Chapter 17 - Deliverance from Chaos - Final Fantasy 7 Remake Guide - IGN (2024)

soulThis portion of the Final Fantasy VII Remake Walkthrough covers Chapter 17 - Deliverance from Chaos, including combat tips for how to defeat key enemies, where all the good loot is found, as well as how to best use Cloud, and other party members, throughout the chapter.

A Way Out

After the Chapter 17 intro cinematic, Cloud will awaken in Aerith’s old room. Rising from his bed, he’ll be surrounded by his friends and allies, including Red XIII.

Speak to Aerith and she’ll move over to the wall. Speak to her again and she will explain something of her history to the party.

The Mysterious Spectres will interrupt, but after a short while they’ll disperse again and the televisions in the room will turn to static.

Walk up next to Tifa and the mayor will appear on the screen and another short cutscene will play.

After it’s over, Aerith and Tifa will join your party, so get them set up with your ideal equipment and get ready to head out.

Head out the door and take a right. Follow the path and loot the chest on your left before the double doors to obtain an Ether. At the junction, take a right and follow the path around through the chamber with the green tanks.

Take the stairs up to Hojo’s lab, then head down the stairs on the right to reach the large room where you fought Specimen H0512. Cross the room to reach the elevator, then activate the terminal on the left side to call it and move to the next area.

Head down the stairs and Barret and Red XIII will start to move the debris in the way, and some Unknown Entities will appear.

Take them out with Ice damage and Barret and Red will finish clearing the way, so head up the stairs to the command center, then run down the hallway towards the elevator.

Access the terminal on the right to call it, then head inside. The group will exit on the 68th Floor, so turn right and follow the path around and a reunion, of sorts, will occur.

Find the Others

After the cutscene, Cloud will be alone.

Refit yourself with the proper equipment and Materia, then head to the right. Flip the lever on the wall on the right side to extend some test subject pods, then hop across them to continue.

Follow the path as it weaves down to the ground level. Keep running along the walkways between the pods and you’ll find two Monodrive enemies.

Dispatch them quickly with your Wind attacks, then continue following the path around to the left, through the wreckage, to return to the walkway.

Get Poison Materia

Switch to Elemental Ice on Cloud’s weapon and duck under the large cable to reach a new area and enter combat against more Unknown Entities.

Red XIII will join you, but as a guest member, so you will not be able to control his actions. Finish off the Entities, then head up the path Red appeared on to continue.

Jump from the cable to the walkway, then follow it up and to the left until you reach the next large platform.

Red XIII will tell Cloud he may be able to flip the switch on the far side, but first turn around and hop across the test pods to find a chest with a Phoenix Down inside, then return to the ledge and request Red XIII’s help.

After you cross the pods, there will be a small room off to the right where you can find a resting bench and a vending machine, so use those if you like.

Head back out to the platform and destroy the Shinra boxes, then head through the far door to continue.

Find Barret (Cloud)

Head around the corner and up the stairs and you’ll overhear Barret talking.

Sidle through the gap and you’ll join Barret in combat against several Monodrive and Mark II Monodrive enemies.

Use Wind damage to wipe them out and two Unknown Entities will appear. Use Ice to dispatch them quickly.Once they are dead, a new enemy will appear; the M.O.T.H. Unit.

Use Punisher Mode on the M.O.T.H. Unit’s melee-ranged attacks and cast Aero/Thunder magic after it expels its large electrical attacks to Stagger it and destroy it.The gate leading to the central chamber will open, so head through it and turn left.

Head up the stairs to reach the upper platform, then call for Red XIII’s help. Once he’s reached the other side, he’ll be waylaid by Unknown Entities, but barrels will knock them off the ledge.

Aerith and Tifa will give the crew a cheer and then make their way down to your level, so jump across the pods to meet them.

Tifa and Aerith will gesture through the glass, but before checking out what they are talking about, duck into the room on your right to find a chest with 3000 gil inside.

Follow the path around to find a PHS Terminal next to the room Tifa and Aerith are, seemingly, trapped in and access it to speak to Tifa.

Hojo will interrupt and say he’ll open the door to the third ward if the party helps him put “the pieces in place.” At this point, there’s nothing Cloud, Barret, and Red can do, so switch to Tifa and Aerith.

As Tifa, head upstairs and destroy the Shinra boxes, then head through the door. Out on the walkway, destroy the Shinra boxes on your left, then follow the path as it turns right, and out onto the walkway.

Follow it up the stairs to reach the platform on the upper level, just outside the door to the third ward. Head left from the door and pull the lever. Hop across the pods and claim the Ether in the chest, then hop back across to return to the platform with the door.

