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Age: 21

Weapon: Sword

A former member of Shinra Incorporated, Cloud Strife acts as a mercenary, taking odd jobs for money. While working for the underground rebel force AVALANCHE, Cloud realizes that his mentor - Sephiroth - is still alive after all these years, and so his quest begins. Cloud is not only the main character of FF VII, he's also the number-one choice for combat. All of his Limit Attacks are impressive.

Age: 48

Weapon: Headdress

Red XIII is nothing more than an experiment as far as the Shinra Corporation is concerned. Red's amazing ability to speak remains a mystery, but it is known that Shinra had nothing to do with it. Red XIII may look weak and useless, but he's one of the strongest, most resilient characters in the whole game. His level 1 Limit Attack makes for a nice contribution to the party in earlier stages.

Age 20

Weapon: Fists

Another member of the terrorist group Avalanche, Tifa Lockheart is the childhood friend of Cloud. It seems her fondness for Cloud continues to this day, but no matter how much she would like to, she is unable to express her affection for him. Tifa, a martial arts specialist, uses only her bare fists in battle, and is the second-best character to use in FF VII. Once Tifa's Limit Attack passes level one, serious damage is inflicted upon the enemy.

Age: Unknown

Weapon: Megaphone

The cat that sits atop a giant Moogle holding a megaphone is the most underrated character in the entire game. With his ability to foretell the future, he forces his way into Cloud's party. He may seem harmless, but Cait is actually a good character to learn and use. His Dice Limit inflicts big time damage once he's obtained three or more dice.

Age: 16

Weapon: Knife, Boomerang, Origami

This Materia-loving ninja joins Cloud's party for self-centered reasons. Yuffie Kisaragi loves to show off by telling people how strong she is. Ironically, she can't stand riding in boats or planes (they give her motion-sickness). Yuffie is an average character who needs to receive the Leviathan Materia from her father. To fully realize her potential as a character in FF VII, it is recommended that you put extra effort into increasing her levels throughout the course of the game.

Age: 27

Weapon: Gun

Vincent Valentine is a former member of The Darks, a division of the Shinra which rivals Cloud's soldier divisioni. His past remains shrouded in secrecy, but it is known that he had some type of connection to Sephiroth. Vincent's weapon of choice is the gun, so long-range attacks pose no problem for him. He has the most entertaining Limit Attack in the game, too; he transforms into a variety of monsters that look like they stepped right out of an old 50's Horror flick.

Age: 35

Weapon: Gun-Arm

Barett Wallace, leader of the AVALANCHE rebellion, formed the team in order to take on the forces of Shinra. And with a Gatling gun for a hand, he proves to be more than a match for just about anyone. It is rumored that the Shinra is responsible for the loss of his wife. His regular attacks are only slightly above-average, but his Limit Attacks are what really do the damage.

Age: 22

Weapon: Rod

This mysterious flower girl comes out of nowhere to become one of the most beloved characters in the entire game. Aeris Gainsborough is a good character to use, especially with her Level 1 Healing Limit. She excels at magic attacks more than weapon attacks, so you may opt to concentrate on using other characters.

Age: 32

Weapon: Spear

Although he's an expert mechanic, Cid Highwind is one of those characters whom few will select and power up. He's not a bad character, but then there's nothing extraordinary about him, either. On second though, maybe the fact that Cid is the only character to appear in all six previous Final Fantasy games is out of the ordinary.

Age: Unknown

Weapon: Long Sword

Cloud's mentor is the main villain of FF VII. Currently amongst the elite troops of SOLDIER, Sephiroth is respected and feared by many. When he found out that he was not human, but merely an experiment of the Shinra Corporation, Sephiroth went insane. His number one mission in life is to join with the planet so he can absorb its energy. Interestingly enough, Cloud was Sephiroth's underling while working for Shinra. Sephiroth has the most top-level magic spells in the game, and his physical strength cannot be matched. Before fighting Sephiroth, be absolutely certain that you are strong enough.

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Outside of Midgar, go to the Chocobo stable and talk to the Chocobo. Watch the Chocobo dance and receive the Materia afterwards

This appears on the floor of the Shinra ship, after you defeat Jenova-Birth.

After you defeat Bottom Swell in the Cannon town - and you've rescued Priscilla - she will give you the Shiva Materia.

After defeating Dain, go back up to the Gold Saucer. Ramuh is in the room where all the Chocobo racers are waiting.

Located in the junk pile next to the town of Gongaga. Search the right side of the main junk pile.

Appears on the floor of the mansion in Nibleheim, after you defeat Lost Number.

