You’ve been there. You’re staring at the Hell House on Hard Mode, your MP is basically non-existent, and Cloud is one hit away from seeing the lifestream. You realize you forgot to slot your FF7 Remake elemental materia. It’s the single most versatile blue orb in the entire game, yet most players just slap it on a sword and hope for the best.
That's a mistake. A huge one.
Honestly, the way Square Enix tucked this materia away makes it feel like a secret, even though it’s the literal bridge between struggling through Midgar and feeling like a SOLDIER god. If you aren't using it to its full potential, you’re basically playing the game on a self-imposed "extra hard" difficulty.
Where the Hell is the Second One?
Let’s get the logistics out of the way because people always ask. You get your first FF7 Remake elemental materia in Chapter 6. It’s sitting on a collapsed walkway in the Sun Lamp section of the Mako Reactor 5. Most people find that one. It's hard to miss if you have eyes.
But the second one? That’s where things get annoying. You have to complete every single side quest in Chapters 2, 3, 8, and 9. If you do that, a "Letter from the Guardian Angel" appears on the ground in Chapter 14, right before you climb the wall to Shinra HQ. If you missed a single quest—even that annoying one with the cats—you’re stuck with just one copy for the rest of the game. That sucks. It really does. Having two of these changes the entire math of the final boss gauntlet.
Offense vs. Defense: The Great Split
Most players treat this as a damage booster. You link it with Fire, Ice, Lightning, or Wind in a connected slot on your weapon. Boom. Your physical swings now do elemental damage. It’s great for hitting weaknesses without burning MP.
But the real magic—the stuff that actually wins the hardest fights—is putting it in your armor.
At Level 1, it cuts elemental damage by 50%. Fine. At Level 2, you're immune. You can stand in a puddle of fire and just... vibe. But at Level 3? You absorb the damage. Every time an enemy tries to fry you with Thundaga, they’re actually healing you.
Imagine fighting Reno and Rude. You put FF7 Remake elemental materia linked with Lightning on Cloud’s armor. Reno starts zipping around, hitting you with his shock baton, and instead of dying, Cloud is getting a spa treatment. It turns the most frantic encounters into a joke. It’s almost unfair.
Breaking the Weapon Logic
When you put it on a weapon, you have to be careful. If you’re fighting a group of mixed enemies, having a Fire-infused sword might help you kill the humans, but if there's a fire-breathing drake nearby, your physical hits might start healing the enemy. It’s a double-edged sword. Literally.
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I’ve seen people complain that their damage feels "buggy" in the Shinra Combat Simulator. It’s not a bug. You probably just have an element equipped that the enemy absorbs. Check your intel. Always.
The Secret Synergy with Cloud and Tifa
Tifa is a stagger machine. Cloud is the heavy hitter. If you’re trying to speedrun or just get through the Pride and Joy Prototype fight, you need to maximize their uptime.
- Tifa's Overpower: Link Elemental and Ice on her armor for the Shiva fight or the various frost-heavy enemies in the late game. Since she’s always in the enemy's face, she takes the most chip damage. If that damage becomes healing, she never has to stop punching.
- Cloud's Counter-Stance: This is the best move in the game. Period. If you have FF7 Remake elemental materia on his weapon, his counters inherit that element. This can instantly pressure a boss if you time the counter right against an elemental physical attack.
Barret and Aerith usually don't need it as much. They stay at range. They have high Magic Defense anyway. Save the blue orbs for the frontline brawlers who are actually eating the hits.
Hard Mode is a Different Game
In Normal mode, you can ignore most of this. You can just spam potions and Curaga. In Hard Mode, where items are banned and benches don't restore MP, the FF7 Remake elemental materia becomes your primary source of healing.
Think about the Sephiroth fight at the end. He cycles through elements. If you can predict his phase or just get lucky with your setup, you can negate his most devastating spells. It’s the difference between a 20-minute slog and a 5-minute victory.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you’re still on your first playthrough, go back and check your map for side quests. Don't skip them. That second orb is the single most important item for your Platinum trophy run.
- Level it up immediately. Blue materia takes forever to level. Use the AP Up materia linked to it as soon as you get it. You need tens of thousands of AP to hit Level 3.
- Focus on Lightning and Fire. These are the most common enemy weaknesses in Midgar. Wind is useful for certain bosses, but Ice is notoriously hard to land because the projectiles are slow.
- Swap constantly. Don’t just set it and forget it. If you’re entering a sewer, you want Lightning. If you’re in a cold area, obviously Fire. It takes thirty seconds to menu, but it saves you ten minutes of combat.
- Pair it with Magnify. While you can't link Elemental and Magnify together, having one character with Elemental defense and another with Magnify+Cure makes your party nearly unkillable.
The FF7 Remake elemental materia isn't just a stat stick. It’s a tactical pivot. Use it to stop reacting to what the enemies are doing and start making them regret attacking you. Once you hit Level 3 and start absorbing Flare or Plasma Discharge, you’ll never go back to "standard" builds again.