How to Beat Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship

This is a guide on how to beat Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship in the Combat Simulator of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7 Rebirth). Check out the unlock requirements and rewards, a list of enemies and bosses in each round, and the best build for Cloud to beat this challenge.

Best Builds

Best Party for Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship
Cloud	Zack

Cloud Equipment and Materia

Cloud Physical DPS
		Weapon		Armor
		Sleek Saber		Cetran Bracer
		Accessory		Summon Materia
		Gotterdammerung		Gilgamesh
Weapon Materia			Armor Materia
HP Up MP Up Steadfast Block First Strike Skill Master ATB Assist			Elemental and Fire and Ice Magnify and Healing Magic Efficiency and Reraise Revival Enemy Skill
Weapon Skills
Attack Power +20			Attack Power +20
ATB Charge Rate Up			ATB Charge Rate Up

The idea for Cloud's build is to use as many ATB Commands as possible to constantly activate ATB Assist, letting Zack build up enough ATB for them to use the SOLDIER's Honor Synergy Ability. This is important because it raises Cloud's Limit Level by one and it gives Zack infinite MP.

For most fights, Cloud will use Focused Thrust when the enemy's pressured and Infinity's End once they're staggered. Besides that, Sonic Boom will be the main way to proc ATB Assist since it has a fast animation and gives Cloud a Bravery attack boost.

Remember that even if Zack will be the main Support, you should still use Cloud to heal when needed to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Alternative Accessories
Limit Booster	Transference Module
Enhanced Draconic Ring	Enhanced Expeditionary Medal

You may also opt for alternative accessories that help with the charge rate of your limit break if you do not have the Gotterdammerung yet.

Zack Equipment and Materia

Zack Magic DPS Support Note: Zack's Equipment and Materia cannot be changed.	Weapon Materia
	Fire and Ice Wind
	Armor Materia
	Magnify and Healing Revival Time Barrier Empowerment Fortification First Strike

Zack will be your main offensive and supportive magic caster since he gets infinite MP from SOLDIER's Honor. For the first five rounds, he will focus on exploiting the enemy's elemental weakness; he won't be able to do this in the later half so he will focus on healing and buffing the party with Haste and Barrier's spells instead.

Use Chain Slash and Meteor Shot whenever he doesn't have infinite MP so that you can use SOLDIER's Honor as soon as possible.

How to Beat All Rounds

Round 1

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Titan

Remove Earthen Aegis with Wind Attacks

Spam Sonic Boom and Aeroga, once Zack has infinite MP from SOLDIER's Honor, to remove Titan's Earthen Aegis. Once the shield is gone, he will get pressured and leave himself open to getting staggered from Focused Thrusts and Meteor Shots. From there, repeat this process until Titan goes down.

Cast Aeroga as It Recovers from Stagger

If you're lucky and cast Aeroga right as he gets up from being staggered, Titan will get pressured before he can use Earthen Aegis again. This will make an otherwise slow fight much faster since you can bypass the Manawall he constantly sets up.

Round 2

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Hueyacoatl

Save ATB Charges to Stagger It during Supercharged

Save your ATB Charges to spam Focused Thrust and Meteor Shot once the Hueyacoatl gets pressured from using Supercharged. Don't use Wind attacks like Sonic Boom and Aero spells so that it doesn't use Supercharged before you have enough ATB Charges to stagger it.

Once the Hueyacoatl's been staggered, you can cast Aeroga with Zack and use Infinity's End with Cloud to deal massive damage. Once it gets back up, wait with full ATB Charges to stagger it and kill it the second time it gets downed.

Dodge the Lightning Strikes When Its Supercharged

Dodge the lightning strikes when it's Supercharged since it can Stun you, causing Hueyacoatl to follow up with a high-damage attack.

Round 3

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Phoenix

This fight should be easy since Cloud has Elemental-Fire to absorb all of the Phoenix's Fire-based attacks.

Kill the Enemies Phoenix Summons

Just make sure to kill the enemies Phoenix summons and have Zack at least above half HP so he can safely cast Blizzagas to kill the Phoenix.

Round 4

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Brineborn Demon

Use Ranged Attacks When Its Using Counterstance

Cloud absorbs all of the Brineborn Demon's Fire attacks thanks to Elemental-Fire. Once it uses Counterstance, use ranged attacks so that it will use Countershot, which is a Fire attack, instead of Counterstrike, which has no element.

Stagger Before It Uses Graviga

Make sure to stagger it quickly with Focused Thrusts and Meteor Shots, otherwise, it will use Graviga and bring you down to 1 HP. Once it is pressured or staggered, you can use Stop to extend the opening you have.

Round 5

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Kujata

Get Zack to Use SOLDIER's Honor as Soon as Possible

Use 3 ATB Charges on both characters as soon as possible so that Zack has infinite MP from SOLDIER's Honor. From there, counter Kujata with its elemental weaknesses to pressure it.

Prioritize removing Kujata's Lightning element first with Zack's Aeroga since Cloud absorbs the other two elements thanks to Elemental-Fire and Ice. However, if it attunes to Fire and Ice, remove Ice first since Firaga has a faster animation.