Rest up at the nearby bench, then access the PHS Terminal to switch back to Cloud, Barret, and Red.

Use the Central Terminal (Cloud)

Now that you are back in control of Cloud’s party, hop across the pods to your left to reach the next platform, where you’ll be ambushed by two Shock-Rays and a Blast-Ray.

Cast Thunder on each of the Shock-Rays to destroy them, then steal the Heavy-Duty Bracer from the Blast-Ray and lay into it with Thundara/Thundaga to take it down.

Once the battle is over, pull the lever to raise a bridge to the central pillar, then cross it.

Get Time Materia

Pull the lever marked “03” to open the gate to the 3rd Ward (you can also open the doors to the 2nd and 4th Wards, if you like), then use the PHS Terminal to the left to switch to Tifa and Aerith.

Research the 3rd Ward (Tifa)

As Tifa, turn around and head through the 3rd Ward gate on the right. Destroy the Shinra boxes, then turn left and enter through the door on your right.

Pull the lever on the wall to the left, then head back to the previous room. Turn right and you’ll find several Unknown Entities. Take them out with Ice attacks, then sidle through the door on your right to find a room filled with cages.

Follow the path as it loops around to the left, then take the path around a cage on the right to find a chest with a Mega-Potion inside. Continue around the path and you’ll happen upon several Bloodhounds, rattling their cages.

Continue past them and exit through the door, then turn right and head into the next door, which leads to another cage-filled room.

As you move deeper into the room, several of the Bloodhound cages will be opened and they’ll attack. Take them out with powerful attacks like Starshower and try to keep Aerith focused on healing, as the Bloodhounds deal significant damage and can knock her out easily.

Once the fight is over, duck through the wreckage to reach the other side of the room, then turn left and head out the door to return to the long hallway.

Turn left to find a chest with 5000 gil inside, then head back to the right to encounter a new enemy; the Zenene.

Take out the Zenene, then head through the door on the right and pull the lever on the wall. Head back out to the hallway and continue on down the hall.

Head into the next door on the right and you’ll find a room filled with red light. Turn left and head up the short staircase and destroy the Shinra boxes, then continue up the main stairs to the next level.

Follow the path around to the right and walk along the pipes, then follow them to the left and the pipe will break, pitting you against two Zenenes.

Use Aerith to create an Arcane Ward to make it easy to heal the party with very little MP during the fight, then focus on dealing damage to one at a time.

If someone is Bound, switch to the other party member and pressure the Zenene until it lets them go. Use Starshower and Divekick or other powerful combinations to bring them down.

With the Zenenes dead, climb the ladder back up to the pipes to find a chest with a Mega-Potion.

Drop back down to ground level and duck under the gate, then turn left to return to the drum and the gate will shut and lock behind you.

Turn right and destroy the Shinra boxes, then head down the stairs, then turn left to find a chest with an Ether inside, then head back up the stairs.

Run to the far end of the platform and you’ll be attacked by three Sentry Launchers.

Take them out with Thunder, one by one, and dodge or block the missiles while keeping the party healed and the fight will end quickly.

Climb the ladder to reach the next floor, then cross to the other side of the platform and turn left to find the next lever.

Activate it to cause more specimen pods to emerge, creating paths for both Tifa and Cloud’s parties to advance.

Hop across the pods to find more Shinra boxes and another PHS Terminal, and use it to switch to Cloud’s party.

2nd Ward (Cloud)

As Cloud, flip the switch labeled “02” to open the gate to the 2nd Ward, then run across the bridge from the central hub. Turn left and hop across the newly-extended specimen pods, then turn left to find a chest with a Mega-Potion inside.

Duck into the room on the right to find a bench and a vending machine, then head through the gate to the 2nd Ward.

Head through the corridor and the first door to reach an open room with several stacks of Shinra boxes. Head through the next door and turn left.

Follow the hallway and take a left through the next door to reach another large room, where you’ll be ambushed by two Zenenes.

Take them out and Hojo will remark on the progress of his data-collection, after which point he’ll unlock the door on the right side of the room.

Head through it and turn right, then proceed through the next door to reach another hallway.

Head down the hallway to find more Shinra boxes and a doorway to your left. Head through it to reach another large room.

Head inside the room and Hojo will sic three Shock-Rays and a M.O.T.H. Unit on you.

Take the Shock-Rays out with Thunder, then Steal the Iron Maiden from the M.O.T.H. Unit and take it down with Lightning or Wind damage.

Once the machines lie in pieces on the floor and Hojo is done with his test, he’ll open the way forward, so head through the door on the right.

