hallway toward the bottom of the screen. On the next screen, the first door you pass leads to Vincent’s chamber.

Optional Character: Vincent

Vincent is an optional (read: missable) character. He is also extremely powerful and has a deep back-story, making him a great addition to your team. To add him to your team, enter his chamber and examine the coffin. Choose to talk about Sephiroth. When he tells you to leave, examine the coffin again and ask who he is. Name him, then leave the room.

Continue to the library room on the right. After the Sephiroth scene, pick up the Destruct Materia and leave the mansion. Vincent joins as you exit. Rest at the inn if you need, then leave town through the back exit toward Mount Nibel.

Mount Nibel

Save on the world map, then head north to the cave at the end of the path. If you have Ice 3, link Ice Materia to All Materia on your fastest character to make quick work of the insect enemies in this area.

Mountain path treasure:

At the first upward branch, send Cloud around the bend and behind the mountain spine to reach a chest containing Cloud’s double-growth weapon .
Return to the main path and continue left.
Take the lower of the two branches to reach .
Cross the bridge and enter the cave.

Inside the cave you’ll find a series of chutes and ladders. Don’t ask me; I don’t know if that’s on purpose. In any event, navigating this area is easier if you set up the ladder before chasing the treasures:

Go down the stairs, then left, then down the ladder.
Examine the ladder at the bottom of the lower platform to kick it down.
Go to the bottom, save, and use a if needed.
Return to the top. The chutes are numbered 1-5 from right to left.
Take chute 2 for , then jump down.
Return to the top and take chute 4 for All Materia.
Jump down, save, and prepare to fight the Materia Keeper.

Boss: Materia Keeper

Equip all your Enemy Skill Materia before the fight. Wait until Materia Keeper casts Trine before finishing the fight so your Enemy Skill Materia can learn it.

Materia Keeper has nothing to steal, and Gravity does not work. Avoid Fire, Ifrit, Beta, and Flame Thrower because it absorbs fire damage. Use Ice attacks, Aqua-Lung, Trine (after you learn it), and limit breaks. You receive a and Counter Attack Materia.

After the fight, feel free to /save. If you want to level for a bit, this is a decent area now that you have Trine.

When you are ready to move on, head through the exit that the Materia Keeper was guarding. Outside, enter the nearby cave. Go up the right side, double back into the small cave on the left, and get the from the chest.

Continue upward. Pick up Elemental Materia by the mako fountain, then continue to the next screen. Head right, loop around and up, then turn left for a chest with the . Go back right and down to the lower-right exit.

When you reach the reactor, there is nothing to do inside. Go around the right side and enter the door at the top-right of the screen. If you skipped chute 2 or chute 4 earlier, you can use this side to return to the chute room. Otherwise, retrace your steps and leave by the exit that the Materia Keeper was guarding. Follow the path right to return to the world map.

Optional: if you bought HP Plus Materia and MP Plus Materia in Cosmo Canyon, this is a good stretch to keep them in double-growth weapons.

Rocket Town

Head south and west until you can turn north, then follow the path to Rocket Town.

While you are in town:

Talk to the man standing in front of one of the stores until he looks at the rocket with you. He gives you .
Buy your characters a if you did not steal enough from Dragons.
Stop by the item shop if you need Time Materia, Exit Materia, and Barrier Materia.
Far-right house: .
Building at the far end of town, before the rocket: .
Exit through the back door of that building to meet Shera.

Optional: Fort Condor

If you are doing Fort Condor battles, Battle 07 is available after you enter the town, but before you advance the story by talking to Cid. Backtrack through caves and Nibelheim to pick up the buggy, and make your way back to the other continent.

When you are ready to advance the plot, head to the rocket area, climb the ramp and ladder, and talk to Cid. Ask about the rocket, Rufus, and the Tiny Bronco. You may need to leave and come back after asking about the space program.

After talking to Cid, finish any loose ends, then go to Cid’s house by the Tiny Bronco. After the scenes, head out front. When Shera calls you back in, go out back and talk to Palmer.

Boss: Palmer

Palmer has nothing to steal and is not especially tough. Trine works very well, and Beta is even stronger if you have it. You receive after the battle, then gain control of the Tiny Bronco. Kind of.