<!--StartFragment-->*WARNING: THIS SECTION OF THE FAQ CONTAINS NUMEROUS SPOILERS*


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: [Quick Guide]  <^WK>

In your first time through the game, I'm sure there were some parts that
stumped you, if you weren't reading an FAQ, or course. This part of the guide
will help you get out of dead ends in the game, and to get you back on track.
Also, this guide will help you in making decisions as the plot progresses. This
is kinda like a quick walkthrough on some more obvious parts of the game, but
it really isn't, because it is not step-by-step. Don't worry, any spoilers are
already marked to warn you.

- Disc One -

Midgar, Sector 1 Reactor - Scorpion Duel  <^1-A>

The Guard Scorpion boss is really easy, as it is the first boss of the game.
It's weakness is your lightning, so use that Bolt spell you came equipped with.
Use Limit Breaks as often as possible. If you have learned Cross-Slash or
anything higher, then good for you, but it really isn't necessary. Don't worry
about it's Search Scope attack, it doesn't do any damage. That attack only
tells you which character it is going to attack next. The only thing to watch
out for is when the boss raises its tail up. Cloud will warn you of this by
telling you not to attack while it's up, as it will counter with it's Tail
Laser attack, which can be really damaging. It only has 800 HP, so it should
fall pretty quick. You win an Assault Gun (weapon for Barret) from it.

Midgar, Sector 5 Reactor - Beat the Air Buster!  <^1-B>

This battle is really advantageous, since you have two sides in which to attack
the boss. Plus, it has a very obvious weakness: Lightning. Use Bolt (or Bolt2,
if you have it) more often than physical attacks for now. Use Limit Breaks when
you have the chance (Tifa's Limit Break chain comes in handy in this fight).
The Air Buster will use a machine gun counter-attack move when hit from behind.
It also has a very annoying Big Bomber attack, which can really disrupt your
rhythm if you don't cure fast. When it DOES use this move, your Limit Break
bars will most likely be maxed, so unleash your own counter-attack wave. The
main key to this fight is distraction, as it draws attention away from ailing
party members, and gives them time to heal themselves. It has 1200 HP, so
don't stop your attack pattern until the boss stops working. The prize for this
fight is a Titan Bangle.

Midgar, Wall Market - Choosing Don Corneo's Date  <^1-C>

If you want Cloud to be chosen, you need all the best items for the disguise.
Here's how to get them:

- From the entrance to Wall Market, go right one screen (on the lower-right) to
  see the Honeybee Inn. Talk to the fat gray-haired guard and ask where Tifa
  is. He tells you that she is at Don Corneo's mansion.
- Go back to Wall Market, and head up two screens through the mansion entrance.
  Talk to the guard here, and he says that the Don is only interested in girls,
  so Aeris tells you secretly to dress up as one.
- Go back down two screens, then enter the shop with the clothes racks outside.
  Talk to the clerk in the counter. You find out about her father, and his
  drinking problem.
- Go back up one screen, and enter a door to the left, which leads to a bar.
  Talk to the man sitting close to the exit alone. He is actually the drunk
  father of the clerk at the clothes shop. When Aeris tells him of your plan,
  he immediately accepts the job, and interrogates you about the design. Choose
  the answers in these orders to get specific dresses:

  2-2 = Silk Dress (Best)
  2-1 = Satin Dress (Still not good...)
  1-1/2 = Cotton Dress (Worst)

- After Cloud tries it on in the fitting room, go up one screen, and talk to
  the small person near the ring (Big Bro). You must choose to challenge
  someone in a squatting match. When you have understood the rules explained,
  and the actual match starts, just press the Square, X and O burrons in order,
  rapidly. Do this with equal timing between all three. You cannot go so fast,
  as Cloud will stop and rest, wasting valuable time. Occasionally, your
  opponent will take a break, so take those chances to get a high lead. There
  are three possible results, and 3 types of wigs:

  Cloud Wins = Blonde Wig (Best)
  Draw = Dyed Wig (Still not good...)
  Cloud Loses = Wig (Worst)

- Go back out of the gym, and down one screen. Go to the upper-right door in
  the screen to enter the Materia store. The guy in the counter is curious
  about the drink they sell at the inn, and he asks you to buy him one. Agree,
  then spend a night at the Inn (lower-left door). In the middle of the night
  Cloud wakes up, and you have to buy a drink from the vending machine. After
  your sleep, head out and back into the Materia store. There are once again
  three drinks, and 3 items the Materia seller can give:

  Item 200 Gil = Diamond Tiara (Best)
  Item 100 Gil = Ruby Tiara (Still not good...)
  Item 50 Gil = Glass Tiara (Worst)

- Leave the Materia store, and enter the long, narrow hut in the middle of the
  screen, which is a restaurant. Order any food item you want. After eating,
  say that the food was all right, and you'll receive a Pharmacy Coupon. Leave
  the store, then go to the shop shaped like a giant cat. Talk to the guy at
  the counter, and present your Pharmacy Coupon. He will offer three choices:

  Disinfectant (Worst)
  Deodorant (Still not good...)
  Digestive (Best)

- Leave the pharmacy, then head back to the bar. Walk over to the stage area,
  then open the door near here to reveal a woman in the bathroom. Give her the
  item you received from the pharmacy to receive one of 3 items for the
  disguise:

  Disinfectant = Cologne (Worst)
  Deodorant = Flower Cologne (Still not good...)
  Digestive = Sexy Cologne (Best)

- When out of the bar, go back down one screen, then notice the fat man in a
  vest walking in the lower-right corner of the screen. Talk to him, and he'll
  give you the Membership Card. This allows you to enter the Honeybee Inn. Go
  then, and talk to the guard. When he sees the card, he'll let you in
  immediately. Aeris will stay behind outside. When inside, choose to stay in
  either the top-left or bottom-left rooms. Play out the events as they happen
  in any of the 2 rooms. The items you may receive are:

  Upper-Left Room = Lingerie (Best)
  Lower-Left room = Bikini Briefs (Best)

- Go to the lower-left room, talk to one of the girls there, and she will put
  make-up on you.
- OK, now for the last and most important item. Get out of the Honeybee Inn,
  and head left one screen. Go back to the clothes shop, and put on your dress.
  Aeris gets a new dress as well.
- Go back to Don Corneo's mansion, and the guard will lead you in. Another
  person is in the main hall. He instructs you to wait for him to return, and
  leaves. Go through the lower-left door and down the stairs. Tifa will be
  there, dressed in odd-looking clothes as well.
- Play the events as they come, until the man in the counter leads you all to
  Don Corneo's room, where he chooses one girl to be his date for the night. If
  you have all the best items, he'll pick Cloud (gross-ness!!!!). If you have
  all the best required items, and the Lingerie/Bikini Briefs, but missed at
  least one of the best items among the optional acessories, he will pick
  Aeris. Lastly, he will pick Tifa if you did really bad and got mostly the
  worst items.

Midgar, Sewers - Defeat Aps!  <^1-D>

This boss is one of the most ridiculous I've ever seen! It has 2 attacks that
actually deal damage to itself! So, while you're busy healing or attacking, Aps
will be attacking and be doing extra damage to itself as well! Anyway, this
boss also has a weakness against fire-based damage, so use Fire and Fire2.
Again, Limit Breaks come in handy. This time, however, Aeris' Healing Wind is
the most useful (for that extra boost of HP). As I have said earlier, it has 2
attacks that damage itself, namely the Sewer Tsunami and the Reverse Sewer
Tsunami. The first attack does more daamge to the boss and less to our party,
whereas the second attack deals more to you than to the boss. If you learned it
already (but I doubt you did if this is your first time), Cloud's Blade Beam is
a major damage factor in this fight. You will receive a Phoenix Down after
depleting all of Aps' 1800 HP and winning the battle.

