Barret Best Builds and Weapons

Barret Wallace is a playable character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7 Rebirth). See the best builds for Barret, list of weapons, their voice actors, and more about this character's background in this guide!

Barret Character Guides
Best Builds and Weapons	Romance Guide

Barret Best Builds

Stage and Chapter	List of Barret Builds
Endgame (Hard Mode)	Barret Endgame Build
Late Game (Chapter 11-14)	Barret Late Game Build
Mid Game (Chapter 7)	Barret Mid Game Build
Early Game (Chapter 2-4)	Barret Early Game Build

Barret Endgame Build

Equipment	Materia
Battle Cry Weapon Lv. 8	HP Up + MP Up ATB Assist + Skill Master Precision Defense Focus Steadfast Block Alexander
Cetran Bracer	First Strike + ATB Stagger Prayer + Chakra Reraise + Healing Vitality Up + Spirit Up
Alternative Armor
・ Cetran Armlet ・ Valkyrian Bangle
Weapon Skills	Opening ATB Bonus ATB Charge Rate Up Weapon Ability ATB Recovery Massive Recharge

Accessory	Effect
Whistlewind Scarf	Slightly fills the ATB gauge at the start of the battle.

This is the best build for Barret in Hard Mode. The build revolves around spamming abilities and acting as a tank support for the team.

The Whistlewind Scarf and the First Strike materia will allow Barret to instantly use Turbulent Spirit to hasten his ATB charge rate, while ATB Assist and ATB Stagger will allow him and the rest of his team to build up materia faster.

HP Up, Vitality Up, and Spirit Up are slotted in for increased health and defense, paired with the Lifesaver and Steelskin abilities, this allows Barret to tank damage for his entire team.

Prayer, Reraise, and Healing are used for Barret to support his team, with a fast ATB charge rate, it's optimal to slot these Materia on him.

Best Team Synergies

Synergy Skills
Cloud Red XIII Aerith Tifa	Iron Defense Puts Barret and his partner in a defensive stance, reducing the damage taken.
Synergy Abilities
Cloud Red XIII Yuffie	United Refocus Temporarily partitions Barret's and his partner's ATB gauges into three segments, allowing for faster ability use.

Additional Build Notes

• Depending on the enemy, players can swap Vitality Up and Spirit Up with Warding Materia paired with Poison and Petrify Materia.

Barret Late Game Build

Equipment	Materia
Calamitous Bazooka Weapon Lv. 5	Auto-Unique Ability Auto-Weapon Ability Steadfast Block Provoke HP Up ATB Stagger Alexander
Celestial Bangle	Barrier + Magic Efficiency Vitality Up Synergy Support ATB Boost Prayer
Alternative Armor
・ Yggdrasill Armlet ・ Garm Bangle
Weapon Skills	・Massive Recharge ・Overcharge Stagger Siphon

Accessory	Effect
Survival Vest	Increases Vitality by +10%

This build for Barret can be used in Chapter 11: The Long Shadow of Shinra onwards.

Barret excels at being a support tank in the late game, having Prayer and other defensive materia to enhance the party's defenses. He can build up his ATB relatively quickly through ATB Stagger, ATB Boost, and fast recharge of his Overcharge weapon ability.

Since Barret can take a lot of punishment, he can combo his ability Steelskin and Lifesaver with Provoke to redirect large amounts of damage for the party.

Best Team Synergies

Synergy Skills
Cloud Red XIII Aerith Tifa	Iron Defense Puts Barret and his partner in a defensive stance, reducing the damage taken.
Synergy Abilities
Cloud Red XIII Yuffie	United Refocus Temporarily partitions Barret's and his partner's ATB gauges into three segments, making saving up on command usage easier.
Tifa	Avalanche Two-Step Will increase damage done to a staggered enemy and extend their stagger time.
Cait Sith	Mayhem-Go-Round Fires two rotating lasers in all directions on the field. Best used when fighting groups and raises Limit Levels.