Remove Its Elemental Affinity before Staggering

Remove Kujata's elemental affinities first before staggering it. If you don't, it will keep its elemental affinity even if you cannot see it or target its weakness when it gets back up. This in turn causes it to use Tri-Disaster the next time it attunes to the other two elements.

Interrupt It with Strong Spells or High Braver

Alternatively, you can avoid it from getting attuned with an element in the first place by interrupting it with strong spells like Firaga or High Braver.

Round 6

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Ironclad

Have Zack Support Cloud with Manawall and Other Buffs

Always have an extra ATB Charge on Zack in case you need to cast an emergency Curaga, or Arise on Cloud. Manawall will be particularly useful to reduce the heavy damage that Ironclad deals with its attacks.

Zack will now be a complete Support as he will no longer be able to target elemental weaknesses from this round forward. You will have to rely on Cloud for the majority of the damage. Use SOLDIER's Honor as soon as possible so that you can cast healing and buffing spells without worrying about Zack's MP.

For the fight itself, use Plasma Discharge so that Cloud's attacks are imbued with Lightning damage, which the Ironclad is weak to. From there, use Firebolt Blade when there's an opening and spam Focused Thrust and Meteor Shot when it gets pressured from using Sharpen. Once it goes down, use Infinity's End and repeat the process until it's dead.

Round 7

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Alexander

Attack Its Arms with Lightning Abilities

Like last round, open up with Plasma Discharge and spam Firebolt Blade to exploit Alexander's Lightning weakness. Once its arms are destroyed, quickly stagger it with Focused Thrusts and Meteor Shots then follow up with an Infinity's End once it's staggered.

Destroy the Pillars of Light to Survive Divine Judgement

From there, repeat the process of destroying its legs and using Infinity's End when it's staggered to beat Alexander. Just make sure to destroy the Pillars of Light to reduce the amount of Karma stacks you get; this lets you survive a Divine Judgement without the help of Manaward.

Round 8

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Mindflayer

Constantly Use Synergy Abilities to Pressure It

Get up to 3 ATB Charges as soon as possible to pressure the Mindflayer with SOLDIER's Honor. Once pressured, do the usual Focused Thrusts and Meteor Shots to stagger it, followed by an Infinity's End before it gets back up.

Avoid Psychotic Break

Block or dodge its high-power attacks, and stand behind a rock during Psychotic Break so that you don't take too much damage while taking it down. You can also survive it by using Cloud or Zack's Limit Break.

Do note that when you're standing behind the rocks from Telekinesis, you can swap to Zack and use Charge to safely power up his abilities.

Round 9

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Bahamut Arisen

Parry Attacks with Counterfire

Prioritize countering Bahamut Arisen's attacks with the Counterfire Synergy Skill and use SOLDIER's Honor when it's available to pressure it. From there, do the usual Focused Thrusts plus Meteor Shots into Infinity's End to deal as much damage as possible.

Cast Manaward to Survive Gigaflare

Make sure to play defensively since Bahamut Arisen's attacks can do a lot of damage. If ever it uses Gigaflare, cast Manaward to survive the attack. Prioritize casting it on whoever has an extra ATB Charge so that they can immediately cast Arise or Curaga after the attack ends.

Save Limit Breaks to Interrupt Particle Charge

Save your Limit Breaks to cancel Particle Charge or to make yourself immune to an attack. You can also summon Gilgamesh if you're struggling and make this fight easier.

Round 10

Jump to Round
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Enemies		・Odin

Start the Fight with a Limit Break

Start the fight by using your Limit Break and swap to Zack so you can max out his ATB Gauge. Once the attack ends, Odin will use Sleipnir's Furor and get pressured. When he does that, use Focused Thrusts and Meteor Shots to stagger him as soon as possible.

Prevent It Using Zantetsuken

Once he gets back up, you should have used enough ATB Charges to use SOLDIER's Honor. Use it immediately so that Zack can cast Haste and Manawall on both characters. From there, dodge Odin's attacks and continuously use abilities safely so that Odin doesn't use Zantetsuken.

Use Limit Break to Interrupt Gjallahorn's Warning

Make sure to save your Limit Break to cancel Gjallahorn's Warning, which forces him to use Sleipnir's Furor and stops him from using Zantetsuken. Also, make sure to always have Reraise active on Cloud and summon Gilgamesh if you haven't summoned him yet.

Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship Unlock and Rewards

Basic Information
Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship A series of two-person fights for Cloud and Zack. Defy the laws of time and space to reunite with a long-lost comrade and defeat a variety of foes. ・Items cannot be used ・Only available on Hard difficulty
Level	70	Rounds	10	Team	2
Rewards		・Ribbon
Unlock Requirements
・Complete All Legendary Solo Combat Courses ・ Obtain the corsair's compass accessory

To unlock Legendary Bout: Bonds of Friendship in the Combat Simulator, you will first need to beat all Solo Legendary Bouts and craft the Corsair's Compass accessory. Once you've done these two things, you'll be able to attempt this Combat Simulator challenge.

Brutal and Legendary Combat Simulator Guide

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