Like almost any epic fantasy RPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a number of elaborate and dangerous weapons for your party to equip and use against their enemies. Rebirth has seven weapons for each character, each of which contain their own abilities and can be upgraded to improve combat effectiveness.
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You’ll likely find a number of these weapons as you just play the game, but some are a little hard to find. This guide will lay out where to look for each weapon, as well as offer some advice on when it’s best to equip a new one.
Purple chests = New Weapons
You’ll probably come across many of these weapons naturally as you explore the world and follow main story events. Some are tucked away and just require you to poke around a bit, while others are rewards for completing mini-games or sidequests. In general, you should keep your eyes peeled for purple chests, as these will always grant a weapon you haven’t found before.
Also, if you miss a weapon in a certain area, you’ll usually be able to purchase it from a weapons store as the game goes on. So if you’re uncertain about whether or not you’ve missed a weapon as you move through the game, be sure to check in with weapon shops.
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Finally, any weapons earned in the Temple of the Ancients will require you to replay that sequence in Chapter 12. As you’ll unlock Chapter Select upon finishing the main game, this will be easier once the credits roll.
Aerith’s magical staves
Our elegant spellcaster has a wide choice of staves to use. Here’s where they are and what abilities they grant.
Guard Stick – Starting weapon. Grants Arcane Ward
Timeless Rod – Chapter 2: Bill’s Chocobo Ranch. Grants Chrono Aegis
Empress’s Scepter – Chapter 4: Under Junon Inn, Junon. Grants Radiant Ward
Wizard’s Rod – Chapter 7: Mt. Corel. Grants Lustrous Shield
Ceremonial Staff – Chapter 10: Outcast’s Shore, Village of the Gi. Grants ATB Ward
Plumose Rod – Chapter 12: Complete all Shinra Combat challenges*. Grants Ray of Judgement
Gambanteinn – Chapter 13: Hall of Life, Temple of the Ancients. Grants Noble Sacrifice
*Complete the “Lament of the Damned” quest in Nibelheim to unlock these challenges.
Barret’s explosive gun arms
Barret’s loud and dangerous gun arms can be found scattered throughout the world, but note that you won’t find a new one after Chapter 2 for a little while.
Gatling Gun – Starting Weapon. Grants Focused Shot
Hi-Caliber Rifle – Chapter 2: swamp, Grasslands. Grants Bonus Round
Barrage Blaster – Chapter 7: Railway Control Tower, Corel Mines. Grants Lifesaver
Vulcan Cannon – Chapter 8: Scrapyard Prison Cell, Corel. Grants Charging Uppercut
Fafnir Rifle – Chapter 9: Gongaga*. Grants Point Blank.
Calamitous Bazooka – Chapter 10: Gate of Anger, Cave of the Gi, Cosmo Canyon. Grants Smackdown
Battle Cry – Chapter 13: Corridor of Catastrophe, Temple of the Ancients. Grants Turbulent Spirit
*Complete the sidequest “The Pursuit of Perfection” to earn this weapon.
Cait Sith’s loud megaphones
Cait Sith is the final full member of the party to join the group. As a result, his first four weapons are all found in Chapter 9.
Iron Megaphone – Starting Weapon. Grants Fortune Telling
Yellow Megaphone – Additional Starting Weapon. Grants Roll o’ the Dice
Red Megaphone – Chapter 9: Gongaga Gorge. Grants Moogle Kaboom
Resounding Megaphone – Chapter 9: Gongaga Airstrip. Grants Moogle Mine
Crystal Megaphone – Chapter 10: Observatory Treasury, Cosmo Canyon. Grants Moogle Magic
Gjallarhorn – Chapter 11: Chocobo Sage’s Manor*. Grants Lady Luck
Golden Megaphone – Chapter 11: Specimen Testing Room, Shinra Manor. Grants Moogle Knuckle
*You’ll need to gather 45 chocograss and deliver them to the Chocograss Collector at the chocobo manor in Nibel.
Cloud’s enormous swords
You’d think the Buster Sword would be enough for our fearless hero with a faulty memory, but no. He is coming home with a load of swords. Here’s where to find each of Mr. Strife’s armaments.
Buster Sword – Starting Weapon. Grants Focused Thrust
Sleek Saber – Chapter 2: Abandoned Dock, Grasslands. Grants Firebolt Blade
Rune Blade – Chapter 4: Starboard Connecting Passage, Junon*. Grants Disorder
Umbral Blade – Chapter 8: Solemnitude Manor, Dustbowl, Corel. Grants Prime Mode
Crystal Sword – Chapter 9: Freight Corridor, Gongaga Reactor. Grants Infinity’s End
Igneous Saber – Chapter 11: Northern Ridge, Mt. Nibel. Grants Blade Burst
Slipstream Saber – Chapter 13: Corridor of Trepidation, Temple of the Ancients. Grants Counterstance
*You won’t be able to return to Junon until after completing the main campaign, so be sure to grab this one before leaving the city. You will need to replay Chapter 4 via Chapter Select if you miss this weapon.
