There are only a total of 24 weapons in the Final Fantasy VII Remake meaning that there are six weapons each for Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Aerith to find. While that doesn’t sound like a great deal on paper, each weapon comes with its own unique abilities to learn and upgrade boosts that make the characters far more formidable in combat.
Each weapon comes with its own ability which players will need to use in battle to gain 100% proficiency and use without the need of the equipped weapon. Furthermore, each weapon will provide boosts and upgrades to its user that can make them near unstoppable as the game progresses and perfect for clearing chapters in Hard Mode and obtain all the trophies. Let’s take a look at 16 of the best weapons in the game.
Updated June 15, 2021 by Michael Llewellyn: It’s been over a year since the part of Final Fantasy VII Remake was released on the PlayStation 4. Now the game has been remastered for the PlayStation 5 as Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade and features a surprising amount of upgrades and enhancements. Perhaps the most important new addition to the PlayStation 5 version is the DLC episode INTERmission that focuses on fan-favorite Yuffie. Of course, along with the new story content comes brand-new weapons that need to be included in the mix of the game’s best weapons.
20 Buster Sword
- Cloud’s Starting Weapon
- Available in the opening chapter
Cloud's starter weapon is not only incredibly iconic but also his most balanced weapon when it comes to end-game content. Once all of its bonus stats have been unlocked it's a great option for those hoping to dish out both physical and magic damage. It might not have the best perks, but its versatility can be incredibly useful.
The biggest issue with the Buster Sword is that its starting stats are fairly low when compared to some of Cloud's other weapons meaning that players will need to wait a while before they can get the most out of it. Until that time comes, the Twin Stinger is a perfectly viable alternative and is great for those utilizing the elemental materia.
19 Wrecking Ball
- A Weapon used by Barret
- Available upon completing the Subterranean Menace side quest in Chapter 14
Being able to pick enemies off from distance can be incredibly useful, but sometimes it's nice to get up close and personal and really kick some ass. What better weapon to accomplish that with than a real-life wrecking ball? It's one of the most attractive weapons in the game and starts with decent stats from the start.
Right from the start, the Wrecking Ball will have an attack stat of 65. This will eventually rise to 117 making it Barret's most powerful weapon when it comes to dishing out physical damage. Whether or not this is worth losing ranged attacks will depend on both the player and the type of enemies they're up against.
18 Cacstar
- A Throwing Weapon for Yuffie
- Available as a DLC weapon in Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade for the INTERMission DLC either as a preorder bonus or purchased separately.
Despite its comical design, the DLC weapon for Yuffie is far more powerful than her default starting weapon the 4-Point Shuriken. Its stats are 49 physical and 49 magic and cannot be upgraded so it’s not designed for long-term use.
However, its fully upgraded HP stat sits at +1000. The Cacstar’s attack Ability Cactuar Caper will cause it to run around hitting three or more enemies in one turn. It’s also the only weapon that will upgrade Yuffie’s Luck.
17 Mythril Claws
- A Weapon for Tifa
- The Mythril Claws will be acquired in Chapter 13 after overcoming the Failed Experiment boss
For most battles, you'll want Tifa front and center dishing out as much physical damage as possible. In these instances, it's best to steer well clear of the Mythril Claws. There are a few battles throughout the game, however, where Tifa might be more useful casting spells from further afield, especially in areas where flying enemies are more prevalent.
The Mythril Claws' initial stats can be fairly underwhelming. After unlocking all of the weapon's skills though, they'll become Tifa's best weapon for dealing magic damage. Situational though it may be, there are a few places where this can be incredibly useful during a hard mode playthrough.
16 Steel Reaper
- A Throwing Weapon for Yuffie
- Available in the INTERmission DLC during Chapter 1 when chasing Zhije.
The Steel Reaper is a throwing weapon for Yuffie. It’s a well-balanced weapon with good starting stats with its physical attack beginning at 59 and magic attack 44. Its maximum stats for Attack and Magic Attack are 83 and 62 respectively.
The Steal Reaper is Yuffie’s strongest physical attack weapon so it won’t take long to max out its stats. Players should focus on unlocking the Stagger Siphon skill as soon as possible. Additionally, the Precision Defense skill is a parrying ability that will allow Yuffie to recover HP.
15 Reinforced Staff
- A weapon for Aerith
- The Reinforced Staff becomes available in a chest at the beginning of Chapter 17.