Midgar, Sector 7 Pillar - Reno/Pyramid Strategy  <^1-E>

Those pyramids that Reno dishes out to trap characters is pretty annoying. If
you've played this game before, you would know how to remove them, but just in
case, I'll tell you how. It would help if you pressed the Select button first
to see the target name. Launch a single physical attack at a Pyramid (check the
target name to make sure you don't attack a fellow character). The pyramid
should then disappear, and the affected character can then play turns as he
normally would. As for defeating Reno himself, he's not much of a challenge, so
keep using your best magic spells on him until you deplete his 1000 HP. If your
physical attacks do enough damage, then use them instead to save on MP, which
in turn could be used for extra castings of Cure, if needed.

Midgar, Wall Market - Climbing the Long Wire  <^1-F>

There are 3 points here where there are unpowered machines that have a box near
them. Before climbing the wire, make sure to buy 3 Batteries from the Machine &
Gun Shop in the Wall Market (300 Gil total). Use these batteries to activate
machines, which allow you to continue upward. The third one opens a box
containing an Ether.Also in your way, is a swinging pipe. The trick to jumping
on it is to listen to the screeching sound. When the sound reaches its peak,
press the O button to jump off and into the pipe.

Midgar, Shinra Building - To go, or not to go?  <^1-G>

Whomever's path you take (Tifa's or Barret's) will not affect actual gameplay,
but it will affect who will become your date during the Gold Saucer/Keystone
events later.

Midgar, Shinra Building - A Few Neat Items  <^1-H>

You can steal a Hardedge from the SOLDIER:3rd enemies in the 67th and 68th
floors. You can steal Carbon Bangles from the Moth Slasher enemies in the 67th
and 68th floors. You can morph the Sword Dance enemies on the 65th floor into
Light Curtains (casts Barrier on one ally).

Imagine having Barrier at this point of the game ^_^

Midgar, Shinra Building - Coupon Maze  <^1-I>

To get all 3 item coupons in the 63rd floor, follow these directions:

- After accessing the computer, go out the door, head right, then up, then left
  at the very top.
- Open the first door you bump into in the top row of doors.
- Open another door to your left, then head down, right, and into the room with
  Coupon A.
- Climb in the ventilation duct, then head for the middle room, where Coupon B
  lies.
- Grab the 2nd coupon, then head out the door.
- Open the door to the right which is blocking the entrance to Coupon C.
- Enter the room with the 3rd coupon, then grab it.
- Head back to the 2nd coupon room, and enter the ventilation duct again.
- Take the other path which heads to the computer room.
- Exchange your 3 coupons for the following prizes:

    - Coupon A: Star Pendant
    - Coupon B: Four Slots
    - Coupon C: All Materia

Midgar, Shinra Building - Midgar Model Puzzle  <^1-J>

The Midgar model on the 65th floor is incomplete. It has 5 parts missing on the
sides, and each of these parts are contained within the various treasure chests
in this floor. There is a proper order required to open all the chests. The
required order of chests you must open are:

- Lower chest in the upper-left room, then place it on any incomplete side of
  the Midgar model.
- Upper chest in the upper-left room, then do the same by placing it on the
  Midgar model.
- Left chest in the lower-left room, then do the same.
- Upper chest in the lower-left room, then do the same.
- The single chest in the upper-right room, then do the same.
- The chest near the staircase contains the Keycard 66, which allows you to
  advance to the next floor.

Midgar, Shinra Building - Beat the Lab Experiment!  <^1-K>

The boss in this fight is Hojo's Sample:HO512, and its Sample:HO512-OPT
small-fry. For the first time, you are battling a boss without a specific
weakness, so you'll have to get used to randomizing your attack pattern, or
using various other spells, such as the Ice spells. You'll really have to watch
out for this guy's poison attacks. Make sure you have the Star Pendant you won
earlier (63rd floor item coupon A). Just focus all your attack on the big guy,
and just ignore the small ones, as they are merely distractions, and the boss
can create more to replace those killed. Also, you'll have to get used to Red
XIII in this fight, since this will be your first time with him. This boss has
only 1000 HP, but is harder than the likes of the Aps or the Air Buster. You'll
win a Talisman from this boss, as well as a number of Grenades equal to the
number of OPT enemies you killed. Good luck, and keep those Antidotes handy!

Midgar, Shinra Building - Trouble at the Elevator!  <^1-L>

When you board the glass-tubed elevator assign your secondary party (after
leaving Cloud with Rufus), and you will be attacked by a large, machine-gun
toting machine. This is the first of a series of 2 bosses you will have to
fight in this battle. The first one, which breaks the glass, is the Hundred
Gunner (1600 HP). Get rid of that Poison Materia, as it will be of no use in
this fight. Instead, use those Bolt spells (Bolt2, if learned). Like in your
first 2 boss fights, this boss is made of metal and is hence weak against
lightning-based attacks. Only Barret will be able to attack physically, because
the boss is very far away. Aeris' Healing Wind break is very useful, especially
after the boss uses its Main Artillery attack (is that the exact name?? totally
forgot...). Use Barret's Big Shot whenever possible. Red's Sled Fang break will
still hit the boss, as it counts as a long-range attack. As your attacks
continue, the boss' attack patterns will gradually change. After defeating all
its forms, don't expect the battle to be over. This boss will be demolished,
and will be replaced by yet another boss! This newcomer is the Heli Gunner
(1000 HP). As you can see, it has less HP, but its attacks damage even more
than its predecessor. Just continue your attack pattern from the last boss, and
make good use of Aeris' Healing Wind and you should be fine. As I have found,
the best way to use it most effectively is by equipping Aeris will the least
amount of Materia possible (to save on Max HP), and equipping her with the
Cover Materia (LV3 at least for a good effect). Her Limit Break bar fills
really fast with the boss' strong attacks, and she doesn't need to cure that
often (more Max HP). You get a Mythril Armlet after the battle. Be sure to
fully equip Cloud with his Materia after this fight, because up next is...

Midgar, Shinra Building - Cloud VS Rufus  <^1-M>

This is not a one on one fight, as you may expect. It is rather a 2 on 1 fight,
as Rufus brings his pet panther (Dark Nation, 140 HP) for the fight. Rufus
himself is fairly capable of himself, and is bad enough without his pet casting
Barrier on him. Since it's Barrier, then now's your chance to test out your
Poison Materia. Use Bio, along with your best spells. The poison status on him,
and the little extra damage you do each turn is very effective and time saving.
Use Cure or Potions only when necessary, as you waste one turn of attacking.
Defeating Rufus alone will ensure victory, but Ipersonally like defeating the
panther first, to make it one on one. Rufus' Shotgun attack is not at all
dangerous (more like pathetic), so show him what you, a supposedly failed
experiment, can do. Once he is defeated, he will escape via helicopter (damn!),
and you get a Protect Vest and a Guard Source.

Midgar - Highway Rush!  <^1-N>

The controls for this mini-game chase sequence are the following:

Sq.   -  Slash left
O     -  Slash right
Tri.  -  Menu
X     -  Switch party members
Start -  Resume Game

Before playing, be sure to switch the rows of your party members (front row
goes to back row, and vice versa), and equip Elemental + Lightning on Cloud's
weapon. Also have Aeris in your party if you want a good healer, and have every
character in your battle party have a Lightning Materia equipped. You'll have
to protect the truck from the Shinra soldiers on motorbikes. Have Cloud slash
in the direction of the enemy (left or right). There are 2 kinds of enemies,
but they fight much the same way. Be very cautious about your HP's in this
sequence, because it will affect your next boss encounter at the end of the
highway...

Midgar - Defeat the Motor Ball!  <^1-O>

This boss is really cheap. Not only do you start with less HP (due to the bike
chase event), but the boss also gets a free sneak attack on all party members!
Your first objective must be to restore the party to full health. This boss is
once again weak against lightning, so make full use of those Bolt spells!
Cloud's Cross-Slash (or anything higher at this point) will be really powerful
if you stole a Hardedge earlier (see above). And again, it is critical to have
Aeris in your party, so you have a more than able healer to support your party.
Do not use Bio for this fight, as it is useless against mechanical enemies. If
you're disoriented by your weird position, then use the "Change" command to
switch from the front to back row. This boss has 2600 HP, which is the highest
you've encountered so far. Just keep using those Bolt spells and you'll do
fine. It would be best to have purchased 2 additional Lightning Materia
earlier, so everyone would get a chance to attack effectively. The prize for
winning this battle is a Star Pendant.