Additional Build Notes

• Vitality Up is rewarded from completing Corel Battle Intel: Oh, Skewer It.
• Provoke is rewarded from completing Grasslands Battle Intel: Natural Order.
• Synergy Support is developed at Chadley's Research in the Gongaga Region.

Barret Mid Game Build

Equipment	Materia
Gatling Gun	Elemental + Lightning Prayer
Abyssal Bangle	Steadfast Block + ATB Stagger HP Up
Weapon Skills	ATB Charge Rate Up Max HP +200

Accessory	Effect
Survival Vest	Increases Vitality by +10%

This build for Barret can be used in Chapter 7: Those Left Behind onwards.

The Gatling Gun is the choice weapon for Barret since this gives him access to the weapon skill ATB Charge Rate Up. Paired with his rapid-firing attacks, he will be able to fill his ATB gauges quickly for more ability uses (especially Prayer which costs 2 ATB).

Elemental materia is useful for giving Barret's ranged attacks elemental properties. Exploiting elemental weakness increases damage dealt and stagger buildup!

Best Team Synergies

Synergy Skills
Cloud Red XIII Aerith Tifa	Iron Defense Puts Barret and his partner in a defensive stance, reducing the damage taken.
Synergy Abilities
Cloud Red XIII Yuffie	United Refocus Temporarily partitions Barret's and his partner's ATB gauges into three segments, making saving up on command usage easier.
Tifa	Avalanche Two-Step Will increase damage done to a staggered enemy and extend their stagger time.

Additional Build Notes

• Elemental materia can be obtained by completing Junon Battle Intel: Conqueror of the Skies at Chadley's Research. Getting access to the Stormwing Fiend Sighting location requires completing the When Words Won't Do sidequest.
• ATB Stagger materia can be developed at Chadley's Research in Junon.
• Barret's other weapons such as the Hi-Caliber Rifle will have higher attack power. However, they will not have the ATB Charge Up skill.

Barret Early Game Build

Equipment	Materia
Hi-Caliber Rifle	Prayer + Healing Lightning
Hunter's Bangle	HP Up + MP Up
Weapon Skills	Magic Attack Power +20

Accessory	Effect
Bulletproof Vest Mk. II	Increases Vitality by +5%. Increases max HP by 250.

This is a simple early game build for Barret available before fighting Midgardsomr, the game's first open world boss in Chapter 2: A New Journey Begins. This build should hold up to Junon in Chapter 4: Dawn of a New Era.

A good and reliable early build for Barret is building him like a support tank with healing abilities. With his Steelskin ability, he can serve as good crowd control by redirecting aggression from enemies and tanking hits.

Prayer is a good party heal that costs 2 ATB instead of MP. Thanks to Barret's ranged weapon, he can reliably build ATB from a distance. Should you wish to invest further into Prayer, you can increase AP gain by leveling it up through an AP Up materia.

Best Team Synergies

Synergy Skills
Cloud Red XIII Aerith Tifa	Iron Defense Puts Barret and a partner in a defensive stance, reducing the damage taken.
Synergy Abilities
Red XIII	United Refocus Temporarily partitions both Red XIII's and Barret's ATB gauges into three segments, making it easier to save up on command usage.
Red XIII	Overfang Barret sends Red XIII flying at the enemy, doing big damage and raising their Limit Levels.

Additional Build Notes

• The materia in Barret's early game kit can be bought at a Vending Machine at Oliver's Farm. Similarly, a Hunter's Bangle can also be bought there.
• Barret's Hi-Caliber Rifle can be obtained for free in a purple chest on the island where Cloud spots Sephiroth past the Abandoned Dock as part of the main quest (requires swimming via Chocobo).
• Bulletproof Vest Mk. II can be unlocked for transmutation by completing Excavation Intel 2: Pipeline Depository (can be discovered by completing Expedition Intel) in the Grasslands.