The last weapon that players unlock for Aerith also happens to be one of her better ones when it comes to dealing physical damage. Although the vast majority of Aerith's damage output comes through her spells, the extra physical damage inflicted while charging the ATB gauge can quickly add up during longer battles and the additional 13 magic defense provided by the weapon can be useful too.
When the Reinforced Staff becomes available in Chapter 17, you should have already accrued a fair amount of SP for Aerith and so boosting its stats to a usable level shouldn't be too much of an issue.
14 Indurate Staff
- A Weapon for Sonon
- Available in the INTERmission DLC during Chapter 1 when chasing Zhije.
The Indurate Staff is an attacking weapon for Sonon. It has a high physical starting stat of 71 and a reasonable magic attack stat of 39. When maxed out, the Indurate Staff’s physical attack power can reach 105 and its magic attack stat will reach 50.
As a weapon with such a high physical attack stat, it is wise to focus on landing physical attacks. Players should make sure that they are working on unlocking Attack Power+ and Critical Hit Skills. In addition, its Ability the Fighting Spirit will allow Sonon to deal more damage with every attack when focusing on one opponent.
13 Hardedge
- The Hardedge is a sword for Cloud
- The Hardedge can be obtained by purchasing it from the Wall Street weapon shop during Chapter 9: The Town That Never Sleeps.
The Hardedge is a weapon designed purely for players that want to make Cloud a melee fighter. There is a real sense of weight and power when wielding this massive sword and it's one of the most entertaining in the game.
The weapon's base attack stats are 57 which is already high, but when it is fully upgraded it will have an attack power of 137. The Hardedge has the highest physical attack damage and will make Cloud an absolute beast on the battlefield.
12 Djinn Staff
- A Staff Weapon for Sonon
- It is available in INTERmission DLC during Chapter 2 in the Shinra Building. It’s in the chest on B14 Advanced Weaponry: Maintenance.
The Djinn Staff is Sonon’s best weapon in the game. It’s well-balanced but leans slightly more into the magic weapon category with its magic stats sitting at 52 but it has acceptable physical attack stats at 56.
Fully upgraded, the Djinn Staff physical and magic stats can be upgraded to 74 and 88 respectively. The Incite Ability allows Sonon to protect Yuffie by drawing an enemy’s attacks for up to three turns when fully upgraded. When combined with the Provoke Materia Sonon will keep enemies distracted long enough so Yuffie can pummel them with uninterrupted attacks.
11 Gatling Gun
- A Starting Weapon for Barret
- Available at the started of the game.
Most players will be quick to replace Barret's starting weapon, but be sure to keep an eye on it as your party grows stronger. Its initial stats might not be anything to write home about, but as the big man accrues SP those stats will quickly start to rise. As a result, the Gatling Gun is a great weapon for the game's closing stages.
It offers the best of both worlds when it comes to physical and magic attack stats, which perfectly suits Barret due to his ability to attack from range. Like Cloud, Barret can make for an excellent hybrid attacker thanks in large to his well-balanced stats - although he may need a few orbs of magic up materia to really maximize his potential.
10 Metal Knuckles
- A Weapon for Tifa
- They become available in Chapter 5 when dropped by the Crab Warden Boss
You'll get your hands on Tifa's Metal Knuckles fairly on in the game, but, as with Cloud's Buster Sword, it might be a while before you're really able to get the most out of them as they have a starting Attack stat of 54.
This isn't actually too bad for the game's early stages, but they really come into their own towards the game's climax. Once all of the stats are unlocked, they boast an attack stat of 164 which makes them Tifa's best weapon for physical damage by some margin. Given that Tifa's combat skills are geared around hand-to-hand combat rather than magic, the Metal Knuckles are the perfect weapons to compliment her innate abilities.
9 Arcane Scepter
- A Weapon for Aerith
- The Arcane Scepter is a reward for completing either Shears Counterattack or Dynamite Body.
The Arcane Scepter is a weapon for Aerith which will become available for her after completing one of the two side quests “Shears Counterattack” or “Dynamite Body,” which would become available depending on the choices the player has made.
Even though the Arcane Scepter has the second-lowest Magic Attack stats for Aerith’s weapons in the game, its true strength comes in the form of bonuses. When upgraded, Aerith will gain boosts to her elemental and physical damage with a reduction of spell costs.
8 Mythril Saber
- A Weapon for Cloud
- The Mythril Saber can be obtained in "Chapter 14: In Search of Hope" from the Weapons Store in the Wall Market.
