Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: How To Defeat Custom Valkyrie

On the way up Mount Corel in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, our heroes are ambushed by yet another of Shinra's latest and greatest mechanized horrors. This time, it's the Custom Valkyrie. We've heard from more than a few of our fellow fans that Custom Valkyrie's managed to get the best of them.

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But, as is the case with everything in the second chapter in Square Enix's landmark FF7 trilogy retelling, proper planning and a keen grasp of the fundamentals is all you'll need to turn another Shinra weapon into scrap heap. Here's how to beat Custom Valkyrie and continue your hike up scenic Mount Corel.

Custom Valkyrie Boss, First Phase

In an ideal world, we'd be fighting the Custom Valkyrie with a purely long-range team. Alas, we aren't in that world. Custom Valkyrie is an airborne foe through and through, so Cloud's physical attacks have limited viability and Red XIII's just aren't great.

This leaves Aerith for such antics, but she's hardly suited to the role. Thankfully, Custom Valkyrie has two weaknesses: Lightning and Wind, which you can take advantage of with all three party members thanks to FF7 Rebirth's Synergy Skills .

We didn't have a ton of luck with Aerith's Wards, as Custom Valkyrie's most common attack, Flame Jet, tended to tear right through them. Instead, keep your actively-controlled party member ready to evade Flame Jet at a moment's notice.

Thundara and/or Aerora are going to be our heavy hitters, pressuring Custom Valkyrie bit by bit. Custom Valkyrie will frequently fire bullets via Modified Mark 98 Rotary Canons. These are easily blocked, and a prime candidate for Counterfire.

When the boss enters Cooling Protocol, slam everything you've got into these weaknesses. It will hit a staggered state more swiftly while being a sitting duck in the meantime.

Custom Valkyrie Boss, Second Phase

Things take a turn for the worse when Custom Valkyrie's HP has been sliced off by around 55 percent. It'll gain some new attacks; our least favorite of which being Particle Cannon.

This features a homing mechanic that, at least for us, was a bit difficult to shake. When all else fails, swap to another character so that at least you aren't personally bearing the knockdown from the blast.

Try to keep someone with an ATB gauge ready whenever you're feeling the heat so that an item or Cura spell can be tossed as needed.

Firewheel is another threat we didn't see until the back half of the battle. Custom Valkyrie rises higher into the air, shooting rotating columns of flame around it in a twisting circle.

Suffice it to say, stay back, but don't underestimate the range and speed of it all. It's deceptively vast (and blatantly quick). Pile on more Thundara, Aerora, and character abilities with matching elemental affinities, and you'll scrap this bothersome thing in due time.

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