Final Fantasy VII: Initial Equip/No Materia,Accessories FAQ by Roughdawg4
Version Final?, Last Updated 2005-05-01 View/Download Original File 
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No materia, Initial Weapon & armor, No accessory, Active battle


                           challenge guide
Written by: Roughdawg4 (Michael Simmons)
Contact: [email protected]

Table of Contents
1) Disclaimer
2) Content
3) Rules
4) Tips
5) Character Analysis
6) Difficulty Rankings
7) FAQ's
8) Walkthrough
   a) Disc 1
   b) Disc 2
        1) Getting Omnislash *NEW SECTION*
   c) Disc 3
9) Credits
10) Final Words


**********************************************************************
                              DISCLAIMER
That whole legal thing? I will encourage the use of my guide, so long
as I get credit for it and you don't change it in any way. If you
want to host it on your site just let me know. Failure to inform me
will result in an ass beating, so save my foot the hassle and the
inconvenience of your butt getting kicked and take my advice. This
walkthrough was made entirely by me and cannot be copied without
my permission.

**********************************************************************
                               CONTENT
I am making this walkthrough because I do not like people believing
FFVII is so easy.  This challenge is for the hardcore gamers that
want to pick up this game and feel satisfied when they beat it.  In
this guide, I will assume you are familiar with FFVII and where to
go.  This guide will probably only give strategies on how to deal
with bosses since they will pose the biggest problem.  A big part of
the guide will focus on Boss Strategies and Dungeon Survival.  LUCKY
7's, the W-item trick, and Cait Sith's instant death reels is not
allowed and will not be used in this challenge.  I think the hardest 
thing with my walkthrough is not allowing accessories.  In other 
guides, accessories can cancel out spells are negate certain effects.
**********************************************************************
                                RULES
1) No materia is allowed for any part of the game (not even the
chocobo lure).  Through some sequences materia is automatically
equipped.  Do not use any magic in the beginning of the game since
you cannot remove the materia until later.  In these sequences you
are not allowed to use materia and must remove it when possible.  I
will give frequent updates when this stuff happens to help you out.
Also, you are not allowed to equip materia even if it is useless like
the all materia for money purposes. I do not mind the Cloud and
Sephiroth's materia in the Kalm flashback because it does not affect
the game.
2) Initial weapon & armor is easy.  Whatever they start with is what
you end with.
3) No accessories are allowed at any time. This is really going to 
make battles tough
4) In the config menu, you will need to put on the active battle
option (ATB). This increases the difficulty a little bit because you
will not have all day to pick what you want.  So battle might be
decided over a couple of seconds.
5) NO CHEAP METHODS.  You guys know what I am talking about.  You are
not allowed to use LUCKY 7's, the W-Item trick, and Cait Sith's 
instant death reels.
**********************************************************************

                                 TIPS
1)SAVE OFTEN. It isn't like the regular game where you can forget
about saving because of ease.  This is hard, please remember to save.
2)GET ITEMS, AS MANY AS YOU CAN.  I cannot stress this enough.  It
will piss you off if you get to the end of Midgar and you got no
items for those 4 boss battles in a row.  I had to start over because
I failed to get enough.
3)You can escape, remember that.
4)Since you do not need materia, items are really key. Getting all
the items in a dungeon or town is key.  It will help you heal and
gain money. Also, you can sell weapons, armor, or ethers you have
because you cannot use them.
5)Since healing items are important, take advantage of inns.
6)Use low level limit breaks if necessary. Low level limit breaks are
faster and quicker to use. Reducing to a level 2 limit break might
reduce damage but it will happen more frequent. Also, Aeris has very
powerful limit breaks so this challenge could be a lot easier if she
is used.
7)Do not throw your control when you see the Game Over screen.  This
will happen a lot in this challenge so get used to it. It is just a
game ( I don't know how many times I tried to convince myself of
this).
**********************************************************************

			   CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Now there are various elements that I will discuss on each character.
First, what the character is initially equipped with will play a role
in your decision.  The general rule is that the later you ally with
someone, the better there equipment is.  Cloud is a better player
than mostly everyone, but his equipment is very inferior to Cid's.  So
I will discuss each option so you will not have to :).  Also, I will
discuss the limit breaks of each character and how you should utilize
them.

CLOUD 
Initial Weapon: Buster Sword
Attack:  18
Attack%: 96
Initial Armor: Bronze Bangle
Defense: 8
Description: Well of all the characters you get early on, he has the 
best stats.  His Omnislash & Meteorain kicks ass so you should aim for
either one of those.  Which one you decide does not matter but you can
base it on whether or not you feel like doing the battle arena with
this challenge.  I personally stuck with Meteorain but the choice is
yours.

TIFA
Initial Weapon: Leather Glove
Attack:  13
Attack%: 99
Initial Armor: Bronze Bangle
Defense: 8
Description: Has the worst equipment of everyone (besides Aeris). I 
would not recommend using her because her attack sucks and so does her 
limits.  Other people have more useful stuff for you.

AERIS
Initial Weapon: Guard Stick
Attack:  12
Attack%: 99
Notes: Spirit+4, Vitality+1
Initial Armor: Bronze Bangle
Defense: 8
Description:  If she didn't die she would be perfect for this challenge.
Her 3rd and 4th level spells can heal entire amounts of HP.  But because
she dies, you are better off not wasting your time with her.  If you
need a healer for your party, she is not a bad option until you get
Yuffie.

