In normal difficulty, chapter three was longer than chapter two, but in hard difficulty you’ll be skipping most of the content. Aside from the story and walking around at the beginning there are only a few encounters you’ll need or want to engage in, which will make this chapter surprisingly short.
| Cloud | . |
|---|---|
| Weapon: | Twin Stinger |
| Armor: | Chain Bangle |
| Accessory: | Champion Belt |
| Useful Materia: | Ice + Elemental (weapon), Healing + Magnify (vs Doomrats / Wrath Hound), Fire + Magnify (vs. Shinra troopers / Hoodlums), Revive, Chakra, First Strike, ATB Stagger, Magic Up, HP Up |
| Tifa | . |
|---|---|
| Weapon: | Purple Pain |
| Armor: | Cog Bangle |
| Accessory: | Champion Belt |
| Useful Materia: | Ice + Elemental (weapon), Healing, Revive, Chakra, First Strike, ATB Stagger, Magic Up, HP Up |
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For the first fight of the chapter you’ll need to clear out Scrap Boulevard, which is inhabited by Gorgers and Wererats. They deal more damage now, but are far from dangerous. If you want to defeat them faster, consider Ice + Magnify temporarily, but “Triple Slash” works just as well. First Strike Materia is only used because it’ll help you defeat these trash mobs faster.
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Next you’ll unlock the side quests, and there are two worth doing in this chapter: Rat Problem and On the Prowl, as both will yield Manuscripts.
(1 of 2) The Doomrats, while not overly powerful, will interrupt your attacks frequently.
The Doomrats, while not overly powerful, will interrupt your attacks frequently. (left), Defeat them to obtain “The Art of Swordplay Vol. V”. (right)
Rat Problem¶
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This quest has changed a bit since normal mode, albeit superficially. You’ll no longer have to kill some Wererats before the Doomrats will appear - they’ll show up immediately this time.
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The Doomrats are probably the most annoying foes you’ve faced thus far. They move fast, making it tricky to hit them with Blizzard, they’re relatively sturdy, so they probably won’t go down quickly, and can interrupt your attacks with “Dust Cloud”, so you’ll need to pick your spots well lest your spells/abilities get interrupted. They don’t deal a whole lot of damage, but their numbers and attacks add up.
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Defeat the Doomrats and you’ll obtain The Art of Swordplay Vol. V.
(1 of 3) Use debilitating magic against Wrath Hound to set it up for punishment,
On the Prowl¶
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The substance of this quest is the fight with the Wrath Hound, which is nearly identical to the normal mode battle save that… well, Wrath Hound will deal and can sustain much more damage. Blizzard + Elemental on your weapons will help, and since Wrath Hound isn’t really capable of pressuring more than one character at a time, it should be a simple matter to keep everybody healed.
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Wrath Hound is not resistant or immune to any status effects, so using spells like Bio or Stop can help make this fight faster. Bio, of course, will deal damage over time, and Stop will effectively paralyze Wrath Hound, allowing you to inflict damage, Stagger and build your ATB gauges without fear of reprisal. Somewhat MP intensive, but this is the last significant battle of the chapter.
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You’ll obtain the Way of the Fist Vol. IV Manuscript for defeating Wrath Hound, which may earn you enough SP for Tifa to hit Weapon Level 6.
(1 of 2) Fire + Magnify will end the fight with the Shinra troopers quickly,
Fire + Magnify will end the fight with the Shinra troopers quickly, (left), and the same tactic - if used preemptively - should also suffice for the Hoodlums. (right)
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The next battle in this chapter will involve Johnny and the the Shinra troopers who take him into custody. You’ll be up against two Security Officers, a Guard Dog and an Elite Security Officer. Fire + Magnify will end this battle quickly.
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Repeat the same strategy against the Hoodlums you’ll fight at the end of the chapter. They’re sturdier, more danerous and you only have Cloud, but if you have First Strike Materia equipped you should get the first shot in with Fire + Magnify, which should prove decisive.
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