Turn right and head through the small corridor to reach another long hallway, where you can find two sets of Shinra boxes (one to the right and one to the left). Head to the left and you’ll find another door leading to a test chamber.

Head into the chamber and the group will team up to try and get the drop on Hojo, but he will trap Red before he can attack. He will then unleash a new enemy on the party; the Sledgeworm.

Sledgeworms will attack for a short time, then warp around the room between the circles on the floor.

This makes them difficult to keep track of, and it makes it much easier for them to attack you from behind, so be sure to use Steelskin and Lifesaver on Barret.

Wearing Protective Boots will prevent you from having to deal with the most potent of the Sledgeworm’s arsenal; Torpid Strike, but it does mean you’ll have to deal with Poison.

They will also perform ground slam attacks from time to time, so guard when those are coming out, keep the group healed, and attack with Stagger abilities or Thunder while they are charging up their area Thunder attack (the area will start to crackle with energy) to Stagger them.

Bring them down one by one, and use a Summon if you need to, to bring this experiment to a conclusion. Duck under the gate and head up the stairs to the left to rejoin Red.

After Red rejoins you and the cutscene concludes, turn around and head back through Hojo’s command modules to find a pile of Shinra boxes and a chest with 2 Remedies inside.

After you are done, return to the room where Hojo trapped Red, then continue through the doorway to chase after the mad scientist.

Head up the stairs, then follow the walkway as it weaves to the door. Head through it and turn right to find Shinra boxes, then turn left and head through the next door to enter a medical section.

Continue making your way through the medical bay and approach the exit and Red’s captor, the Brain Pod, will appear.

The Brain Pod will begin by casting Poison attacks on the party, so either cast Poisona or just tank the damage as you lay into it with Lightning damage and attacks from Cloud’s Elemental Lightning sword.

After taking enough damage, the Brain Pod will split into 12 different beings, which is where the real fun begins.

At this point, many of them will begin casting Stop, but your boots will protect you, so simply wade in and hold Square to use area attacks with Cloud.

Use your ATB charges to either heal if one of you is below half health, or abuse Triple Slash to deal damage to clusters of the pods and you’ll quickly Stagger several of them at a time.

Finish them off with these powerful abilities, as well as Thunder/Thundara, to bring a swift end to the malevolent machines.

Once the fight is over, head through the doorway to continue and you’ll emerge back at the Drum. Destroy the Shinra boxes on the right, then head up the stairs.

On the next platform, you’ll find another set of Shinra boxes on the right. Destroy them, then head up the next set of stairs to arrive at the door to the 4th Ward.

Make your way to the other side of the platform, ducking into the room on the left to find a bench and a vending machine, then take the stairs down a level.

Destroy the Shinra boxes behind you, then approach the ledge opposite the stairs and have Red cross and hit the lever.

Several Unknown Entities will appear, so tear through them with Ice magic and attacks with Cloud’s Ice-linked weapon.

Rescuing Red XIII (Cloud)

One of the Entities will tackle Red, knocking him down to the same level Tifa and Aerith are on.

Hop across the pods to the other side and quickly access the PHS Terminal to switch to Tifa and Aerith’s party.

Rescuing Red XIII (Tifa)

From the PHS Terminal, turn around and destroy the Shinra boxes, then jump across the specimen pods to reach the next area, which is filled with familiar fixtures.

Two Sledgeworms will appear, so dodge their attacks and take them out with Lightning damage. Keep yourself healed and keep both Tifa and Aerith focused on them, one at a time, until they are destroyed.

After they are dead, slide down the ladder to reach the lower floor, where you’ll encounter two Enhanced Shock Troopers.

Use Fire damage to quickly Stagger them and take them out, then duck under the pipes to reach the Unknown Entities and Red XIII.

You’ll begin by facing just three Unknown Entities at a time, so target the ones closest to Red and take them out first.

If they cluster up, use Tifa’s Starshower to deal damage to several at once, then use attacks like Divekick, Focused Strike, or Overpower to take them out.

To the Central Terminal (Tifa)

After the fight is over, head down the stairs and walk towards the gap. Ask Red to cross and extend the specimen pods so you can cross, then move to the other side and Tifa and Aerith will discover an elevator.

A Way Up

Unfortunately, Aerith discovers that the elevator isn’t working, so turn right and pull the lever, which will raise the walkway to the Central Terminal.

A group of Shock-Ray and Slug-Rays will appear, so destroy them with Lightning damage and cross over to the walkway.

Find the lever marked “04,” then pull it to open the 4th Ward door for Cloud and Barret. Head left and access the PHS Terminal to switch parties.

