Knowing how to pressure enemies is more important than ever in FF7 Rebirth. Here's everything you need to know.
One of the best things to happen in Final Fantasy VII/FF7 Rebirth is how you approach enemies in combat. In Remake, you can probably get away with brute forcing your way through most of your battles. That is not the case with Rebirth.
Its nuanced combat forces you to think a little harder and utilize everything at your disposal. Furthermore, pressuring enemies is now more important than ever because some quests require you to do so. However, there is no one-size-fits-all method in pressuring enemies.
So, here’s a simple guide on how you can pressure enemies in FF7 Rebirth like a pro.
How to pressure enemies in FF7 Rebirth
It’s all about exploiting their weaknesses. And in order to find out what their weaknesses are, you need to have Assess Materia on at all times. While Assess Materia is replaceable in Remake, you may want to reconsider in Rebirth.
Fortunately, there will be plenty of Materia slots to spare in FF7 Rebirth as you progress through the game. With Assess, you can analyze information on your enemies and understand how to pressure them. Be sure to get your Assess Materia to max level as soon as possible to unlock the ability for mass Assess.
| Level | AP Required | Effect |
| 1 | 0 | Use Assess on a single target |
| 2 | 300 | Use Assess on all targets |
There is also the Assess Materia Earrings accessory, a new item in FF7 Rebirth which allows you to use Assess without equipping its Materia. However, it is still better to leave the accessory slot for stronger equipment. To get the Assess Materia Earrings, you need to win the Queen’s Blood tournament in chapter five.
Exploiting enemy elemental weaknesses
Once you assess your enemies, you will receive information on how to pressure them. In most cases, all you have to do is exploit their elemental weaknesses.
There are four elements: Fire, ice, lightning and wind. You can equip their respective Materias to use elemental spells. Otherwise, you can link a Materia with the Elemental Materia to deal elemental physical attacks.
Alternatively, FF7 Rebirth now gives you the option to deal elemental attacks without having to equip any Materias. You can unlock element-specific abilities in your character’s Folio, which you can then use in combat by opening your Commands Menu and select Abilities.
Go to the nearest Maghnata Bookstore or Automat to unlock new skills. This works just like any other of your character’s weapon abilities by using an ATB charge. The elemental abilities are as follows.
Fire Folio abilities:
| Ability | Available for |
| Wildfire | Cloud, Red XIII, Yuffie |
| Fiery Impulse | Tifa, Barret |
| Heatwave | Aerith, Cait Sith |
Ice Folio abilities:
| Ability | Available for |
| Snow Flurry | Cloud, Red XIII, Yuffie |
| Icy Impulse | Tifa, Barret |
| Cold Front | Aerith, Cait Sith |
Lightning Folio abilities:
| Ability | Available for |
| Static Shock | Cloud, Red XIII, Yuffie |
| Electric Impulse | Tifa, Barret |
| Rolling Thunder | Aerith, Cait Sith |
Wind Folio abilities:
| Ability | Available for |
| Wind Current | Cloud, Red XIII, Yuffie |
| Gale Impulse | Tifa, Barret |
| Jet Stream | Aerith, Cait Sith |
Other ways to pressure enemies in FF7 Rebirth
Some enemies in FF7 Rebirth have no elemental weaknesses and require alternative methods to pressure them. This includes dodging and blocking their attacks, or other complex environmental actions. In any case, it is prudent to actively use Assess and understand your enemies information.
Pressuring enemies will make them easier to stagger. Be sure to follow up with weapon abilities that further increases the pressure bar such as Cloud’s Focus Thrust to speed up the process. Doing so will make your battles a lot easier.
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