Like in other RPGs, understanding the character statistics in Final Fantasy VII Remake is an important part of mastering the game’s systems. Statistics, or “attributes” as they are called in FF7 Remake, numerically represent a character’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, Barret may have a Defense Stat of 80 but a Magic Attack Stat of 50, while Aerith may have a Defense Stat of 45 and a Magic Attack Stat of 90. This means Barret can take a lot of damage but is not good with magic, while Aerith is good with magic but takes more damage.
Attributes in FF7 Remake are primarily used in battle. They determine everything from the amount of damage a character can deal, to how much damage a character can resist, to even the speed at which their ATB gauge can charge. These attributes can be influenced by changing or upgrading weapons, equipping certain armor and accessories, and equipping materia.
Though attributes are an important part of FF7 Remake, what the different attributes correspond to can cause some confusion. While the meaning of some attributes, like Strength and Magic, can be assumed from names alone, attributes like Luck or Speed can be misleading or not clear about what they influence. In addition, specific stats will be better for some characters than others,
Character Attributes & What They Mean
The first two attributes are Attack Power and Magic Attack Power which are two general kinds of attacks in FFVII Remake: physical attacks and magic attacks. Physical attacks refer to damage dealt with swords, guns, and fists—the respective weapons of Cloud, Barret, and Tifa. Magic attacks refer to damage dealt from spells (materia like fire, ice, lightning, etc.) or from Aerith’s magic projectiles. Because these two attributes are separate values, this means a character can be weaker in one kind of attack and stronger in another.
Additionally, the damage dealt from weapon abilities uses the Magic Attack Power attribute, regardless of if the character’s weapon normally pulls from the Attack Power attribute. The next two statistics are the Defense and Magic Defense attributes. Similar to Attack and Magic Attack Power, these attributes determine how much damage a character takes from physical and magic attacks respectively.
The four following attributes are Strength, Magic, Vitality, and Spirit, these stats each influence one of the previous four attributes. Strength influences Attack, Magic influences Magic Attack, Vitality influences Defense, and Spirit influences Magic Defense. Strength, Magic, Vitality, and Spirit are stats linked to the character’s level. The faster a character levels up, the faster these stats increase.
The final two attributes are Luck and Speed. Luck determines if an attack does a critical hit and if a character successfully steals from an enemy. Speed determines how fast a characters ATB gauge charges. Understanding what each attribute does and how to influence them is important for players aiming to master Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Best (and Worst) Attributes of Each Character in FF7 Remake
Because Final Fantasy VII Remake has a team-based combat system, players will need to use attributes as the basis for how each character best synergizes with each other. For example, which character(s) will be responsible for physical damage? Which one(s) for magic damage? Which one(s) for healing and/or buffs? With an understanding of how each attribute influences a character, in combination with the materia system and weapon choice, the player can determine which characters are best suited for certain roles.
Cloud’s Best Attributes
Cloud is an all-around fighter, having both the second-highest Attack and Magic Attack stats in the game, with a slight emphasis on the physical damage. Because he uses a sword, Cloud is forced to play at close-range and can only use long-range magic attacks once he has built up enough ATB. Since the fastest way to build ATB is by attacking enemies, Cloud does not work best when relying on magic. Cloud’s best playstyle, therefore, is to play up close, dealing lots of physical damage, and then following up his combo with an ability or magic attack. Having the second-best Magic and Magic Attack in the game, Cloud’s abilities are very strong and are best used to build stagger or as a finisher. Cloud can also effectively use element materia to stagger and finish off foes.
Barret’s Best Attributes
Barret is one of the strongest physical damage dealers. His long-ranged Gatling gun arm does consistent damage to an enemy, so though a single bullet may not do as much as Cloud’s sword, a string of bullets does. Alongside his strength, Barret has the highest physical defense and Vitality in the game. In combination with his slow dodge and movement speed, Barret is best played as a tank. He’s able to do lots of physical damage and take lots of physical damage. For this reason, putting the provoke materia on Barret can be very effective, as he can distract enemies away from allies on low health and be relatively fine with the incoming damage. The downside to Barret is his weaker Magic Attack and Magic Defense which is the lowest of both in the game. While his abilities are still very strong despite his lower Magic Attack, his low Magic Defense makes him less effective as a tank against enemies that do lots of magic attacks. Because of this, it is best to avoid these enemies’ attacks as Barret and use a different character to take care of them.
Tifa’s Best Attributes
Tifa has the highest Attack and Speed stats in the game. While her Attack is only slightly higher than Cloud’s, the speed of her attack allows her to lay on a lot of damage quickly. In addition, her high speed stat allows her to build ATB extremely quick, allowing her to use her abilities and magic fast. The fast ATB charge opens Tifa up to be another extremely powerful damage dealer as well as a good support character. If a character is low on health, Tifa’s speed allows her to gain the ATB needed to heal them as quickly as possible. This makes healing, prayer, or chakra materia great on Tifa. Buff materia like cleansing or barrier are also great choices, as Tifa can get the buffs out quickly. The biggest downside to Tifa’s stats are her defensive attributes. She is the second weakest defensively, but makes it up with her movement speed.
Aerith’s Best Attributes
Finally, Aerith is completely magic-oriented. She has the highest Magic Defense and a Magic Attack stat that is drastically higher than all other characters. Unlike the other three, Aerith’s normal attack takes from her Magic Attack stat rather than her Attack stat. Her Attack attribute is used on the rod itself connecting with an enemy. However, the range of the staff in combination with how ridiculously low her Attack is makes her Attack attribute practically useless. Her ranged magic attacks and he high Magic Attack stat naturally makes Aerith best at playing from a distance, building up ATB, and then unleashing magic onto the enemy. This also naturally makes Aerith the best for holding the offensive materia. Her low Defense and Speed make it difficult for Aerith to fight on her own as all the enemies would want to swarm her, not allowing her to shoot her magic. Aerith needs her teammates more than any other character, so they can distract the enemies away her. The player will need to learn to switch between characters often. Enemies will target whoever the player is currently controlling, meaning switching a lot can help keep enemies off of Aerith.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is currently available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