4th Ward (Cloud)

Now that you have control of Cloud again, turn around and cross the specimen pods again and you’ll encounter several Unknown Entities. Take them out and destroy the Shinra boxes on the edge of the platform, then head up the stairs.

Duck into the small room on the right and rest at the bench, then head into the 4th Ward gate.

Head up the stairs to the left and they’ll double back to the right, leading to an entry point in a large pipe.

Head through the door and turn left, then exit on the door on your left to find a chest with two Mega-Potions. Head back into the pipe and turn right, then run until you hit a hatch.

Turn left and pull the lever to open the hatch, then proceed through it and turn right. Drop down the ladder to reach ground level in a large room.

Cross to the other side and climb the ladder. Enter the next pipe and a cutscene will trigger, marking the beginning of the boss fight against the Swordipede.

Boss: Swordipede

• Description: A bionic species created by Shinra’s R&D Division. These specimens are difficult to control, as their behavior regulation mechanisms have not yet been perfected. They circle in the sky searching for quarry, then swoop down to attack.
• Weakness / Status Ailments: None
• Lesser Resistances: None
• Greater Resistances: None
• Immunities: Stop
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities: Saw Blade (Physical), Live Wire (Magic: Lightning), Energy Volley (Magic), Saw-Toothed Spin
• Items Dropped: Force Bracelet
• Rare Items Dropped: None
• Stealable Items: None
• Notes:Tactical data not available.

This is a relatively straightforward fight (with some fun opportunities to exploit Status Ailments), so begin by laying into the boss with Barret until it reaches the ground, at which point you can use Cloud to perform his regular round of single-target attacks and abilities.

If the boss approaches Cloud with a physical attack, counter with Punisher Mode, but watch out for special attacks.

The close-range electrical attack, Livewire, will be used fairly frequently. You’ll know it’s coming when Swordipede stops moving and begins charging itself with electricity.

Once the charge cycle is complete, it will rush around the area, so dodge out of the way and use ranged attacks until it loses its charge.

Swordipede will also fly high into the air from time to time and rain down destructive magic orbs with Energy Volley.

Watch where it is flying and stay out from under it, then run from side to side to avoid them and wait for it to cease, at which point it is safe to resume your attack.

Boss: Swordipede - Phase 2

At a little over half health, the Swordipede will go berserk and break through the wall to The Drum, and the fight will continue with Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII.

All of Swordipede’s attacks are more difficult to avoid in the simple, circular platform, so you’ll need to take extra care to avoid Livewire and Energy Volley.

When you see either of those attacks begin, start running away from the boss, around the platform, and try to stay relatively close to its tail.

Best case, you’ll be able to deal extra ranged damage while it’s occupied with its attack, and worst case scenario, you avoid most or all of the attack and are free to resume once it’s over.

Saw-Toothed Spin is a bit different, as the attack circles the platform much faster than the others, but it can simply be sidestepped to avoid damage, as Swordipede does not course-correct once the attack is in motion.

Keep your party healed and lay into Swordipede with attacks that can’t miss (Thundaga/Bioga), and interrupt attacks like Livewire with the Sleep spell to give yourself plenty of breathing room and you’ll soon bring the fight to an end.

After the fight is over, Hojo will unlock the elevator and extend the walkway leading to it. Run across and enter the elevator and a short cutscene will trigger.

Source of the Sound (Tifa)

The elevator will stop after a short time, so exit and you’ll hear a strange, rhythmic sound. Step out onto the platform and turn right, then follow the path around to find an entrance to the pipe. Step inside and turn left, then run to the end and flip the lever on the right.

Barret and Cloud are on the other side, so the full party is back together again. Return to the elevator and call it using the terminal on the left. The elevator will arrive and take the party back to the top floor.

Step out of the elevator and run across the walkway to return to the central section of The Drum, then follow the path right and the party will notice that the figure from the tank has been removed.

Continue to follow the path around to the right, then head down the stairs to the right and follow the walkway to reach the next elevator.

Confirm that you are ready to head for the roof and a cutscene will trigger.

The Ominous Trail

Once the elevator has stopped, step out into the hallway and turn right.

The strange trail bubbling ooze leads up the stairs, so follow them through the hall and into the office of President Shinra.

Run to the end of the room, then take either staircase up to the next floor and enter through the two sets of doors leading to the President’s inner office.

Once you are inside, you’ll begin to hear a voice. Turn right and walk past Tifa to head outside, where you’ll find a vending machine and bench.

Rest up, then continue out to the helicopter platform, where you’ll find President Shinra holding on to the edge of the building for dear life.

Approach him and a short cutscene will trigger, after which you will be thrust into battle against the next boss; Jenova Dreamweaver.

