Combat is a heavy part of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and with a total of seven playable characters, it can be a little daunting to fight, especially with some of the new changes introduced in the game. Cloud Strife is the main character of the game and probably one of the characters you will control the most. He behaves similarly to the way he did in Remake, but there are some new additions and a few other changes that mix things up in Rebirth.

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Cloud Strike in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Cloud’s Unique Skill - Operator vs Punisher¶

Cloud has the choice between two stances, Operator Mode and Punisher Mode. He will always start a battle in Operator Mode, with his basic attacks being a bunch of sword melee attacks. Operator is fairly balanced and he can guard both ranged and magic attacks by holding . One of the hits during the normal combo in Operator can launch smaller enemies into the air, which is extremely helpful. If you hold down , then Cloud will perform a sword slash that can hit multiple enemies. To switch over to Punisher Mode, you simply need to press during combat.

Punisher Mode is more offense-oriented, with Cloud moving a lot slower. His normal combo is still a series of sword slashes, but there are a few changes to other things, compared to Operator. Instead of a wide sword slash when holding down , Punisher Mode will have Cloud perform a sword stab into the ground. One of the biggest differences, though, is what happens when Cloud blocks an attack. It should be quickly noted that Cloud cannot block ranged/magic attacks in Punisher Mode. However, if he blocks a melee attack in Punisher Mode, he will automatically parry and counter. This parry/counter does deal a good amount of stagger damage to foes.

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(1 of 3) Cloud’s normal attack string will launch smaller enemies into the air.

A new thing for Cloud in Rebirth is something he can do after dodging. If you spam the normal attack button after dodging in any manner (), Cloud will fire some beams from his sword. It doesn’t matter if you dodge an enemy attack or just dodge absolutely nothing, he will shoot those beams. This will give him an option for attacking enemies at range, especially those pesky airborne foes. There is no cooldown to this either, as you can continuously dodge and spam it, plus Cloud will be able to perform this even if he’s in the air.

Best Abilities for Cloud¶

The following list contains all of the known Abilities for Cloud. These are the abilities that you learn via your weapons.

Ability	Description
Braver	Strike your foe with a mighty swing of your sword. Activate while airborne to increase potency.
Triple Slash	Slash up to three enemies in quick succession. Hit multiple foes to increase potency. Can use while airborne.
Focused Thrust	Lunge toward an enemy with a piercing strike that hits multiple times. Significantly increases stagger.
Firebolt Blade	Imbue your sword with fire and lightning while slicing a foe. Can use while airborne.

Of the abilities above, one of the better ones to always have on a shortcut is Focused Thrust, as it is extremely helpful in increasing the stagger bar once you’ve put an enemy into the pressured state. Braver is always a nice ability to go to for damage, once the enemy is staggered, as it’s quick and to the point. Triple Slash isn’t bad, either, as the attack can launch Cloud into the air when going after airborne enemies. Firebolt Blade is a new ability for Rebirth and can be used whenever you are facing enemies that are weak to either fire or lightning.

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(1 of 2) Braver is a great, quick attack for dealing damage.

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Braver is a great, quick attack for dealing damage. (left), Use Focused Thrust on pressured enemies to quickly raise the stagger gauge. (right)

Cloud Strife’s Weapons and What Abilities They Grant¶

The abilities that Cloud can use are influenced by what weapons he has equipped. The chart below goes over all the weapons Cloud can use, what ability they grant, and where to find them.

Weapon	Ability	Chapter	Location
Buster Sword	Focused Thrust	Chapter 2	Initial Equip
Sleek Saber	Firebolt Blade	Chapter 2	Chest at the Abandoned Dock in the Grasslands.
Rune Blade	Disorder	Chapter 4	Junon, in a chest at rest station after Junon Parade.
Umbral Blade	Prime Mode	Chapter 8	Corel region, in a chest in the Dustbowl town.
Crystal Sword	Infinity’s End	Chapter 9	The Freight Corridor in the Gongaga Reactor.
Igneous Saber	Blade Burst	Chapter 11	Mt. Nibel at Northern Ridge in the Upper Level.
Slipstream Saber	Counterstance	Chapter 13	In the Corridor of Trepidation.

All Synergy Skills for Cloud¶

The following table contains all the Synergy Skills for Cloud in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. These are the skills assigned to the button, in conjunction with a face button. Remember that Synergy Skills do not use up any ATB.

Skill	Character	Description
Howling Smash	Red XIII	Team up with your partner to unleash up to three consecutive ranged magic attacks. Can use while airborne.
Power Cleave	Tifa	Hold the button to gather strength, then release to unleash a powerful physical attack.
Spell Blade	Aerith	Hold the button to gather strength, then release to unleash a powerful magic attack.
Bullet Batter	Barret	Team up with your partner to unleash up to three consecutive ranged physical attacks. Can use while airborne.

All Synergy Abilities for Cloud¶

You will find a list of all of the Synergy Abilities that involve Cloud in the table below. To use these, you’ll need to use abilities and spells with your ATB charges. Each one will fill up a little pip and you’ll need a certain number per character in order to pull off the Synergy Ability.

Ability	Character	Description
Partners in Pain	Barret	Cloud slashes an enemy and Barret fires a follow-up shot. Raises their limit levels.
Relentless Rush	Tifa	Cloud launches Tifa toward an enemy to attack in tandem. Use on staggered foes to increase potency and extend stagger.
Firework Blade	Aerith	Cloud uses Aerith’s magic to unleash a ranged attack. Raises their limit levels.
Savage Assault	Red XIII	Cloud and Red XIII channel their burning anger as they tear into an enemy. Raises their limit levels.