Blue magic is a recurring feature in Final Fantasy games, effectively being a catch-all category for spells learned from enemies. Its most common iteration is via the Blue Mage job but has also been utilized as a Limit Break (Quistis in Final Fantasy VIII) and as an inherent character ability (Kimahri in Final Fantasy X). In the original Final Fantasy VII blue magic was the purview of the Enemy Skill materia, which would gain abilities whenever the wielder of this materia was targeted by an eligible enemy skill (provided they won the subsequent battle). Enemy Skill materia returns in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, although quite a bit has changed regarding its functionality. This page will explain how Enemy Skill materia works, where to find it, and how to learn new enemy skills in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
You’ll get your first and only orb of Enemy Skill Materia by completing the “Biological Intel: Know Thine Enemy” VR battle.
Where to Find Enemy Skill Materia - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth¶
In the original Final Fantasy VII you’d equip Enemy Skill materia and try to get hit by certain enemy skills, which would then be added to that materia’s arsenal, allowing the player to cast it. In many cases enemies wouldn’t voluntarily do this, especially in the case of healing or buffs, and you’d have to use Manipulate materia to compel the enemy to use their skills on the party. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth the functionality of Enemy Skill materia has changed quite a bit. You no longer learn enemy skills via surviving them in combat, they’re not completely canned - every enemy skill along with the Enemy Skill materia itself is learned and developed via Chadley’s VR battles.
You can get your one and only orb of Enemy Skill materia in Chapter 2, shortly after reuniting with Chadley. Just complete Biological Intel: Know Thine Enemy. This will get you the Enemy Skill materia and a starter enemy skill - Sonic Boom.
How to Improve Enemy Skill Materia - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth¶
Once you have Enemy Skill materia, it functions like any other command materia - equip it and you’ll be able to use the enemy skills you have learned. Just select the “Abilities” option in combat - they don’t cost MP, so you should be free to use them any time you have enough ATB accrued. Like other materia, Enemy Skill materia also levels up in the ordinary fashion - keep it equipped, win battles, accrue AP and it’ll eventually level up. Instead of gaining access to more enemy skills, however, you’ll instead get flat stat bonuses, as follows:
 Enemy Skill Materia |
Bonus |
|---|---|
| Lv1 | Use enemy skills as abilities |
| Lv2 | Increase max HP by 5% |
| Lv3 | Increase max MP by 5% |
| Lv4 | Increase max strength by 5% |
| Lv5 | Increase max magic by 5% |
That said, you do need to improve your Enemy Skill materia to certain levels as prerequisites for the VR battles that unlock more enemy skills, so while leveling Enemy Skill materia doesn’t directly get you new enemy skills, it does ultimately allow you to learn more enemy skills indirectly.
(1 of 3) In order to obtain more enemy skills you’ll need to scan foes in every region,
How to Learn New Enemy Skills - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth¶
As mentioned earlier, all new enemy skills are learned via Chadley’s VR battles, and aside from the first one, which unlocks the Enemy Skill materia itself, most of them revolve around you completing World Intel events. There are typically two components to this:
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Completing Expedition Intel in each region to learn the location of the Classified Intel event, where a region’s legendary creature can be found and fought. For example, you need to complete several Expedition Intel events to learn the location of the Classified Intel in the grasslands, where Quetzalcoatl awaits.
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Scanning enemies in a region with
Assess Materia. Between the normal enemies, their rare variants encountered during Fiend Intel events, and any Classified Intel enemies there should be enough to go around, but you can also Assess bosses and quest monsters which may not spawn again. Best practice is to just keep Assess materia equipped at all times (or 
Assess Materia Earrings, when you get them) and Assess every enemy you encounter. Fortunately, you do not have to complete any bonus objectives when fighting rare enemies at Fiend Intel locations to get the info Chadley requires - just Assessing them should suffice.
Defeating classified foes, assess enemies, level up your Enemy Skill Materia and progress through the story to unlock more enemy skill VR battles.
Below you’ll find a list of every enemy skill in the game, what Biological Intel VR battle you need to complete in order to obtain it, and how to unlock said Biological Intel VR battle:
All FF7 Rebirth Enemy Skills¶
| Enemy Skill | Biological Intel | Unlock Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic Boom | Know Thine Enemy | – |
| Plasma Discharge | Blinded by Light | Defeat the classified foe in the  Grasslands. Assess 16 enemies in the grasslands. Enemy Skill Materia Lv2. |
| Soothing Breeze | Breath of Life | Defeat the classified foe in the Grasslands. Assess 10 enemies in the Junon region. Enemy Skill Materia Lv2. |
| Self-Destruct | At Any Cost | Defeat the classified foe in the  Junon Region. Assess 25 enemies in the Corel region. Enemy Skill Materia Lv3. |
| Mind Blast | Head Case | Defeat the classified foe in the Junon Region. Assess 14 enemies in the Gongaga region. Enemy Skill Materia Lv4. |
| Rancid Breath | That’s the Smell | Defeat the classified foe in the  Gongaga Region. Assess 15 enemies in the  Cosmo Canyon. Enemy Skill Materia Lv4. |
| Gorgon Shield | Stony Stare | Defeat the classified foe in Cosmo Canyon. Assess 16 enemies in the Nibel region. Enemy Skill Materia Lv5. |
For information about assessing each region’s enemies and defeating the classified foe in each region, check out the following pages:
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