In Uutai, you must first defeat Yuffie's dad in order to abtain Leviathan.

Appears in the Balck Materia Temple, after you defeat the Red Dragon.

During the beginning of disc number 2, you'll locate this one on your way to the crater where Sephiroth is.

One of the large Materia gives you access to Bahamut 3.

In the Enchanted Forest (through Bone Village), the Materia is moving about; you have to catch it.

After completing the simulation portion at Condor Tower, go to the top of the tower to find it.

Located in the sunken airplane. You must have the submarine in order to retrieve this Materia.

Found in the cave which is located on the northeast portion of the map. You need to get the gold Chocobo to get into the cave.

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Walk slowly (do not run) out of your room. Once out, walk along the railing toward the stairs. If the floor squeaks, it means you either ran or you strayed from the railing. Even while on the steps, continue walking. You can resume running as soon as you make it to the first floor.

(please note that this sequence may be altered in the US version of FFVII)

First, go to the brothel and talk to the main guy at the door about Tifa. Once he tells you that she is at Don Korneo's mansion, go to the Don's mansion. Once there, Aeris talks to the guard and tells him that she's going to bring a friend. At this point, go to the clothing shop and talk to the person behind the counter. The person will tell you that they need the man in the bar to make Cloud's dress. Now, go to the bar and talk to the first man you see upon entering the bar. He will automatically help you. Return to the clothing shop and put the dress on. Aeris will tell you that you need a wig to go with that dress. Next, go to the gym and beat the guy in the squat competition to receive the wig. Once you obtain the wig, go back to the clothing shop and put everything on. The perfect disguise!

First defeat the guards at the entrance to obtain the level 60 card key. Next, go up to level 61 and talk to the man next to the tree to receive the level 62 card key. Then go to level 62 and receive the level 65 card key from the man in the north-west room. Now, go to level 65 and complete the puzzle to obtain the level 66 card key. Note: Once you are on level 66, go to the bathroom stall to get into the vents. You will see the meeting regarding Aeris. After the meeting, follow the scientist to the next level.

Right 36

Left 10

Right 59

Right 97

Note: If you go beyond the number you needed to press the button at, you must start the entire sequence over.

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First you must obtain certain seeds needed when mating Chocobos. You need the Karab seed in order to breed the Mountain and River Chocobos.

Karab seed: You can steal this seed from the Bracheolaedos found near Bone Village.

Zaeo seed: You can steal this seed from the Goblins found on Goblin island.

There are four different types of Chocobos that can be found throughout the world: Bad, Normal, Good, and Very good.

First, capture both a male "Good" Chocobo and female "Good" Chocobo. Once you've done that, go to the Gold Saucer and race them both until they are at least in rank B. Then go back to the Chocobo Farm and mate them with the Karab seed. It is better if you save your game before you mate the Chocobos, since it isn't guaranteed that a Mountain or River Chocobo will be born. The higher the rank of the mating Good Chocobos, the higher the percentage of a Mountain or river Chocobo being born. Once either a male or female Mountain or River Chocobo is born, you should save your game again, since you need the opposite sex and race of that Chocobo in order to make a Mountain-River Chocobo.

Example: If the result was a male Mountain Chocobo, then you need a female River Chocobo which would be later used to mate and breed a Mountain-River Chocobo.

Also keep in mind that once you mate two Chocobos, you need to let them rest awhile before mating them again. During that time, you should go to the Gold Saucer and race the newborn until it is at least rank B.

Once you have both a Mountain and River Chocobo of opposite sexes - and both at least in rank B - only then are you ready to breed a Mountain-River Chocobo. Just mate your Chocobo's with another Karab seed and you will get a black Mountain-River Chocobo. It's better if you save your game before mating them since, once again, the result is not guaranteed. The Mountain-River Chocobos are capable of climbing mountains and walking through rivers. Since you have to wait again before breeding an Ocean Chocobo, you should use this spare time to travel around the world on the Chocobo to seek out all possible hidden treasures.

First you need to capture a "Very Good" Chocobo and race it, and the black Mountain-River Chocobo, until it is in rank S. Then you need only mate them with the Zaeo seed to get a newborn Ocean Chocobo. Save your game before mating the Chocobo. The Ocean Chocobo is capable of travelling anywhere in the world. There are select areas that you cannot reach without an Ocean Chocobo, such as round Island located in the Northeast part of the world. Since the Ocean Chocobo is the fastest, you can now easily beat the competition in all of the Chocobo races.