BARRET
Initial Weapon: Gatling Gun
Attack:  14
Attack%: 97
Notes: Long Range Weapon
Initial Armor: Bronze Bangle
Defense: 8
Description: Barret is not someone I would recommend using, but he is
extremely useful with his limit breaks.  His Mind Blow technique
decreases the enemies MP to 0 which is awesome.  This might be very
useful for some bosses, but overall, his attack is lacking.

RED XIII
Initial Weapon: Mythril Clip
Attack:  24
Attack%: 100
Initial Armor: Mythril Armlet
Defense:   18
Defense%:  3
Magic Def: 8
Description: In the beginning of the game, he will be in your party alot.
He will have the best equipment for a while.  Also, Lunatic High and
Stardust Ray are excellent limit breaks for you early in the game.

YUFFIE
Initial Weapon: 4-point Shuriken
Attack:  23
Attack%: 100
Notes: Long Range Weapon
Initial Armor: Carbon Bangle
Defense:   27
Defense%:  3
Magic Def: 14
Description: It is funny writing this description because I never used
Yuffie in the conventional game.  But in this challenge, I cannot
see being without her.  Her limit break, Clear Tranquil, is the only
limit break that can heal your party besides Aeris, but she dies.
If you want a healer in your group you will need Yuffie.

CAIT SITH
Initial Weapon: Yellow M-phone
Attack:  36
Attack%: 100
Initial Armor: Silver Armlet
Defense:   34
Defense%:  4
Magic Def: 22
Description: Despite having good initial equipment, his limit breaks
still blow.  And since you cannot use his best reel result, it makes
him even more useless.

VINCENT
Initial Weapon: Quicksilver
Attack:  38
Attack%: 110
Notes: Long Range Weapon
Initial Armor: Silver Armlet
Defense:   34
Defense%:  4
Magic Def: 22
Description: Has the 2nd best initial equipment in the game.  Not
only should that get your attention, his limits kick ass and will
save yours alot.  The 2 limits you will need alot is Chaos and
Death Gigas.  The reason Death Gigas is important is when you
transform in this mode, YOUR MAX HP DOUBLES.  Very crucial
for getting past annoying bosses like Jenova-Life.

CID
Initial Weapon: Spear
Attack:  44
Attack%: 97
Initial Armor: Silver Armlet
Defense:   46
Defense%:  4
Magic Def: 28
Description: Has the best initial equipment in the game.  Although
his limits are not as great as Vincent's, his are still good.  His
last limit break, Highwind, does extreme damage and very useful
near the end of the game.

WHO SHOULD YOU PICK?
Well whether you like it or not Cloud will be in your party.  Also,
unless you are very fortunate with items, Yuffie will be playing the
role of the healer.  Now this leaves one space open for someone else.
I personally think Vincent's transformations make him the top choice,
but you might think otherwise.  Barret and Cid have very useful limit
breaks so they should not be overlooked.  In this challenge, I would
stay away from Tifa and Cait Sith, but this is just my opinion.


***********************************************************************

                           DIFFICULTY RANKINGS


Difficulty rankings out of 10.
	1. You will have to try to die
	2. Pretty easy battle
	3. Just attack and you should make it
	4. Attack and heal when necessary. As long as your hp is high
	you are fine
	5. A little strategy will be needed attack and heal when
	necessary.  The battle might be a little tricky
	6. More strategy is needed and specific characters might need
	to be used, be careful this will be hard	
	7. Pretty hard. You might have to fight this boss a few times just
	so you know what you are up against
	8. Incredibly hard. You might need specific items or do
	certain things in battle to have a chance		
	9. I hope to God you saved recently because this guy is going to
	piss you off.  You might have to fight this boss numerous
	times and hope he doesn't use certain attacks on you
	10. WTF. You must have used materia to beat him because there
	is no possible way to beat him with this challenge.
***********************************************************************
FAQ'S

1) Why did you do this Walkthrough?

I guess I was just bored.  I guess the real reason is Jon Masini said 
it couldn't be done.


2) Can you really do this challenge?

Somehow I did it. I am not a god.


3) What was the hardest part of the challenge?

Not being able to use accessories.  Some bosses like Hojo and Twin 
Heads were ridiculous.  I almost quit playing because Hojo was 
driving me crazy.


4) Do you have any other FAQ's?

I made a Final Fantasy Mystic Quest item guide.  Small but good :)


5) You can beat the game without getting the Chocobo Lure?

Yes you can, you just have to be tricky about it. It will get 
explained more when you reach that part in the FAQ.


6) I need help with a boss can you help me?

If the FAQ is not helping you out you might need levels or better 
items.  If you are still having trouble you can send me an email and 
I will try and help you out.

7) Hey you can use the Water Ring to easily beat Jenova-Life.  Can you
credit me with that strategy in your walkthrough?

HELLO.  Did you read the title it says NO ACCESSORIES.  You would almost
think that I am making up this question but sadly I am not.

***********************************************************************
                             WALKTHROUGH

Area - Where is the location
Boss - boss name; also might be a semi-boss or optional
Strategy - What i used to beat it down
My party(level)- Current level of what i was and my party
Difficulty - On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest.


                                DISC 1

Change to Active mode in the options Menu and do not use any materia
that is equipped(you cannot remove it yet)

Area - Midgar Reactor 1
Boss - Guard Scorpion (800 hp)
Strategy - Just attack and heal with items if necessary, do not
attack when its tail is up.
My Party(level) -Cloud(7), Barret(6)
Difficulty - 1 out of 10


Once you get ready to go to Sector 5 you get access to the materia
command.  Remove Cloud's materia now.  When you jump off the train
you are supposed to head north, but if you keep heading south you can
fight special Combatants over and over again.  You do not have to do
this, but if you do it is a good place to level and stock up on
grenades & antidotes.  Items are very important in this type of
challenge and I would recommend this.