Boss: Jenova Dreamweaver

• Description: A top secret Shinra experimental specimen. Information on it is scarce, but it is believed to induce hallucinations.
• Weakness / Status Ailments: None
• Lesser Resistances: Sleep, Magic
• Greater Resistances: None
• Immunities: Slow, Stop, Proportional Damage
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities: Cast Aside (Physical), Mourning Wail (Magic), Vengeance (Magic), Quietude (Magic: Silence), Fira (Magic: Fire), Aero (Magic: Wind), Bio (Magic: Poison)
• Items Dropped: Astral Cuff
• Rare Items Dropped: None
• Stealable Items: None
• Notes:Once its health falls below a certain level, its stagger gauge cannot be filled.

Jenova Dreamweaver is a three-phase boss fight. Jenova deals serious damage and uses area-denial attacks which are effective across various ranges, as well as counterattacks, status ailments, and periods where it is immune to damage.

It is worth noting that, while Jenova Dreamweaver has the ability to cast certain mid-level elemental spells, it can also be Silenced, and it only has a Lesser Resistance to Sleep. Because it also has a lesser resistance to Magic, it is best to focus on physical attacks when you can.

Cast Aside creates a small ring around Jenova which will throw the player back a moderate distance after a short time, so try to dodge out of the way to avoid getting hit by it.

Focus on destroying the Left and Right Tentacles each time they respawn, as they prevent the boss from using certain retaliatory moves. Once the Tentacles are destroyed, it also opens Jenova up to becoming Pressured and Staggered.

If you can Stagger Jenova, you will have a relatively long time to deal damage while it remains Staggered, but once it’s over, the boss will regenerate the Tentacles, and the cycle will begin again. If you are unable to Stagger Jenova, it will regenerate the Tentacles after a short time using Reconstitution.

Frequently, after recovering from Stagger, Jenova Dreamweaver will cast Mourning Wail, which surrounds the boss with a very large whirlwind, dealing consistent ticking damage for as long as you remain inside.

Run out when you see the attack winding up and use the opportunity to cast Magic, heal the party, use buffs, or simply stand there, but keep an eye on the boss, as it may still hurl its regular volleys of dark magic at you, which need to be dodged.

Vengeance is one of the hardest-hitting moves Jenova will use during this phase. It will charge a small, black orb above its head and then shoot a laser at the character which deals serious damage and knocks them down.

Rejection is another powerful move Jenova Dreamweaver will cast during the fight, which creates a barrier around the boss, making it impervious to physical attack.

It will counter any attacks made immediately with a sword-like beam of light, dealing extreme damage, so don’t attack with physical damage during this time, or cast Breach to nullify it.

Resolution is a spell which causes a small pool of swirling purple energy to appear on the ground. Standing in it for more than a moment will inflict Stop on the character, but the Protective Boots will keep at least two of your party safe from this.

Quietude is another spell the boss will cast, which will inflict Silence on the affected character. Use Echo Mist to remove it if the character is an essential spell-caster.Once Jenova Dreamweaver is below 50% damage, Phase 2 will begin.

Boss: Jenova Dreamweaver - Phase 2

Jenova Dreamweaver will begin this phase by casting Thanatos Denied, which makes it completely impervious to Physical, Magical, Fixed, and Proportional damage, and all Status Effects. It will also gain three new attacks; Dreams of Quietude, Dreams of Flame, and Dreams of Vengeance.

Both the damage immunities and the “Dreams” abilities involve the new swarm of Tentacles scattered around the area.

Your goal during this phase is to destroy all the Tentacles as quickly as possible to both avoid overwhelming damage, and create opportunities to damage Jenova Dreamweaver.

When Jenova Dreamweaver casts Dreams of Quietude, Flame, or Vengeance, it will cause each Tentacle still living to start casting Quietude, Fire, or Vengeance.

At the end of the timer, all Tentacles will cast those spells in rapid succession, which can deal extreme damage depending on how many Tentacles are still alive.

The Pressure gauge will slowly fill as you destroy Tentacles and, once they are all destroyed, you will have a very short window during which the Pressure gauge can be filled by directly attacking Jenova Dreamweaver.

If you cannot Stagger Jenova in time, it will spawn more Tentacles and the cycle will begin again. If you are able to Stagger it, unleash your most powerful abilities to deal enough damage to initiate Phase 3.

Boss: Jenova Dreamweaver - Phase 3

Phase 3 is a hybrid of the first two phases. The area will be filled with Tentacles once again, but Jenova Dreamweaver is vulnerable to direct damage, so feel free to focus on the boss by destroying the Left and Right Tentacle and then dealing direct damage to the boss' body.

