Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Best Early-Game Materia Set-Ups

Summary

• Your carefully crafted Materia set-ups in Final Fantasy 7: Remake won't carry over to Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, starting with basic gear.
• Equipment upgrades are crucial as you progress in the game, with better weapons like Sleek Saber and new Materias becoming available.
• Tailor your Materia builds for each character like Cloud's damage-dealing focus, Tifa's close combat abilities, Barret's versatility, Aerith's healing role, and Red XIII's unique attacks.

Sadly, when the party leaves Midgar during the final moments of Final Fantasy 7: Remake, you are not able to carry over your perfectly crafted and fine-tuned Materia set-ups into the sequel, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth. Even though you restart your journey with Cloud and the rest of Avalanche in the nearby town of Kalm, your equipment is reverted to the bare basics.

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That's not to say that your starting gear is not up to par with the enemies that surround the small city, Cloud's Buster Sword can still decimate your enemies with the right Materia setup.

The builds listed here will help you get through the game until about Chapter Four. At that point, you might need to update your build since you'll be able to encounter better armor and weapons.

5 Cloud

Cloud's starting equipment is his classic Buster Sword paired with a simple Metal Bracer. The Buster Blade includes two linked Materia slots, while the bracer only includes a single one. This combination can get you through most of the early battles, but once your party reaches the Abandoned Dock, you will find a treasure chest that includes the Sleek Saber. While it doesn't include any linked Materia slots, the Sleek Saber gives you an extra slot for you to play with.

This new and improved blade, combined with a Hunter's Bangle that can be purchased from the Kalm weapon's shop, will give Cloud five unique Materia slots. Cloud is usually best on the frontline, dealing constant damage, but since you will be controlling him most of the time, giving him a bit of utility from Assess can be beneficial.

Closer to Chapter Four, you'll be able to acquire the Enemy Skill Materia with Plasma Discharge. This skill will automatically release a massive AOE shockwave every time your ATB gauge fills up. You'll also be able to purchase the Fire and Ice Materia, giving you access to both spells for the price of a single Materia slot.

Equipment

Materia

Effect

Sleek Saber

First Strike

Small ATB Increase.

Enemy Skill (Plasma Discharge)

Attacks are temporarily charged with Lightning. Additionally, whenever an ATB Charge is filled, surrounding areas are damaged.

Fire and Ice

Allows you to use fire and ice magic.

Hunter's Bangle

Precision Defense Focus

Extend input timing window for precision defense.

Assess

Use Assess on a single target.

4 Tifa

Similar to Cloud, Tifa Lockhart thrives on being up close and personal with an enemy. Tifa is slightly more nimble than the ex-Soldier, giving her access to some terrifying hand-to-hand combat and combos. For that reason, her Materia builds focus more on raw attacks with a bit of utility.

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From the get-go, Tifa comes equipped with the Chakra Materia, which can heal and cure Tifa's poison without spending MP. The biggest benefit that this Materia can offer is that the lower the user's HP is, the more healing it can provide, and with Tifa being on the frontlines, she is bound to get hurt once or twice in a battle.

Since Tifa is not a magic caster, we can omit all spell Materia and jam pack her kit with useful buffs or utility. If you plan on controlling Tifa a lot, Precision Defense Focus is one of the best Materia to tack onto her since it increases the window in which you can parry enemy attacks.

Equipment

Materia

Effect

Sylph Gloves

Chakra

Use Chakra (Restores 20% HP of damage taken).

Precision Defense Focus

Extend input timing window for precision defense.

Auto-Unique Ability

Allows an ally to automatically use unique abilities when not actively controlled during combat. Tifa will also use Unbridled Strength when not actively controlled if equipped.

Hunter's Bangle

HP Up

Increase max HP by 10%.

Assess

Use Assess on a single target.

3 Barret

Barret is one of the most versatile members of the party. Not only can he output tons of damage with his machine gun arm, but he can make for an excellent mage or healer. Due to his high HP and ranged attacks, he is the most likely to survive huge boss attacks. Barret can provide support with a constant barrage of bullets, pressuring and staggering enemies, while efficiently using his ATB to heal the party.

Like every character during the early game, Barret's second weapon will provide him with a fifth Materia slot, while also giving you the freedom to create your own builds since this extra slot is a linked slot. For that very reason, pairing a Healing Materia with an Auto Cast is very beneficial to the party.

Of course, if you want a Barret that is more hyper aggressive than a mere healer, you can also pair the Auto Cast with a ranged spell like Fire, Ice, or whatever other spell your party might need to cover all the weaknesses.

Equipment

Materia

Effect

Hi-Caliber Rifle

Healing

Use Cure.

Auto Cast

Activate Auto Cast.

Hp Up

Increase max HP by 10%.

Hunter's Bangle

Prayer

Use Pray (Slight HP Restoration).

Lightning

Use Thunder.

2 Aerith

Aerith is very similar to Barret. You can build her as a turret-like DPS character or a main healer. The only big difference is that Aerith is a bit on the lower side when it comes to HP, and her basic attack is quite slow during the earlier moments in the game.

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Because of that, Aerith works best as a standalone healer in the early game. You will lose a small bit of damage since she won't be able to use many damage-based abilities, but that will mean your other two characters will never drop in HP.

If you're building Aerith as a healer, it's probably best to use the two linked slots on her Timeless Rod by inserting a Healing Materia paired with Auto Cast. That way, whenever Aerith is not being controlled by you, she can provide healing whenever you need her to. Either way you decide to build her, you'll still want to give her plenty of HP Up and MP Up to pad out her stats.

Equipment

Materia

Effect

Timeless Rod

Healing

Use Cure.

Auto Cast

Activate Auto Cast.

Cleansing

Use Poisona.

Copper Bracer

MP Up

Increase max MP by 10%.

HP Up

Increase max HP by 10%.

1 Red XIII

If Aerith is Barret's counterpart, then Red XIII is Tifa's. The newest member of the party plays quite similar to the young brawler from Nibelheim. Red XIII can unleash fast and devastating attacks on his enemies, all while charging up his Vengeance meter, which allows him to attack faster and harder, all while healing his HP.

Since you want to be close to your opponents while controlling Red XIII, HP Up is a must-have for all those stray attacks that hit you while you are distracted. But if you are locked in, then you'll probably want to equip him with Precision Defense Focus, so you'll have an easier time parrying attacks.

Red XIII relies on using his unique attacks for damage, so using his ATB gauge for utility or even item usage is one of the best uses for it.

Equipment

Materia

Effect

Mythril Collar

Poison

Use Bio.

Precision Defense Focus

Extend input timing window for precision defense.

HP Up

Increase max HP by 10%.

Hunter's Bangle

Steal

Allows you to use Steal.

Item Master

Increase item efficacy by 30% during battle.

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