Area - Midgar Reactor 5
Boss - Air Buster (1200 hp)
Strategy - If you attack him from the back it does a lot of damage.
Of course when you do this, he counterattacks for a lot of damage but
he wont be able to keep up with you.
My Party(level) - Cloud(10), Barret (9), Tifa (8)
Difficulty - 1 out of 10

Area - Midgar Sewers
Boss - Aous (1800 hp)
Strategy - Nothing hard just keep attacking. Aeriths Healing Limit
Break helps out alot.
My Party(level) - Cloud(10), Aeris (6), Tifa (8)
Difficulty - 2 out of 10


Since items are important in this challenge I figured this would be a
good aspect to mention.  Ghost's drop ghost hand and deenglow's drop
graviball which are both nice items to have.


Area - Midgar Sector 6 Plate Support
Boss - Reno (1000 HP)
Strategy - Attack the pyramid to break out of it. If you are healed
up you can just attack him to death.
My Party(level) -Cloud(11), Barret (10), Tifa (10)
Difficulty - 1 out of 10


Area - Shinra HQ Floor 68
Boss - H0512 (1000 HP)
Strategy - Ignore the little shits and attack the big guy in the
back.  I starting using grenades because my party sucked at attacking
plus it was half damage since he is in the back.
My Party(level) - Cloud (12), Red XIII(12), Tifa (11)
Difficulty - 3 out of 10


These next 4 boss battles are in a row and you can't really prepare
in the middle of any.  I suggest at this point you better start
stocking up on items. At this point, you can get BrainPod's to drop
Deadly Waste.  Deadly Waste is Bio2 which could help a lot for these
battles. Also, The Vargid Police drop Phoenix Downs. Putting
characters in Hyper mode helps too, like Aeris.

Area - Shinra HQ Elevator
Boss - Hundred Gunner (1600 HP)
Strategy - The difficulty of this battle is all in the items. Only
Barret can reach the boss so if you have a good stock of items this
is a piece of cake.
My Party(level) -Barret(11), RedXIII(12), Aeris(10)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10


Area - Shinra HQ Elevator
Boss - Heligunner (1000 HP)
Strategy - Not as much life but more deadly.  Again, if you got the
items it is easy but if you don't, it is not looking good. Thank god
for Aeris's Limit breaks.
My Party(level) -Barret(11), RedXIII(12), Aeris(10)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10


Area - Shinra HP Top Floor
Boss - Rufus Shinra (500 HP)
Strategy - Alot easier then the other boss battles. In fact, about 3
or 4 grenades will finish him off. Take out the dog first.
My Party(level) - Cloud (13)
Diffuculty - 2 out of 10



Area - Midgar
Boss - Motor Ball (2600 HP)
Strategy - This battle is really difficult. If you have no items let
for this guy, you are screwed. I brought Aeris along just for her
healing limits to conserve items. Keep your HP over 200. To make this
extremely easy, Hyper everyone.
My Party(level) - Cloud(13), Aeris(10), Barret(12)
Difficulty - 6 out of 10



                 YOU ARE NOW OUT OF MIDGAR, FINALLY.


Area - Chocobo Farm Swamp
Boss - Midgarsorm (4000 HP)
Strategy - The midgarsorm is going to be tough because no chocobo
lure is allowed.  The trick to beating him is with Barret's Mindblow
limit break.  When you do this, it prevents him from casting Beta, so
he is easier to beat.
My Party(level) - Cloud(13), Aeris(11), Barret(12)
Difficulty - 6 out of 10

********* Tip from [email protected] ********************

There is a way to get past the Midgar Zolom after making your way 
through Midgar and Kalm. Mainly, what you have to do first is take a 
few steps around in the southern part of the swamp to lure  the zolom 
over to that area. Next get out and stay on the field as far east you 
can get without falling in the swamp. Switch to Ground camera view here 
and look around until the zolom is heading near the south edge of the 
swamp. Quickly change the camera angle towards the cave entrance and 
make a mad dash towards it. Watch as the zolom is just a second behind 
Cloud as he hits the fielded area. This may take a couple of tries as 
the aiming may be off but save right a step or two out of the swamp 
and load after you get game over(you may be granted a few tries from 
slamming down the L1 and R1 butonns as soon as the fight starts) I 
found this on accident just strolling across trieing to make it through 
without the zolom hitting me and I would've made it too had it been for 
being a couple steps off my direction. I was also pissed becuase when i 
did get caught I almost had him dead anyways but I ran out of Hi potions, 
potions, and Phoenix Downs.

********* Tip from [email protected] ********************


If you decide to get Yuffie, remember to remove all materia on her.
Just as a side note, if you like Aeris's healing ability you
obviously realize you are going to lose her sooner or later.
Yuffie's 2nd Level 1 limit break is the same as Aeris's, so If you
like using Aeris as a healer, I suggest using Yuffie.

Area - Lower Junon (Beach Area)
Boss - Bottom Swell (2500 HP)
Strategy - Just attack and nail it with grenades. Hyper Aeris so you
can heal faster. This guy can do put your characters in a bubble
which is really annoying.  The bad part is you need magic to break
the bubble which he can't do. So you will have to let your characters
die to use them again.
My Party(level) - Cloud(15),Barret(14),Aeris(12)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10


Area - Cargo Ship
Boss - Jenova-Birth (4000 HP)
Strategy - Hyper everyone and just go limit crazy on Jenova. Be
careful of Jenova's attacks, stay with high HP.
My Party(level) - Cloud(15), Tifa(14), Aeris(12)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10


When you get Cait Sith, remove his materia. Cait Sith has a powerful
initial weapon equipped and also very good initial armor so he could
prove to be useful.