Midgar Area - Stealing Items  <^1-P>

Steal, Custom Sweeper = Atomic Scissors (Weapon for Barret)
Morph, Custom Sweper = X-Potion (Restores all HP of one ally)
Steal, Kalm Fang = Ether (Restores 100 MP of one ally)

- You can also steal Hi Potions from the Devil Ride enemies in the same area.

Kalm Town - A Few Free Items  <^1-Q>

Here's a checklist of items you can find around town, and where to get them:

3 Ether
    - Door under stairway in the house to the right of the Inn.
    - Cabinet on 2nd floor in the house 2nd to the right from the Inn.
    - Door in 1st floor in the house of the Kalm traveler (house to the right
      of the shops).
1 Guard Source - Cabinet on 2nd floor (1st staircase) of the house 3rd to the
                 right of the Inn.
1 Megalixir - Cabinet on 2nd floor of the Inn (examine it repeatedly to knock
              it down).
1 Peacemaker - Chest in the 2nd floor (spiral staircase) of the house 3rd to
               the right of the Inn.

Chocobo Farm - Getting the Choco/Mog Materia  <^1-R>

Talk to the Chocobo nearest the entrance of the farm, and choose option one.
You'll be treated to a short Chocobo dance sequence. The Choco/Mog Materia is
then given by the Chocobo after the performance.

Grasslands Area - Catching a Chocobo  <^1-S>

To encounter Chocobo battles, you must have the Chocobo Lure Materia equipped
on one character (get it from Choco Billy in the Chocobo Farm). Walk around the
Chocobo tracks near the farm until you encounter a fight. If the battle music
is the usual theme, then try again. The battle music should be a kind of
cheery, Chocobo-ish theme. Once you DO encounter one, you must kill all the
enemies guarding it without the Chocobo itself escaping. To make it hang around
longer, you must feed it some greens, which can be bought from Choco Billy in
the stables. I've found that greens best suited for the job are Tantal Greens.
The Chocobo often stays longer with these (they only cost 400 Gil). The Mimett
Greens may cost the most (1500 Gil), but the Chocobo often stays not longer
than one turn after eating it up at once (wasting you a ton of Gil). After
defeating all the enemies (except the Chocobo itself, of course), a message
saying "You caught a Chocobo!" will appear, asssuming the Chocobo is still
there. After the fight, you will find yourself riding the Chocobo. You cannot
encounter random battles while riding one. Do not dismount until you're done
with it, as it will run away and you'll have to catch another one all over
again. Now you can cross the swamp without getting attacked by the Midgar
Zolom! If you bump into it though, you will still have to battle it.

Marsh Area - Beat Midgar Zolom, learn Beta in Disc One  <^1-T>

Just have one character with a LV2+ Elemental Materia (from the 62nd Flr.,
Shinra Bldg.) paired to a Fire Materia, both equipped on the character's armor.
Also have that same character equip an Enemy-Skill Materia (from the 67th Flr.,
Shinra Bldg.). Steal at least one Graviball from the Deenglow enemies in the
Train Graveyard for use in the fight. But of course, two or more will be much
better (as it casts Demi). Use it on Zolom as a first attack, and a couple more
if you have them, then just let Cloud pound on the boss with Climhazzard or
Blade Beam (or Cross-Slash if you haven't learned them yet). Using the Bio
spell and poisoning the boss will greatly increase the amount of damage you do
each turn. After a while, Midgar Zolom will eliminate a character from the
battle. If it removes the character with the Elemental+Fire/Enemy-Skill Materia
orbs, reset and try again. Try not to make that chracter attack much (so don't
let it be Cloud), because Midgar Zolom removes the character who is the most
threatening to it. After eliminating one character, it will use the Beta spell
after a while. The other character would most probably die, but the other one
will be unaffected because of the Elemental Materia. Now, just use your best
magic and finish Zolom off. Stealing a Hardedge for Cloud from the SOLDIER:3RD
enemies in the Shinra Bldg., as well as Atomic Scissors for Barret from the
Custom Sweepers outside Midgar will also help greatly in terms of added damage.

Fort Condor - Invasion!!  <^1-U>

This mini game is really easy, but I would recommend losing in the main battle,
so you can fight their commander. Never mind the Magic Comb you were supposed
to get for winning, because you can grab a Vagyrisk Claw from this enemy. Yeah,
all it does is cast 'Petrify' on one enemy, but it's one-of-a-kind! No where
else in the game can you get this item. If you prefer to win, though, then just
build a *lot* of Defenders, and you'll be OK. Just make sure to have a couple
of Shooters in the back to handle the Wyverns.

Junon Town - Bottomswell/Waterpolo Strategy  <^1-V>

This bubble is not unlike Reno's Pyramid attack, but this one constantly drains
HP from the affected character. To break it, cast any magic-damage spell such
as Fire, Ice or Bolt. Don't worry, the affected character will not be damaged
by your spell. The boss itself is weak against Wind-based magic, so use
Choco/Mog as much as possible. Besides that, a simple pummeling with your best
spells (except Earth-based attacks) and Limit Breaks will make short work of
this boss. Bottomswell has a total of 2000 HP. You'll receive a Power Wrist if
you win the battle.

Junon Town - Jumping Dolphins!  <^1-W>

There is an easy way to get on the platform above in just 2 jumps. To achieve
this, just call the dolphin to the spot where you start, and order it to jump.
When you land, stay in that spot and call the dolphin again and jump again.
You should land exactly on the platform.

Junon Town - Marching Parade  <^1-X>

This event could land you a few Potions, Ethers, 5000 Gil, or even a Grenade!
Just move to the back of the platoon when the commanding officer says so, then
get into position, making sure to move your gun when the others do so, to get
higher TV ratings.

Junon Town - Platoon Display  <^1-Y>

In this scene, you and your platoon must impress Rufus by showing him your
facing and gun holding skills. Just follow the commanding officer's commands.
Just remember, any button can be pressed to trigger the special pose. After the
demonstration, you can still control Cloud's actions, although it won't affect
Rufus' mood. The controls to control Cloud are:

X = SOLDIER-like leg posing
Square = Scratch your back with the gun
Triangle = Cloud sighs
Control Pad = Facing

Just follow the commanding officer, then do Cloud's special move at the end,
when the officer orders it. The best you can win here is a Force Stealer for
Cloud. Also at stake are an HP Plus Materia and Silver Glasses.

Shinra Boat - Item Checklist  <^1-Z>

Ok, another item checklist. Here's a list of items you can get from the Shinra
Boat. Don't miss them!

1 Ether = Chest in main room of cargo ship.
1 All Materia = On top of crate in cargo ship (Get it later if Yuffie is in the
                way)
1 Wind Slash = Secure room in the ground floor (Get it after removing your
               disguises)

Shinra Boat - Sephiroth and JENOVA*Birth  <^1-AA>

After the chain of events on the boat (check a full walkthrough for more
detailed information) and getting all the items on the boat, go to the secure
room (previously guarded) to see a guard. Examine the guard and you'll see that
he is dead. You'll then see Sephiroth (??) rise from the floor. He then warps
away and leaves you to battle Jenova*BIRTH. This boss has the same amount of HP
as the Midgar Zolom (4000 HP), but her attacks are less damaging (but often hit
the entire party). Again, do not use the Poison Materia for this fight.
Instead, use your regular spells to attack. The only attack you really have to
watch out for is the Terror Laser attack, which hits all allies. Aeris is very
important for this fight as well, as long as you know how and when to use
Healing Wind effectively. Jenova*BIRTH can also cast Stop on an ally, so be
prepared. Make sure your other party members have All + Restore in case Aeris
gets stopped (so you can still cure injured party members). Use your Choco/Mog
and Shiva summons to deal a lot of damage. If your physical attacks are
damaging enough, then by all means use them to save on MP. After winning,
you'll get a White Cape accessory.

