Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth picks up almost immediately where Final Fantasy 7: Remake left off. The first chapter of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth gave more context behind Cloud's history with Sephiroth while setting the scene for the rest of the game. The second chapter is where the game truly begins, as you are introduced to the open world element of the game. There is a lot of ground to cover in the Grasslands, but don't feel like you need to rush. Here is what you can expect as you begin the second chapter, A New Journey begins.

This walkthrough contains spoilers, so proceed with caution.

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Gear Up

As the second chapter begins, it is important to note that this is your first opportunity to claim any DLC or bonuses that you may have gotten from pre-ordering or purchasing the Deluxe Edition of the game. To do this, go to the Systems tab of the main menu and select DLC/Bonuses. There you will find all the DLC that you are eligible to claim. Once you are ready to proceed with the story, leave the room to trigger a cutscene where you receive a starter deck for the Queen's Blood mini-game.

When you approach Broden on the first floor, he will give you a message from Barrett. When you leave the inn, Red XIII will join your party, and you'll get a brief tutorial about Party Level. You'll have two main objectives at the start of this chapter. The first is to visit the weapons vendor and the second is to go to the bookstore to learn more about Folios. The order in which you pursue these objectives doesn't matter, since you have to do them both anyway. You can also find your companions around town. Depending on your response to each one, you can improve your relationship with them.

By this point, if you have completed the two errands above and agreed to go to the clock tower with Aerith, your next objective will be to meet her. Go to the clock tower and follow Aerith up the steps. This triggers a cutscene and the peaceful morning in Kalm comes to an abrupt halt.

Evade the Shinra Soldiers

Follow Aerith back down to the first floor. Use the pole as a shortcut and go back outside. After the following cutscene, follow Broden until he tells you to climb up and over the nearby Shinra soldiers. At the top of the ladder, move across the narrow platform. Once you reach the end of the platform, use the pole to go back down and rendezvous with Broden. Follow him, enter the inn, and then use the secret passage to regroup with the rest of the party.

The Air-Raid Shelter is a narrow tunnel, and the only thing of interest is a chest at the end of the hallway just past the narrow crevice. Loot the chest and then catch up with the group at a set of double metal doors that lead out to the Grasslands.

Explore the Grasslands

At this point, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth opens up and gives you a large space to explore. While you can just beeline it straight to the next objective, it's not a bad idea to explore the area. You can even find materials like iron ore which can be used to create items. East of Kalm, you can find a Waterwheel that has a cache you can loot. If you loot all the chests at a cache location, you will unlock a trophy.

In order to advance the story, make your way to Oliver's Farm, which is where the orange circle was placed when you first arrived at the Grasslands. Talk to the farmer and he will mention a place you can hide from Shinra, which is a swamp off to the southwest. After triggering a cutscene, the map will update with the location of Bill's Chocobo Ranch. Before leaving, make sure to loot the nearby chest as it contains a Sleek Saber for Cloud.

Once you arrive, talk to Bill to trigger a cutscene. After that, head to the barn and speak with Billy. Naturally, you aren't going to be able to just get a Chocobo and make your way to Junon. First, you will need to track down a runaway Chocobo. There is a chest in the back of the barn that contains a Timeless Rod, which will be an upgrade for Aerith. When you are ready, talk to Chloe to get Gyshal Greens.

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How to Find Piko

Leave the ranch and look down and to your left. In addition to a bunch of Chocobo feathers, you will see tracks in the mud. Follow the trail as closely as you can. Eventually, you will trigger a cutscene and a subsequent mini-game. In order to progress the story, you must sneak up to Piko without being spotted by him or the other Chocobo. If you mess up you can retry by holding down the triangle button.

To start with, quickly move toward the tall grass in front of you where the Chocobo is. Roll into the grass and stay behind this Chocobo. It will never turn around, so you don't have to worry about it. The second wild Chocobo further ahead is the one you need to worry about as it does move around and can easily spot you if your timing is poor. Wait for its back to be turned before rolling into the next patch of tall grass. If you reach this point, you will get a checkpoint for this mini-game.

Once the second Chocobo has its back turned, quickly roll into the grass to get closer to Piko. You will get a second checkpoint, and both wild Chocobos will fall asleep. Pick up one of the nearby rocks and throw it behind Piko. While Piko has his back turned to you, slowly move toward him and then press the Triangle button once you are in range to capture him. After the cutscene ends, return to the ranch.

Chadley's Back

Enter the barn to trigger a cutscene, and then go outside to meet a familiar face from Final Fantasy 7: Remake. Chadley will give you a tutorial on how to activate towers that are found across the Grasslands and beyond. Follow Chadley to activate the first of these towers. For those familiar with open world games, these towers are essentially the same as viewpoints in Assassin's Creed or the Tallnecks in the Horizon series in that they add information about the area to your map.

You will also unlock the combat simulator along with materia creation, both of which are services provided by Chadley. Speaking of which, you may want to load up the combat simulator before you do anything else. Chadley will have a mission for you that will allow you to unlock the Titan Materia along with some basic training missions that will reward you with other materia. When you are ready to proceed, check in on Piko at the barn.

Chocobo Riding Practice

Follow Billy and then summon Piko by pressing R1. Talk to Billy again to start a mini-game where you will learn the basics of riding a Chocobo. You simply have to run through each checkpoint and then cross the finish line. As long as you finish the race, you will be able to advance the story.

Upon completing this mini-game, you will unlock the ability to return to Kalm and pick up side quests. There are many side quests throughout the second chapter of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and there is never a downside to going off the beaten path. You will also be able to fast travel at this point as well.

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Through the Swamp

Once you feel ready to proceed with the story, head to the swamp and get on your Chocobo. Move toward the water and start swimming southwest. Keep going until a hooded figure appears on the other side. Make sure to loot the chest to the right before getting any closer, as it contains a High Caliber Rifle for Barrett. Get back onto your Chocobo and continue heading southwest through the swamp. Make sure your party is ready before you get too close to your destination though, as the notorious Midgardsormr lies in wait.

How to Beat Midgardsormr

Midgardsormr was a tough foe back in the original Final Fantasy 7, and that is still very much the case in the remake as well. For the most part, guard or dodge when it uses its normal attacks. When Midgardsormr uses Devour, move back or guard as this attack does more damage than its basic attack. If you have Assess equipped, use it once you have enough of the ATB filled up.

This giant snake is weak to ice but resistant to fire. Use Synergy Skills to start building up pressure on it. As Midgardsormr drops below 90% health, one of your allies will tell you to attack its head. Midgardsormr will also begin casting Toxic Waters, which should be avoided at all costs by moving out of the water and onto land. Once the water returns to normal color, it is safe to go back into the water.

If you hit Midgardsormr's head with Blizzard, it will trigger an in-battle cinematic. Start running away, as Midgardsormr is about to unleash a fire breath attack. Hiding behind one of the trees is a great way to avoid this attack. Once it is clear, continue using Synergy Skills to build up more pressure. After awhile, Midgardsormr will dive into the water and shoot back up into the air, grabbing one of your party members. That party member will be swallowed and will be removed from combat. If you do enough damage to Midgardsormr, it will spit that character back out.

Keep damaging the boss and focus on its head whenever you are able to target it. After Midgardsormir has taken enough damage, another in-battle cinematic will play and the trees will catch fire. At this point, the boss will be pretty low on health, so it won't take much more to defeat it. Once you enter the tunnel on the other side of the swamp, the third chapter will begin. If you have any unfinished business in the Grasslands, you can still return even after you've begun the next chapter.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5

Released

February 29, 2024

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Genre(s)

RPG