Sporadic black rain will cover parts of the arena, dealing constant, but not severe damage, so be sure to avoid it and keep your team healed.

During this time, Jenova Dreamweaver will graduate from second-level (Fira, Aerora, etc.) to third-level spells (Firaga, Aeroga, etc.) and gain a new spell called Dreams of Sanctuary, which will grant it a barrier.

Use Breach to cut through it and regain the ability to damage Jenova Dreamweaver, chase it as it teleports around the room, and avoid the area attacks to bring the fight to a close.

The Showdown

After the battle is over, head out towards the helipad and circle around to the other side of the building, then climb the ladder and a cutscene will play.

After it’s over, head back down to the helipad and reunite with the party, but the rescue chopper will be destroyed and the fight with Rufus Shinra and Darkstar will begin.

Boss: Rufus and Darkstar

Rufus

• Description: Shinra’s vice president and the son of the president. He carries a custom-made shotgun and is protected by Darkstar, a military canine.
• Weakness / Status Ailments: None
• Lesser Resistances: Poison, Magic, Fixed Damage
• Greater Resistances: Sleep, Stop
• Immunities: Silence, Slow, Berserk, Proportional Damage
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities:
• Items Dropped: None
• Rare Items Dropped: None
• Stealable Items: None
• Notes: Standard physical and magic attacks have no effect on his stagger gauge. However, hitting him with a certain attack when his guard is down will instantly Stagger him.

Darkstar

• Description: A military canine serving as Rufus’s personal guard dog. A one-off breed specially enhanced by Shinra’s R&D Division, it follows its master’s orders without hesitation, and will die to protect him.
• Weakness / Status Ailments: None
• Lesser Resistances: Lightning, Silence
• Greater Resistances: None
• Immunities: Slow, Berserk, Proportional Damage
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities:
• Items Dropped: None
• Rare Items Dropped: None
• Stealable Items: None
• Notes: All attacks have only a slight effect on its stagger gauge until its link with Rufus is broken.

While this boss fight is not necessarily easy, it is certainly straightforward. Your job is to block or counter physical attacks by Darkstar using Counterstance or Punisher Mode.

If you find countering difficult, due to the pair’s coordinated attacks or how fast the attacks occur, you can simply block and the Steadfast Block Materia will help you gain plenty of ATB you can use to heal.

You’ll slowly whittle his life away and keep yourself Hasted, protected by Barrier/Manawall, and healed with Chakra. Focus on getting rid of Darkstar first, and you’ll be able to finish off Rufus much easier.

Start the fight by casting Haste on yourself, then Barrier/Manawall.

Darkstar will approach and deal damage with regular attacks, including a jumping attack and one with its head tentacle.

Both of these can be countered, so watch for the telltale signs; If it starts to whip its head around or run up/crouch low and no move nameplate appears, get ready to counter.

Darkstar will also attack with several special moves. During Corkscrew it will lunge at you and initiate a spinning attack, so block or counter it.

Whirlwhip, which has Darkstar leaping up into the air and slamming its head tentacle down, is another attack that can easily be countered, and it has a slightly longer startup than Darkstar’s other attacks.

Unfortunately, while these attacks can be countered relatively easily, once you have the timing down, Rufus will often follow-up these attacks with a shotgun blast.

Because of this, you’ll need to dodge or block immediately following your counterattack, or simply eat the shotgun fire and heal with Chakra, as Rufus’ basic gunfire doesn’t deal much damage.

Subdue is an unblockable pouncing move, so be sure to dodge roll out of the way to avoid becoming Bound and subject to follow-up attacks.

Darkstar can also assist Rufus by enabling powerful combo attacks. From time to time Darkstar will cast Thunder on Rufus, who will absorb the elemental attack with his gun and then fire lightning-infused rounds at Cloud with Thunderclap. The timing must be precise, but this attack can be dodged, as well.

Boss: Rufus and Darkstar - Phase 2

A short way into the fight, a cutscene will trigger and Phase 2 will begin, at which point Rufus will begin using several new attacks.

One new attack, Bright Lights, is a move which causes heavy damage. Rufus will throw two coins in the air and jump back as he shoots through them, so dodge left or right to avoid it.

During this time, Rufus will also start shooting a heavy stream of bullets with Guns Akimbo. This move deals very little damage, and is safely blocked (after Darkstar is dealt with, this will also create your best Stagger opportunity, since Rufus always reloads after Guns Akimbo).

Tread Softly is an area-denial attack. Rufus will throw three coins up into the air and Darkstar will slam them onto the ground in a spread-shot pattern.

Once they hit the ground, they will create small rings of electricity, so avoid them as you continue to move around the area.

