The Materia system in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is crucial for strategizing in the flashy battles it offers. While the game’s battle system is action-based, equipping the right materia can significantly impact your experience. It not only adds variety and enjoyment to battles but also helps you emerge victorious in tough situations.
This guide is tailored to enhance the battle system’s variety and excitement for you, focusing on how to optimize your materia selection can simplify the toughest challenges, even when playing on hard mode.
So here is a list of essential materia to keep with you at all times as you traverse the lands of Gaia.
#1 Enemy Skill Materia
Type: Command Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Complete “Biological Intel: Know Thine Enemy” in the Combat Simulator
Master: Through Chadley’s Combat Simulator Missions
I believe the development team made a mistake in naming this materia; it should be called “The OP Materia” because, honestly, there is nothing this materia cannot do. It made me replace certain magic materias like Wind, Thunder, and Cure. This materia comes equipped with enemy-specific skills that you acquire as you finish Chadley’s VR Missions. The special thing about this materia is that it is offensive, defensive, and a healing materia all at once. Moreover, mastering it will give you stat buffs for the main four categories: your HP, MP, strength, and magic, each receiving a 5% boost. So, here is a breakdown of the most useful skills this materia has and why I think it makes it the best materia in the entirety of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth:
– Soothing Breeze: A healing AoE that temporarily shifts your character’s focus but lasts for a good 10 seconds. This skill has helped me numerous times by restoring my entire party to full health right before the enemy’s highest action.
– Mind Blast: An offensive AoE that unleashes a significant amount of magic on surrounding enemies, significantly increasing their staggering gauge.
– Plasma Discharge: If you have this skill, you can truly do without the Thunder Materia. It hits like Thor’s hammer, allowing me to easily stagger any enemy weak to thunder.
– Sonic Boom: This skill convinced me to stop using the Wind Materia. Not only is it a wind-based magic attack, but it also grants both Faith and Bravery.
#2 Prayer Materia
Type: Command Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Starter Materia for Aerith, Can be bought post Chapter 10
Master: 2400 AP
The Prayer Materia is a lifesaver; you really don’t need a Healing Materia with it. Although it does take two ATB gauges, at its highest level, it almost heals your characters to full health. Not only that, but it also heals everyone in the party, no matter where they are, for the same amount of HP. Managing two ATB gauges is tough, but I always equip Yuffie or Cait Sith with it because when needed, they can fill these bars so quickly.
#3 Jump Materia
Type: Command Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Chadley, Cosmo Region
Master: None
I find it amusing that the top three materias are all Command Materias, but honestly, their “No MP” benefit and strength are such a privilege. The Jump Materia is no different. The positive aspect of the Jump skill, aside from its strength when it hits, is that it provides two other benefits: your character will not get hit, so you can save them at sketchy times, and you can switch to another character and prepare them for something else. However, let me tell you, when this character lands, they will come down like a hawk.
#4 First Strike Materia
Type: Independent Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Complete “Grasslands Battle Intel: Horror on the Range” in the Combat Simulator.
Master: 1000
The reason why I rank an Independent Materia so highly is that you really need that first ATB gauge when you start the battle if you care about buffing your characters, especially when at MAX. The First Strike Materia gives you a head start, allowing you to take the first action and beat up your enemies. For me, it’s always about helping to buff my characters at the beginning of the fight.
#5 Magnify Materia
Type: Support Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Starter Materia for Cait Sith.
Master: 2000
Although it has the disadvantage of lowering the potency of used materia, the Magnify Materia is one of the most important materias when combined with a buffing materia. I always use it at the start of battle to cast Manawall or Haste, affecting everyone in the team instead of casting it one by one. It is also very useful if you would like to use Regen for all, but I prefer using Prayer and Soothing Breeze instead.
#6 Barrier Materia
Type: Magic Materia
MP Cost: 20 MP
Development: Vendors
Master: 1200
Finally, a Magic Materia, huh? It is a Final Fantasy, but this is not the classic Fire or Blizzard Materia. The Barrier Materia is a buffing materia and it is the best in the game. While the classic Protect and Shell are still there, what makes the Barrier Materia better is the existence of Manawall, which halves the damage taken from physical and magical attacks alike with only one cast. Combining this materia with the Magnify Materia can save you a ton of ATB and time.
#7 Time Materia:
Type: Magic Materia
MP Cost: 4 MP
Development: Vendors
Master: 1200
The Time Materia is the second most important materia among the green magic ones. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth relies heavily on ATB, and you need to control the character to make them move faster. Haste will help you accomplish that quite decently, combining it with the Magnify Materia can give your party a head start on everything.
#8 Luck Up Materia
Type: Independent Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Vendors
Master: 10000
Don’t think I’m crazy for this one, but I would rank it even higher than just 8th on my list, to be honest. However, I had to be more objective. The Luck Up Materia helps increase your luck, which in turn helps you land Critical Hits and improves your success rate with Stealing. But here’s the twist: the Luck Up Materia also helps with Cait Sith’s Roll’n’Dice skill, which grants flavorful buffs when he rolls a 6. With 100% luck, you can be sure you’ll roll those 6s quite often. This is why I find the Luck Up Materia so important, especially since I love how OP Cait Sith is.
#9 HP/MP Up Materia
Type: Independent Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Vendors
Master: 10000
The HP Up Materia and MP Up Materia are two of the most important materias as well. Unless you prefer a more challenging experience, I recommend leveling these, especially if you are planning to finish the game on Hard mode. They stack up, so you could potentially increase your HP or MP by a maximum of 100% if you’re willing to go all out.
#10 Auto-Cast Materia
Type: Support Materia
MP Cost: None
Development: Chadley, Grasslands Region
Master: 200
One unique Materia that I am particularly happy exists, especially at the beginning of the game, is the Revive Materia. Pairing it with the Healing Materia saved my life a few times, and it will shine in hard mode by saving you from some sketchy situations with imminent death, or by keeping your party buffed and ready by linking it with Time or Barrier Materias.
