Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade's DLC starring Yuffie, INTERmission, brings with it several characters and plot elements from the third-person shooter spin-off, Dirge of Cerberus. Weiss the Immaculate and Nero the Sable are introduced in the last part and the latter serves as the final boss.
He can be pretty tough and it is hard to know what he is weak against, so this guide will help clear the air on how to beat the boss. The best and most surprising things about the INTERmission DLC come during the last cutscene, so do not give up so close to the finish line.
Updated on June 24th, 2021 by Jason Wojnar: Unlike the original Final Fantasy 7, the remake comes with several difficulty mode options. The DLC also comes with a Hard Mode, unlocked after beating it the first time. Because Nero is significantly harder on this difficulty, we decided to dedicate the last half of this guide to beating him on Hard Mode. He might take a few more tries, but following these tips is a surefire way to besting Nero and beating the DLC on the highest difficulty.Â
Before The Fight
At this point, there are a couple of things players were hopefully doing this whole time.
If Yuffie has had the Healing Materia equipped during the playthrough, it should be strong enough to have the Regen spell available, which is vital to keeping the party's health stable. Nero also has no elemental weaknesses and is immune to a lot of status effects, so it is best to use equipment focused on physical attack strength.
- Equip The Healing and Time Materia
- Having Ramuh will help significantly
- Use weapons with high physical attack damage
- Yuffie and Sonon should be between level 34 and 36
First Phase
The fight is divided into three distinct parts. During the first phase, Nero will hit the party with close-range physical attacks. It is best to return the favor. Hit him hard and fast with physical attacks. Use the Synergized Art of War once Sonon and Yuffie have at least one ATB bar each.
- Do not bother using magic and focus on physical attacks
- Hitting him enough times will put pressure on him, filling up the stagger gauge faster.
After taking out about a quarter of his health, the second stage of the battle will commence, triggered by a cutscene.
Second Phase
During the second part of the fight, the main strategy remains the same. However, Nero does have a few extra tricks up his sleeve. This is when it would be good to cast Regen, since one of his moves can slowly suck out the party's HP. Casting Haste on Yuffie is also a good idea since it will make her ATB bar charge up faster, letting her use abilities more frequently.
- Cast Regen and Haste on Yuffie
- Keep up the same physical attack strategy as before
Once his health is at 50%, the third and final phase of the battle will begin.
The Final Phase
This final shift in the battle is the hardest, but by now a few things should come to shift the balance in your favor. Nero now flies around the play area. He should be close to being staggered by now, however, which should leave him vulnerable to many attacks. Recast Regen if it has already faded, because his attacks still drain HP from the party. His Dark Matter move covers the battlefield in a black sheen and drains HP from Yuffie and Sonon even faster. If Yuffie has Ramuh, he should be ready to be cast now. Additionally, her limit break should almost be ready.
- Keep Regen casted
- Use Ramuh and Yuffie's Limit break here
- Nero uses more attacks here, but there is really nothing specific to look out for other than Dark Matter, just make sure Yuffie and Sonon's HP is close to full and they can survive anything he throws at them
When he has a quarter of health left, he will have Abyssal Wings. Focus attacks on these. Destroying them will cause him to stagger, which should give Yuffie and Sonon enough time to take out the rest of Nero's health, winning the battle and conquering the DLC.
Hard Mode
Nero requires an entirely different approach to Hard Mode. While the rest of the difficulty mode is fairly manageable, Nero still puts up tough resistance even while at the highest possible level and with a great Materia build. Before starting the fight, be sure to have the following:
- Reach the level cap with both Yuffie and Sonon. This is easiest to do by grinding the Shinra Combat Simulator on Chapter 2
- Try to have as close to full MP as possible. Remember, items are unusable in Hard Mode, so the only way to refill MP is by breaking boxes for Materia Shards
- Equip Chakra and Prayer Materia, these both refill HP without using any MP
- Have a mastered Healing Materia
Keeping all of this in mind will make the fight way easier, but you still have to pay attention to his moves.
Nero's Moves
These moves in particular you need to watch out for
- Binding Talons grabs hold of a party member. Run away once he charges this move. If he grabs Sonon, use the opportunity to attack.Â
- Dark Torrent shoots tentacle forward. Be far away from him and dodge sideways to avoid this powerful magic attack.
- Umbral Shell is a long range attack Nero does while levitating. Like Dark Torrent, keep Yuffie away from him dodge with the Circle button. This attack lasts longer so Yuffie will need to dodge several time.
- Chaotic Pulsars sprouts several tentacles from the ground. Touching these does serious damage and most likely KOs Yuffie. When Nero uses this move, stay still until the hazard disappears.
- Dark Matter coats the floor with dark magic, steadily draining the party's health. There is no way to dodge this but the damage can be minimized with Regen.
Fighting Strategy
Unlike Normal Mode, fighting Nero on Hard Mode is more manageable if Yuffie keeps her distance and eats away at Nero's health bar by throwing the shuriken with Triangle and using Ninjutsu with the Square button. Only go in to attack directly when he is pressured.
When the second phase starts, cast Regen, and re-cast it continually as the effect wears off. Continue to keep Yuffie away as it is easier to read Nero's attacks and dodge them accordingly. Use Chakra and Prayer frequently to keep the party's HP up.
Nero is the most aggressive during the third phase, but by now Yuffie should be able to summon Ramuh. It is here where Nero uses the Dark Matter move, which does serious damage to the whole party. It is more important than ever to keep both Yuffie and Sonon's HP high.
Nero also now teleports with a move called Spatial Shift. Dodge when he does this, because he'll follow it up with a physical attack. When the Abyssal Wings come out, focus attacks on these. Draining the Wings' health will stagger Nero, and the player should be able to take out the rest of Nero's health while he is staggered.
Next: 10 Combat Tips For Yuffie's DLC In Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade