Mastering the Materia System in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis
If you thought Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis was all about pulling for the best gear, think again.
The real game-changer lies within its Materia system.
Let's decode the magic of Materia and make sense of its RNG nature.
Mastering the Materia System in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis
A Brief Introduction to Materia
Materia is the endgame in FF7 Ever Crisis.
It's a system that can make or break your gaming strategy, with its RNG nature even surpassing the game's gacha element.
It is similar to gear building in other games like Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact.
It's not just about its star rating; it's the sub-stats that really make a difference. Having the right Materia can improve damage, healing, and survivability for your characters.
Sounds complicated? Let's dive in!
Materia: More Than Just Gear
In Ever Crisis, Materia isn't about powerful gear or weapons. It plays a crucial role in character building and battle strategy.
The story mode will provide basic Materia like Ruin (1-star) and Fire (1-star) with flat stat bonuses.
These can be useful early on for access to elements and skills some characters lack.
However, do not invest leveling materials into them as those materials are scarce initially.
Crafting Materia: The Synthesis Explained
To craft new Materia, you'll need to gather specific books that unlock Materia recipes.
These books can be obtained from challenging Crisis Dungeons.
Once you've gathered enough, head over to the synthesis page, select the Materia you want, and start crafting!
Crafting Materia isn't instantaneous. Once you initiate the crafting process, there's a wait time involved.
Pro Tip: Unlock all 5 synthesis slots and keep them producing materia daily.
For instance, crafting Materia typically takes about two hours. However, the game provides us with speed-up items, allowing us to bypass this waiting period.
Wait times add a layer of strategy to the game. They force players to plan their crafting sessions and prioritize which Materia they need urgently.
While it might be tempting to use speed-up items regularly, a careful use of these items can prove more beneficial in the long run, especially when crafting higher-tier Materia or during events where crafting becomes crucial.
When crafting Materia, it will turn out as 1 to 5 stars. A 2-star Materia, like Thunder, provides a higher damage modifier than a 1-star version.
Leveling up Materia can provide new or improved substats, like % scaling over flat stats. However, consider if a 2-star Materia is worth investing in given the rarity of leveling materials.
You should wait until you get 3-star and higher Materia to start upgrading them.
Materia's RNG Nature: The Real Challenge
For the best Materia, aim for % scaling substats over flat stats, especially for HP, ATK, and healing.
For example, a Barrier Materia with 1% HP scaling provides more HP than a level 5 Materia with +6 flat HP. So, evaluate Materia based on your character and needs.
Weapons have Materia slots that provide bonuses. For example, the Hardedge Cloud Sword provides:
- Slot 1: +10% ability attack
- Slot 2: +10% ability attack
- Slot 3: +20% to physical ability attack
These bonuses significantly impact your team's performance. Choose Materia and place them in slots to maximize these bonuses.
What Stats Should You Aim For?
- Blow Materia: Aim for % attack lines coupled with % HP or % DEF.
- Magic Materia: % magic attack and % magic defense are ideal.
What Materia Should You Focus On First?
- Cure: This is your go-to for healing, but note that crafting healing Materia takes at least 6 hours, unlike other types that take 1-2 hours.
- Ruin and Ruin Blow: These are crucial for physical characters to break bosses' charge attacks.
- Elemental Materia: Having each element and its corresponding 'blow' ability will give you a well-rounded arsenal.
How to Get 5-Star Materia
- Raw Crafting: You could get lucky and have it spawn as a 5-star when crafting.
- Upgrading: At level 5, use the required materials to upgrade your Materia. Be cautious though, as the stats don't change and might actually end up lower than a natural 5-star spawn.
How to Efficiently Level Up Your Materia
Leveling 1-3 Star Materia
The basic formula to level up 1-3 star Materia to level 5 is to use three 2-star and one 1-star Materia.
Leveling 4-5 Star Materia
For 4-5 star Materia, the experience required increases, and you may need up to 30 2-star Materia to get to level 5.
Pro Tip: You'll get a lot of 1 and 2-star Materia as you search for higher-ranking ones. These make excellent fodder for upgrades.
Farming Materia and Future Content
Farming Materia requires a high powered party to clear Crisis Dungeons.
Materia farming is meant for later in the game after leveling gear and characters.
Where to Find Crystals for Upgrading Materia
- Online Co-op Battles: These are the most efficient way to collect Crystals but are limited to the three elements of the stage.
- Synthesis Quests: This gives almost no crystals but a lot of ore.
- Exchange at Shop: Here, you can trade ore for crystals at a 2:1 ratio.
Conclusion
In summary, Materia is essential in FFVII: Ever Crisis but also the most RNG-dependent system.
Focus on:
- Only investing in 3-star or higher Materia
- Aiming for % scaling substats
- Placing Materia in slots to maximize bonuses
- Farming Crisis Dungeons for Materia recipes and leveling materials
- Waiting to see what future updates bring for rarer Materia
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