After you’ve dealt with Darkstar, Rufus will gain a much higher degree of maneuverability and gain even more additional attacks, but the idea is still the same; exploit his weakness to Braver while he is in Reload, then lay into him with your strongest attacks.

Think Fast is a close-range attack. Rufus will throw several coins into the air, then shoot them to create a circle of explosions, so dodge away from him to avoid it.Up In Smoke is an obfuscation attack.

Rufus will throw a group of coins in the air and shoot them, creating a large, smoky area. This will make it more difficult to read and avoid his attacks, but it’s easily avoided, especially if you stick close to him during the fight.

Take these things into consideration, use your ATB charges for Chakra when you are at or below 50% HP, and you’ll topple the new tyrant in no time.

The Great Escape

After Rufus is defeated, Tifa will rush to Cloud’s aid as Aerith, Barret, and Red approach the exit to the Shinra Building. Unfortunately, there is another hurdle in their way; the powerful Arsenal combat weapon.

Boss: The Arsenal

• Description: An autonomous weapons-platform manufactured by Shinra’s Advanced Weaponry Division. It is armed with an extremely powerful cannon on its right arm and rotary cannons on its left. Equipped with cutting-edge combat AI, it calculates the most efficient method of annihilating its targets based on the situation.
• Weakness / Status Ailments: None
• Lesser Resistances: Stop
• Greater Resistances: None
• Immunities: Poison, Sleep, Silence, Slow, Berserk, Proportional Damage
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities: Secondary Fire (Physical), Primary Fire (Physical), Saturation Fire (Physical), Homing Laser (Magic), Voltaic Discharge (Magic)
• Items Dropped: None
• Rare Items Dropped: None
• Stealable Items: None
• Notes: While it runs an elemental defense protocol, attacks of those element have only a slight effect on the Stagger gauge. Its Stagger gauge is not affected at all when its barrier is online.

The fight against The Arsenal takes place in a spacious arena with limited cover. There are two types of cover in the arena; large, resilient pillars, and smaller, destructible piles of rubble (with specific amounts of “health”), and managing both is important for the encounter, especially given its length.

For the majority of the fight, the best strategy is to stay between a pile of rubble and a pillar and strafe left or right, depending on which attack the boss uses.

With Barret kitted out in his tank gear, taking hits (even from larger attacks like Primary Fire) isn’t that big of a deal, even if you are caught away from cover. This is doubly true with Barret using Prayer and Aerith using Healing Materia.

Begin the fight by charging ATB with Barret and then casting Haste, then Lifesaver, Steelskin, and Barrier. Keep these up for the entire fight, then either use Prayer with Barret if both he and Aerith are nearing 50% HP, or simply use Cure with Aerith while standing on an Arcane Ward if only one character is hurt.

Position both characters on opposite sides of the screen and switch between them to attack the Barrier Drones, as Arsenal’s large body can obstruct your attacks on them.

When you don’t need healing or buffing, focus spending ATB charges on Maximum Fury and Ray of Judgment, but make sure you have a clear shot of the Barrier Drone before you begin, as you’ll be locked into the attack for some time.

For the first phase of the fight, focus on attacking the Barrier Drones and destroying them, while avoiding damage from the boss’ attacks, and healing and buffing your party. Don’t spend any damaging Limit Breaks here, or in Phase 2. Instead, save them for the final phase, as not dealing enough damage during that final window can result in a Game Over.

Saturation Fire is a steady stream of bullets, and is easily avoided by standing behind either rubble or a pillar. It also deals very little damage and can be blocked without serious incident.

Homing Laser fires a volley of purple beams into the air which bend at a downward angle and home in on the target.

Due to the more vertical orientation of this attack, it is best to hide behind a pillar during this attack, although several beams may still make it through, so it’s still best to block to minimize damage.

Voltaic Discharge is a ground-based attack which causes several orbs of electrical energy to rush forward in a spread-shot pattern.

This attack deals Lightning damage and stuns the player if it hits, opening them up to even more damage from follow-up attacks, so either dodge the attack by moving far to the left or right, or watch the spread and step in between the orbs to avoid taking damage. This attack is also blocked by standing behind rubble or a pillar.

Primary Fire is the first attack which has the potential to change the landscape. With a slow charge time, Primary Fire hits hard when it fires, and it can destroy rubble piles in a single blow.

There is a short window, as the attack charges, where you can stop it by dealing enough damage to the cannon, but if you can’t prevent it, you’ll need to dodge the attack (which requires specific timing), or hide behind a pillar to avoid losing cover as the fight proceeds.

Secondary fire is a spread-shot bullet attack, but it doesn’t deal much damage, and it is very easy to avoid or block, but it still deals damage to rubble piles.