Area - Corel Prison
Boss - Dyne (1200 HP)
Strategy - Use all the Molotov's you got on him because he can finish
you off fast. Don't bother healing because it only takes 4. Be
careful though, it is possible he can attack twice in a round.
My Party(level) - Barret (16)
Difficulty - 3 out of 10

SAVE ONE X-POITION THAT YOU RECIEVE. It will make your life really
easy.  If you don't have one yet you can get one in Gongaga (in a
house) or Cosmo Canyon (at the inn) when you get there.


Area - Gongaga
Boss - Reno (2000 HP), Rude (2000 HP)
Strategy - You only need to defeat one of them so concentrate your
efforts on Rude.  It doesn't matter which one since they both have
the same HP and seem to have the same defense.  The reason to beat
rude is he drops a X-Potion which is a really good item.  In case you
are wondering, Reno drops a good weapon but you can't use it anyway.
To make this battle quick you can use some Molotov's.
My Party(level) - Cloud (17), Aeris (16), Tifa (16)
Difficulty - 2 out of 10


Heavy Tanks in the Gongaga Meltdown Area give decent XP and Gil if
you want to get some levels.  They also drop Hi-Potions.
Sneaky Step drops M-Tentacle.  This item casts Bio2 on an opponent
and is extremely valuable for later boss fights.  Try to get a couple
(at least one).

Area - Cave of the Gi
Boss - Gi Nanataku (5500 HP)
Strategy - Use an X-Potion on him and the battle is over.  Good thing
you saved one of them. (Note: Curt also noted that a phoenix 
down can also kill the boss instantly. The only downside is that the 
phoenix down doesn't always work, but they are much more plentiful.)
My Party(level) - Cloud(20),Red XIII(18),Tifa(20)
Difficulty - 1 out of 10


Area - Shinra Mansion
Boss - Lost Number (7000 HP)
Strategy - If you got M-Tentacles use them because they do sick
damage and could poison him.  This guy rapes and you are in trouble
for this guy. After the M-Tentacles nail this guy with Molotov's til
he dies.  If you happen to poison him with something you can just
defend and heal till he dies.
My Party(level) - Cloud(21),Tifa(20),Aeris(19)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10

If you are having trouble beating Lost Number you do not have to beat
him. The main reason to beat Lost Number in this walkthrough is so
you can get Vincent.  If you will never use Vincent, this battle is a
waste of your time. Vincent starts with awesome equipment, which might
be to your advantage.  His initial weapon has 20 more attack and 14%
more accuracy than Cloud's weapon. He has the strongest initial
weapon and armor at this point and only one more person has a better
equipment than him.

*Alternate Strategy from Acid Angel 13 <[email protected]>*
  His party: Cloud, Tifa, Aeris
  average party level 35  Limits: Cloud Lv.3, Tifa Lv.3, Aeris Lv.1
 
  Open with Aeris' Seal Evil to lock him up, then pound him with magic 
items.  I used 2 M-Tentacles, an Earth Drum, and roughly 15 Bolt 
Plumes.  This should make him turm red; When he does, unload Meteorain 
on him.  For me, he dropped right there, but if he doesn't, use Tifa's 
Reels to finish him off.



Area - Nibel Mountains
Boss - Materia Keeper (8400 HP)
Strategy - Do not use fire items on him or Vincent's Level 1 limit
break (if you use him for this battle) because Materia Keeper absorbs
all fire type damage.  If you really want to use Vincent for this
battle I would suggest getting his Level 2 limit break.  Everyone is
going to need to be fury for this battle (or at least Aeris).  His
Trine attack does close to 600 damage to everyone in the party and
Hell Combo rapes one person so be careful.
My Party(level) - Cloud(26),Vincent(26),Aeris(25)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10

Area - Rocket Town
Boss - Palmer (6000 HP)
Strategy - If you have made it this far in the challenge, this boss
is a joke.
My Party(level) - Cloud(27),Vincent(27),Yuffie(23)
Difficulty - 3 out of 10

Cid is the best player in the game for this challenge.  He has the
best initial armor and weapon.
CHECK OUT WUTAI'S ITEM SHOP.  You can get some sweet attack items in
the shop like Bolt3 and Fire3. I suggest buying alot of these because
you need all the decent items you can get.


Area - Wutai Mountains
  Boss - Rapus (6000 HP)
  Strategy - Oh No you can't use materia. I went into this battle
  with all my limit breaks ready because the enemies here make it
  easy to do that because this boss does not mess around.  He has
  many attacks and one or two of them might instant kill your member
  because of the high damage it causes.  Just attack or throw Swift
  Bolts at the boss. This guy will piss you off.  I think this boss
  took me about 6 or 7 tries to take him down.
  (Alternate Strategy)- If you use Barret's Lv.1 Mindblow limit break,  
  it will really cripple Rapus's magic. So if you are having trouble
  with my strategy, this one is a good one too. (Credit to Zevgun)
  My Party(level) - Cloud(28),Vincent(28),Aeris(27)
  Difficulty - 7 out of 10

When you get back on the World Map, you are going to have to remove
all your materia that was automatically equipped. You can try the
Padoga fights if you want, but I suggest avoiding optional battles.
All you get really is Yuffie's Level 4 limit break, but you probably
won't use it because you need to keep her limit break on Level 1 for
healing purposes.
When you do the battle arena for the Keystone, you do not need to win
any fights to win it.  So to conserve items, I suggest you die in the
first round.