Costa del Sol - Cloud's Villa, Free Stuff!  <^1-AB>

Just a little tip, so you know. In the room above the archway in the second
screen of Costa del Sol is a hotel-type bedroom, kitchen, and bath. You'll see
a man sleeping on the bed. Talk to him and he will offer to sell you the house
and everything in it for the low, low price of 300000 Gil. It has no real
purpose actually, but  it gives you a place where you can sleep for free
permanently. Oh, and you can check the stairway going to the basement. Enter
there and you'll find yet another man sleeping. He'll let you get all the stuff
in the basement for free. Grab here a  Motor Drive (weapon for Tifa), a Power
Source, and a Fire Ring (accessory).

Costa del Sol - Returning to Junon  <^1-AC>

You may always return to the other continent if you want (and you need to in
order to get Aeris' LV4 break manual). All you have to do is to talk to the
sailor near the ship, and he'll offer to sneak you on board for 100 Gil. Enter
the ship and you will sail back to Junon harbor. You may leave Junon at any
time (use the helicopter service to save time).

Mt. Corel - Treasure Nest  <^1-AD>

On the path above the bridge area in the train tracks, there is a part of the
wall that can be climbed up. To find it, just go near the old shack with the
controls to the bridge, then move toward the wall. Press the O button and Cloud
will grab the wall as he would a ladder. Just climb up, and choose to take the
treasure (10 Phoenix Downs). You will then fight a mini-boss in the form of a
Cockatrice. Really easy to kill even at low levels. If your physical attacks do
around 100+ HP damage, then they'll do. If not, then just use your best summons
and it'll fall before you even get warmed up.

Mt. Corel - (Partly) Hidden Area  <^1-AE>

This one comes right after lowering the bridge. Cross the bridge using the
lower path, then follow the tracks until you reach a part where it splits up,
with one track going the opposite direction. Just follow that path all the way
up until the screen fades. In this room, you can get a few items (sources)
before you leave.

Gold Saucer - Cait's Fortune  <^1-AF>

The third fortune Cait Sith gives you tells about you getting what you seek,
but losing something dear. This statement alone gives a LOT of spoilers if you
interpret it right. It's like this:

--- WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD IN NEXT PARAGRAPH (DISC 1) ---

Cloud is seeking revenge against Sephiroth, or, rather, he finds out that
Sephiroth was SUMMONING him...calling him for the failed experiment that he
(Cloud) was. In the end, Cloud finally finds Sephiroth, and, if the player
wins, defeats him in the final battle. However, in the events that progress
before that battle, Aeris dies, and is the "something dear" that the fortune
tells of.

--- END OF SPOILER WARNING ---

This is the ONLY fortune Cait Sith tells that is actually true ("I've never
gotten anything like this before!"). Just so you know ^_^

Desert Prison - Open Treasure Chest, Test Zero  <^1-AG>

In the first area of the Desert Prison, you will see a ladder leading down a
metal tube. At the bottom, there is an open treasure chest. This is another
glitch that Square failed to take out from the Japanese version. This is also
the room where you were supposed to fight Test Zero, an enemy that was
supposed to give a ton of EXP. Too bad it was removed in the US version.

Desert Prison - Dyne VS Barret  <^1-AH>
<!--StartFragment-->Although this is a one-on-one fight, it is not too difficult. Equip either the
Elemental + Fire combo on Barret's armor, or use a Fire Ring/Armlet. Save on MP
and use regular attacks, as you'll need all you can get to cure yourself (equip
a Restore Materia). Use Big Shot often, because you get many chances in this
fight. Actually, using any higher Limit Break will do fine, just as long as you
do not use Mindblow and Hammerblow. Using summons is probably useful if your
attacks are not very damaging. If you do so, then using Hi Potions to cure
would be wiser, so you need not balance MP usage. Dyne leaves you with a Silver
Armlet if you win.

Gold Saucer - Ramuh Materia, Chocobo Racing!  <^1-AI>

First of all, get the Ramuh Materia in the jockeys' room after you go up from
the desert prison with Ester. The controls for the race are the following:

Sq. - Speed up
O - Use stamina to dash
X - Slow down
R1+R2 - Refill stamina
Select - Toggle control system (Manual or Automatic).

Manual = You control every aspect of your Chocobo.
Automatic = Allows the computer to take control of your racer. If you are
            having a hard time winning, then switch to this mode and you'll win
            eventually.

Gold Saucer Area - Buggy Controls  <^1-AJ>

Directional Buttons - Movement Control
Tri. - Main Menu
X - Exit the buggy
O - Ride the buggy
L1 - Rotate camera left
R1 - Rotate camera right
L2 - Switch from rear view to top view
R2 - Switch from rear view to top view
Select - Toggle world map view
Start - Toggle world map view

NOTE: Once you get the buggy, you now have the chance to learn Aqualung and
Big Guard (since you got Manipulate from Cait Sith). Also, you can now learn
White Wind in the other continent. To get across, just drive the buggy to Costa
del Sol (do not exit the buggy). Then head for the docks and pay the sailor who
is in front of the docking bridge. You'll have to pay him 200 Gil to let you
stow away to Junon...along with the buggy.

Gongaga Town - Reno...and Rude!  <^1-AK>

Since there are 2 targets, either choose which one to attack, or use attacks
that hit all targets (summons are very effective). In my cae, I just chose to
attack Rude, since he can heal any one of them. Watch out for Reno's new
version of his Electro-Mag Rod, however. Not that much to worry about, but they
have 2000 HP each. You win Aeris' Fairy Tale and an X-Potion in this battle.

Gongaga Town - Titan Materia, Power Sources  <^1-AL>

This one's pretty obvious. At the spot near the ruined reactor where Scarlet
takes a look lies the Titan Materia ("junky materia..."). After she leaves with
Tseng, take a peek in it and reach for the object to grab it.
There are enemies in this area called Heavy Tanks, which look like big green
triceratops with rollers for feet. You can morph these enemies into Power
Sources (+1 to STR).

Cosmo Canyon - Broken Buggy  <^1-AM>

If you try to get past Cosmo Canyon with the buggy without actually entering it
yet, the buggy will malfunction and refuse to run any longer. It will be
repaired after you have finished with the Cosmo Canyon/Cave of the Gi events.

Cave of the Gi - No slipping on Oil Slicks!  <^1-AN>

To go over oil slicks without slipping into the spikes, just release the X
(run) button and WALK over the oil. You should not slip if you walk slowly
without running.

Cave of the Gi - Beat Gi Nataak in one hit!  <^1-AO>

As you may know, most of the enemies in the Cave of the Gi are undead, and one
Phoenix Down will kill them. Well, surprisingly, this same trick works on the
boss, Gi Nataak! Just make sure it works, as it misses often. An X-Potion is
MUCH better though, since it never misses, and it deals 9999 to him, so he
still dies instantly.

Nibelheim - Tifa's Piano, Clones  <^1-AP>

If you enter Tifa's House in Nibelheim, go to the second floor into her room.
There is a piano here, same one in the flashback (if you entered her house
then). Choose "I remember", then play the Highwind theme on it:

X, Sq, Tri, R1+Tri, R1+Sq, X, Sq, Tri, R1+X, O, X, Sq, X

Don't worry about rests and spacing, it doesn't really matter. You can get from
the piano 1 gil, an Elemental Materia, and later in the game, Tifa's Final
Heaven LV4 Manual. There are many Sephiroth clones scattered throughout
Nibelheim. Talking to some of them will often yield items, so what have you got
to lose? Talk to them!

Nibelheim - The Secret Safe and the Basement  <^1-AQ>

If you go into the upper-left wing, you will see a locked safe. Use the
following combination to open it:

[Right-36][Left-10][Right-59][Right-97]

A red summon Materia will then drop to the floor (Odin), the Cosmo Memory LV4
Manual, and the "Key to the Basement". But before you have the chance to do
anything, a boss appears to do battle with you (See "Cosmo Memory Manual, Red
XIII" for more information). Use the key to open a locked door in the basement
(via the secret staircase in the master bedroom). Open the coffin in the
center, and Vincent will appear. Talk to him and answer his questions
appropriately, and when you are leaving, he will offer to join your party.

