Chapter 1: Fall of a Hero Walkthrough

A walkthrough for Chapter 1: Fall of a Hero in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (FF7 Rebirth). Read on for a detailed guide of Chapter 1, including item locations, rewards, bosses, as well as useful tips for completing this chapter!

Chapter 1: Fall of a Hero Walkthrough

Click on any of the links above to jump to the section!

Interlude: Rescue Walkthrough

Nibelheim Walkthrough

Option to Skip the Mako Reactor Investigation if You Played the Demo

For players who managed to complete FF7 Rebirth's Demo Part 1, the option to skip the Mako Reactor investigation will pop up after you defeat the Insectoid Chimeras. Skipping advances you to the Shinra Manor segment where you have to find Sephiroth inside.

How to Skip Chapter 1

Investigating the Mako Reactor Walkthrough

	Objectives
1	Happy Trails After dealing with the Insectoid Chimeras, resume following Tifa up the slope, dealing with any monsters you encounter along the way.
2	Clear the Way Eventually, you will run encounter a broken bridge that halts your progress. Turn around and head back to Tifa so she can show you a different route. Wind Materia: Obtained from one of the ledges to your right before passing through the crack.
3	Pass through the crack and rejoin the group. Follow them and enter the abandoned Shinra Facility. Head upstairs then use the elevator to progress. Level Boost Materia: Before going to the elevator, turn right at the top of the stairs to obtain this Materia on top of a small step ladder.
4	After exiting the elevator, you will encounter a Screamer. Defeat it and continue upwards.
5	Unlock the Elevator Once upstairs, the next elevator will be locked due to a Mako Gas contamination. Get rid of all of the Mako Gas by draggin the Purifier behind the gate over each Gas cloud. Once you remove all the Mako Gas, the elevator doors should open automatically. Tip: You can hold down R2 to move a little bit quicker than the default move speed while dragging the Purifier.
6	Cross the Bridge As soon as you exit the Shinra Facility, keep progressing through the area until you reach the bridge leading to the Mako Reactor. Cross it to trigger a cutscene where the bridge breaks.
7	Upon arriving at the opposite shore (near the foot of the Mako Reactor), take control of Cloud and use the yellow ledges to climb up the cliff. There will be a Bench nearby where you can rest to recover your HP and MP. HP Up Materia: Pick up this Materia next to the Bench before fighting the nearby enemies.
8	After resting, Sephiroth will join your party as a playable character. Make your way through the tunnel system and defeat enemies along the way. Empowerment Materia: As soon as you leave the Gunnthra River Basin, head to the open area to find this materia on the ground. Spare Change Materia: After following the path up, turn around at the top to find this materia on one of the ledges.
9	Once you arrive at the ravine, defeat the enemies before using the narrow wooden plans to cross the gap. Magnify Materia: After crossing the gap using the wooden planks, go down the ledge to your left. At the bottom you will find this materia on the ground
10	Past the ravine will be a large arena where a Zu spawns. Use Cloud and Sephiroth's Synergy Skills to defeat it and advance through the area. Precision Defense Focus Materia: After defeating the Zu, head up the newly unlocked area. You will find this materia on top of a metal platform. Auto-Cast Materia: After climbing the stairs, you will find this materia on top of some wooden pallets.
11	Once you reach the upper levels of the area, you will be faced with another Mako Gas puzzle. Use the Purifier to suck up all the Mako Gas clouds to reactivate the elevator. Comet Materia: Before using the elevator, turn around and go to a small platform with a stack of Shinra Boxes. Break them to reveal this materia hiding behind the stack.
12	The elevator will deposit you into the upper levels of the facility where you will face the level boss. Use the nearby Bench to recover your HP and MP before heading inside gate to fight the Materia Guardian. ▶︎ How to Beat the Materia Guardian
13	The Mission Continues Once the Materia Guardian is dealt with, head inside the reactor with Sephiroth. Use the elevator to go deeper into the reactor. After exiting the elevator, go to your right and enter the metal gate.
14	Climb down the stairs and continue moving forward until the cutscene triggers. Once the cutscene ends, go outside and turn off the valve. You'll have to press and hold the L2 and R2 buttons multiple times to complete this objective.
15	Return to Sephiroth and watch the cutscene that plays.

Searching for Sephiroth Walkthrough

	Objectives
1	After watching the cutscene, you will be taken back to the Nidhogg Hotel in Nibelheim. Go downstairs and talk to Mayor Zander at the 1st Floor of the Hotel.
2	To Shinra Manor Head outside and follow the crowd as they make their way to Shinra Manor.
3	Searching for Sephiroth Upon entering Shinra Manor, turn left until you reach the elevator. Use it to reach the Basement of the manor.
4	Exit the elevator to arrive at the Underground Cavern. Continue heading north and approach Sephiroth to trigger a cutscene.
5	Once the cutscene ends, you will wake up just outside of the manor. As everything bursts in flames, make your way back to the village.
6	Follow the path through the wreckage and turn left. The path will be blocked by fallen debris, so you'll have to turn around and look for another path. Enter the house ahead that was previously blocked to continue.
7	Here you will have to pass through a small opening that will lead you to the water tower. Head towards the Strife Residence to look for your mother.
8	Another cutscene will play, this time ending with you flat on the ground. Press and hold the L2 and R2 buttons as prompted to crawl towards Sephiroth and complete the flashback chapter.

Tifa Comes Calling Walkthrough

Chapter 1 Boss Strategy Guide

How to Beat the Materia Guardian

Materia Guardian
Location	Chapter Unlocked
Mt. Nibel, Northern Ridge	Fall of a Hero
Weaknesses	Lesser Resistances
Fire	None
Greater Resistances	Immunities
None	Proportional Damage Berserk Slow Silence Sleep Stop Stone Petrify Morphable Items
Absorbed Elements	When Triggered
None	None
Pressure Conditions
Evading its capture attemps or freeing captured allies will pressure it. Destroying its legs while it is on the ceiling will also pressure it.

The Materia Guardian can be encountered at the Appraisal Drilling Site - 2F of Mt. Nibel in Chapter 1 - Fall of a Hero. It is a main story boss that you need to defeat in order to reach the Nibel Mako Reactor.

Materia Guardian Boss Fight Tips

• Target the legs when it goes to the ceiling
• Spam abilities to to quickly build up pressure
• Use Double Helix to bring it down in Phase 3

How to Beat Materia Guardian

Chapter 1 Maps and Obtainable Items

Maps

List of Maps
Nibelheim	Mt. Nibel	Mako Measurement Facility - 1F
Mako Measurement Facility - 2F	Heliport	Gunnthra River Falls
Gnipahellir Ravine	Northern Ridge Bluff	Appraisal Drilling Site - 1F
Appraisal Drilling Site - 2F	Mako Reactor - 1F	Mako Reactor - Core
Shinra Manor	Underground Cavern	-

Obtainable Items

Nibelheim (Part 1)
Mega Potion x2	Ether x1	-
Mt. Nibel
Mixed Hi-Potion x2	Wind	-
Mako Measurement Facility
Level Boost	Ether x1	-
Heliport
Elixir x1	-	-
Gunnthra River Basin
HP Up	-	-
Gnipahellir Ravine
Empowerment	Spare Change	-
Northern Ridge Bluff
Magnify	Mega Potion x1	Precision Defense Focus
Appraisal Drilling Site
Auto-Cast	Comet	Elixir x2
Mako Reactor
There are no items in this area.
Nibelheim (Part 2)
There are no items in this area.

This list does not include the items that you get from destroying the wooden crates.

Materia List and How to Get All Materia

FF7 Rebirth Related Guides

Story Walkthrough