From time to time, the boss will plant small, electrical charges on the ground. Stepping on them will cause the player to be blown clear, making this an effective tactic to flush you away from cover. Regularly moving between the pillars and the rubble will cause many of these to be placed in areas you can avoid.

If one is placed just between a pillar and the rubble on the left, pivot to strafing between the pillar and the rubble on the right until it disappears, so you’ll always have cover, and you’ll always have a clear shot to the boss or the Drones.

Keep cycling through healing, buffing, and damaging the Barrier Drones and, once all three have been destroyed, Phase 2 will begin.

Boss: The Arsenal - Phase 2

• Weakness / Status Ailments: Lightning, Fire, Wind, Ice
• Lesser Resistances: Stop
• Greater Resistances: None
• Immunities: Poison, Sleep, Silence, Slow, Berserk, Proportional Damage
• Absorbed Elements: None
• Abilities: Secondary Fire (Physical), Primary Fire (Physical), Saturation Fire (Physical), Homing Laser (Magic), Voltaic Discharge (Magic)

During this phase, The Arsenal will become more mobile. It will move around the arena on wheels, utilizing the Charge attack to deal large chunks of damage and knocking the characters down (which also interrupts any attacks being made). Be sure to hide behind pillars or dodge early to avoid it, and note that Charge can destroy rubble piles.Make sure to keep Steelskin and Lifesaver on at all times, as well as Haste and Barrier/Manawall on Barret. Keep using Prayer / Cure to keep yourself above 50%.

In addition to being more mobile, The Arsenal is now vulnerable to elemental attacks. Attack with any one of the four weaknesses with your most powerful spells to inflict Pressured status, then keep hitting it with extra attacks to Stagger it.

Either after being staggered by it, or by taking enough of one damage type without being staggered, The Arsenal will initiate an Elemental Defense Protocol.

At this point, it will remove that elemental weakness and gain a greater resistance to the corresponding element, meaning you should no longer attack with it, so switch to another element to exploit another weakness, and continue the cycle from there.

A good plan is to begin with slower attacks like Aeroga and then end the phase with attacks like Thundaga that can’t miss, because the end of this battle can get fairly hectic.

In addition to it’s normal attacks and Charge, the Arsenal will also use Firewall, which shoots two rays of flame in straight lines, away from the boss. The paths the lasers trace on the ground will then erupt in walls of flame, preventing the character from escaping.

It will often follow-up this attack with Voltaic Charge, which is much more difficult to avoid, since you are trapped in between the walls of fire, so be sure to hide behind a pillar or pile of rubble to avoid the follow-up attack and keep firing or casting spells during this time.

After reaching roughly 50% HP, The Arsenal will enter Threat Level: Critical, it will fire a massive laser from its core, destroying one of the pillars, and Phase 3 will begin.

Boss: The Arsenal - Phase 3

Other than the removal of one of the pillars, and one new attack, not much will change in Phase 3. If you’ve been charging your Summons, now is a good time to start bringing them out, as you’ll want as much burst damage as possible as the fight nears its conclusion. The only new attack you’ll need to worry about is the one shown in the Phase 3 intro cinematic; Pulse Cannon.

Pulse Cannon can destroy pillars, and it deals massive damage, but avoiding being hit and then counter-attacking while the attack is recharging will cause The Arsenal to become Pressured.

Lay into it with powerful attacks to Stagger it, then use your most powerful abilities, but save your damaging Limit Breaks. Instead, use abilities like Maximum Fury and Ray of Judgment, along with the most powerful versions of your Summons attacks.

Once you deal enough damage, The Arsenal will reach Threat Level: Maximum and the final, brief, phase of the fight will begin.

Boss: The Arsenal - Phase 4

This phase will begin with The Arsenal casting Firewall to lock you in as it charges its ultimate attack; Cry Havoc. Deal as much damage to the boss as you can while remaining close to the remaining pillar, then duck behind it before the blast.

The pillar will be destroyed and the boss will ready another attack. This is the time to unleash everything you have, as failing to kill the boss before the second Cry Havoc will result in death.

Hit the boss with any additional Summon abilities you have and, when the timers run out, the Summon’s Ultimate Attack, as well as any damaging Limit Breaks like Catastrophe. If it still isn’t dead, use anything you have left on Maximum Fury and Ray of Judgment and you’ll finally turn The Arsenal into scrap metal, bringing an end to the fight.

Once the fight is over, Barret, Aerith, and Red will be surrounded by Heidegger and his troops, but Cloud and Tifa will soon arrive, and the group will escape onto the highways of Midgar, marking the end of Chapter 17.