How to Use Barret and Combat Guide

Barret Controls

Button / Action	Description
Attack	Fires off a single shot.
Hold Rapid Fire	Fires off a barrage of bullets until it needs to be reloaded.
Overcharge/Charge	Overcharge: Fires off a barrage of attacks that greatly increase the ATB Gauge. Goes on cooldown after used. Charge: Speeds up Overcharges cooldown. More effective if used after an attack or ability.
Evade	Roll out of the way of an attack.
Commands Menu	Access the Command Menu for Abilities, Spells, Items, and Synergy
Block	Blocks incoming attacks to reduce damage. Perfect blocks completely negate damage.
Hold Synergy Skills	Opens the menu for available Synergy Skills

Barret Battle Tips

How to Use Barret
Quickly Build up your ATB Gauge with Overcharge Buff Your Allies' Damage and Defense Use Steelskin and Guard to Safely Tank Hits Build up Stagger with Focused Shot and Bonus Round

Quickly Build up your ATB Gauge with Overcharge

Barret's unique ability Overcharge lets him quickly build up his ATB Gauge in a single attack. This is very important because this lets him access his commands faster than most other party members.

Make sure to use Charge after attacking or using an ability to maximize Barret's damage output.

Buff Your Allies' Damage and Defense

Since Barret can use Overcharge to quickly build up his ATB Gauge, this makes him the perfect candidate for holding Materia with spells like Brave or Protect that apply buffs on his teammates.

These types of spells are especially crucial against bosses where you want to get your party set up with multiple buffs as soon as possible.

Use Steelskin and Guard to Safely Tank Hits

Steelskin reduces the damage that Barret takes from attacks. It also makes it less likely for his attacks and spells to be interrupted.

This is very useful for players who aren't good at dodging or perfectly blocking attacks, or if you need to cast spells or build up the ATB Gauge with attacks and Overcharge.

Build up Stagger with Focused Shot and Bonus Round

With the combination of Focused Shot, Bonus Round, and Overcharge, you can quickly build up the enemy's Stagger meter and deal massive damage once it's been Staggered.

Remember to use spells and abilities that apply Pressured to the enemy to further increase the rate at which the enemy gets Staggered.

Barret Best Combos

Attack	Function
Charge Combo Charge after using an attack or ability.	Using Overcharge is the best way to quickly build up Barret's ATB Gauge so that he can use his commands. After using an attack or ability, make sure to weave in Charge afterward to efficiently recharge Overcharge.

Names given to the above combos are for descriptive purposes. The list above is subject to updates.

Barret Best Folio Skill Cores

Skill Core / Priority	Type and Effect
United Refocus ★★★	Synergy Ability ・ Useful utility synergy ability for Barret and his partner temporary 3-gauge ATB. ・Will allow you to use more commands in battle.
Arcane Blast ★★★	Synergy Ability ・A great offensive magic ability that grants Barret and Aerith unlimited MP temporarily.
Bodyguard ★★★	Synergy Skill ・An essential defensive synergy skill that adds another survivability option for Barret.
Physical Safeguard ★★★	Stat Boost ・Applies the Protect status on Barret upon entering battle, doubling down on his tank capabilities.
Overload Overcharge ★★★	Stat Boost ・Reduces the charge time for Overcharge, allowing Barret to use the unique ability faster.
Selfish Recovery Boost ★★★	Stat Boost ・Increases the healing Barret takes by 10% which grants him more survivability.
Selfish Buff Up ★★☆	Stat Boost ・Increases the duration of beneficial status effects on Barret by 15%, synergizes well with Protect.
Avalanche Two-Step ★★☆	Synergy Ability ・Extends stagger time and increases damage dealt to the staggered target.
Icy Impulse ★☆☆	Ability ・Useful for exploiting enemy ice weaknesses. Can be used at a range. ・Does not cost MP.
Fiery Impulse ★☆☆	Ability ・Useful for exploiting enemy fire weaknesses. Can be used at a range. ・Does not cost MP.

