AIGameGuides.com v4/27/2025

Here's an in-depth guide for defeating the Red Dragon in "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth," including requirements, a detailed walkthrough, strategies, and additional tips:

Requirements:

•Location: Inside the Temple of the Ancients during Chapter 13.

•Rewards: Experience, AP, and progression in the story.

•Party Composition: Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie are your team for this fight in Chapter 13, "Where Angels Fear to Tread."

Materia:

•Ice Materia: Red Dragon is weak to Ice, so it's essential.

•Healing Materia: Cure or Prayer for keeping the party healed.

•Barrier Materia: To reduce damage from the dragon's fire attacks.

•Assess Materia: To understand Red Dragon's weaknesses and resistances.

Gear:

•Equip weapons like the Twin Stinger for Cloud for counterattacks, Mythril Claws for Tifa for stagger, and 4-Point Shuriken for Yuffie for ranged ice attacks.

•Gear with Fire resistance or Elemental Materia linked to Ice in armor can mitigate damage.

•Level: Aim for around level 50-55 for a more comfortable fight, but with the right strategy, lower levels can work.

Detailed Walkthrough:

Phase 1: Initial Attacks:

1.Incendiary Breath, Tail Strike, Flame Shot, Radial Flame.

2.Strategy:

3.Use Pillars: When Incendiary Breath or Radial Flame occurs, hide behind one of the four pillars to avoid damage; this can also turn them into Scorched Pillars.

4.Pressure: Knock down Scorched Pillars to pressure the Red Dragon by hitting its head.

5.Ice Attacks: Yuffie should focus on ice attacks to exploit its weakness, while Cloud and Tifa deal physical damage.

Phase 2 (Around 50% HP - Gravity Shift):

1.Gravity Change: The arena flips, and Red Dragon uses new moves like Crimson Breath, Flaming Tail, Strafing Flame.

2.Strategy:

3.Wings: Target the wings with Ice to crash Red Dragon to the ground, allowing you to hit its chest.

4.Chest: Destroying the chest reduces the range of Crimson Breath, making it easier to dodge.

5.Crimson Breath: Use Manawall right before destroying the chest to survive the immediate follow-up attack.

6.Stay Mobile: Dodge the Strafing Flame and Flaming Tail by constantly moving.

Strategies:

•Exploit Ice Weakness: Use Yuffie's Ice Ninjitsu, summon Shiva if available, and keep up with Blizzard spells from all characters.

•Defensive Play: Use Barrier and Manawall to reduce damage from fire attacks.

•Synergy Abilities: Use Synergy Abilities to gain ATB for ice spells or to stagger the dragon when it's pressured.

•Stagger Management: Pressure by destroying the head, wings, or chest. Use Tifa's abilities like Focused Strike to build stagger quickly.

Tips:

•ATB Management: Save ATB for when you need to cast ice spells or heal, especially after the gravity shift.

•MP Management: On Hard Mode, link Ice Materia with MP Absorption to sustain your casting.

•Positioning: Use pillars in Phase 1 for safety, and in Phase 2, stay away from where Crimson Breath will land.

•Limit Breaks: Save these for when the Red Dragon is staggered or after you've forced it to the ground by destroying its wings.

•Hard Mode: Be more strategic with MP; use items or abilities that don't consume MP when possible.

•Summoning: Use Shiva during the second phase when the dragon is on the ground for maximum effect.

•Yuffie's Role: She's crucial here for her ability to exploit the ice weakness from a distance.