Area - Temple of the Ancients
Boss - Red Dragon (6800 HP)
Strategy - This guy isn't that bad if you can keep your hp high.  His
attacks will make your limit breaks go crazy. He does alot of damage,
but you have faced worse bad guys.
My Party(level) - Cloud(32),Aeris(30),Vincent(31)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10

Area - Temple of the Ancients
Boss - Demon's Gate (10000 HP)
Strategy - Hyper everyone for this battle. This guy has a lot of HP
but isn't as bad as he seems.  He does a decent amount of damage but
this is what I did.  I put Cloud and Aeris in the back row and I put
Vincent in the front.  With Cloud and Aeris in the back row they don't
take a lot of damage and can throw items and heal easy.  With Vincent
using his 2nd limit break, he has so much HP he is almost impossible
to kill.
My Party(level) -Cloud(32),Aeris(31),Vincent(32)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10


Area - Forgotten City
Boss - Jenova-LIFE (10000 HP)
Strategy - As most battles, I test out stuff and see how it goes.  My
first time I got raped in 35 seconds by Aqualung.  Pretty much I
think you will die anytime Aqualung is cast, but thank god Jenova
doesn't cast it often.  This boss is really easy except when that
spell is casted.  I got hit on my 2nd attempt very late with Aqualung
and only Vincent survived because he had 3000+ HP.  Only problem was
he was transformed so I could not heal.  I ended up beating Jenova
with 40/3226 which means I got extremely lucky. I love you Vincent.
My Party(level) - Cloud(33),Yuffie(28),Vincent(32)
Difficulty - 8 out of 10
**********************************************************************

                                DISC 2

This is one of the first times I will mention a dungeon, but Gaea's
Cliff is really hard.  Watch out for Stilv's because their magic
breath attack can kill you instantly.  Its attack did 2500 damage to
everyone which was almost double some of my characters HP.
For the upcoming boss fight I was having a lot of difficulty, I would
recommend getting some levels near the heal point to have a better
chance.


Area - Gaea's Cliff
Boss - Twinheads (18000 HP)
Strategy - This boss is by far one of the top 3 hardest bosses in the
game.  He does serious damage to one or all characters and will be
hard to heal from.  Make sure you are ready for this battle because
this one will take a while.  I was using items like crazy.  First, I
used a Hero Drink on Yuffie then I was using Megalixirs and X-Potions
because I couldn't keep up with the damage.  This battle took an
incredible amount of attempts so you are going to need to keep your
patience for this one.  The main problem is that 2 attacks in a row
could kill Yuffie and she is the main healer, so you need to get her
HP above 1900.  If you are really having problems with this boss
fight, go back to the save point and level up around the healing
spring.  I think I had to gain about 5 or 6 levels on everyone to
have a chance.
My Party(level) - Cloud(43),Yuffie(40),Vincent(43)
Difficulty - 9 out of 10

*Alternate Strategy from Acid Angel 13<[email protected]>*
  My party: Cloud, Cid, Yuffie
  levels: Cloud 51, Cid 48, Yuffie 46  Limits: Cloud Lv.3, Cid Lv.3-1, 
Yuffie Lv. 1-2
  *Bring lots of Fire Veils and X-Potions (Wutai and surrounding area)
 
  Start with Dragon Dive and Meteorain, then stick to normal attacks on 
Schizo Right (the fire breathing side, not the ice breathing side) 
until your Limits are up again (which won't be long).  Use Yuffie 
solely for healing and don't be stingy with X-Potions; survive and you 
can cruise back to Wutai and get more (the little moth critters you 
randomly fight drop them).
  Continue to drill him with Limits until (hopefully) Schizo Right goes 
down.  Heal from his final attack and start throwing Fire Veils and 
Limits at Schizo Left.  Keep your HP up (over 1500, at least) to 
survive his final attack.  Nothing to it! (Okay, that's an 
understatement, but any brawl you can crawl away from...)


Area - Whirlwind Maze
Boss - Jenova-DEATH (25000 HP)
Strategy - Jenova can silence you, but that isn't going to do much
against you.  This boss has a lot of hp, but isn't anywhere as hard as
the last boss battle.  If you made it past the Twinheads, this boss
shouldn't be much of a threat.
My Party(level) - Cloud(43),Yuffie(40),Tifa(33)
Difficulty - 7 out of 10

You can buy S-Mine's at Fort Condor.  These are very nice in combat
and i recommend always having a stock of these for the remainder of
the game.

**********************************************************************
          Getting Omnislash *Section submitted by Acid Angel 13*

You didn't go after Omnislash in your guide, and I can see why, but 
here's how to get it (relatively) easily:

First, you need to level up, a lot. To stand a chance, you need to be 
at Lv70, at least.  Before you go into the Battle Square, get 99 of 
each-Hi-Potion, X-Potion, Hyper, Remedy, each of the individual status 
cures (antidote, cornucopia, ect.) note that echo screens are
pointless, S-mines, Fire Veils, and Swift Bolts.  Also try to have
plenty (10-20) Dragon Scales and M-Tentacles.  These are extremely 
important as D.Scales basically cast Aqualung, which is brutally 
powerful against anything (Adamantiose, found on the beaches north of 
Wutai drop these), and M-Tentacles (and possibly Deadly Wastes) cause 
instant death to some of the more annoying foes you'll be up against.

What you want to do is set Cid's limit to level 1 and use him.  At
Lv70 Cid OWNS the Battle Arena. Try to use Cid's brute strength and 
limits instead of items, and try to land the slots on what are usually 
the most debilitating handicaps (broken acc., broken materias...)  
Break your weapon or armor and you're pretty much done.