Red XIII’s good-boy collars
Look, the collars don’t make it any easier to resist dog jokes. Here’s where you can find all of Nanaki’s collars:
Mythril Collar – Starting Weapon. Grants Stardust Ray
Renegade’s Collar – Chapter 3: Subterranean Terrace, Mythril Mine. Grants Crescent Claw
Amethyst Collar – Chapter 7: Colliery No. 1, Old South Corel Mine.* Grants Supernal Fervor
Silver Collar – Chapter 7: Costa del Sol**. Grants Chilling Roar
Golden Collar – Chapter 9: Coolant Room – B3, Gongaga Reactor. Grants Watcher’s Respite
Mystic Collar – Chapter 10: Hall of Diversion, Cave of the Gi***. Grants Watcher’s Spirit
Brisingamen – Chapter 13: Corridor of Repose, Temple of the Ancients. Grants Reaper Touch
*You’ll need to complete the “Robes and Ransoms” sidequest to find this weapon.
**Reach Rank 3 in the “Run Wild” minigame.
***You’ll need to pick up the Watcher’s Glaive and drop it in front of Bugenhagen to earn this weapon.
Tifa’s punchy gloves
Tifa’s strength is only paralleled by her speed, but don’t move through the game so fast as to neglect these gloves:
Leather Gloves – Starting Weapon. Grants Divekick
Sylph Gloves – Chapter 3: Northern Quarry – Storage, Mythril Mine. Grants Reverse Gale
Kaiser Knuckles – Chapter 5: 1st Freight Room, Shinra-8 boat*. Grants Overpower
Dragon’s Claws – Chapter 8: Dustbowl, Corel**. Grants Starshower
Tiger Fangs – Chapter 9: Output Regulation – B1, Gongaga Reactor. Grants Chi Trap
Crystal Gloves – Chapter 11: Building G-02, Garm Pass. Grants Unfettered Fury
Jarngreipr – CHapter 13: Corridor of Currents, Temple of the Ancients. Grants True Strike
*You’ll need to replay Chapter 5 via Chapter Select if you miss this weapon.
**Earn a Rank 3 score in “Desert Rush.”
Yuffie’s pointy shurikens
Our materia thief doesn’t just rely on the Planet’s magic to deal damage. Her weapons grant her access to some wildly effective ATB abilities. You can find all of them here:
4-Point Shuriken – Starting Weapon. Grants Elemental Ninjutsu
Savage Dagger – Additional Starting Weapon. Grants Blindside
Twin Viper – Chapter 7: Preparation Plant 1F, Coal Mines, Corel. Grants Windstorm
Bird of Prey – Chapter 9: Cissnei’s House, Gongaga. Grants Doppelganger
Crescent Sickle – Chapter 10: Cosmo Canyon*. Grants Shooting Star
Crystalline Cross – Chapter 12: Utilidor, Gold Saucer, Corel**. Grants Banishment
Fuma Shuriken – Chapter 13: Shrine of Ambition, Temple of Ancients. Grants Purification
*Earn Rank 3 in “Glide de Chocobo Training Course 1,” as part of the “Bonds of Trust” sidequest.
**You can grab this during the “Hightailing It” scenario near the entrance to Event Square.
How to know when to switch weapons (and how to upgrade them)
With seven weapons per character (totalling 49 across all characters), it can be tricky to know when to switch weapons. While you may be tempted to switch to a new weapon the moment you find it, you’ll want to make sure you’ve unlocked your previous weapon’s ability before swapping.
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Each weapon comes with a Weapon Ability which you can spend ATB charges to use during combat. Activate this ability enough times in combat and it will be permanently available regardless of what weapon you have equipped. You can check the progress of each of these abilities by navigating to Equipment & Materia in the main menu and observing the meters under each character’s name. If there’s a checkmark, that character has learned the Weapon Ability of the armament they have equipped. That’s a good sign it’s time to switch weapons when you find a new one.
Upgrading weapons in Rebirth isn’t too dissimilar to equipping materia. While there is a dedicated Upgrade Weapons page of the main menu, unless you’re using the auto-upgrade feature in this menu, you can otherwise just manually equip a weapon’s upgrades in the Equipment & Materia menu.
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If equipping another selection of buffs via weapon upgrades feels overwhelming, it’s fine to start with the auto-upgrade feature, which you can activate in the Upgrade Weapons page.
The fight against Shinra and Sephiroth won’t be easy, but these staves, guns, megaphones, swords, collars, gloves, and shurikens will make all the difference as you travel the Planet.
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