Folio Skill Tree Guide

Barret Weapon Locations and Stats

Gatling Gun

Gatling Gun
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 19 ・MATK + 19 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯◯ Ability: Focused Shot		Limit Gauge Charge Rate +10% Attack Power +20 Overcharge Protection Magic Attack Power +20 Massive Recharge ATB Charge Rate Up Weapon Ability Damage +5% Enhanced Overcharge Max HP +200 Unflinching Overcharge
Location
Barret starts with the Gatling Gun as his default weapon. You'll gain access to this weapon as soon as he joins you in Chapter 2.

Hi-Caliber Rifle

Hi-Caliber Rifle
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 36 ・MATK + 12 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯-◯◯ Ability: Bonus Round		Limit Gauge Guard Overloard Overcharge Opening ATB Bonus Magic Attack Power +20 Overload Overcharge Synergy Damage Up Max HP +200 Unflinching Overcharge Magic Attack Power +20 Staggering Charge
Location
After Passing Through the Swamp Area

Vulcan Cannon

Vulcan Cannon
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 33 ・MATK + 44 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯-◯◯-◯ Ability: Charging Uppercut		MP Recovery Rate Up Restorative MP Saver Offensive MP Saver attack power +20 Attack Damage +5% Max HP +200 Max MP +3 Weapon Ability ATB Recovery Synergy Damage Up Enhanced Overcharge
Location
In a Chest After Leaving Dust Bowl

Barrage Blaster

Barrage Blaster
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 33 ・MATK + 30 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯◯◯◯ Ability: Lifesaver		Stagger Recovery Trade-Off Selfish Buff Up Limit Gauge Guard Max HP +200 Overload Overcharge Selfish Recovery +25% Enhanced Physical Guard Overcharge Protection Max HP +200
Location
On the Edge of a Cliff in Coal Mines

Fafnir Rifle

Fafnir Rifle
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 38 ・MATK + 73 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯◯◯◯◯ Ability: Point Blank		Trade-Off Attack Power +20 Max MP +3 Enhanced Elements Limit Break Damage +10% Staggering Charge Attack Power +20 Enhanced Magic Guard Max MP +3 Enhanced Overcharge

Calamitous Bazooka

Calamitous Bazooka
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 72 ・MATK + 59 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯◯◯◯◯◯ Ability: Smackdown		Limit Break Damage +10% Critical Hit Damage +10% Critical Hit Rate +5% Ability Critical Hit Rate Up Overcharge Stagger Siphon Attack Damage +5% Critical Hit Rate +5% Critical Hit Damage +10% Massive Recharge Unflinching Overcharge
Location
In the Gate With Four Altars in Cave of Gi

Battle Cry

Battle Cry
Stats and Ability		Weapon Skills
・ATK + 88 ・MATK + 65 ・DEF + 0 ・MDEF + 0 Slots: ◯-◯◯-◯◯◯ Ability: Turbulent Spirit		ATB Limit Limit Gauge Charge Rate +10% Attack Power +20 Opening ATB Bonus ATB Charge Rate Up Weapon Ability ATB Recovery Enhanced Elements Staggering Charge Massive Recharge Overload Overcharge
Location
In a Tower in Hall of Life