Mt. Nibel - Down the Pipes, Trine/Materia Keeper  <^1-AR>

At the top of the room with the Materia Keeper (boss), you will notice 5 pipes.
Head down the 2nd pipe to net you an All Materia, and the 4th pipe to get the
Powersoul, a weapon for Tifa. Oh, make sure you learn the Enemy Skill "Trine"
from the Materia Keeper, as it is one of only 3 enemies that can cast it
(Materia Keeper, Stilva, Godo), so don't miss the opportunity! Just make sure
not to attack it with fire (absorb, and don't use Vincent's Galian beast,
because of Beast Flare). Materia Keeper has 8400 HP, and you get a Jem Ring
for winning the fight.

Gold Saucer - Battle for the Keystone!  <^1-AS>

As Dio said, you must fight in the Battle Square in order to get the Keystone.
He said "fight", not "win". But that doesn't mean you cannot win, for if you
do, he'll throw in a Choco Feather and a Protect Vest. Just try to get good
handicaps for now, as you really don't need to save on BP quite yet. Press the
Square button repeatedly as the slots turn to slow it down a bit, making it
easier to get what handicap you want.

Gold Saucer - On a Date!  <^1-AT>

When you return to the Gold Saucer, the tram malfunctions and you are stuck. A
person will ask you on a date that night, and that person will depend on your
attitude towards your party members during the events before that. Most often,
Aeris will ask you. Oftentimes, it will be Tifa. But rarer still, you can get
Yuffie to be your date too! Just be awfully mean to Aeris and Tifa, and always
put Yuffie in your party and be really nice to her. Heh, and weirder still, you
can even get Barret to be your date!

Reference - Check out TFergusson's Date Mechanics Guide for more detailed info.

Gold Saucer - Catch that Spy!  <^1-AU>

If you don't want to chase Cait Sith around all over the place, just head over
to the Chocobo Square, and he'll be inside. Just chase him outside and he'll
hand over the Keystone to Tseng, ending the supposedly long chase sequence.

Temple of the Ancients - Old Man Running  <^1-AV>

This puzzle is pretty challenging at first, as you need to head him off as he
exits one of the tunnels. I don't know exactly where each one leads (don't have
my copy of FF7 right now), but once you find out, remember where he enters, and
you enter the tunnel where he will exit. Note that you can jump off the ledges
too to access tunnels below. Once you catch him, he will do the same stuff for
you he always does (HP/MP Restored, Save).

Temple of the Ancients - The Three Guardians  <^1-AW>

Ancient Dragons: These bosses are easy. Packing 2400 HP each, all you need to
be concerned about is their Southern Cross attack. The only obvious problem in
this battle is that you are attacked from both sides. They are weak against
Gravity, so use Demi to lower their HP's, and have Cloud keep using physical
attacks. If you have Kjata, use it to deal significant damage. And also, you
can Manipulate them, so this isn't actually a boss fight.
WIN: Turbo Ether

Red Dragon: Do NOT use Kjata on this boss (heals 2000+ HP). This boss is
actually easy if you have learned any mid-level spells (except Fire-based
spells). Keep that Beta spell away for now, and use physical attacks instead.
Aeris should stay healing and reviving any dead party members. Equip her with
the Cover Materia so she gets her Limit Break more often. Equip the
Elemental+Fire combo on the armors of as many characters as possible, or equip
Fire Rings (if you have any). Do NOT waste Aeris' MP on offensive magic (let
your 3rd character be the magic attacker). You only have to worry about the Red
Dragon Breath attack (Bite and Tail are not that damaging). This boss has
6800 HP, but this boss should be a breeze if you're going to face...
WIN: Dragon Armlet

Demon's Gate: If you have low levels, then this boss is HARD. Unleash your
newly obtained Bahamut Materia to deal 2000+ HP damage. Kjata also works well
against this boss, and Odin may do a bit (around 500+ HP worth) of damage, but
other summons are just a waste of MP as they do crap to this boss. Aeris should
once again keep healing. Cloud should have Climhazzard (or Meteorain if you
have it). Your 3rd character should be the summoner, and switch to becoming a
secondary physical attacker when Kjata, Bahamut and Odin have been used up.
Just keep your HP's up, and try not to have any characters stay KO'd for long.
Casting Big Guard and Regen (if you learned it) on all characters is also a big
help. If you bought a few HP Plus Materia in Cosmo Canyon, then equip them to
increase your MAX HP's as much as possible (trust me, you'll need all the HP's
you can get). If you still can't beat it, then LV up in the room with murals
where you fought Red Dragon. After a hard and lengthy battle (short if you have
extremely high levels ^_^) depleting his total 10000 HP, you can finally
breathe, as this is the last boss of this difficult area.
WIN: Gigas Armlet

Forgotten City - JENOVA*Life  <^1-AX>

No, not really about JENOVA*Life, because she's really easy if you have one
character with a Water Ring. Even if you don't, her attacks will only do a fair
amount of damage. Another key event happens here, but I'm not telling you what
it is ^_^

- Disc Two -

Icicle Inn - Snowboarding  <^2-A>

In this course, don't worry about getting balloons yet, because they have no
use now, except for the Gold Saucer Snowboarding game. Just remember the
controls the lady tells you, and use the L1 and R1 buttons often on sharp
curves. Remember, it's better to brake than to bump into something, because you
lose more time bumping and falling (a little training for the GS Snowboarding
game Time Trial).

Gaea's Cliff - Maze of Ice....and Materia  <^2-B>

Whew! This part is really tough, and boring. But the rewards of this place lay
hidden...in the form of the Alexander and Added Cut Materia. To get the Added
Cut, you should go to the right-most part of the map, to the screen with 2
paths leading to each of the upper corners, one leading left, and another
leading south. Take the upper-right path, and keep moving along the screens. As
you move on, check the ground for a blue Materia (hard to spot because of the
snow). This Materia is the Added Cut, which, as its name suggests, adds a
physical attack after the paired Materia is used. To get the Alexander Materia,
you must first go to the screen with the hot springs. Move toward the lake and
touch the water, which is warm. Now, go to the top of the map. When you are at
the snowfield area (where you can place markers), keep heading west (west
before the first rotation), and follow your path as necessary. If you want, go
to the cave in the middle to get an All Materia. Once the screen fades as you
reach the end of the snowfield, make sure Cloud enters the screen from the
left, and the path goes to the right. If not, exit and try again. Follow the
path all the way until you reach a screen with a cave. Enter it to find a
purple woman. Talk to hear and she scowls at you for touching the hot springs.
She will then fight you as a boss (Snow). Just have Elemental+Ice or Ice Rings
ready just in case, but you probably won't need to bother anyway, as she only
has 4000 HP. Her attacks are nearly all ice-based, except for Fascination,
which charms one character into attacking his own allies. Just attack the
affected character (physical) and he'll snap out of it.

Gaea's Cliff - Frostbite!  <^2-C>

After a while in the snow area below, your party will faint. When you awaken,
you will be in Holzoff's House. He warns passerbys about the danger on Gaea's
Cliff. After talking to him, you can change party members outside for the
mountain climbing part, which comes next.

Gaea's Cliff - Freezing Climb  <^2-D>

This part is really hard...in the Japanese version. In the US version, it has
been toned down so much it isn't even enjoyable anymore. All you have to do is
press the Square button on ledges (with flags) rapidly to increase temperature,
then climb the wall to the next ledge above. Just make sure you get the right
paths and you'll be fine.

Inside Gaea's Cliff - Secret Ribbon <^2-E>

The second Ribbon which can be obtained can be found behind a secret wall after
the first cliff climbing section. Go to the second level once inside the cave,
and head for the lower-right corner of the level. Walk right THROUGH the
right-hand wall all the way until you reach a secret room containing a treasure
chest with the Ribbon.

