You’re sitting in the Sector 7 slums. The green glow of Mako is everywhere. Most people starting a Final Fantasy 7 playthrough think they know exactly what they’re getting into because they’ve seen the advent of the Remake or Rebirth. But honestly? The original 1997 experience hits different, and most modern guides actually steer you toward playing it the wrong way.
It's weird.
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People obsess over the "perfect" build or grinding for hours in the Mythril Mine, yet they miss the subtle mechanical nuances that actually make Cloud and his ragtag group of eco-terrorists god-tier. You don't need a level 99 Aerith. You just need to understand how the game's internal math actually functions.
Why Your First Final Fantasy 7 Playthrough Usually Fails the Vibe Check
Most players treat this like a standard JRPG where you kill stuff, get gold, and buy the next shiny sword. That’s a mistake. If you’re just clicking "Attack," you’re playing a spreadsheet, not a masterpiece.
The Materia system is the actual heart of the game, but it's deceptively punishing. Every time you equip a powerful Magic Materia like Bolt or Ice, your physical stats actually drop. Your Max HP goes down. Your Strength takes a hit. Basically, if you load Cloud up with every spell in the book, you’re turning the legendary SOLDIER into a glass cannon who can’t take a punch from a rogue sweeper.
I remember my first time hitting the Wall Market. I was so underleveled because I kept running from encounters, thinking I could just "skill" my way through the bosses. Wrong. The game expects a specific rhythm. It isn't about the grind; it's about the Materia growth.
The Midgar Trap
Did you know most people leave Midgar—which is roughly the first 5 to 8 hours of the game—without the most important item in the entire run? It’s the Enemy Skill Materia. You find it in Hojo’s lab after the boss fight with Sample: H0512. If you miss that, your Final Fantasy 7 playthrough just got 40% harder.
Enemy Skills like "Big Guard" or "White Wind" don't cost a fortune in MP and they don't nerf your stats. It’s essentially the "easy mode" button that the developers hid in plain sight. Most veterans will tell you that a single Blue Materia is worth more than ten Red ones.
The Myth of the "Required" Grind
Let’s talk about the Northern Crater and the Cactuar Island. Everyone says you need to spend ten hours there.
You don't.
If you understand the "Sadness" and "Fury" status effects, you can manipulate the game's difficulty on the fly. Putting your characters in a Sadness state (by using a Tranquilizer) reduces the damage they take by 30%. It slows down your Limit Break bar, sure, but it makes you an absolute tank. Conversely, if you're looking to speedrun through a boring section, pop a Hyper. Get that Fury going. Your Limit Breaks will pop off every three hits.
It’s these little interactions that define a high-level Final Fantasy 7 playthrough.
Elemental Combinations That Break the Game
The "Added Effect" Materia is the real MVP. If you link it with "Hades" in your weapon, you're now hitting enemies with almost every status ailment in the game at once. Silence, Poison, Confuse, Sleep—it’s a nightmare for the AI. Or, put "Elemental" and "Fire" in your armor when fighting the Midgar Zolom. Suddenly, that massive fire breath that used to wipe your party? It does nothing. Or better yet, it heals you.
Don't Sleep on the Backstory (The Missable Stuff)
There's a lot of talk about the "Golden Saucer" date. Everyone wants to know how to get Tifa or Aerith (or Barret, if you're feeling chaotic). But the real meat of the narrative is tucked away in optional scenes that most players skip because they’re rushing to the Crater.
- The Shinra Mansion Basement: If you don't go back here in Disc 3, you miss the actual explanation of Cloud’s identity.
- Lucrecia’s Cave: Vincent Valentine isn't just a cool guy with a gun; his backstory explains why Sephiroth even exists. You have to take a submarine or a Green Chocobo just to find it.
- The Wutai Sub-quest: Yuffie steals your Materia. It's annoying. It's frustrating. But it’s also the only way to get the "MP Absorb" Materia, which is vital for long-term sustainability.
