Rufus, the infamous Shinra boss, is easily one of the hardest villains you face in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. At least to me, he is. You have to give your all to take him down, and still, it might just not be enough. But let’s take it up a notch and face him in hard mode because, why not?
If you have already faced him in hard mode, then it might seem like an impossible task. But hear me out: It’s not that difficult if you follow a few tricks. You have to prepare Cloud with the best weapons and materials, and with it, give your ultimate test of patience during the fight. Keep your eyes locked, as we are about to give you information on how to defeat Rufus Shinra (Hard Mode) in FF7 Rebirth.
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CLOUD HARD MODE BUILD
Before you jump on to face Rufus in battle, you have to make sure Cloud has the required weapons and resources with him. Right after the Rude and Alena fight, change up your build, keeping in mind how Rufus fights. Take a look below and make your build out of the resources available to you in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth:
Weapons:
- Umbral Blade/Rune Blade/Sleek Saber
Armor:
- Cetran Bracer
Accessory:
- Enhanced Draconic Ring/Genji Gloves/Götterdämmerung
Weapon Materia:
- Healing Materia linked Magic Focus Materia/Swiftcast linked Healing
- Enemy Skill
- ATB Boost
- Darkside
- Skill master
- Time
- Enemy Skill
- Chakra
Armor materia:
- Empowerment
- HP up
- First strike
- Strength up
- Speed up
- MP Up
- Steadfast Block
- Precision Defense Focus
How do you beat Rufus (Hard Mode) in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?
To beat Rufus in Hard Mode, you have to stay patient and know when to attack. That’s all you have to do during the whole fight—preserve your HP and aim for an opening. Rufus might not have any Elemental Weaknesses, but he still does have a weakness, in a sense. The split seconds he takes to reload his weapon are the times when he is the most vulnerable. You must keep this in mind and take the battle phase by phase. These are the spells I used to defeat Rufus in Hard Mode:
Keep Dodging attacks from the start
Avoid making any offensive moves when Rufus is attacking. This is the first and foremost rule to winning the battle. Rufus Shinra fights in a pattern during the whole battle, so you have to match your steps with his moves. During the first phase of the battle, he will attack you with his Counter and Guns Akimbo moves. Keep dodging and blocking his shots and stay put until he goes into reloading his weapon.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Rufus Fight
Attack and Pressure Rufus whenever he is reloading
Rufus starts reloading his weapon right after he uses his Guns Akimbo move. So prepare yourself the moment he uses this move. You could also look for a reload sign above his head. Use combo attacks and weapon abilities to pressure him right after he starts reloading. Best is to use Triple Slash and combo attacks concurrently; this way, you will prolong his pressured stage and even get him staggered.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Rufus Reloading
Preserve your ATB and Limit Breaks for the right moment
Try using your ATB whenever Rufus is reloading or you are low on health. ATB commands come in the most handy when you want to pressure Rufus. Recharge your ATB gauge before you reach the next reload. However, don’t use your Limit Breaks until Darkstar arrives. Same applies if you have a summon Materia with you.
Focus on Rufus when Darkstar arrives
After Rufus loses half of his HP, he calls for Darkstar, his hound, to assist him in battle. If you have preserved your summon, then killing Darkstar won’t take much time. Leave Darkstar to your summon and focus on attacking Rufus. You have to sever the link between him and his hound, which you can do by pressuring him. As said before, use Triple slash and combo attacks.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Rufus Fight
Pressure and kill Darkstar
Go on to pressure Darkstar after you have severed his link with Rufus. You could use the Limit Break on him; this move will most likely finish him off. I would advise keeping the Limit Break for Rufus. You could also use a triple slash a few times to stagger him. Don’t forget to keep your HP in check, as now you are being attack from two sides.
FF7 Rebirth Darkstar
Finish off Rufus
By now, you have weakened Rufus, and it’s time to take him out for good. If you haven’t used Limit Break, then now is the time to use it. Inflict the usual Triple Slash or Braver attacks to pressure him. He might use Desperation, so keep blocking his attacks. Save up your ATB and keep going in rounds with your attacks once he starts reloading. It shouldn’t take you much time to finish him off.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Rufus Rufus Fight
Summary
- Stay back and keep blocking Rufus’s attacks. Trying to attack will only cost you more HP.
- Make a combo attack the second you see Rufus reloading. Try using ATB attacks frequently.
- Focus on pressuring and staggering him; this way, you will deal the most damage.
- Keep your HP in check. Avoid using Limit Breaks until Darkstar arrives.
- Use your summon after Darkstar arrives and focus on severing the link.
- Pressure Darkstar and finish him.
- Keep dodging and attacking Rufus with Braver or Triple Slash attacks.
