Next you’ll be at the pillar with Cloud. Make sure he has Fire, Lightning and Healing equipped (he can dispense with Revive for now, for obvious reasons) and be willing to swap out Fire + Magnify and Lightning + Magnify, depending on what you’re fighting. If you want to mitigate MP costs, you can also equip Fire + MP Absorption (again, switch it out with Lightning as you do with whatever is paired with Magnify) - the effects of two support Materia stack, so you will, in fact, cast a Magnified spell that absorbs MP. Obviously not something you’d want to do all the time, given how many materia slots it uses, but for the majority of this chapter it’s just easier and safer for Cloud to blast his way up the pillar.

Lurking on 2F are 3x Elite Security Officers and a Sentry Gun. Use Fira + Magnify to take out the grunts, then “Triple Slash” to dispatch any stragglers and the turret.

On 3F you’ll face 2x Elite Riot Troopers and an Elite Grenadier. Fira + Magnify should win this outright. Ignore the chest on this level and head upstairs - no need to bother with the two Slug-Rays that will spawn if you do.

On 5F you’ll face two Helitroopers. They’re sturdy enough to survive a Fira + Magnify, so you may have to hit them with two. Be sure to block (and hopefully counter?) their melee attacks, as they’re quite painful.

Dispatch the Helitrooper and two Elite Security Officers waiting for you on 6F (Fira + Magnify again), after which you’ll ascend to 8F, play through the solo segment as Aerith, and when you’re back to Cloud you’ll be joined by Tifa.

When you’re back in control of Cloud, continue northeast to the ladder and dispatch two Slug-Rays. Reno will be shooting at you from this point, and unlike the gunfire in the Chapter 8 church, the damage Reno will deal in his helicopter has increased significantly. Suffice to say, you don’t want stand out in the open.

On 9F you’ll encounter 3x Slug-Rays and 3x Sentry Guns. If you’re ever going to switch to Lightning + Magnify, now is the time.

On 10F you’ll fight 2x Elite Riot Troopers. Defeat them, then jump over some junk to ascend to the next floor - you’ve no need to pick a fight with the Slug-Rays on the northeastern end of this level.

Defeat two more Elite Riot Troopers on 11F, after which Reno and Rude will be drawn away by events. Once they’re gone, put down a Helitrooper and an Elite Grenadier, then continue upstairs.

12F is the most annoying floor of the pillar, save for perhaps the boss fight at the top. Here you’ll encounter 2x Sentry Guns, 2x Helitroopers and an Elite Shock Trooper. Something of a pick your poison scenario, taking out the Sentry Guns with Thunder + Magnify is nice, but then you won’t have Fire + Magnify for the troopers. Use Cloud and Tifa to both cast Thunder on different Sentry Guns at the start of the fight, finish them off with melee attacks, then turn your attention on the troopers with Fira + Magnify and counterattacks.

After 12F, nothing bars you passage to the top save some scenes. Use the rest bench on the way, after which you’ll be at the fight with Reno and Rude. As usual, details for the fight can be found on the linked page. For defeating Reno and Rude you’ll obtain the Sharpshooter’s Companion Vol. VII Manuscript.