Ranking The Best Weapons In Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Highlights
- The Final Fantasy 7 Remake introduces an innovative weapon system that allows players to upgrade and customize their weapons throughout the game.
- The Gatling Gun is the ideal weapon for Barret, as it complements his support role and allows him to deal damage at range while supporting allies.
- Tifa's best weapon, the Feather Gloves, enhances her physical attack and speed, ensuring she is ready for any battlefield scenario.
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake reiterated on a beloved game, revamping it from the ground up. One of the many changes Square Enix made involved the weapon system. Every character in the main game has six to choose from, while Yuffie has four in her own episode.
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Each weapon now has an upgrade system, which helps to build its stats as you grow. Using this innovative mechanic, starting weapons are just as viable as weapons you find in the late game, and they often have more customization along the way. Regardless, some weapons are better than others for building a play style. Here are the very best choices available to players in this RPG classic.
10 Gatling Gun
Barret's starting weapon, much like all other starters, focuses on balance. While other characters can use balanced stats to adapt to combat challenges, the Gatling Gun is especially useful for Barret, as he often fits into a support role as a ranged character. A lot of Barret's abilities have him support allies in ways only he can, such as absorbing damage. The Gatling Gun synergizes with this because it lets him pick up the slack wherever it may be. His abilities can focus on support and dealing damage at range, while Barret himself is a great support caster. The only downside is that you'll have to level it up quite a bit from start to finish.
9 Metal Knuckles
If you're looking to give Tifa the highest attack stat she can get, look no further than the Metal Knuckles. Unlocked in Chapter 5, the Metal Knuckles are the second weapon Tifa can access, so you'll need to upgrade them as you go. They also grant the skill Overpower. The great thing about the Metal Knuckles is they're straightforward and to the punch. At every level, they keep upgrading your attack power, boosting basic attacks and physical abilities. Tifa's speed may fall behind while using these weapons, but the trade-off is worth it when your basic combo's damage output is so high.
8 Silver Staff
The Silver Staff is Aerith's second weapon, and it's easy to get: It can be purchased early in Chapter Eight for Moonless Medals instead of gil. It's great as a direct upgrade from Aerith's starting weapon, as it has higher Magic Attack, and a lot of support abilities for casting offensive spells. It can teach Aerith the Sorcerous Storm skill, which is great for blasting enemies that try to surround her. What's really great about the Silver Staff is its MP management. Not only does it boost the rate Aerith recovers MP naturally, it also reduces the casting cost of attack and healing spells. Her damage spell-for-spell may not technically be as high as with other staves, but Aerith will be able to cast a lot more high-cost spells.
7 Purple Pain
While other Knuckles play into Tifa's strengths, Purple Pain (found in the Shinra HQ in Chapter 16) alleviates one of her shortcomings. Tifa's health pool is a little on the shallow side, so these gloves are meant to add to it. Its attack numbers are lower than most of Tifa's gloves, but Purple Pain doesn't suffer for it. These gloves increase your crit rate and crit damage for both abilities and basic attacks.
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Tifa is agile, but not all attacks can be avoided. No matter how you move, sometimes you're going to get hit. If you know you'll need Tifa to be sturdy, equipping Purple Pain may be the answer. With its critical hit ability, you may find yourself dealing much more damage than your raw stats would suggest.
6 Big Bertha
Big Bertha is Barret's strongest ranged weapon, and it has a great alternate fire to periodically unload the weapon at his enemies. Barret's melee weapons may have higher attack, but they're slow and clunky. Using Big Bertha, Barret's damage output is consistently higher, since he doesn't have to chase enemies around. The weapon also boosts his already great health pool, to keep him in the fight longer than anyone else. Thanks to these two qualities, Barret can become a good tank for the party, since he can take the hits and still be able to retaliate. Using utility and healing materia with Big Bertha ensures Barret continues supporting his team even as his health dwindles. When using this gun, he gets higher Defense and boosted healing when injured. It can be purchased at Sector 7's weapon shop in Chapter 13.
5 Buster Sword
Contrary to the original game, the legendary Cloud's iconic Buster Sword isn't something immediately tossed away when you find a replacement. While its starting starts are rather weak, as you would expect, the upgrade system helps it keep pace with late game options. Its drawback is that its quite basic in its abilities. The Buster Sword is Cloud's most well-rounded weapon. His physical and magical stats are both good enough to allow any playstyle. By its final level, it can boost your Limit Break damage. With everything considered, the Buster Sword is a great weapon to use to help you find your playstyle, and it remains relevant throughout.
4 Boomerang
Yuffie is a unique character in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, in that she can switch her basic attacks from physical to magical at the push of a button. The Boomerang is her weapon with the highest Magic Attack, but its stat spread doesn't weaken her physical attributes that much. In most cases, enemies will have a weakness to an element, and it will require magical attacks to take advantage of this.
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The Boomerang also grants the Brutal Form skill, a dodge that refills your Action Gauge when used correctly. This move becomes an essential part of Yuffie's kit, since she doesn't take hits that well with her low HP and you can't switch characters in her episode. The Boomerang is all but essential for keeping her alive and mobile. It's first found in Chapter 1 of Yuffie's adventure, in the clinic in the slums.
3 Twin Stinger
The Twin Stinger, found in Hojo's Laboratory in Chapter 17, is all about building Cloud towards complete self-sufficiency. Its stats are evenly balanced between magical and physical output, but are a bit on the lower side. Since it starts with four materia slots and abilities to enhance elemental damage, you're geared to cast a lot of spells. Your magic attacks won't be anything special, but with all four elements, you can attack any weakness. At later levels, the Twin Stinger also decreases the mana cost of healing spells, while giving you the materia slots to add them to your arsenal. In case Cloud goes down, one the sword's final abilities gives him one auto-raise per fight.
2 Feather Gloves
Powerhouse Tifa Lockhart's Feather Gloves play into her strengths by focusing on her physical attack and her Speed. Boosting her Attack, naturally, makes her deal more damage, but Speed increases the rate at which her action bar fills. The faster it fills, the more often you can use high damaging attacks. One such attack is Star Shower: a flashy multi-hit combo given by the Feather Gloves themselves. The gloves also give some decent Magic Attack for when you need to cast a curative spell or exploit an enemy's weakness. As weapons go, Feather Gloves are Tifa's best, ensuring she's ready for any battlefield scenario. They're hidden in a chest beneath a sluice in the Sewer System in Chapter 10.
1 Mythril Rod
Aerith is a mage through and through, and her best weapon, the Mythril Rod, helps her reach her fullest potential. The Mythril Rod focuses on magical assaults to the fullest. At its max level, it boosts Aerith's Magic Attack by 164. This beats the next highest weapon by more than 20 points. Its special move, the Ray of Judgement, is equally strong, as it fires a beam of non-elemental magic to deal consecutive hits on a single enemy. Since Aerith hits so hard with this staff, it also reduces how much healing she needs by healing her every time she defeats an enemy. Traditionally, Aerith is considered a supportive character, but she can be a true powerhouse with this weapon equipped. Pick it up in Chapter 11's Train Graveyard.