Inside Gaea's Cliff - Defeat the Schizo! <^2-F>

This 2-headed boss is pretty hard without proper preparation. Before the
battle, equip any armor/accessories that protect against Fire and Ice. Having
protection against Lightning is good as well to protect against each head's
final attack. Some of the best setups include:

Fire Ring                             Ice Ring
Aurora Armlet                         Fire Armlet
Elemental + Lightning (on Armor)      Elemental + Lightning (on Armor)

You can also mix and match between armor and accessories, or just repeatedly
use the Elemental Materia defense combo. If you must, you can use the Dragon
Armlet instead as well. This boss also has the Quake3 ability, but uses it very
rarely (you absorb some of the attacks to make up for damage anyway). Use
Ice-based attacks on the head that uses Fire-based attacks, and vice-versa on
the other head. Do NOT use Kjata or Magic Breath, or you will heal the boss
(does various elemental damage including Fire and Ice). Using Shiva and Ifrit
is OK just as long as the head with the same element has been killed, but you
probably have better attacks to use anyway. Poison has no effect, and so do
most status ailments, so don't waste your time disabling this boss. Once each
head's 18000 HP has been depleted, you will receive a Dragon Fang (looks
exactly like each head's final attack).

Whirlwind Maze - The "Coveted" Earth Mallet  <^2-G>

Many people can't seem to find Earth Mallets (cast Quake3 on all opponents).
Well, you actually only have one screen in the entire game where the enemies
which carry these items appear. Gigas enemies appear in only one screen in the
Whirlwind Maze (the one where the first thing you see is a clone dropping off a
cliff up ahead). The reason why you can only get the item here even if you can
fight Gigas enemies in the Battle Square is that you have to WIN this item from
them, and you can't actually win any items directly from the enemies in the
Battle Square. Try to get as many as possible (although I find no important use
for this item), or if you're lazy, just get one and use the W-Item duping trick
on it (see "FAQ" section for more details on this trick).

Whirlwind Maze - JENOVA*Death  <^2-H>

This is a poor excuse for a boss, if you have the right setups. Have every
character immune to Fire-based attacks, and nothing this boss can do will hurt
you one bit (except silencing you ^_^). The Fire Armlet, Fire Ring, or the
Elemental + Fire combo (equipped on armor) will do just the same. As for
defeating this boss, do what you like...it doesn't matter anyway as you have
removed any threat JENOVA*Death would have posed. She has a total of 25000 HP.

Upper Junon - Gas Chamber, Yuffie, and some Slap-Happy Fun!  <^2-I>

If you see a girl reporter on the airport path, talk to her, and Barret will
get mad until she reveals she is Yuffie.
To get Tifa out of the gas chamber, let her move her legs twice, and she will
stretch out her legs and grab the key on the floor. Then, press the legs and
head buttons at the same time and she will grab the key with her mouth. Now,
press the head and right arm buttons at the same time and she will unlock the
shackles on her right hand. Now, press the right hand button and she will
unlock her left hand with the key. Once you can move around, press the yellow
button on the wall to stop the gas. Then just wait until the scene where Weapon
(Sapphire, as it is unofficially named) blows a hole in the gas chamber, which
Tifa uses to get out. Just climb down all the way, and head for the tip of the
Sister Ray. Once there, Scarlet will corner Tifa and slap her down (damn
b!@*h!!). Obviously, Tifa can't stand the slapping anymore. Press the O button
rapidly to keep slapping Scarlet. Of course, she attempts to slap back as well,
so press that O button fast! Eventually, she will say "God I can't stand it!",
meaning she lost! Just run over to the end of the cannon when Barret calls you
on the Highwind. Don't worry, you won't fall, as she will catch the ladder.

Mideel - Contain Materia, Curse Ring  <^2-J>

Have a Mimett Greens handy before doing this. Just find the kid with the small
white Chocobo. Offer the Chocobo some Samolen Greens (actually, Mimett Greens,
bit of mistranslation there). Choose to tickle behind his ear, and the Chocobo
will reveal to you the Contain Materia.
To get the Curse Ting, just go to the upper level of shops, and head for the
one closest to the left. As you walk in the floor around the shop, try to
listen for a creak in the floor. When you hear it, press to O button to
examine it. You will find a "Beat-Up Useless Old Key". Now, go to the weapons
store on the upper level, then examine the back of the room. Try and use the
key on the keyhole, and the key will break! The store owner will ask what's
going on. If you lie, it will be really funny how your character covers up,
but you will NOT get the Curse Ring. If you tell the truth, he will laugh and
tell you personally that it is a fake door. He then apologizes and gives you
the Curse Ring. It increases your stats greatly, but condemns you at the start
of the battle.

Mideel Area - Quadra Magic without a Chocobo  <^2-K>

This one's pretty tough to pull off. Just head east of Mideel to the chain of
islands. Find the grassy cliff with a dirt area underneath (trace the islands
to where they lead, and find the one that leads to the cave). Now for the
tricky part. Land the Highwind on the very edge of the cliff while holding L1,
and while pressing Sq. and Left, so part of it is protruding out. Cloud
*should* appear on the lower ledge. Now, just walk over to the cave and get
the Quadra Magic Materia! To board the airship, just move over to the cliff
and board as you normally would.

Fort Condor - Huge Materia Mission 1 + Phoenix Materia  <^2-L>

Just like the previous Fort Condor battles. Just stock up on Defenders and
Shooters and they'll be gone before you know it! In this fight, however, it is
a MUST to win the strategy game, so you can obtain the Phoenix Materia as well.
If you win the strategy game, you can climb up on the roof to get Phoenix, and
watch the baby condor hatch and fly away. You also get the Huge Materia. If you
fought the commander, you will NOT get the Phoenix Materia, but you will still
get the Huge Materia. If you lost the battle completely, you will get nothing,
and will be banned from entering Fort Condor forever!

Mt. Corel - Huge Materia Mission 2 + Ultima Materia  <^2-M>

This one's just even more challenging than the first mission. You go to the
reactor in Mt. Corel only to find the Huge Materia being taken away in a train.
Head inside the reactor and use the other train. A timer of 10:00 starts
showing how much time before the train collides with North Corel. Just
alternate the pulling of both levers, doing it both systematically and rapidly,
with equal spacing between all presses, until you catch up on the other train.
Now, all of you will jump on the other train, and you will fight a series of
battles on every car. DO NOT use any summons, as their animation time will
waste a lot of time. The first two battles (one and two Gas Doctors,
respectively) are pretty easy, if you watch out for their Smog attack. The
Wolfmeister is also easy if you keep attacking. The last one (Eagle Gun) is
really weak against lightning (metal, flying). Just keep using your best Bolt
spell on the boss and it should fall quickly. But don't forget to steal the
rare Warrior Bangle from it first. The soldiers you fight here are really
nothing to fear. When you reach the controls, just press Down-X three times.
The train should speed up at first, then slow down gradually, saving North
Corel. There are three possible outcomes to this. If you never reached the
other train, you will not get the Huge Materia, nor will you get the Ultima
Materia. If you reached the train, but didn't stop it from crashing, you will
not get the Huge Materia, but you can buy the Ultima Materia from the small kid
in blue for 50000 Gil. If you sucessfully stopped the train, you will get the
Huge Materia, and the kid will offer you the Ultima Materia for FREE! Oh, and
after this event, you can obtain the Catastrophe Manual for Barret from a
person in black in one of the tents.

Mideel - Ultimate Weapon, Cloud's Head  <^2-N>

When you finish the first two Huge Materia Missions, return to Mideel to check
on Cloud. It so happens that when you arrive, Ultimate Weapon attacks! Just
pair the Elemental Materia with any non-elemental Materia to defend against
Ultima Beam. An easy way to win is to just drain it of MP by using either Magic
Hammer, or Ghost Hand items (it only has 400 MP). But it doesn't really matter,
because it flies away when damaged a bit (and I mean a wee bit!), and you only
get to scratch it's total HP of 100000 (unless you've learned Highwind, or have
KotR). You can steal a Curse Ring from this boss as well, but you'll have to do
it quickly before it runs away.