The Mythril Saber is perfect for players that want to make Cloud one of the most powerful spell casters in the party. In opposition to Cloud’s Hardedge, the Mythril Saber has the lowest physical damage potential in the game but the highest magic attack stats with maximum stats of 138. In addition, the Mythril Saber has the attack ability Blade Burst which attacks enemies with a non-elemental burst of Mako energy.
7 Big Bertha
- A Weapon for Barret
- Available in Chapter 13 and Chapter 14 from the Weapons Dealer in the playground area.
The Big Bertha is a weapon for Barret that will become available from the Sector 6 weapons dealer found in the park during "Chapter 13: A Broken World." However, if missed, the Big Bertha can also be purchased in "Chapter 14: In Search of Hope."
The weapon is well-balanced while also giving Barret his highest attack stats in the game with a maximum of 93. Additionally, there are lots of HP boost upgrades for players to upgrade making him one of the physically toughest characters on the battlefield.
6 Feathered Gloves
- A Weapon for Tifa
- Available in Chapter 10 in the chest underneath the opened floodgates.
The Feathered Gloves are a weapon for Tifa that can be obtained in "Chapter 10: Rough Waters." They can be found in a chest downstairs underneath the opened floodgates. They provide Tifa with an incredible boost in speed and have a maximum attack power stat of 120.
In addition, the Feathered Gloves have a magic stat of 80 making Tifa a fairly decent spellcaster and the attacked ability Starshower is one of the best in the game. In terms of raw attack power and speed, they are her best weapons. However, the biggest drawback of the Feathered Gloves is they don’t do much to boost Tifa’s naturally low HP.
5 Silver Staff
- A Weapon for Aerith
- It can be purchased by trading two Moogle Medals at the Moogle Emporium in Chapter 8.
The Silver Staff is a weapon for Aerith that can be obtained by trading two Moogle Medals at the Moogle Emporium in "Chapter 8: Budding Bodyguard." At its maximum level, the Silver Staff has a magic attack of 120 making a great offensive weapon for Aerith.
Furthermore, the weapon has the best MP regeneration of all her weapons at +50% and it comes with the ability Sorcerous Storm which hits enemies with a large area of attack spell causing massive damage.
4 Twin Stinger
- A Weapon for Cloud
- The Twin Stinger is found in a chest during Chapter 17's story segment titled "Find the Others". It is found on the third level of the Drum.
The Twin Stinger is Cloud’s best weapon, the most balanced in the game, and will reach maximum materia capacity without the need to fully level it up. In addition, it comes equipped with the Counterstance ability allowing Cloud to prepare and retaliate with a devastating area of attack burst.
It has a maximum attack power and the magic power of 73 for both making it well-suited for Cloud’s versatility and flexibility as a fighter in battle. However, its upgrade boosts lean more toward boosting his MP power, making him an even better spellcaster when fully leveled.
3 EKG Cannon
- A Weapon for Barret
- The EKG Cannon becomes available in Chapter 16: The Belly of the Beast and can be purchased from Hart for 10,000 Gil.
The EKG Cannon has fairly low attack stats at a maximum of 54 but its magic attack power at a maximum of 105 makes Barret a powerful support character.
The high magic stat and fits Barret’s natural role on the battlefield as a long-range fighter. Furthermore, its abilities also increase Barret’s defensive capabilities making him a good tank-based mage character.
2 Purple Pain
- A Weapon for Tifa
- The Purple Pain can be found in the chest after climbing the monkey bars in Chapter 16: Belly of the Beast when the player has taken control of Tifa.
The Purple Pain have lower maximum stats than the Feathered Gloves with their attack power at 82 and magic attack at 66. However, the boosts to her critical hit rate significantly increase Tifa’s damage output in battle and they provide her with the best HP boost in-game nullifying her biggest flaw.
In addition, Purple Pain’s True Strike ability increases her stagger damage. It also increases her Limit Break damage and at weapon level 6 she will gain the Reprieve ability allowing Tifa to survive death at 1 HP.
1 Mythril Rod
- A Weapon for Aerith
- The Mythril Rod will become available for Aerith in the Train Graveyard in Chapter 11.
The Mythril Rod is arguably Aerith’s best weapon. It has the highest maximum magic damage stats at 164 and even its base stats of 92 can make Aerith a force to be reckoned with.
Furthermore, the Mythril Rod comes with the Ray of Judgement ability, Aerith’s most powerful attack spell. Compared to the Silver Staff, the Mythril Rod lacks the MP regeneration speed but if players equip the MP Absorption Materia they’ll vastly improve its MP recovery rate.