FF7 Rebirth’s 10 Most Important Side Quests, Ranked By Story Impact

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s side quests vary greatly in terms of story relevance. For the most part, they’re largely unrelated: things like regional intel and Protorelic quests in FF7 Rebirth mostly just exist to fill in the map, and give players a chance to power up their characters. These quests have storylines of their own that usually share common characters or themes with the central plot. They’re necessary, and usually entertaining, but in the scheme of things, they’re pretty inconsequential.

But occasionally, a side quest comes along and changes the whole trajectory of the plot. These side quests are few and far between. They may star recurring characters from Remake or elsewhere in the compilation of FF7. They may include important details that set up twists or foreshadow later developments. Sometimes, they’re just vital to understanding the overall lore. These are the ten most important, plot-relevant side quests in FF7 Rebirth.

10
FF7 Rebirth Explores Big Themes In “Dreaming Of Blue Skies”

Junon Region, Chapter 4

As Cloud and friends explore the mountainous region of Junon in FF7 Rebirth, they may come across an old man sitting on a cliffside, staring out to sea through a pair of binoculars. This is Colin, and he’s looking for Junon’s renowned great condor. It’s been missing in action for some time, and while Colin usually manages to lure it into visible range, he’s been wanting for bait recently. So, he sends the party after a piece of meat to put out for the condor, and after an extended hunt, they’re able to find it and bring it home.

“Dreaming of Blue Skies” is important to the overall plot because it shares many common themes with FF7 Rebirth: there’s a persistent idea around human stewardship of the natural world portrayed through this quest. That pertains to the central lesson of FF7, which preaches harmony with the planet as the highest virtue. Cloud and his party do so by fighting Shinra and stopping Sephiroth; the average person can do so by taking notice and taking care of their surroundings. This is also, in canon, the same condor who played a more literal role in the original FF7‘s Fort Condor mini-game.

9
FF7 Rebirth’s “Lifeline In Peril” Reintroduces Kyrie

The Grasslands, Chapter 2

FF7 Rebirth features a wide variety of recurring characters from FF7 Remake, and perhaps the most immediately recognizable is Kyrie Canaan. Once a muckracking con artist, Kyrie stokes the flames of anti-Avalanche sentiment in Midgar during Remake. Kyrie also appears prominently in the tie-in novel Final Fantasy 7 The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story. But by the time FF7 Rebirth begins, she’s moved on. Kyrie’s turned over a new leaf, taking after Cloud as a wannabe merc. The party figures this out when they run into Kyrie again during the optional side quest “Lifeline in Peril.”

In truth, Kyrie hasn’t changed her tune. She’s still scamming people – her so-called merc business is just a front. This time, she’s convinced the mayor of Kalm that she can help fix the town’s leaky Mako pipeline. She can’t, of course, and Cloud has to swoop in to help her. “Lifeline in Peril” is an important part of the story because it begins a much longer quest line that lends a lot of depth to Kyrie. It’s also a major part of FF7 Rebirth‘s overall effort to bring additional content from obscure FF7 spinoffs into the main story.

8
FF7 Rebirth’s “Victim Of Circumstance” Checks In With Zhijie

Cosmo Canyon Region, Chapter 12

And speaking of reintroducing characters from the wider compilation of FF7, lesser-known Avalanche agent Zhijie also makes an appearance in Rebirth. Zhijie appears as part of the quest “Victim of Circumstance,” which becomes available during Chapter 12. He’s an old friend of Yuffie’s, a member of the Avalanche branch that helps her and Sonon infiltrate Shinra during FF7 Remake INTERmission. In FF7 Rebirth, he asks Yuffie’s help once again, sending the party after a rare piece of technology and a dangerous fiend.

Zhijie, and by extension “Victim of Circumstance,” are important elements of Yuffie’s story in FF7 Rebirth. The remake trilogy has elevated Yuffie from an optional joke character to a full-fledged member of the party, and the depth lent to her by INTERmission is a major part of that. While the change in her character is implicit in much of the game, “Victim of Circumstance” is one of the rare times Yuffie’s past bubbles to the surface. And if nothing else, Zhijie’s appearance is another good reason to play INTERmission before FF7 Rebirth.

7
FF7 Rebirth’s “The Saga Of The Seaside Inn” Brings Back Johnny

Corel Region, Chapter 7

Another recurring character, Johnny, doesn’t actually originate from a spinoff; Johnny has a minor presence in the original FF7. A goofball whose penchant for drinking at Seventh Heaven often gets him into trouble, Johnny comes back in FF7 Remake with a slightly expanded role. He appears again in Rebirth, during the side quest “The Saga of the Seaside Inn.”

“The Saga of the Seaside Inn” continues FF7 Remake‘s effort to increase Johnny’s involvement in the story, giving him a purpose after his flight to Costa del Sol. Now, Johnny wants to establish the best hotel on Gaia, and he needs Cloud’s help in gathering knick-knacks to decorate his lobby. If not for the update on Johnny, players should definitely complete “The Saga of the Seaside Inn” for what it unlocks: FF7 Rebirth‘s Treasure Trove, an extensive completion list with material rewards.

6
FF7 Rebirth’s “The Spice Of Life” Features Cissnei

Gongaga Region, Chapter 9

The final recurring character from the compilation of FF7 is Cissnei, who first appears in the side quest “The Spice of Life.” Her role in FF7 Rebirth is pretty minor: she sends the party after some gourmet ingredients, like fancy pink rock salt and rare foraged mushrooms. She reappears during the Chapter 12 side quest “Woodland Vigil,” which has her sending Cloud after some vicious fiends who threaten the safety of Gongaga.