Junon - Huge Materia Mission 3 + Valuable Stuff  <^2-O>

Once you get Cloud back in your party from Mideel, head towards Junon (again).
Go into the elevator by paying the guard at the door. Use the controls to go up
as usual. When up, go straight for the airport path. When you reach the screen
with the alarm (the one with a platoon of soldiers), head down. Press the alarm
if you like random battles, and some EXP. Go all the way donw and enter the
door at the end. Keep going until you reach the dog guarding a door. Ignore it
for now, and head straight down. Enter the elevator, beat the soldiers up, then
keep going until you reach the second elevator. Use this to go into the
reactor. Save here if you wish, then proceed forward and beat the 3 groups of
Underwater MP's. Head right, and you will see the Huge Materia being taken out
of the reactor. Proceed right one more screen, and you will see it being taken
inside the red submarine. You will see Reno here, and he will leave. But he
will leave you a toy to play with before you can leave. You must fight the
Carry Armor, a robot boss with two grabbing arms which can trap characters.
Just use spells like Kjata, Bolt3 and Neo Bahamut. Its weakness is lightning,
obviously, as it is made of metal. Once you have destroyed both arms, attack
the main body until the boss dies. Just watch out for its Lapis Laser attack,
which is not unlike the Guard Scorpion's Tail Laser attack, but a *lot* more
damaging. You win the God's Hand weapon for Tifa from it. After beating it,
grab the Leviathan Scales, Battle Trumpet, and the Scimitar. Head for the
submarine crammed with soldiers. You'll fight them set by set, winning
Shinra Betas from them. When you see the commander and his men in the
control room, choose to fight them so you can steal a Shinra Alpha from the
commander (or take them hostage for a few laughs ^_^). You'll then have to
play the submarine mini game in order to catch the Huge Materia on the red
sub. The controls are as follows:

Sq              -  Fire Torpedo when you have locked on and enemy sub.
Tri             -  Move Forward.
X               -  Move Backward.
R1              -  Change Perspective.
R2              -  Adjust Zoom (Near, Overhead, Cockpit).
Control Pad     -  Up/Down: Y-Axis, Left/Right: X-Axis.
Start           -  Pause Game.

Various flashing alert messages appear while playing. To understand what they
mean:

Alert           -  Enemy sub fires torpedo.
Mine            -  A mine is within striking range.
Warning         -  Enemy sub within range.
Conflict        -  You bump into the ocean floor, and are stuck.

You have a time limit of 10:00 to take out the red leader. You can neglect the
other subs, except the one that starts right in front of you as the game
starts. I suggest attacking it right away, and pursuing it, ignoring other subs
may they fire at you, as your life bar (bottom of screen) holds more than
enough energy to sustain a few blows. Keep your mind focused on your target,
and don't lose it for a second! It is crucial that the sub is destroyed by
10:00, and that is not much time to destroy all the subs in the map. All in
all, just remember to chase the the red leader immediately and put an end to
this mission quickly. If you reach the time limit of 10:00 without destroying
the sub, you will not get the Huge Materia. All the same if your sub is
destroyed. If you succeed, Cloud will receive a radio message from Shinra. You
now have the submarine! The controls are as follows:

O               -  Move Forward.
X               -  Dive and Surface control.
Control Pad     -  Up/Down: Y-Axis, L/R: X-Axis (Underwater), Movement
L1              -  Turn Left.
R1              -  Turn Right.
L2              -  Change Perepective.
R2              -  Change Perepective.
Start           -  Display Map (Surface).
Select          -  Display Map (Surface).

Dive back down when the sub resurfaces, and go to the lower-right end of the
area the sub can explore (map-wise) to find the red leader. Approach it to
receive the Huge Materia.

Rocket Town - Huge Materia Mission 4  <^2-P>

After completing the third Huge Materia Mission at the Junon Underwater
Reactor, head for Rocket Town to find the rocket ready for blast off. Head for
the launching area to fight 7 soldiers (including a commander) in a total of 3
battles. Just beat them all in any fashion you may wish. Cid will then insist
on joining your party, so put him in, if he isn't already. Climb up the ladder
to fight Rude with 2 Attack Squads. Rude has a mere 9000 HP, and the Attack
Squads have only 1300 HP each. Just use your best summons on Rude, or better
yet, Limit Breaks and the Double Cut Materia and he'll fall quite easily. The
Attack Squads will also disappear if you defeat Rude. Note that you can steal a
Ziedrich from Rude. After dispatching them, enter the rocket to fight another
battle with some soldiers. Dispatch them the same way you took the soldiers
before Rude. Examine the door to the north then enter the cockpit. When you
have the chance, go to the hole on the right of the room, and climb the ladder
within. Examine the glass tube in the center of the room containing the Huge
Materia. The system then asks you for a passcode. Choose option 1 first, then
the purpose of the security system is explained to you by Cid. The computer
then asks for the passcode yet again. A total of 4 message boxes will appear,
and each has a specific code to enter. The code is:

(1) O, (2) Sq, (3) X, (4) X

If you get it wrong, Cid tries to help you get the passcode right, which you
have 3:00 to figure out. If you fail, you will not get the Huge Materia. If you
succeed, the container opens, and you receive the Huge Materia. Go back to the
main hallway, then climb down the ladder to the south of the screen. Try to go
past the room which Shera checked during the previous launch FMV. The tank she
was checking in the FMV explodes and falls onto Cid's back. He is unable to get
free, even with the 2 other members helping him out. Shera suddenly comes out
from the next room, and proceeds to help Cid. He is eventually freed, and shows
a somewhat, different attitude towards Shera. Head down the next room to enter
the escape pod. The pod then shoots back down to Earth, and the rocket crashes
into Meteor, whether you got the Huge Materia or not. Apparently, the rocket
seemed to have no effect on Meteor (probably because you guys took away the
Huge Materia from the rocket..., but we can't say Cloud is the bad guy, now can
we?), except increasing its size and shattering a part of the outer layer.
After all this, you will find yourself back in the Highwind.

Forgotten Capital/Underwater - The Key to the Ancients  <^2-Q>

--- WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD IN NEXT PARAGRAPH (DISC 1) ---
If you haven't gotten it yet using the submarine, you must first obtain the Key
to the Ancients key item from the ocean depths. Hug the northern continent and
travel west until you reach an opening in the wall somewhere near the western
continent. Enter it all the way to find a weird spiked stick. Ram it to receive
the Key to the Ancients. Once you have it, use the Highwind or a Chocobo to
return to Cosmo Canyon. Talk to Bugenhagen in his house, and store the Huge
Materia in his observatory. You can obtain any of the Materia from within the
Huge Materia if you wish (see FAQ for list of Materia obtained). Once
Bugenhagen agrees to come with you, head for the Forgotten Capital. In the main
crossroad, take the left path and travel it all the way until you reach the
end. At the end is a blue crystal formation. Bugenhagen will then talk about
the Ancients and put the Key of the Ancients on a podium. It then activates a
sort of projector on a sheet of water whcih displays images of Aeris and the
White Materia, which is seen glowing pale green. The secret of the White
Materia, thought to have been lost with the death of Aeris, will be revealed
here, but I won't tell ^_^

--- END OF SPOILER WARNING ---

Midgar Area - Diamond Weapon  <^2-R>

After the events in the Forgotten Capital in Disc 2, Diamond Weapon is seen
rising from the ocean floor, heading for Midgar. You cannot battle it while
it's in the ocean, as the Highwind will just bounce back forcefully, as by a
force field. When it reaches land, approach it by foot, and a battle will
ensue. It has 50000 HP to boot, and has an extremely annoying Diamond Flash
attack. Plus, you can only hit it with Magic, Summons and Enemy Skills. Other
forms of attacking (physical, items, etc.) will have no effect. At the start of
the battle, cast the Big Guard Enemy Skill. It is generally weak against
Lightning, so use Bolt 3, Ramuh, and often times, Kjata (if you are not running
low on MP). Make sure everyone is immune to Silence. After being weakened
thoroughly, it will start a countdown, which, when finished, will attack with
his Diamond Flash attack, which delivers very high damage to all characters, as
well as silencing them. After performing this attack at least once, you can
attack it any way you wish, so unleash your 2x/4x-Cut on it and it'll fall
quite easily. Just make sure you keep your HPs and Big Guard up. Oh, and don't
forget to steal the Rising Sun weapon (for Yuffie) from it, as, like the
Vagyrisk Claw, the Rising Sun is one-of-a-kind. For a more thorough explanation
of Diamond Weapon, check "Diamond Weapon Strategy" below.