Once Cid wins two complete sets (all 8 rounds), you should have about 
23,000 Battle points, if you scored good handicaps (Break All Materia 
on the last round will make BP skyrocket).

At this point (23,000 BP), the game starts to be really cheap with 
its enemy choices.  Switch to Cloud, using his L3 limit and abuse 
Finishing Touch.  Fight as long as you can and always, ALWAYS, duck 
out after the 7th roud (if you get that far).  NEVER fight the last 
battle, you'll end up agaist a Marlboro, Ochu, or that damned 
Ghost Ship...  All 3 of these guys will eat you for lunch and
you'll forfiet all your BP for that round, as well as any items you 
used.  You'll be bringing down 2-4 thousand BP for each 7 round stint 
(usually), and you'll gradually get to 32,000.

Is it worth it?  Omnislash nails any group or single enemy 15 or 16 
times with a high critical rate and deals over 2000 damage per shot at 
Lv70.  Thats 30,000 HP from a single target, plenty enough to 
slaughter Hojo in a single shot.  So, I'd say, yeah, yeah it is.

Notable enemies:  The 8-Eyes (they look like Jell-o molds with 
eyeballs all over them) can absorb several hundred, or even thousand, 
HP from your charcter per turn, and they appear in sets of 2.  But 
they are ridiculously weak to Bio; toss a M-Tentacle at them and they 
go bye bye.

Jezemny (long haired girl in a one-piece)  There's two versions of 
her; one appears with a group of Toxic Frogs and one with Wind Wing 
(a dragon type, looks like a miniature version of the Rapps boss).  
She can use Fascinate (confuse) on your guy, which is potentially 
fatal, especially when she pulls it every round.  Luckily, she, too, 
is weak to Bio. (Note that Toxic Frogs ABSORB Bio, but they only take 
1 hit to wipe out.  Deal with the tramp first).

Tonberry.  Rare, but will most certainly end you.

Ghost Ship. Everybody hates this cheap bastard.  For some reason, 
though, I came up against him in my first battle set with Cid, and it 
never used Gonnani against me.

Serpent.  My favorite. Simply fall back and defend until the idiot 
uses its stock of MP (this takes a while though).  Use limits when 
you get them, and keep healing.  Once its MP are gone, it just 
floats there and you can pound it at your leisure.


**********************************************************************


Area - Fort Condor
Boss - Cmd. Grandhorn (8000 HP)
Strategy - Just attack this guy and heal when needed.  Piece of cake
from what you are used to
My Party(level) - Cid(34),Vincent(44),Yuffie(41)
Difficulty - 3 out of 10


Area - Mideel
Boss - Ultima Weapon (10000 HP)
Strategy - Throw a bunch of S-Mines at this guy until he runs away.
You need to be fast so Ultima Weapon cannot get any serious attacks
on you.
My Party(level) - Cid(36),Yuffie(42),Vincent(44)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10


Area - Undersea Reactor
Boss - Carry Armor Body (24000 HP), Carry Armor Arms (10000 HP)
Strategy - Swift Bolts. This guy is weak against lightning, and Swift
Bolts targets everything.  You will need about 17 for a victory, so
just last that long.  Also transform Vincent with his Level 2 limit
break.  This will give him sick hp, plus his 2nd attack is lightning
based. Even though he has a nice weakness, this guy is not easy.  He
can rip you apart pretty fast so be quick in this battle.
My Party(level) - Cloud(44),Yuffie(43),Vincent(45)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10


Area - Rocket Town
Boss - Rude (9000 HP)
Strategy - This is a joke. This battle is nothing you can't handle.
My Party(level) - Cloud(45),Yuffie(44),Cid(40)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10

This part is optional.  You do not have to go to the Downed Shinra
Plane and I would really not recommend it.  The reason I chose to go
there is for the elixir, 2 megalixirs, and for the walkthrough.  If
you feel you do not need them, don't go.

Area - Downed Shinra Plane
Boss - Reno (15000 HP), Rude (20000 HP)
Strategy - Take out Reno first because his new weapon confuses you.
Really this is the biggest pain of the battle.  Once you take out
Reno, this battle is pretty much over.  Throw S-mines or attack and
this battle is yours.  I actually got Vincent's level 4 limit break
and used Chaos in battle.  This made the battle a complete joke.
My Party(level) - Cloud(45),Yuffie(45),Vincent(47)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10


For your information, once you beat the Turks, the treasure chest you
first run into is a Megalixir.  This is the only thing that is useful
in this walkthrough, so you can leave after you get it.


Area - Outside Midgar
Boss - Diamond Weapon (50000 HP)
Strategy - Diamond weapon attacks do not cause a lot of damage.  This
boss is more defensive than offensive.  The only attack that does not
qualify is his Diamond Flash Attack.  This attack, even if you have
max HP, will devastate your party but at least it can't kill you (I
think it takes of 90% of your current HP).  The only easy part about
this attack is you know when it is coming since he has a countdown.
Since this attack can't kill you, it will max everyone's overdrives,
allowing you to heal. If Yuffie is ready to heal each time after the
attack, this boss will die like the rest.
My Party(level) - Cloud(46),Vincent(47),Yuffie(45)
Difficulty - 7 out of 10


When you face the Turks you are given a choice of what you want to
occur because the next battle is optional.  If you choose No, let's
not go, no battle will occur.  The choice is yours. I prefer not to
fight just because it makes your life easier and they dont give
anything that good. Although people might frown against it, I think
it is foolish to waste really good items that could be saved for
later. If you do want to fight just start throwing out Swift Bolt's
to nail them all.  I think it takes around 13-15 to start knocking
people out.


