Published Title Publisher
New Title Publisher
Updated Title
Published Title Score Editor's Choice
Published Title Score

Final Fantasy VII (1997)

Purchase on Amazon

Exploring With the Highwind

By
Nathan Garvin
Important Items in this Area Enemy Skills in this Area*
Chocobo Lure Materia Goblin Punch
Elemental Materia
Enemy Skill Materia
Fourth Bracelet
Full Cure Materia
Guard Source
Magic Source

Highwind Notes

Well, Cloud might be gone, Aeris is dead, and Sephiroth is about to destroy the world… but at least you have the Highwind! After some chatter, head into the ship and go down some stairs, where you’ll find a room with a red “Operation” sign. Inside you can talk to the crewman who will, at a later date, allow you to save your game and rest. Handy ability to have in your mobile base of operations. Outside and east of of the operations room you’ll find another crewman who will talk about their defection from Shinra and your rescue, and east still is a small Chocobo stable. Sadly, you’re not quite ready to mess around with Chocobos. While you can indeed catch them and breed them now, until you can race them, there’s little point.

Make your way east across a metal bridge south of the “Operation” room where Barret will be doing what Barret does best - yelling. After Cait Sith prompts you, make your way to the bridge, where Cid has made himself at home. Talk to everybody, then return to the “Operations” room where you can now pick a party. Do so, then return to the bridge and talk to the pilot, who has gained a level since you were last here. Good thing, too, because it’s time to fly!

The Chocobo Sage will tell you all you need to know about breeding rare Chocobos (left). Be sure to talk to the Green Chocobo to obtain the final piece of Enemy Skill Materia (right).

Chocobo Sages Hut

Now that you have access to the Highwind and the world map again, it’s time to collect some goodies you couldn’t get previously. Fly to the northern continent and head east from the Icicle Inn or north-west from Bone Village to find a small hut nestled in the mountains. Fortunately, there’s a patch of grass near it - the only kind of terrain the Highwind can land on.

Land near the hut and head inside the “Mystery House” and talk to the Ancient inside, who will tell you a bit about himself, and more importantly, how to breed rare Chocobos, before growing forgetful. He’ll do this repeatedly every time you visit, remembering a bit more after every four battles you fight. Just be sure to stop by and listen to what he has to say periodically to gain his knowledge, which will come in hand when it’s time to breed Chocobos. The Chocobo Sage will also sell a variety of expensive and potent Greens and Nuts, which you don’t need just yet. Before you go, talk to the Green Chocobo and it’ll gift you with the fourth and final Enemy Skill Materia .

Chocobo Sage’s Shop

Item Gil
Porov Nut 2000
Pram Nut 1500
Sylkis Greens 5000
Reagan Greens 3000

There’s no better time to rent Chocobo stables now that the world is ending… because reasons! They don’t come cheap, however… (left). You can also obtain another piece of Chocobo Lure Materia (right).

Optional Exploration With the Highwind

And now for the heart of this section of the guide; new things to see, and importantly, loot to gain now that you have the Highwind.

  • You can tour the world and learn Enemy Skills on your new piece of Enemy Skill Materia. If you plan to follow the guide chronologically (hence doing the “Climbing the Pagoda” section next), this comes highly recommended. At least pick up “Beta”, “White Wind”, “Big Guard” and “Magic Hammer”.

  • Return to the Chocobo Ranch and grab another piece of Chocobo Lure Materia in the south-eastern corner of the farm, near the fence where you enter. You can also rent out stables for 10,000 Gil each, if you want to get started with Chocobo breeding a bit early. Oh, and buy some Mimett Greens while you’re here. You can score a nice bit of Materia shortly if you do.

  • Head to Fort Condor for your final optional battle there (see below). The Materia store there also sells new Materia… new to them, not to you, anyways.

Fort Condor’s Updated Shop

Item Gil
Throw Materia 10000
Manipulate Materia 10000
Deathblow Materia 10000
Destruct Materia 9000
All Materia 20000
  • If you return to Junon you’ll find that pretty much every shop has new stock. If you’ve missed any older weapons along the way, you should be able to buy them here.

  • Purchase the villa in Costa del sol. It costs 300,000 Gil, which you might have from selling All Materia. It doesn’t do much, gameplay wise, but… c’mon. If owning your own beach house should be reason enough.

  • The shady merchant in the bar at Costa del Sol now sells a selection of eight socket weapons, which have Attack scores between 58 and 68.

Shady Seller’s Updated Shop

Item Gil
Solid Bazooka 16000
Centclip 14000
Spiral Shuriken 14000
Long Barrel R 13000
Gold M-Phone 15000
S-Mine 1000

Search the item shop in Cosmo Canyon to score a Magic Source and the Full Cure Materia (left). If you “jammed on” Tifa’s piano earlier in the game, you can search her piano again to recieve a piece of Elemental Materia (right).

  • Return to the item shop in Cosmo Canyon, where you’ll now find that the indestructible rope barrier that blocked our way earlier is now gone. Head behind the counter to reach a back room, where you’ll find an Elixir and a Magic Source in an item bag and a chunk of Full Cure Materia .

  • Head to Nibelheim and play the correct tune on the piano by pressing:

Playstation controller

X, [Square], [Triangle], R1 + [Triangle], R1 + [Square], X, [Square], [Triangle], R1 + X, [Circle], X, [Square], X

PC controls

[CANCEL], [SELECT], [MENU], [PAGE UP] + [MENU}, [PAGE UP] + [SELECT], [CANCEL], [SELECT], [MENU], [PAGE UP} + [CANCEL], [OK], [CANCEL], [SELECT], [CANCEL]

If you had Cloud say he “jammed on the piano” back in the Nibelheim flashback, you’ll get a piece of Elemental Materia. If you already played the tune with Cloud earlier, you shouldn’t need to even bother playing the piano again. How did that Materia get in there since the last time you were here?

  • In Rocket Town, in the weapon shop, you’ll find a chest in the bedroom you can loot for a Fourth Bracelet.

  • Also in Rocket Town, in the bedroom of the item shop, you can find another new chest, this one containing a Guard Source .

  • Visit Goblin Island and obtain the “Goblin Punch” Enemy Skill (see below). You can also steal Zeio Nuts from Goblins, which will come in handy a bit later.

On Goblin Island you can learn the “Goblin Punch” Enemy Skill (left) and steal the valuable Zeio Nut (right).

No Comments
Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Platforms,
    Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, XB One
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    1 September 2015
  • Last Updated
    8 March 2021
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin

Share this free guide:

In the sprawling city of Midgar, an anti-Shinra organization calling themselves Avalanche have stepped up their resistance. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra’s elite SOLDIER unit now turned mercenary, lends his aid to the group, unaware of the epic consequences that await him.The guide for Final Fantasy VII Remake features all there is to see and do including a walkthrough featuring coverage of all Main Scenario Chapters, all Side Quests and mini games along with indepth sections on Materia, Enemy Intel and Battle Intel.

Inside Version 1.0

  • Full coverage of the Main Scenario
  • Coverage of all Side Quests
  • Trophy Guide
  • Full Enemy Intel / Bestiary
  • Materia and Ability Breakdown
  • Details on every character
  • Full breakdown of every location

Get a Gamer Guides Premium account: