Final Fantasy 7 Remake offers an incredibly unique battle system where normal attacks are regularly executed while special abilities are only done using the ATB gauge. Most of these abilities are unlocked by using weapons, while a few are available through Materia.
The following list ranks the best of the best among them from INTERmission, the DLC episode starring Yuffie Kisaragi. Few are entirely useless, but there are several players will find themselves relying on throughout the whole journey.
13 Sonon: Swirling Storm
Swirling Storm's animation looks exactly as the name describes. Sonon twirls around with his spear, jumps in the air, and then strikes down hard from above with his spear. As fancy as the move looks, it does not do anything else particularly striking other than some damage. Sometimes this is all a battle needs, however.
12 Sonon: Twirling Lunge
With Twirling Lunge, Sonon delivers a powerful blow to a single opponent. When Sonon is not required to heal or used a Synergized ability with Yuffie this move will serve well in taking out some of the cannon fodder enemies. It also increases stagger, which can prove advantageous against certain foes.
11 Yuffie: Banishment
Banishment increases in effectiveness as Yuffie uses other abilities. It is unlocked by using the Steel Reaper weapon. While one might not find much use for it in combat, it does come particularly in handy during the Shinra box-busting minigame in Chapter 2. In battle, it really only comes into play in fights lasting long enough to actually make it do any meaningful damage.
10 Yuffie: Steal
The Steal ability is not defaulted to Yuffie - players need to equip a Materia - but it also is one of her signature moves. She is a Materia thief, after all. In INTERmission anybody could go through the game without pilfering from foes.
However, there are some advantages to this. In addition to some valuable items, a few enemies have vulnerabilities linked to stealing. Stealing the core from the armored troopers in Deep Ground makes the fight easier, for example.
9 Yuffie: Cactuar Caper
This ability is only available for Yuffie and for some extra scratch. If not earned as a pre-order bonus, players have to pay for the weapon, and it is not a small price either. At $10, it is half the price of the DLC expansion. Still, its accompanying ability, Cactuar Caper, is adorable. The weapon runs around the battlefield as a Cactuar, inflicting damage. Whether this is worth the price is up to the individual.Â
8 Sonon: Fighting Spirit
Fighting Spirit is definitely more on the subtle side, but that does not mean it is not worth using. Instead of a single move, Fighting Spirit has Sonon target a single enemy for attacks for a short time. It lasts for a long time and the UI lets players know when it is no longer active. Players should use it when they want Sonon to focus on one enemy.
7 Assess
The Assess Materia is absolutely essential in INTERmission unless players want to simply guess enemies' vulnerabilities. Even most bosses reveal important weaknesses when assessed. Best of all, it is available right away in the DLC. Because of the battle system, using Assess even shows some important strategies and ways to increase the stagger gauge.
6 Sonon: Incite
Incite works similarly to the Provoke Materia. Sonon draws the attention of a smaller enemy, taking the heat off Yuffie. Sonon's AI generally goes in close to enemies, so he can act like a tank, absorbing damage while Yuffie is left without taking too much hurt. At least having this frees up a Materia slot since Sonon won't have to have Provoke equipped.
5 Chakra
Chakra restores health using an ATB bar instead of MP. This is helpful during Normal Mode, but is almost mandatory for a Hard Mode playthrough. On the harder difficulty mode items are unusable so MP is a rarer commodity. Chakra helps restore health without sacrificing magic.
4 Yuffie: Windstorm
Windstorm is an area of effect attack for Yuffie. It is especially useful when surrounded by several enemies. When at higher levels, many weaker enemies are taken out simultaneously with just one use of Windstorm. It also proves especially devastating when synergized. Sonon alternatively picks up Yuffie and spins her around.
3 Pray
Prayer works like Chakra, but heals the whole party. The only drawback is that it uses two ATB bars. At first it may not seem worth it but the amount of health restored increases as the Materia levels up.
Once mastered, Pray can almost replace the Cure spell in many cases. It is earned early so it is recommended to equip it and keep it throughout a playthrough and when grinding.
2 Yuffie: Elemental Ninjutsu
With Elemental Ninjutsu, Yuffie can both do damage to enemies while keeping a safe distance. Find out a monster's weakness and then use the ability to make the elemental damage correspond to their vulnerability. Where some high-level enemies do serious damage, this ability is important to making sure Yuffie is safe while continuing to do damage.
1 Yuffie: Art Of War
Yuffie starts out with Art of War, and players will likely use it consistently throughout the whole playthrough. It always takes out a huge chunk of damage. When paired up with Sonon as Synergized Art of War, it proves even more powerful. Even on bosses, it takes out a notable piece of the health bar. It also helps that it looks flashy.