Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Chapter 1 Walkthrough - Fall of a Hero

Chapter 1 - Fall of a Hero is the first Main Chapter in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, automatically beginning after the opening cutscene. As part of our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth guide, we're going to provide a comprehensive Chapter 1 Walkthrough, which will detail everything you need to know about Fall of a Hero.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Chapter 1 Walkthrough - Fall of a Hero

The first Main Chapter of the game picks up right after the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as Zack saves Cloud. This is referred to as an Interlude, and you will watch a news broadcast, and then gain control of Zack. All you can do in this first stretch is move Zack through the building and out the other side into the rubble. When you reach the helicopters, defeat the two waves of enemies with a few basic attacks so Zack can rescue Aerith in the next cutscene.

The game will then turn the clock back five years to a flashback sequence where Cloud and Sephiroth are on a mission together, where Chapter 1 properly begins. When you regain control, you'll be playing as Sephiroth and doing battle against an enemy. Once it's defeated, the game quickly cuts back to the present day to reveal Cloud, Tifa, and Barret recounting the event. As they reveal to one another what happened, you'll return to that day as Cloud.

When you gain control, you can explore the village and find a few chests to open. When you reach the main square at the top of the hill, you can interact with the water tower, and go inside your own home as well as Tifa's, where you can play the piano — all these interactions are worth seeing so we strongly recommend you take the time to watch them. When you're ready, head into The Nidhogg Hotel and go upstairs to talk to Sephiroth, who insists Cloud takes a rest.

When you wake up the next day, Tifa will join Cloud and Sephiroth for the journey up to Mt. Nibel. The following section is very linear, so simply follow Tifa along the path and smash the boxes you find for some bonus items. You'll eventually get into a battle with two insect-like enemies, in which you'll receive a combat tutorial and unlock a few Trophies.

After the fight, continue following Tifa up the mountain and defeat any enemies you find along the way, including the flying foes after the bridge — it's best to use Spells to take them down. Cloud will then split off from the group and be given a Materia tutorial, allowing you to equip Assess.

Back in the action, Cloud must go on ahead and clear the path of enemies to speed the journey up. It's a linear path up so it's impossible to get lost, and there are plenty of items to pick up from boxes along the way. You'll eventually reach a dead end, at which point Tifa will call out to you to head in another direction.

Head back the way you came and Tifa will take back control of directions, so start following her again. She'll guide you through a gap in the rock, and you'll rejoin the party on the other side. At the top of the hill, Sephiroth will interact with a console and allow access into a Mako Measurement Facility. Go through, grabbing the Level Boost Materia on the way, and enter the elevator. At the top, you'll need to fight a Screamer, which is weak to Fire.

Once it's been defeated, go up the two flights of stairs to find an elevator that's been locked down due to the mako gas in the area. To clear it, go to the right and interact with the machine. You can then direct it over the pockets of gas to get rid of it and unlock the elevator. It'll take you back outside, where another linear path takes you closer to the reactor.

As you're crossing the bridge to the reactor, a lightning strike will suddenly hit and destroy the path, sending Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth into the raging river below.

The action picks up a few hours later, at which point Sephiroth joins your party. Climb up the cliff, take a rest on the bench to restore your HP and MP, then pick up the HP Up Materia and equip it. Defeat the enemies, then head into the cave and approach the mako spring to the left for a cutscene.

Once you regain control, continue on through the cave, defeating any enemies you encounter as you go. Out the other side, scale the cliff face, defeat the enemies, and shimmy along the wooden path to the next section. If you drop down here, you can grab a Magnify Materia. Return to the main path and traverse to the open arena where you'll fight a Zu and get a tutorial for Synergy Skills. Once it's dead, scale the staircase, grab the Precision Defense Focus Materia on the roof, and continue climbing.

You'll eventually come to another elevator rendered out of order due to the mako gas, so repeat the process from last time: grab the machine nearby and suck it all up. The only difference this time is you'll first need to open the double doors in order to get the machine out. To suck up the last bit of mako gas by the barrels, you'll need to take the machine back around to where it was and use the gap in the fence.

At the top of the elevator, use the Rest Stop if needs be and go through the cave for another cutscene. You'll need to fight the Materia Guardian, so first use Assess to discover it's weak to Fire. You should then use that Spell to in combination with your standard attacks to deal damage. Eventually, it'll climb onto the ceiling and point a laser at you. At this point, use Fire on one of its legs to drop it back down to the ground. This will give you a great chance to stagger it, and then the next phase begins when the boss jumps into some mako gas and you're prompted to use a Synergy Ability called Double Helix.

After a quick interjection from the present day, you'll regain control of Cloud as he and Sephiroth enter the reactor. Take the elevator down, through the blast doors on the right, and then down the ladder to trigger a cutscene.

Sephiroth will tell Cloud to shut off the valve outside, which is done by holding L2 and R2 multiple times. With that done, re-enter the room and a series of cutscenes will commence.

Now that Sephiroth has seemingly disappeared in the dead of night, it's fallen to you to find him. Go downstairs to learn he's headed to Shinra Manor. Head outside and take a left up the stairs along with the villagers. Go inside Shinra Manor. Go into the dining area on the left to find a door with a green button next to it; press it and take the elevator down to the basement.

Down here, you'll find Sephiroth conducting some research in a library. A few important cutscenes will then connect the dots on Sephiroth's origins.

When you leave Shinra Manor and regain control, Cloud will find the village is on fire. Rush back to find out what's happened. Begin first by going to your house and checking Cloud's mom is okay. Approach the town square for some flaming logs to block your path, forcing you back and a new path to open up through a building. Head for the marked house, only for Sephiroth to stop you. Crawl after Sephiroth using L2 and R2 while he murders the townsfolk in front of you. A long series of cutscenes will explain what happens next.

Back in the present day, Cloud is awoken at night by a knock at the door from Tifa. Answer her for a quick chat. Follow Tifa outside onto the balcony and up to the roof for a more in-depth discussion. With the talk over, go back to your room and Chapter 1 will come to an end in a quick cutscene.

Did you find our walkthrough of Chapter 1 - Fall of a Hero helpful? For much more Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth information, including All Quests, check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth guide through the link.