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FF7 Rebirth: How To Learn Enemy Attacks With Enemy Skill Materia

March 28, 2024

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth pits you against countless enemies, many of which have abilities your characters can deploy against them and other enemies via the Enemy Skill materia. Found in the original 1997 FF7 release, Enemy Skill works a little differently in 2024. You’ll need to complete a series of battles in addition to scanning enemies via the Assess materia.

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You also won’t be able to unlock all of the Enemy Skills until you’ve visited each region in the game. The good news is that you can get this materia rather early, so you can earn progress toward each skill as you play through the main game and go about completing open world tasks.

How to get Enemy Skill materia

You can get Enemy Skill materia as soon as you meet Chadley and can jump into his combat simulator. After completing “Biological Intel: Know Thine Enemy,” you’ll get the Enemy Skill materia and can start using it immediately with Sonic Boom.

Since you’ll need to level up the Enemy Skill materia to unlock new challenges in the simulator, and thus new abilities, I recommend combining this materia with the AP Up materia to increase how much AP it earns from each battle.

Learning new Enemy Skills

Learning each new enemy skill has four steps: First, you’ll need to clear the Level prerequisite for the materia. Then you’ll need to scan a number of different enemies in a given region, followed by completing the Classified Intel quest of that given region (these are mini-boss fights that unlock after completing a region’s Fiend Intel tasks).

Finally, you’ll need to complete a specific “Biological Intel” mission in Chadley’s combat simulator to actually learn a new enemy skill.

Sonic Boom – Starting Ability

Sonic Boom is both an attack and buffing ability. Not only will it unleash a wind magic attack against your enemy, but the caster will gain Bravery and Faith, which increases your physical and magic attacks respectively.

Plasma Discharge – Level 2

Once your Enemy Skill materia hits Level 2 and you’ve assessed 16 different enemies in the Grasslands (in addition to completing this region’s Classified Intel task), you’ll gain access to “Biological Intel: Blinded by Light.”

Upon completion you’ll learn Plasma Discharge, which infuses your physical strikes with lightning damage and unleashes an area-of-effect area when you earn an ATB charge.

Spot something not quite right?

FF7 Rebirth is a massive RPG, so forgive me if a detail or two isn’t quite right. If you spot anything incorrect in this guide, let me know at [email protected] with the link to this guide in the email.

Soothing Breeze – Level 2

At Enemy Skill materia Level 2, and upon assessing 10 unique foes in Junon and taking down the Classified Intel quest in this region, you can take on “Biological Intel: At Any Cost” in the simulator to learn Soothing Breeze.

This ability lets you heal yourself and party members in a given (though generously sized) area.

Self-Destruct – Level 3

No, this isn’t the spell I cast on myself every Friday night. Self-Destruct is unlockable once Enemy Skill hits Level 3, you’ve completed Corel’s Classified Intel quest, assessed 25 different monsters in Corel (includes the beach and area surrounding the Gold Saucer), and have completed “Biological Intel: At Any Cost.”

A self-explanatory attack, Self-Destruct lets you blow yourself up to deal a bunch of damage to enemies in your vicinity.

Mind Blast – Level 4

Raise Enemy Skill materia to Level 4, assess 14 different enemies in Gongaga, complete this region’s Classified Intel quest, and clear “Biological Intel: Head Case” to learn Mind Blast. This attack both deals damage and paralyzes a target.

Rancid Breath – Level 4

Another ability you can learn at Enemy Skill materia level 4, you’ll need to assess 15 unique enemies in the Cosmo Canyon region, finish off the Classified Intel fight here, and complete “Biological Intel: That’s the Smell” to learn this one.

Rancid Breath, often deployed by the classic Malboro enemy, blankets an area with a mist that has a chance to cause Petrify, Poison, Silence, Sleep, and/or Stop on your enemies.

Gorgon Shield – Level 5

The final Enemy Skill you can learn requires you to raise the materia to Level 5, wrap up the Classified Intel activity in Nibel, assess 16 different enemies, and then knock out “Biological Intel: Stony Stare” in the simulator to learn Gorgon Shield. Once cast, this shield casts Petrify on enemies who attack you.

Though you’ll only get one orb of Enemy Skill materia in Rebirth, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss. Each of these abilities can give you an edge on tricky boss fights and make lesser enemies far easier.