Area - Midgar Sector 8
Boss - Proud Clod (60000 HP), Proud Clod Armor (20000 HP)
Strategy - I will first point out to not attack the armor.  Attacking
the armor is just for increasing magical damage.  Since we cannot use
materia, we will not focus any efforts on it.  Be careful when Proud
Clod drops on its knees because it does moderate damage.  Besides
that, this boss isn't that hard.
My Party(level) - Cloud(50),Yuffie(51),Vincent(51)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10


Be prepared for these next 3 battles because they are all in a row.
The first two do not pose much of a threat, but the last one is
extremely deadly and will be the hardest boss you have faced so far.
Level up if you have to.

Area - Midgar Sister Ray
Boss - Hojo (13000 HP)
Strategy - This isn't that bad.  Just attack and heal and you will be
fine.  Ignore the creatures around him.
My Party(level) - Cloud(51),Yuffie(51),Vincent(52)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10

Area - Midgar Sister Ray
Boss - Helletic Hojo (26000 HP)
Strategy - This battle is a little harder but still nothing to worry
about.  Just make sure you keep your HP high so you can go into the
final form with full strength.  Don't worry about Hojo's limbs.
My Party(level) - Cloud(51),Yuffie(51),Vincent(52)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10

Area - Midgar Sister Ray
Boss - Lifeform-Hojo (30000 HP)
Strategy - This battle will really piss you off and he is right up
there with Twinheads.  Hojo's main attack is a combo which does a
decent amount of damage, but the problem with this attack is at the
end it causes the victim to fall asleep.  Also, Hojo can cast Slow on
your party which makes this even worse.  If you get nailed by the
combo, just remedy the person so they can continue combat.  Toss
whatever S-Mines you got and burn the bastard. You should try to keep
track of Hojo's HP because if you get him really low you should
concentrate more on killing him then healing dead or sleeping party
members.
My Party(level) - Cloud(51),Yuffie(51),Vincent(52)
Difficulty - 9 out of 10

   *Alternate Strategy from Acid Angel 13 <[email protected]>*
Party: Cloud Lv75, L4 limit; Cid Lv76, L4 limit; Yuffie Lv76, L1 limit
Simply pound Hojo's first 2 forms with S-mines. Use Yuffie to heal.
Try to time your killing blow on form 2 so that Cloud's turn is up
first, and unload Omnislash as soon as you get to.  Use Cid's Highwind
if you have to, but you shouldn't.



**********************************************************************

                                DISC 3

The first thing that is a must is we need to get levels ASAP.  I do
not care how good you are, when Sephiroth casts Shadow Flare at you,
you will die.  I think you will need to be at least 80 just to have
enough HP to survive the attack. I think the HP total is 8,000 to
survive, I don't remember.

I went to Mideel and started leveling up around that area to get all
my characters to level 80.  They are really easy to beat because all
you need is 2 Swift Bolts (or another level 3 spell) to kill them
all.  They give really good exp and money that will help you fund
anything you will need. Since you can buy S-Mines, they are one of
the best offensive items you will be able to buy.  You can pick these
up at Wutai.  As for healing items, you are mainly going to have to
rely on Yuffie's Limit Break.  If you want to get some extra
X-Potions you can get some from the Scissors and Gargoyle's at the
Final Dungeon first area.

As for the final dungeon, RUN AWAY.  You should not get in any
unnecessary battles because you will need everything you have.
Sephiroth and Jenova are extremely hard and they are like nothing you
have faced.  You can fight if you want, I am just warning you.



Area - Everywhere
Boss - Ultima Weapon (100000 HP)
Strategy - Actually this battle isn't that hard.  The only hard part
is following him around the whole world trying to kill him.  The only
thing that sucks is when you beat him he casts Shadow Flare which
will kill a character of yours.
My Party(level) - Cloud(88),Vincent(89),Yuffie(90)
Difficulty - 4 out of 10

When you beat the Ultima Weapon, you now have access to the Ancient
Forest.  There is an elixir in the forest and that is the only item
in there that you can use.  Just wanted to add that for anyone
wanting more elixirs.

For the final dungeon I would recommend going down the top left path.
The reason for this is the enemies here are the least of your
problems.  Create a save point at the end of the maze where all 3
connect then go back and get the other items if you can.  There are
a lot of elixirs and megalixirs in this dungeon which will be very
useful for you.
Right Route - 1 Elixir, 1 Speed Source, 2 Megalixirs
Top Left Route - Hero Drink (VERY IMPORTANT, it raises all your stats)
Bottom Left Route - 1 Elixir, 2 X-Potions

If you send Vincent or Yuffie to the right, you will get a
Megalixir from each of them.

For the final 3 bosses I used Yuffie's Level 1 limit break to heal,
Cloud's Level 3 limit break for Meteorain, and Vincent's Level 4
limit break for Chaos.  You should use Vincent because when he
transforms, he is a badass.  Also, if Cid is a high level he could be
very useful too.

