The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is finally out, and it brings back the beloved (and sometimes broken) Materia system back from the original game as well. We’ve compiled a list of the best Materia combinations and builds for Final Fantasy 7 Remake down below.
Do note that this list is pretty subjective, though, and it may vary from player to player, depending on your preferred play style and characters.
Best Materia Combinations and Builds in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Leveling Up and Grinding
The EXP Up and Gil Up are late game Materia orbs which can only be obtained in chapter 16, once you reach the Recreational Facility in Shinra HQ. However, they’re still worth equipping if you want to hit the level cap quickly and make some money while doing so.
While grinding, you’ll alsowant to equip the AP Up Materia in a linked slot together with whichever orb you want to level up quick. In addition to that, having an Elemental Materia equipped with any elemental magic spell will add elemental damage to your basic attacks, allowing you to Pressure easier, making fights go by quicker.
Barret/Tanking
- Provoke, HP Up
Barret has the largest HP pool in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, making him an ideal candidate for your party tank. Since he doesn’t really excel in magic attack, I’ve found it much more effective to have him as a tank with some emergency Healing and Revival Materia as well.
Our strategy was to equip Barret with the Big Bertha, put Provoke, Healing, and Revival on him, then stack the rest of his slots with HP Up orbs.
Whenever a teammate gets to critical HP, Barret automatically provokes enemies, drawing them to him, allowing you to heal up in the process.
Aerith
- Healing: Auto-Cure, Prayer, Healing, Revival
- Damage: Synergy + elemental spell, MP Up, ATB Boost, First Strike
As the most powerful magic-user in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the best Materia combinations and builds for Aerith will largely depend on whether you want her as a healer or damage dealer. She excels at both, and it’s also possible to try to balance between both roles.
Aerith’s Prayer skill is the best group healing ability in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, though it does cost two ATB charges. However, the more you level it up, the more potent the healing becomes. It’s especially useful on Hard Mode, as you’ll be able to get free group heals for only two charges, and it effectively heals up your entire party in combat with no MP cost whatsoever.
If you don’t plan on using her too much in combat, sticking the Auto-Cure Materia will allow her to heal up your party without any input from you.
As a damage dealer, putting ATB Boost and First Strike on her can be effective if she has a large enough MP pool to draw from. You can start the fight by casting Arcane Ward, then pelting the enemy with whatever spells you want. With Arcane Ward, Aerith can cast any spell twice with no extra MP cost, which makes her an insanely good damage dealer once you get better spells. This also applies to Cure, which allows her to pull off a big heal in emergencies.
Synergy also ensures that the party follows her lead in casting spells, allowing you to Pressure and Stagger very quickly.
Tifa/Cloud
- Elemental + spell of your choice, ATB Boost, First Strike, Deadly Dodge, Refocus
Both Tifa and Cloud are meant to be the primary melee damage dealers in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, so it really depends on your character preference in deciding who you want to stick the Materia on.
We personally preferred Tifa, as her high speed stat makes her an extremely mobile attacker, and she’s easily the best character in the game for Pressuring enemies. However, Cloud does have better damage dealing abilities, so it really depends on your preference.
Elemental Materia is a must, and you should be able to cover most enemy weaknesses when paired with either the Fire or Lightning Materia. Deadly Dodge lets you follow up with a quick attack after dodging, while ATB Boost and First Strike let you build up ATB charges quicker. You should also be casting Haste on your damage dealer so that that can charge up ATB faster and be able to use more abilities in combat.
Finally, we also really liked putting Refocus on either Tifa or Cloud. Paired with Haste, your ATB gauges can charge up really quickly, and the extra ATB gauge also helps with ability spams.
That’s all you need to know about the best Materia combinations and builds in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
