Rufus was a bit of a pushover when you first encountered him in the original game, but in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, he’s much more threatening and presents more of a challenge. Here’s how to beat Rufus and Darkstar in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Beating Rufus and Darkstar in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Before going into the fight, make sure to load up Cloud with all the Materia you need. Cloud will be fighting solo, so you’ll need to give him a Healing Materia to help keep him alive if you don’t want to burn through your potions. We also recommend equipping the Time Materia on him for the Haste ability before going in.
Phase 1
The first phase pits you against both Rufus and Darkstar, his faithful hound. Don’t bother targeting Rufus, as he can parry you, and Darkstar will continuously try to fend you off. You do need to keep an eye on Rufus to make sure he doesn’t hit you with his gun, but for the most part, you should focus on dealing damage to the hound.
Start the fight by casting Haste on Cloud and then start attacking the hound. It has a few attacks to look out for, including Whipclaw, where it leaps into the air before crashing down on you. This can be easily dodged by evading out of the way, but if you do get caught in it, Rufus will follow up with a gun attack.
Darkstar also has a Subdue move where it can keep Cloud bound for a few seconds, allowing Rufus to get more hits in. Again, this can be easily evaded by keeping your distance.
You’ll want to pelt Darkstar with magic spells whenever you can to stun it, and whenever there’s an opening, go in for the kill with Braver or Focused Thrust to get the Stagger bar up. Don’t be afraid to expend your Limit Break on the hound in this phase, as it’ll make short work of it.
Phase 2
Once Darkstar is out of the picture, it’ll just be you and Rufus. The annoying thing about this fight is that Rufus can parry you, and any time you try to attack him, he’ll immediately flip you around and shoot at you.
With that in mind, don’t try to attack him physically at all. If you want to rely on physical attacks, wait till he reloads his weapon –as indicated by the red Reload move appearing above his head. During this time, you’ll have a very small window of opportunity to go in for a basic combo. Overstay your welcome, however, and Rufus will quickly parry you again.
You can also try to keep your distance and pelt him with magic spells, but I’ve found it easier to rely on attacking during his Reload windows, so I could preserve my ATB charges for healing when needed. The best time to attack is to look out for his Guns Akimbo move, which has him firing bullets at Cloud in a tracking manner. Evade out of the way till he has to reload, then hit him with physical attacks and abilities.
Again, once your Limit bar has built up, use it on Rufus to make short work of him.
That’s all you need to know about how to beat Rufus and Darkstar in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