All Weapons and How to Get Them

Barret Manuscript Locations

Sharpshooter's Companion Locations

Volume	Difficulty Req.	How to Get
Vol. 1	Easy / Normal	Side Quest: When Words Won't Do Reward for completing the When Words Won't Do Side Quest in the Junon region.
Vol. 2	Easy / Normal	Moogle Shop Can be purchased at Merchant Rank 3 for 6 Moogle Medals.
Vol. 3	Easy / Normal	GP Exchange Purchase at the GP Exchange for 100 GP.
Vol. 4	Easy / Normal	Moogle Shop Can be purchased at Merchant Rank 4 for 6 Moogle Medals.
Vol. 5	Easy / Normal	Musclehead Colosseum Reward for clearing Six-Person Bout: War of the Mascots.
Vol. 6	Easy / Normal	Side Quest: Hustle and Grind Reward for completing the Hustle and Grind Side Quest in the Grasslands region.
Vol. 7	Hard	Side Quest: Lifeline in Peril Reward for defeating the Noxicap during the Lifeline in Peril Side Quest, in the Grasslands region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 8	Hard	Side Quest: When Words Won't Do Reward for defeating the Sandstorm Drakes during the When Words Won't Do Side Quest, in the Junon region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 9	Hard	Classified Intel: Mindflayer Reward for defeating Mindflayer Classified Intel boss in Hard Mode.
Vol. 10	Hard	Side Quest: Missing Mr. Birdie Reward for completing the Missing Mr. Birdie Side Quest, in the Grasslands region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 11	Hard	Boss: Dyne Reward for defeating Dyne in Chapter 8 Hard Mode.
Vol. 12	Hard	Side Quest: The Pursuit of Perfection Reward for defeating the Daggerwings during the The Pursuit of Perfection Side Quest, in the Gongaga region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 13	Hard	Side Quest: Hustle and Grind Reward for completing the Hustle and Grind Side Quest, in the Grasslands region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 14	Hard	Side Quest: Lament of the Damned Reward for defeating the Dranabarga during the Lament of the Damned Side Quest, in the Nibel region while playing in Hard Mode.
Vol. 15	Hard	Boss: Jenova Lifeclinger Reward for defeating Jenova Lifeclinger in Chapter 14 Hard Mode.
Vol. 16	Hard	Combat Simulator: Barret vs. The Colossi Reward for completing the Legendary Bout: Barret vs. The Colossi in Combat Simulator.

List of All Manuscripts Guide

Barret Character Profile and Background

Profile and Voice Actor

Barret	Voice Actors
	EN: John Eric Bentley JP: Mahito Funaki
	Weapon
	Gunarm
	Chapter Unlocked
	Chapter 2 A New Journey Begins
Official Introduction
The leader of an independent Avalanche cell, Barret spearheads an operation to take down Shinra's mako reactors. He pays a hefty price for this, however, when the company retaliates, and his comrades die in the crossfire. Armed with the memories of his lost friends and the newfound knowledge of Sephiroth's plans, he departs Midgar in hope of saving the planet and safeguarding a future for his daughter Marlene.

Leader of Avalanche

Barret is the leader of Avalanche, an eco-terrorist group that tried to stop Shinra from using Mako as an energy source. He leads his allies in destroying Shinra's Mako Reactors to take down Shinra and secure a better future for all, and his daughter Marlene.

Uses Gun-Arm

Barret uses a gun arm, an actual gun grafted to his right arm. This allows him to fire at enemies from a distance and also reach enemies that can't be hit by melee weapons. He can also use other melee weapons to inflict damage up close.

Led Mako Reactor 1 Operation

As the leader of Avalanche, Barret led the Mako Reactor 1 Operation with his team. He brought ranged firepower from his gun arm to support Cloud and the others. He and Cloud also fought the Scorpion Sentinel and obtained victory with the explosion of Reactor 1.

Led Mako Reactor 5 Operation

After some planning, Barret also led the Mako Reactor 5 Operation. Since Jessie was injured from her last operation in Sector 7, Cloud ended up replacing her for the operation. They boarded the train and after the ID scan, Barret evacuated the passengers.

Barret meets up with Cloud and Tifa, goes through the tunnels, and successfully plants a bomb on the reactor. They fought Airbuster and Barret fled with Tifa while Cloud hung on the rail after its explosion.