The more you feed a Chocobo, the stronger it becomes. The best plant you can feed a Chocobo is the Silcus plant, which can be purchased from the Chocobo Sennine. You need only feed a Chocobo five Silcus plants, at most. Since these plants are usually very expensive, you would be wise to sell one Master Zentaika Materia, which will get you more than enough money to buy 99 of these plants. With that many plants, you can go and feed every Chocobo you have until they are all maxed-out. Since you will no longer be in need of any Zentaika Materia once you obtain the All Zentaika Materia, it's well worth the extra effort.

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In your first major battle, have Cloud use his Bolt Magic, while Barett uses his standard attack. After sustaining a predetermined amount of damage, the Guard Scorpion will raise its tail. At this point, Cloud will tell Barett about the Guard Scorpion's tail laser. While the arthropod has its tail raised, do not attack. Use this opportunity to heal both Cloud and Barett. The Guard Scorpion will not attack with its tail laser if it isn't provoked while it's tail is raised. Once the tail lowers, resume your attack. Upon the Guard Scorpion's defeat, do not forget to equip Barett with the Assault Gun.

Simply because the Air Buster is surrounded by your party doesn't mean this battle will be any easier for you. The Air Buster will turn and retailiate against anyone who tries to attack it. With this in mind, distract the Air Buster by attacking it with a healthy character; use this time to heal anyone low on health. Have Cloud use the Bolt Attack - Barett will attack with his normal and Limit Attacks. Have Tifa alternatte between healing her cohorts and using regular attacks. This battle is easy if you know how to expolit the Air Buster's weakness.

As it turns out, the Wave Attack performed by this enemy is almost helpful to you. When attacking, Apse harms itself more than it harms your party. Keep your hit points up by using Aeris to heal your party in case Apse performs a Reverse Wave. The Reverse Wave is the only attack from apse which inflicts more damage to members of your party than to itself. Unload lots of magic against this boss.

Beware! Reno may look like a wimp, but this foe has what it takes to beat you down like there's no tomorrow. When he uses his Pyramid Magic on one of your characters, use a free character to attack the pyramid; this releases the recipient. Use Ice Magic and use Limit Attacks as soon as they become available. Pay close attention to your health meter during this battle to make sure it doesn’t dip too low.

Don't waste time on the smaller sample, h0512-opt. They are nothing more than a distraction. Concentrate on attacking the larger Sample, h0512. Have Cloud use Ice Magic while Red XIII uses the Fire Magic. Barett is the recommended third member of your party, since he causes serious damage with his Limit Attack.

Only long-range attacks work against these two bosses. Make sure that each member of your party has some type of offensive magic to use against them. When fighting the 100 Gunner, do not use Poison Magic - it will not affect it in any way. Instead, use Bolt Magic to attack and Heal magic to heal members of your party. If at all possible, save the Limit Attack for the Heli Gunner, who will appear after the 100 Gunner goes down. Once the Heli Gunner appears, unload your stock of Limit Attacks, then use Bolt Attacks in addition to healing your characters.

Cloud is all you need to defeat this not-so-dynamic duo. As long as Cloud has Heal and Poison Materia, everything will go well. Kill Dark Nation before it gets the chance to use Magic Shield on Rufus. Use Poison Magic then finish the job with standard attacks (to conserve your Magic Points). Once dark nation is dead and gone, concentrate on Rufus. Use the Poison Magic until it's depleted, then defend while letting your Limit gauge fill to maximum. Once it's filled, heal first, then unload with your Limit Attack. After several turns, Rufus will run away.

This cowardly reject from The Transformers attacks from behind before the battle even starts! Aside from it's Flame-thrower and Rolling Fire attacks, Motor ball is relatively weak. Have Cloud and Barett use Bolt and Ice Magic, respectively. As always, most of Aeris turns should be used to heal the party.

The most efficient way to defeat the Bottom Swell is to have Cloud use the Poison Magic first, then have Barett follow with the Ice Magic. Have Aeris heal any character who needs it. Once the boss casts a Hit Point-reducing bubble over one of the characters, free that character by attacking the bubble with any offensive magic (the magic will not harm the character while they're inside the bubble). Near the end of the battle, make sure at least one member of the party has a full Hit Point meter since the Bottom Swell will launch one last Wave Attack before it's demise.

When fighting against Jenova-Birth, each member of your party should have - at the very least - one offensive magic attack. Your first attack should be with all your Summon Materia. Follow through with either Fire or Earth Magic. Using Poison Magic is a waste since it has no effect. Remember to keep your Hit Points high; Jenova-Birth uses laseer attacks twice in a row, which could add up to some serious damage. Keep in mind that Jenova is completely capable of stopping you dead in your tracks.

Dain is possibly the easiest boss in the game, next ot Reno & Rudo. Barett must have a Heal Materia. Use regular attacks. You may want to use the Summon Materia for additional damage, but it's not necessary. Keep attacking while healing until the Limit gauge fills up. When the Limit gauge has been filled, unload it on Dain.

Use the Summon Materia at the beginning of the battle to soften them up. Since he can heal both Reno and himself, deal with Rudo first by using Bolt Magic on him. Once Rudo runs away, Reno will follow.

There are two ways of defeating this boss. The first method is as follows; Use the Summon Materia at the beginning of the battle. Then follow it with the Bolt Magic, while healing. Once the Limit gauge is filled, use the Limit Attack. The second method is much easier than the first. All you have to do is use the X-Potion one or tow times on Gi natatak and you'll kill it almost immediately.

When fighting Lost Number, remember not to use any Fire Magic or attacks. If you do, you will raise Lost Number's total Hit Points. The proper method is to use the Ramuh Materia and Poison Magic to weaken his defenses. Then follow with normal attacks while healing characters who are in need of attention. Use the Limit Attack whenever it becomes available. Also, if you've acquired the Haste Magic at this point, now's the time to use it. Equip the Learning Materia to learn the Delta Attack.

Since this battle may be particularly difficult, it is recommended to use the save point in front of the boss before engaging in battle. The best way to approach this is to use the Summoning Materia first, then use normal attacks until your Limit gauge fills up. Keep your Hit Points up, since the Materia Keeper causes tons of damage. Also, keep the Learning Materia with your party to learn the Train Attack.

Palmer looks like a wuss, but his gun is able to dish out some big time damage. The best way to approach him is to use normal attacks until the Limit gauge fills up. Son't forget to heal, since Palmer's attacks tend to surprise you with the damage they cause. The best partners in this situation are Red XIII and Vincent due to their power and Limit Attacks.

In order to defeat this winged beast, defend while using X-Potions, since you don't have any Materia at this time. The best combination is Aeris and Vincent. Once Vincent's Limit fills up, use it immediately; he's much more useful in that form. Also use Aeris Healing Limit to heal your party.

These dragons are up there with Dain and Rudo/Reno as the easiest bosses in the game. All you need to do is use Summon Materia to defeat them.

When fighting the Red Dragon, you could use the Summon Materia, however, this will drag the battle out far too long. Defend or use normal attacks until the Limit Gauge fills up. The best character to have in this battle is Red XIII, because of his Haste Limit and his attack power. Don't forget to pick up the Bahamut Materia; you'll need it for the next battle.

For best results, the first thing anyone should do here is use the Bahamut and Odin Materia. Then attack using normal attacks. Be extra cautious - most of Demon Gate's attacks deplete half of your Hit Points. At the same time, however, this means your Limit Gauge will go up twice as fast. Don't forget to equip the Counter Materia on Cloud.

This Jenova looks a lot like the last one on the Shin-Ra boat, however this one is much more difficult. Start off by using the Bahamut Materia and follow it with the Meteor Magic. Other magic does not work well against Jenova-Life, so focus by using the Meteor Magic and normal attacks.

When fighting this two-headed beast, remember not to use Fire or Ice Attacks. Concentrate on using Bolt Magic as well as Bahamut and Titan Materia. It is also wise to have Vincent with you. By now, he should be able to use his Level 2 Limit Attack. Keep in mind that Twin Head uses it's lightening-based attack after each head is defeated, so keep your hit points up at all times.

The best way to get this battle started is to use Summoning Materia first (sepecially Bahamut). Then follow it up with Ice Magic, which works well. Do not use Poison Magic, though, since it does not affect it. Afterwards, use regular attacks, since Jenova-Death can Mute your characters. Just make sure you have enough healing items, especially X-Potions.

Since Yuffie is fighting this boss all by herself, equip her with certain Materia before the battle. Make sure you equip her with the Time and Learning Materia, in addition to as much Summoning Materia as you can get your hands on. Finally, equip the Ribbon to keep her from being handicapped. Start this battle off by using Haste Magic on yourself, then follow with Materia attacks. Once you've used up all your Materia, use the Vader Attack on Gordo and say goodbye!

This is the boss you encounter if you fail to defend Condor Tower during the simulation part of the game. This boss is fairly easy; just use Haste Magic on everyone in your party, then use Comet and Ice Magic to destroy it. Most players will likely end up finishing the entire game without ever having to face Grand Horn.