Junon Crater/Cosmo Canyon - Ultimate/Ultima Weapon  <^2-S>

After Diamond falls, use the Highwind to fly over to the crater lake near
Junon. You will then see Ultimate Weapon hovering on top of it. Ram it to do
battle. After shedding a few HPs, it escapes, leaving you to do chase with it
all over the map. Throughout the course of these battles, a few Circlets and
Reflect Rings can be stolen in any of the battles (Ultimate has Circlets
during Highwind mid-air battles, and Reflect Rings during battles on land).
After chasing it throughout the world, and after it is drained of most of its
HP, it will then hover over Cosmo Canyon, it's deathbed. Battle it there and
defeat it, taking away what was left of his 100000 HP. To defend against Ultima
Beam, just pair the Elemental Materia to any non-elemental Materia, and equip
them to a linked slot on the character's armor. As a final attack, it will cast
Shadow Flare on whoever struck the final blow upon it. Make sure you learn this
with the Enemy Skill Materia, so have them all equipped on one character, and
have him do all the attacking. When Ultimate casts it, all the Enemy Skill
Materia will have added it. You win the Ultima Weapon for Cloud as a reward, as
well as 35000 EXP, 2500 AP, and 25000 Gil. When it dies, it will fall, creating
a crater on the map, allowing access to the Ancient Forest without the aid of a
Chocobo. For a more thorough explanation of Ultimate Weapon, check "Ultimate
Weapon Strategy" below.

Midgar, Sector 8 Underground - The Turks + W-Item Materia  <^2-T>

After the second save point, enter the tunnel in the wall. Once on the other
side, walk a bit north to face Reno and Rude....and Elena(!!) in a final
showdown. If you completed the events at Wutai successfully before raiding
Midgar, you will have the option of not battling them. But I always choose to
fight them, simply for the excellent steals. You can steal a Minerva Band from
Elena, a Touph Ring from Reno, and a Ziedrich from Rude. Nothing much for a
final showdown  with them, I believe, but it is fairly challenging at low
levels. Having 4x-Cut at this point wouldn't be too fair with the Turks, not
would it? Oh well, just use 4x-Cut repeatedly for a quick fight. Or if you
didn't learn it yet, 2x-Cut or Slash-All will do fine. Just DON'T FORGET THE
STEALS!!!! That's pretty much all there is to this fight. Same old attacks
from Reno and Rude, minus the Pyramid attack. Elena's Amulet attack is nothing
to worry about, as well as her damage-all attacks. The W-Item Materia is at the
very end of the Winding Tunnel, if you go straight south all the way. There is
a save point here as well.

Midgar, Shinra Building - Return for more Items!  <^2-U>

In the Winding Tunnel, take the north-east, north-east and north-west paths in
that order, until you reach a dead end. Take the ladder in this room all the
way up to the Shinra HQ. Enter through the front door, and into the Accessories
shop. Examine the 2 chests you couldn't open during your visit here in Disc 1
for a Pile Banger (Barret) and a Master Fist (Tifa). Go up to the 63rd Flr. and
retrieve the Grow Lance (Cid). Go up to the 64th Flr. and examine the locker
room for the megaphone you couldn't grab earlier (HP Shout for Cait Sith).
Also, check the stairways you took if you chose Tifa's route in entering the
building (Disc 1) for the Behemoth Horn (Cait Sith).

Midgar - Materia Jammer!!  <^2-V>

The Jamar Armor the Proud Clod wears as a breastplate actually has one attack.
It disables all Materia of any color on all characters until the end of the
fight (Materia Jammer, hence the armor's name). If you want to avoid this, just
kill the Jamar Armor before it uses it. It has 20000 HP, in comparison to the
main body's 60000 HP.

Midgar, Sister Ray - Missing Missing Score!!  <^2-W>

If you do this part of the mission without Barret, the treasure chest holding
the Missing Score will not be there! You cannot get it ever again unless you
reset and put him in your party (via the save point after Proud Clod). To find
out which chest holds it, return with Barret and find the new chest on one of
the starway landings.

Midgar, Sister Ray - Hojo's Revelations  <^2-X>

--- WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD IN NEXT PARAGRAPH (DISC 2) ---

The battle with Hojo is really easy, so I need not explain it, except that he
has 3 forms. But before you fights him, he reveals a lot of stuff, including
that he's the biological father of Sephiroth, and that he injected Jenova cells
into his own body. He also reveals the truth about Cloud and his relation to
Hojo's Sephiroth-Clone experiments. But once again, I've already said too much
now haven't I?

--- END OF SPOILER WARNING ---

- Disc Three -

Northern Crater - General Information  <^3-A>

This is the final dungeon of FF7, and it's pretty easy, and rewarding. Just
follow the paths down the crater, until the crosroads. Take the left path, then
the upper path and fight Magic Pots and Movers, which are the best sources of
AP and Gil in the game! This path also contains the Shield, W-Magic and Counter
Materia. Take the left, then lower path to obtain a few good items, including
the Mega-All Materia. Take the right path to obtain the second Mystile (refer
to the FAQ on how to get the 3rd Mystile). A complete checklist of items found
(without use of crater item duplication trick, W-Item duplication trick,
stealing or winning from battles) in the crater is here to guide you:

Save Crystal
3 Guard Sources
2 Magic Sources
2 Mind Sources
2 Power Sources
2 Speed Sources
1 Luck Source
2 Elixirs
4 Megalixirs
2 Turbo Ethers
2 Vaccines
3 Hero Drinks
2 Remedies
2 X-Potions
1 Mega-All Materia
1 HP Absorb Materia
1 Shield Materia
1 Counter Materia
1 W-Magic Materia
1 Mystile
1 Imperial Guard
1 Tetra Elemental

Northern Crater - Jenova and Sephiroth  <^3-B>

Jenova*SYNTHESIS will die with just one casting of KotR, if you paired a Master
Summon with at least a LV2 MP Turbo Materia. To make it more challenging, drop
the KotR and Omnislash, then keep using 2x/4x-Cut, but I doubt she would be of
any challenge anyway. Bizzaro Sephiroth is a bit harder, as you will have to
attack in sequence. Switching to other parties would just complicate things
more, so stick with your main party. Use Slash-All and summon Materia, or any
other all-hitting attacks. 4x-Cut works wonders here as well, but nothing beats
a good casting of KotR (one will kill him immediately!). Again, for a little
challenge, drop KotR.
The music in this next battle is so breathtaking, it's the best track in the
entire game! Safer Sephiroth (the One Winged Angel) is a LOT harder than
Bizzaro Sephiroth. He has a lot of HP, but not quite as much as Ultimate
Weapon (with full HP, of course). He attacks with Pale Horse (a sort of
energy attack), Shadow Flare, a physical attack with his wing, plus a lot more.
His most annoying is the Supernova spell, which, after destroying all the
planets in the inner circle of planets, attempts to destroy Earth, and Cloud's
party with it. It damages quite a lot, but causes CNF and SIL, so have Ribbons
equipped. Just make sure to use DeBarrier on him as a first attack, to dispel
his Wall spell. Then, use Big Guard on all allies and pound on him
relentlessly. I recommend equipping Cloud and other short-range characters with
a Long-Range Materia, so they can attack Safer Sephiroth even while he is
hovering high, preparing for Supernova. In time, though, he will fall (KotR or
Omnislash will finish the job really quick). He is even harder when Cloud is at
LV99, as his attack patterns change, and he becomes much more aggressive (his
HP increases considerably as well). The final battle between Cloud and
Sephiroth is a joke. The graphics are really improved on this one, and you can
clearly see the detail on both of their sprites. This battle is pretty much
self explanatory, as it is impossible to lose. Sephiroth then dissolves into
lifestream after being beaten.