Honestly, the game is a tragedy disguised as a road trip. If you aren't talking to the NPCs in Kalm or exploring the ruined houses in Gongaga, you’re only getting half the story. The environmental storytelling in the original 1997 release was decades ahead of its time.
Chocobo Breeding: The Ultimate Time Sink (And Reward)
You can't talk about a serious Final Fantasy 7 playthrough without mentioning the Knights of the Round. To get it, you need a Gold Chocobo.
The process is legendary for being a headache. You need to catch Great and Wonderful Chocobos, feed them expensive Sylkis Greens from the Chocobo Sage, and race them at the Gold Saucer until they hit S-Class. It’s a literal biology sim inside your RPG. But the payoff is a summon that hits thirteen times for nearly 9,999 damage per hit. It turns the final boss into a joke.
Is it worth it?
Strictly speaking, no. You can beat Sephiroth without it. But if you want to take down Emerald Weapon or Ruby Weapon—the "Superbosses" lurking in the ocean and the desert—it’s non-negotiable. Those fights have more health than the final boss and can wipe your party in a single turn.
Handling the Weapons
Emerald Weapon has a move called "Aire Tam Storm." Look at the name. It’s "Materia" spelled backward. The move deals 1,111 damage for every single Materia you have equipped. If you go in with a "mastered" setup, you die instantly. It’s the developers trolling the players for being too powerful. To beat him, you actually have to strip down your character. It’s brilliant.
Technical Quirks You Should Know
The original PC port and the modern console ports (PS4, Switch, Xbox) have a "3x Speed" mode and "No Encounters" mode.
Use them.
Don't feel guilty. The encounter rate in the Great Glacier is enough to make anyone want to throw their controller. Speeding up the animations for long Summons like Neo Bahamut will save you hours of your life. Just don't use the "God Mode" (HP/MP refill) unless you want to suck all the tension out of the boss fights.
Also, the "Magic Defense" bug. In the original PlayStation version, the Magic Defense stat on armor literally didn't work. It did nothing. If you're playing an unpatched version, ignore that stat entirely and just look at the slots. Modern versions have fixed this, making items like the Mystile actually functional.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you're starting today, do these four things to ensure you don't hit a brick wall:
- Steal from Everyone: The "Steal" Materia is available early in Midgar. Use it on the "Mighty Grunt" enemies to get the Hardedge sword for Cloud way before you can buy it. Steal from the "Shinra Beta" soldiers on the boat to Costa del Sol for amazing early-game armor.
- Focus on "All" Materia: It’s your primary source of income. A mastered "All" Materia sells for 1.4 million Gil. You will never worry about money again.
- Learn "Beta" Early: As soon as you get the Buggy after Corel, go back to the Midgar Zolom in the marshes. If you have the "Enemy Skill" Materia and can survive its fire attack (use the Elemental-Fire trick), you learn "Beta." It deals massive damage and will carry you through the next three continents.
- Save the "Megalixirs": You’ll be tempted to use them on the final boss. Don't. Save them for the Magic Pots in the Northern Crater. Feeding them a Megalixir is the only way to kill them, and they give the highest XP and AP in the game.
The beauty of a Final Fantasy 7 playthrough is that it’s your story. Whether you’re trying to find every single piece of lore or just trying to see the credits, the game rewards curiosity over raw power. Take your time. Talk to the man in the pipe. Buy the villa in Costa del Sol.
The planet is dying, sure, but you might as well enjoy the ride.
Next Steps for Your Journey:
- Locate the "Long Range" Materia in the Mythril Mine immediately after leaving Midgar; it allows melee characters like Cloud to deal full damage from the back row, effectively doubling his defense.
- Prioritize leveling the "Sense" Materia for your first few boss fights so you can see their HP thresholds, as many bosses change their attack patterns when they drop below 25% health.
- Visit the "Man in the Pipe" in the Sector 6 slums periodically; his dialogue changes based on your progress and provides some of the most haunting world-building in the early game.