A challenging enemy to defeat - or rather, scare away. The trick here is to use Haste on your characters, then use as much Summoning Materia as possible…all the while healing yourself. Lightening and Ice Magic work well, too. After a few rounds, Ultima Weapon will fly away. The bummer is that you gain nothing from this battle.

This boss is composed of three parts: The body, a right arm, and a left arm. Since Carry Armor can grab your characters, immediately go after one of it's arms. Any Bahamut Summoning Materia works well here. Follow it up with a Fire/Ice Magic combination. Have your Phoenix Summoning Materia ready in case you need to revive dead characters while attacking. Just remember not to use Poison Magic - it will not affect Carry Armor in the slightest.

Just like the last time, attack Rudo first. Use Poison first, then follow it up with Summoning Materia and Limit Attacks. Once Rudo runs away, use regular attacks on Reno.

Two easy victories over Reno and Rudo. Well, get ready; Elena has joined the team to make things real difficult. Although players can elect not to fight, most do under the assumption that it will be just another easy battle. The best method? Use Haste, then Poison on all three of them. Use Hades Materia, Leviathan and all Bahamut's at your disposal. Afterwards, use regular attacks on Rudo, while keeping your character's HP up. Have the Phoenix Materia ready in case any of your characters die. We strongly recommend not fighting this trio.

This boss has 2 parts: A head and a body. Use Barrier Magic first, Haste Magic second, then unload with Summoning Materia. Use your Limit Attacks whenver possible. When the boss is on its knees, heal before it unleashes its cannon. Continue the attack and maintain a healthy party.

Yup; this is the same person you've been seeing throughout the entire game, and now you have the opportunity to destroy him. As it turns out, Professor is actually Sephiroth's father. When fighting him in his first form, use Haste, then use the Summoning Materia's. Although you shouldn't have time to heal, since he doesn't physically attack, he does conjure up a few monsters to fight for him. As long as you use Materia, he shouldn't be a problem.

In his second form, the Professor will begin to attack, but don't worry; simply use Summoning Materia while implementing normal attacks. You may need to heal during this battle, though, so make sure all of your characters have the Healing Materia with them before this battle begins. Have Cloud hold onto the Phoenix Materia in the event someone dies.

This weird-looking thing is deceptively easy to beat. The only downside is that the Professor will use a combo which takes off about 500 HP. Overall, this formation is easier than the last one.

Focus on staying healthy, because you're going to have to chase this thing around quite a bit. Be aware that if you stop to heal, you may lose it. Have the Phoenix Materia ready, but use the other Summoning Materia first. Ultima Weapon will run away the first few hits. Chase it with Highwind and keep nailing it. You will get pushed back, but after a few hits, it will fly off and go back to a stationary postion. Hit it again. Keep repeating this procedure until you finally corner it in Cosmo Canyon.

First, use Haste and Barrier Magic on your party. Next, unload the Summoning Materia. Follow through with Comet and Ultima Magic. Keep healing and use Limit Attacks as soon as they're available. Once it starts counting down form five, you have exactly five rounds to kill it before it uses the Ultima Magic on your party.

Prepare yourself, because it takes two parties to defeat Reverse Sephiroth. The best thing to do is equip all of your powerful Summoning Materia into one party, then transfer the Throw/Coin Toss Materia to the other party. Alternate attacks, because when one of his 5 body parts are destroyed, you get to change the party you're using. First, use the Coin Toss to take out most of its body parts at once. Then switch to the other party, and unleash a barrage of Summoning Materia - one after the other. Eventually, one of the sides will be completely wiped out, giving you a chance to concentrate on the opposite side. This is a long fight, so be patient.

This is the big one. First, be sure to use Haste and Magic Barrier on your characters. Continue to keep up the Magic Barier while fighting. If you don't, Savior could very well wipe you out with just a few hits. Use Materia while healing. Try not to use the X-Potion too much, since Sephiroth can possibly confuse you and make you heal him. In other words, using the X-Potion could mean starting your attack all over again. Also, if you have any significant amount of gold left, use the Coin Toss. Finally, make sure the strongest character is equipped with the Phoenix Materia just in cast that fighter can use it to bring everyone else back to life.

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Here's hoping you make it to your last battle with a party having experience levels in the mid-to-high-60s. the last three enemies will test your patience and require quick thinking to overcome. Try to maintain a battle plan three steps ahead of yourself. After the hour-long battle is over (it may take longer), sit down, turn up the volume and prepare for the most stunning computer-rendered ending ever produced for a Role Playing Game - quite possibly any genre, for that matter. The ending is so massive, that it occupies practically 75% of the third CD in the set (and you wondered what that $28 million was spent on). Enjoy; you deserve it.