This is the second entry in Square Enix's remake trilogy, not the 1997 original and not Remake, and it reached PC on 23 January 2025. It picks up as the party leaves Midgar and runs through open regions from the Grasslands to the Forgotten Capital, with nine playable characters across the story. Combat keeps the ATB and stagger system from Remake and adds per character Folio skill trees, paired team attacks and a card game deep enough to swallow entire evenings.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Grasslands | ATB gauges and staggering basics | Barret | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Junon Region | Folio skill trees and SP mastery | Barret | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Corel Region | Weapon abilities and proficiency + gear | Cloud or Barret | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Gongaga Region | Build optimization | Cloud | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Cosmo Canyon Region | Min-max | Cloud or Red XIII | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Grasslands)
The first open region after Midgar, centred on Kalm and the chocobo ranch. It teaches the World Intel loop: activate Remnawave towers, follow the revealed markers to Lifesprings and Fiend Intel, and use the region chocobo to reach what walking cannot.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 2 onward Key Rewards: Titan's summon shrines, the first chocobo, and the Queen's Blood introduction
What to Do in Grasslands
- Learn ATB gauges and staggering. Basic attacks and blocks charge ATB bars that pay for abilities, spells and items, and pressuring an enemy fills its stagger gauge. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Barret as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Blocking charges ATB and running away does not. Against bosses that combo, holding guard through the sequence generates more resources than dodging out of range and waiting, which is the single biggest habit change from action games.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Kaiser Knuckles or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand ATB gauges and staggering fundamentals
- Barret selected and functional
- Grasslands main content cleared
- Ready for Junon Region
Phase 2: Early Game (Junon Region)
Coastal cliffs and beaches around Junon itself, with a mountain chocobo that climbs surfaces the standard bird cannot. The vertical terrain hides more intel markers than the Grasslands does, so towers matter more here.
Level/Difficulty: Chapters 3 to 5 Key Rewards: Phoenix's summon shrines, the wall climbing chocobo, and a large block of Queen's Blood opponents
What to Do in Junon Region
- Work on Folio skill trees and SP. Each character has a Folio, a board of skill cores bought with SP earned from levelling and from manuscripts found in the world. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Kaiser Knuckles if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Cycle weapons deliberately in early chapters. Weapon abilities become permanent once their proficiency maxes, so a character who rotated through four weapons in the Grasslands enters Junon with four abilities available from any loadout.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Corel Region.
- Consider whether Cloud might suit your playstyle better than Barret.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Folio skill trees and SP integrated into gameplay
- Kaiser Knuckles acquired
- Junon Region fully cleared
- Ready for Corel Region
Phase 3: Mid Game (Corel Region)
Desert and coastline stretching from Costa del Sol toward the Gold Saucer, and the widest open space in the game. Long travel distances make the chocobo and the fast travel points genuinely necessary rather than optional.
Level/Difficulty: Chapters 6 to 8 Key Rewards: Alexander's summon shrines, Gold Saucer access, and a heavy protorelic questline
What to Do in Corel Region
- Master Weapon abilities and proficiency. Every weapon carries an ability that is usable only while that weapon is equipped, and repeated use raises its proficiency. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Buster Sword. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Spend SP as soon as you earn it instead of hoarding for a late Folio node. Manuscripts found in the world keep topping the pool up, and an unspent point does nothing for the fight in front of you.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Materia across five colours for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Weapon abilities and proficiency mastered
- Buster Sword acquired or in progress
- Corel Region fully cleared
- Ready for Gongaga Region
Phase 4: Late Game (Gongaga Region)
Dense jungle built around mushroom platforms that launch you between elevations, which is the least readable map in the game on a first pass. Following the intel markers in order saves considerable backtracking.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 9 Key Rewards: Kujata's summon shrines, Zack related story content, and some of the strongest mid game materia
What to Do in Gongaga Region
- Finalize your build. You should be running Cloud or Barret with optimized gear.
- Buster Sword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Push stagger before you spend your big abilities. Hitting a staggered enemy with Tifa's upgraded chain first raises the damage multiplier, so the same limit break lands for considerably more afterwards.
- World Intel and summon shrines optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Cosmo Canyon Region.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Buster Sword upgraded to max
- Gongaga Region fully cleared
- Ready for Cosmo Canyon Region
Phase 5: Endgame (Cosmo Canyon Region)
Canyon country and open plateaus around the observatory, with wide vertical drops that reward a gliding traversal route. Red XIII's story runs through here, and the region's combat challenges scale up sharply.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 10 Key Rewards: Bahamut Arisen's summon shrines, Red XIII character content, and higher tier Combat Simulator fights
What to Do in Cosmo Canyon Region
- Cosmo Canyon Region tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Complete all three summon shrines in a region before attempting that region's Combat Simulator summon fight. Each shrine strengthens the summon and lowers the fight's intensity, and the last upgrade grants extra abilities.
- The endgame loop: run Cosmo Canyon Region, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Red XIII for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where World Intel and summon shrines mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Cosmo Canyon Region fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Playing it like an action game, dodging constantly and never generating enough ATB to use abilities.
- Sticking with one weapon per character and reaching the late chapters with almost no permanently learned weapon abilities.
- Dumping limit breaks the moment an enemy staggers instead of raising the stagger multiplier first.
- Skipping the summon shrines and then losing the Combat Simulator fights the shrines were meant to soften.
- Treating Queen's Blood as optional and missing card rewards from opponents who leave with the story.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Blocking charges ATB and running away does not. Against bosses that combo, holding guard through the sequence generates more resources than dodging out of range and waiting, which is the single biggest habit change from action games.
- Cycle weapons deliberately in early chapters. Weapon abilities become permanent once their proficiency maxes, so a character who rotated through four weapons in the Grasslands enters Junon with four abilities available from any loadout.
- Spend SP as soon as you earn it instead of hoarding for a late Folio node. Manuscripts found in the world keep topping the pool up, and an unspent point does nothing for the fight in front of you.
- Push stagger before you spend your big abilities. Hitting a staggered enemy with Tifa's upgraded chain first raises the damage multiplier, so the same limit break lands for considerably more afterwards.
- Complete all three summon shrines in a region before attempting that region's Combat Simulator summon fight. Each shrine strengthens the summon and lowers the fight's intensity, and the last upgrade grants extra abilities.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Guides
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- FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Beginner's Guide
- FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Tips & Tricks
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