Defended Sector 7 Pillar

Sometime later, the Turks started to attack the Sector 7 Pillar. Barret led the mission to protect the pillar and made it to the top, despite the casualties suffered. With Tifa and Cloud, he fought Rude and Reno to prevent them from dropping the plate but they failed.

Barret grieved for the possible loss of the other Avalanche members, but Cloud and Tifa urged him on. They started searching the Sector 7 ruins and found Wedge.

Rescued Aerith

Since Aerith was captured, Barret, Cloud, and Tifa set out to rescue her. They snuck into the Shinra Building with Mayor Domino's help and made their way through it until they met Professor Hojo. Hojo then released one of his specimens to deal with them.

After defeating the specimen, Barret released Aerith and Red XIII. Rufus shoots down the Avalanche helicopter, so they have to escape another way. Barret left with Aerith and Red XIII while Cloud and Tifa remained behind.

Helped Cloud Fight Sephiroth

With Shinra vehicles, Cloud and his friends escaped on the Midgar Expressway. When Sephiroth opened the portal, Barret fought off Whispers and helped Cloud fight against him.

After this, Barret promised all of them that he'd help fight against Sephiroth since he was an enemy of the planet.

Barret Abilities

Ability	Effect / Source
Steelskin	Temporarily reduce damage taken and how easily you are interrupted. Unlocked from the start
Maximum Fury	Consume all ATB charges to fire a long stream of bullets at an enemy. Unlocked from the start
Focused Shot	Consume all ATB charges to unleash a concentrated burst of energy. Significantly increases stagger. Weapon: Gatling Gun
Bonus Round	Load your weapon with unique bullets that increase stagger and power up your attacks. Weapon: Hi-Caliber Rifle
Lifesaver	Temporarily increase your HP and take damage intended for other party members. Weapon: Barrage Blaster
Charging Uppercut	Rush toward an enemy and launch them into the air with a furious blow. Increases Charge. Weapon: Vulcan Cannon
Smackdown	Strike the ground and send nearby enemies flying. Weapon: Calamitous Bazooka
Turbulent Spirit	Significantly increase your ATB charge rate for a limited time. Can only be used once per battle. Weapon: Battle Cry

Barret Limit Breaks

Limit Break	Effect / How to Get
Fire in the Hole	Limit Level 1 Shoot an orb of energy that creates a large explosion. Unlocked from the start
Catastrophe	Limit Level 2 Marshal all your strength and channel it into a concentrated beam of energy. Significantly increases stagger. Unlocked from the start
Satellite Beam	Limit Level 3 Decimate the enemy with beams of light from beyond the stratosphere. Unlocked through the Folio Skill Tree at party level 8.

Barret Synergy Skills

Synergy Skill	Synergy Skill	Folio Level
Mad Dash	Partner(s): Cloud, Red XIII Team up with your partner to charge forward while guarding against incoming attacks. Activate in sequence to trigger a three-hit combo.	2
Iron Defense	Partner(s): Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Red XIII Team up with your partner to take a strong defensive stance.	1

Barret Synergy Abilities

Synergy Ability	Description	Buff
Partners in Pain	Cloud slashes an enemy and Barret fires a follow-up shot. Raises their limit levels.	Limit Level Increase
Overfang	Barret sends Red XIII flying toward an enemy at high velocity. Raises their limit levels.	Limit Level Increase

Barret's Role in FF7 Rebirth

In Pursuit of Sephiroth

Barret, along with Cloud and the others are in pursuit of Sephiroth after the events of the FF7 Remake. He plays an important role in FF7 Rebirth, acting as a reliable sub-leader of the party when Cloud is having his episodes of degradation.

FF7 Rebirth Related Guides

List of All Characters

Other Character Guides

Character Guides
Characters Tier List	Best Builds
Best Party Compositions	Best Abilities

List of Playable Characters

All Characters
Aerith	Barret	Cait Sith	Cloud
Red XIII	Sephiroth	Tifa	Yuffie
Zack