Final Fantasy VII Remake: Do’s and Don’ts Every New Player Should Know

I just finished Final Fantasy VII Remake. And honestly? I had to write something about it.

Some context: I played the original Final Fantasy VII back in the day. Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Sephiroth — I know this story. I know the moments that hit hard, the twists that redefine everything, the music that lives rent-free in your head for decades. So when Remake was announced, I had the same mix of excitement and quiet dread that every long-time fan knows. Please don’t mess this up.

They didn’t mess it up.

What surprised me most wasn’t the graphics or the combat overhaul — it was how much love is in every corner of this game. The Wall Market sequence. The way certain characters are written with so much more depth than the original had time for. The soundtrack, which somehow manages to be both nostalgic and completely fresh. As someone who carried the original for years, Remake felt like a genuine conversation with that game rather than a replacement of it.

Is it perfect? No. There are pacing decisions that’ll raise eyebrows, and the scope is deliberately limited to Midgar. But for a remake of one of the most beloved JRPGs ever made, the ambition-to-execution ratio is genuinely impressive.

Anyway — I came out of this playthrough with a bunch of things I wish I knew going in. So here are 10 tips for anyone about to start, covering gameplay only, with zero story spoilers.

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You’re about to step into Midgar — one of the most iconic cities in JRPG history. Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t a simple remaster of the 1997 original. It’s a full reimagining with real-time action combat, cinematic production values, and a strategic depth that rewards players who engage with its systems.

What Makes FF7 Remake Different From Other JRPGs

FF7 Remake sits at an interesting crossroads in the genre. You move and dodge in real-time, but the big decisions — abilities, spells, items — happen through a slow-motion tactical menu powered by the ATB (Active Time Battle) system. It’s designed to feel both cinematic and strategic at the same time.

That hybrid approach is its greatest strength and its steepest learning curve. Once the system clicks, the combat feels incredible. Before it does, it can feel chaotic and hard to read. Most of the tips below exist to help that click happen faster.

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✅ The Do’s

Do #1 — Learn the Stagger System Before Anything Else

Every enemy has a Stagger bar beneath their HP. Fill it — through specific attacks and ATB abilities — and the enemy enters a staggered state: they take massively increased damage and can’t fight back. Tifa has abilities that push the damage multiplier even higher during stagger.

The loop of pressure → stagger → burst damage is the engine the entire combat system runs on. Ignore it and even basic encounters drag on far longer than they should.

Do #2 — Use Assess Materia on Every New Enemy Type

Assess (think “scan” or “analyze” from other JRPGs) reveals an enemy’s elemental weaknesses, resistances, and the specific conditions that make the Stagger bar fill faster. It costs just one ATB charge and saves you several frustrating minutes of trial-and-error per fight.

Get into the habit of Assessing any enemy type you haven’t faced before — the information pays off immediately, especially against bosses.

Do #3 — Complete Every Side Quest Before Moving the Story Forward

This is the tip that trips up the most first-time players. Once you leave a district in Midgar, you don’t come back. Side quests are chapter-locked — skip them and you permanently miss unique materia, accessories, and summon unlock opportunities.

When the game gives you free time to explore a neighborhood, treat it as your last chance. The game rarely warns you explicitly when a window is about to close.

Do #4 — Upgrade Every Weapon, Even Ones You’ll Replace Soon

Each weapon has a skill tree unlocked by spending SP (Skill Points) earned from battles. Here’s the key: skills you learn from a weapon stay permanently even after you swap to something better. Some of the most useful passive abilities are tied to weapons you’ll only carry for two or three chapters.

Don’t skip upgrades just because you plan to move on — invest in the skills first, then swap the weapon.

Do #5 — Actually Rotate and Use All Four Party Members

It’s tempting to lock in Cloud and ignore the rest. Resist that urge. Each character is built for a specific role:

• Barret — ranged pressure on flying enemies that Cloud can’t reach
• Aerith — fastest ATB charge in the party, highest raw magic damage
• Tifa — purpose-built for the stagger system, multiplies burst damage
• Cloud — versatile melee fighter, best in Punisher Mode (more on that below)

Learning when to switch characters is the core skill of the game.

Do #6 — Try Classic Mode If Real-Time Combat Isn’t Clicking

Classic Mode automates movement and basic attacks, leaving you in control of only ATB decisions: abilities, spells, and items. It shifts the experience toward a more traditional turn-based feel without removing the strategic layer.

This isn’t a lesser way to play — it’s a valid approach that lets you focus on what matters. You can toggle it in the settings at any point during a playthrough.

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❌ The Don’ts

Don’t #1 — Don’t Bench Aerith Early

New players often sideline Aerith because her physical attacks feel weak and she goes down faster than Cloud or Barret. This is a mistake. Her ATB gauge fills more quickly than any other character, she deals the highest raw magic damage in the party, and she synergizes extremely well with summon materia.

Several chapters are significantly easier with her active. Give her a full chapter before writing her off.

Don’t #2 — Don’t Forget to Equip Materia on Inactive Party Members

Materia levels up by accumulating AP through battles — but only if it’s equipped on a character participating in combat. Make it a habit before each chapter to open the equipment screen and check every party member’s materia slots, including characters you’re not actively controlling.

It’s easy to forget, and you’ll hit the mid-to-late game with severely underpowered magic on half your team.

Don’t #3 — Don’t Ignore Punisher Mode

Cloud’s Punisher Mode is activated by holding the block button and switches his stance to automatically counter enemy melee attacks — a significant edge in boss fights where enemies constantly rush you. The counter hits hard and costs no ATB.

Tifa has a separate mechanic called Unbridled Strength, which upgrades her abilities to increase the stagger damage multiplier. Both are often overlooked by new players for the same reason: the game doesn’t push you to use them. Learn Cloud’s Punisher Mode early and you’ll notice the difference immediately.

Don’t #4 — Don’t Rush Past the Environment

FF7 Remake rewards players who slow down and look around. Hidden alcoves, unmarked side paths, and easily-missed corners contain materia, gil, and accessories that never appear on the main path. The game doesn’t mark most of these on the minimap.

When you enter a new area — especially the slum districts — spend a few extra minutes checking every dead end before triggering the next story beat.

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J-Hub’s Take

FF7 Remake arrived at a turning point for the JRPG genre. It proved that a beloved classic could be completely rebuilt for modern audiences without losing what made it special — and in doing so, it helped establish the hybrid action-strategy combat model that games like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Tales of Arise have since refined further.

The tips above aren’t just about this specific game. Learning to work with a system that demands both reaction and planning simultaneously is a skill that transfers across most modern JRPGs. The stagger loop in FF7R, the Break system in Octopath Traveler, the Boost gauge in Dragon Quest XI — they’re all variations on the same core idea: learn how the enemy breaks, then break them efficiently. Master it here and you’ll recognize it everywhere.

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What’s Next After You Finish

FF7 Remake covers only the Midgar section of the original story — it ends at a natural stopping point, though with strong hints of what’s to come. The sequel, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5), picks up directly from here and expands the scope dramatically: an open world, more party members, and a much larger story arc.

If Remake lands for you, Rebirth is the obvious next step. Take your time with Midgar first — it’s a more complete and self-contained experience than its “Part 1” label suggests.