Area - Final Dungeon
Boss - Jenova Synthesis (60000 HP), Left Arm & Right Arm  (10000 HP)
Strategy - Actually not that hard. If you got some limit breaks ready
it will kill off Jenova's arm really fast and then you can just
attack her at your own pace.  Don't use any items because you will
need them later.
My Party -  Cloud(90),Vincent(92),Yuffie(92)
Difficulty - 5 out of 10

Area - Final Dungeon
Boss - Bizzaro Sephiroth (40000 HP), Core (10000 HP)
Strategy - I didn't list the other parts because they have 4000 HP or
less.  Take out the right arm first then do the left arm.  These arms
have deadly attacks and if you take them out it will make your life
a lot easier.  After that, start working on the core and the
head.  The head will keep reviving but it usually only takes 2 or 3
attacks to kill it again.  Just make sure you have decent HP but do
not worry too much because his attacks aren't serious.  Again, save
your items for the next fight.
My Party - Cloud(91), Vincent(93),Yuffie(93)
Difficulty - 6 out of 10

*Alternate Strategy from Acid Angel 13 <[email protected]>*
My party: Cloud Lv.96, limit L4; Cid Lv.96, limit L4; Yuffie Lv.96 
limit L3
 
 Ironically, tyour most powerful weapon in this fight is a support 
item.  Use a Lunar Curtain on Bizarro to cast MBarrier on him.  
This halves the effect of his restorative magic, but doesn't affect 
the damage dealt by magic items.  From there, assault him with Dragon 
Scales, which should hit for 2000+ HP to all targets.  Use limits when 
they come up, X-Potions to heal single party members, Megalixers for 
everyone.  If you last long enough, Sephiroth will use up his MP, and 
can no longer use Demi3.  Keep MBarrier up on him constantly, watch 
your HP, and pour it on.  This is one pain in the ass long fight.


Area - Final Dungeon
Boss - Safer Sephiroth (80000 HP)???
Strategy - First of all I do not know if that is the right HP amount.
I was keeping track but I lost count. Sephiroth has a pattern with
all his spells though. His pattern is Wall, (ascends), Shadow Flare,
Pale Horse, Supernova, Break, (Descends), Despell, Deen, and then
repeated again.  Even though Super Nova rapes, it cannot kill you, so
remember that.  Although Break can kill you right after it.
Sometimes you can just accept death for certain characters and just
throw out S-Mines the whole time.  A trick I figured out is make sure
Cloud is hypered for the Super Nova.  After this is cast, Cloud will
have a limit break and then you can unleash it own him.  Each
Meteorain takes off 10,000-13,000 HP so this is a good trick (if you 
have Omnislash it probably does really sick damage).  If you
have Yuffie in hyper mode, she will constantly get her limit break but 
that will not be good enough since it only heals half your HP.  
Usually, whoever gets Break after the SuperNova will die because it 
does 6,000 damage.  Just remember to do that trick with Cloud and you 
should be fine.  As a side note, bring a porno magazine or something 
because you will need to entertain yourself during every SuperNova 
sequence.
My Party - Cloud(91),Vincent(93),Yuffie(93)
Difficulty - 10 out of 10

*Alternate Strategy from Acid Angel 13 <[email protected]>*
My party: Cloud Lv.96, limit L4; Cid Lv.96, limit L4; Yuffie Lv.96
limit L3
Sephiroth's first move will be to cast Wall on himself.  Yours 
should be to use a Lunar Curtain on the party.  Then, in order, use 
a Light Curtain, Hyper Cloud (if he isn't), and feed Cloud ALL of 
the Hero Drinks you have.  ALL OF THEM!!
When Super Nova comes up, have the next available party member ready 
with a Megalixer.  If that happens to be Cloud, switch to someone 
else, if possible.
As soon as Super Nova is over, mash the confirm button to get that 
Megalixer in your guys before Break happens.
If Super Nova occurs before you get through the above steps, especially 
giving Cloud your Hero Drinks, DO THAT before using the Limit that 
Cloud now has.
Are you ready for this?  Sephiroth's ultimate attack, Super Nova,
is his undoing.  Cloud now has a full Limit and several Hero Drinks in 
him.  So drop Omnislash on Seph, sit back, and enjoy the ending.



Congratulations, you beat the game on a very hard challenge.  You
deserve the final sequence.
**********************************************************************

                               CREDITS
Me - Duh!
Squaresoft - Making this excellent game. Without the game this
document couldn't be possible
CJayC - For allowing this document on GameFAQ's.
Jon Masini - Convincing me to do this walkthrough.
Zevgun - For contributing the tip on Rapus and also making me aware of 
Barret's Lv. 1 Mind Shot. I can't believe I forgot about this limit 
break, it is very useful in this challenge.
Christian "Killer" Reid - Fr prof reding my papr.
Evan Weatherly  - For being the first person to complete my challenge. 
CONGRATULATIONS.
Curt - For the alternate strategy of beating the Cave of the Gi 
boss with a phoenix down.
Acid Angel 13 <[email protected]> - For the alternate strategy 
for beating Lost Number and Twinheads (very grateful because it is one 
of the hardest). Also, For his easy way to getting omnislash and for 
providing and extra way to beating Hojo and Sephiroth.
[email protected] - For a tip of getting past the Midgar Zolom

***********************************************************************

                             FINAL WORDS

Well I guess this is it.  If there is anything you have a question
about or something is wrong with my FAQ, feel free to send me an
email and slam me down.  I really hope you enjoyed this challenge and
got one more use out of the game. Also, if you want to add something
send me an email and I will put it in.
I also started making my web page http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mls8
If you want to help me out with information for that or help fix
mistakes I made on that feel free to do so.

I also was going to add that I really appreciate all the tips and
alternate strategies I have received.  I am glad that people are
actually attempting the challenge and see that I am not a God nor or
all my strategies the best.
***********************************************************************

Written by: Michael Simmons
Email: [email protected]
Copyright @2004




 Final Fantasy VII: Initial Equip/No Materia,Accessories FAQ by Roughdawg4
Version Final?, Last Updated 2005-05-01 View/Download Original File 
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