Most players probably wouldn’t know it to look at her in FF7 Rebirth, but Cissnei actually plays a pretty major role in a couple of FF7 spinoffs. She appears in Crisis Core and its remake, and is a playable character in the now-defunct prequel Before Crisis. Cissnei is the leader of the Gongaga Youth Coalition, and the youngest member of Shinra’s elite security force, the Turks. Like Kyrie, Cissnei’s appearance in FF7 Rebirth is part of the effort to include further concepts and characters from the wider compilation of FF7. Her role here isn’t as consequential as Kyrie’s, but it does do a bit to expand on her role in the world.

5
FF7 Rebirth’s “When Words Won’t Do” Reveals A New Faction

Junon Region, Chapter 4

Becoming available after Yuffie’s introduction in FF7 Rebirth, “When Words Won’t Do” is granted by Rhonda, the de facto mayor of Under Junon. She asks Cloud to help get some supplies to her son at the Crow’s Nest, a settlement of freedom fighters on the opposite side of the regional map. The party must escort her dog, Salmon, from the outskirts of Under Junon to the front gate of the Crow’s Nest. Salmon’s presence gains them entry to the settlement, so it’s necessary to complete this side quest to unlock that corner of the map.

But more importantly, “When Words Won’t Do” reveals a great deal of lore around Junon’s politics and people. It establishes the existence of a civilian resistance effort. It also explains that the average Junon resident tolerates the resistance, but prefers to keep it at arm’s length to avoid retaliation from Shinra. It also builds on Rhonda’s character, portraying her as a concerned mother who balances her concern with her son’s need for freedom. This quest provides a lot of context, and thus is vital to the plot of the Junon chapters.

4
FF7 Rebirth’s “Of Robed Men And Ransoms” Reveals More About The Reunion Theory

Corel Region, Chapter 7

In North Corel, Cloud may have a conversation with one Dr. Sheiran, a medical professional who studies and treats seemingly hypnotized robed men. As it turns out, one of Dr. Sheiran’s patients has been kidnapped, and the perpetrators demand a million gil in ransom. Of course, Dr. Sheiran can’t afford this. Instead, he asks Cloud and his party to go after the kidnappers and rescue the robed man.

“Of Robed Men and Ransoms” ties into a major plot point in FF7 Rebirth: the pursuit of the robed men, whom Cloud and company suspect are involved with Sephiroth. They’re right – these men are genetically linked to Sephiroth. This is what Professor Hojo calls the Reunion Theory, which posits that all individuals spliced with Jenova’s DNA are inevitably drawn to return to her. Sephiroth uses this to drum up support in FF7 Rebirth, while Cloud observes the robed men’s path in order to track him down.

3
FF7 Rebirth’s “Lament Of The Damned” Explores More Of Shinra Manor

Nibel Region, Chapter 12

In terms of completion requirements, “Lament of the Damned” might be the simplest, if not easiest, side quest on this list. It’s essentially a combat gauntlet, consisting first of four Combat Simulator fights against hand-picked sets of enemies. What follows is a boss fight against Dranabarga, after which the party can immediately claim their reward.

“Lament of the Damned” is significant to the plot because it explores both Shinra Manor and Vincent’s past, two of the most mysterious subjects in FF7 Rebirth. A former Turk subject to strange mutations from Professor Hojo’s experiments, Vincent is understandably quiet about his background. Shinra Manor is abandoned by the time it first appears in FF7 Rebirth, but contains much of the literature surrounding the Jenova Project that saw Sephiroth and Cloud genetically modified. The dialogue in between battles reveals more about Vincent and his former home.

2
FF7 Rebirth’s “Where The Wind Blows” Explores Shinra’s Widespread Impact

The Grasslands, Chapter 2

“Where the Wind Blows” is essentially an introduction to FF7 Rebirth‘s Item Transmuter. A comprehensive crafting system, the Item Transmuter allows players to make everything from consumables to accessories to important quest items, all using materials they pick up or obtain from defeated monsters. This quest requires the party to obtain some rare components by defeating Quetzalcoatl enemies, then craft a replacement part to fix a windmill.

More importantly, though, “Where the Wind Blows” implies that Broden, the Kalm innkeeper, was subject to Shinra’s genetic modification. He states outright that he once worked for Shinra, and appears to undergo symptoms similar to those of the robed men Cloud follows throughout the game. This is a testament to Shinra’s disastrous impact on humanity: even its rank-and-file employees were exposed to dangerous levels of Mako and Jenova cells, and many of them fell ill as a result. This helps players understand how much power Shinra wields, and Sephiroth’s need for revenge.

1
FF7 Rebirth’s “Absence Of A Sign” Explores The Planetologists’ Research

Cosmo Canyon Region, Chapter 10

“Absence of a Sign” is the first of three side quests revolving around the Cosmo Canyon planetologists. These scholars have devoted their lives to studying Gaia, and they request Cloud’s help in the form of a series of photographs depicting some regional phenomena.

The planetologist quests, including “Absence of a Sign,” are some of the most revealing side quests in FF7 Rebirth when it comes to lore. Cosmo Canyon’s planetologists are among the most knowledgeable people about Gaia’s past, present, and future, and these quests give players an opportunity to participate in their research. These quests also help fill in more of Red XIII’s family background, so they’re not only relevant to the lore, but also to the main plot.

The side quests in FF7 Rebirth aren’t always important to the plot – but when they are, they tend to have a major impact. Still, even the less plot-relevant quests tend to have worthwhile rewards, and every single one of them helps add color to the world of Gaia. While it’s not necessary to complete every single side quest in the game, these ten at least should be prioritized for what they contribute to the overall plot of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.