Final Fantasy VII/Limit Breaks

Limit breaks are powerful attacks, or other handy status boosts, that can be performed once the limit bar is full. The limit bar is slowly filled as enemies attack the character. Fury status makes limit bar fill quicker and Sadness status makes the limit bar fill slower.

Most characters have 4 levels of limits; these characters can only learn the 4th limit once all other limits are learned. The 4th level limit is hidden, and comes in form of a "manual" to the limit. Once all other limits are learned, simply use this manual object on the character to learn the level 4 limit.

Most of the first limits on each level are learned by killing more and more enemies. This means that the character has to be the one that deals the killing blow; it doesn't matter if other characters damage the enemy as well. Most second limits on each level are simply gained by using the first limit on the level enough times.

These tables below list the number of times you have to use the first limit break of each level to get second limit breaks, as well as the number of kills needed to gain the first limit break of the next level. These numbers aren't conclusive because there is an amount of randomness to the system, they should be used as guidelines

Tifa
Tifa's limit breaks are chained. When a limit break is used, she will do all of the attacks in the following order, up to the maximum limit of the level currently selected. The slots system is used to pick how well the limits in question are handled: "Hit" means normal damage, "Yeah!" gives extra damage, and "Miss" will mean the limit is not going to be used. Too many misses will break the chain and the limits that follow aren't used. If a "Miss" occurs for a certain limit break, the count for that limit break doesn't go up. Also only the first limit break of the Level Tifa is set on will accumulate uses. For example, if Tifa has her first limit breaks of Level 1 and Level 2 and is set on the Level 2 limit. Then no matter how many times she gets a "Hit" or "Yeah!" on the Beat Rush portion of the slot, her count for Beat Rush will not improve.

In game, there's one way of learning the melody - during Cloud's story in Kalm. You can get the limit break even if you don't find the melody out then, however, just play the melody normally.



Melody: Do Re Mi Ti La Do Re Mi So Fa Do Re Do Keys: [Cancel], [Switch], [Menu], [Pgup]+[Menu], [Pgup]+[Switch], [Cancel], [Switch], [Menu], [Pgup]+[Cancel], [OK], [Cancel], [Switch], [Cancel] Playstation version: psx: X, psx: S, psx: T, psx: R1+psx: T, psx: R1+psx: S, psx: X, psx: S, psx: T, psx: R1+psx: X, psx: C, psx: X, psx: S, psx: X PC version: Ins, Del, Plus, 9+Plus, 9+Del, Ins, Del, Plus, 9+Ins, Enter, Ins, Del, Ins Note: Tifa must be in your party when you play the song to get the limit break.

See also Separate module about Tifa's piano.

Aerith
To make it easier to get Aerith's 2nd and 3rd limit breaks just do the following. After you escape from the Church give Aerith some Materia (I gave her Fire, Ice, and Restore Materia) and get into some random battles. Fight only with Aerith using her magic (this should instantly kill most enemies) and use Cloud for healing. Do this until you have her 2nd limit break (If you don't have Seal Evil limit break by the time this is done...you can do it now if you want). Seems like it'll take forever? It only took me a little more than a half an hour. Take a break from playing, (Unless you want to continue of course!) and repeat to get her 3rd limit break. This will make it easier when you want to get her last limit break.

To get the Level 4 manual, you need to talk to the sleeping man in a cave near Junon. He'll tell how many battles you've been in. When the two last digits of the battle count are same and odd, he'll give you a piece of Mythril. This can then be traded for the Great Gospel manual at the blacksmith on the peninsula south of Gongaga after the events of Rocket Town. The blacksmith will give you two boxes to choose from, the "big one" and the "small one", choose the "small one". The small box is located up the stairs in a grey safe.

You can do this any time after getting out of the Corel Desert prison and before going to the Temple of the Ancients. Take the buggy given from Dio, go to Costa de Sol, and take the boat back to Junon. It will allow you to cross the river to get to the cave. You can also get there by following the coasts and going up the river with the Tiny Bronco.

Cait Sith
Cait Sith only has two limit breaks.

Vincent
Vincent, unlike all the others, has only one limit break per limit level, and his limit breaks involve morphing into another creature. You cannot control Vincent while he is morphed, and the one of the two possible effects is picked randomly for each attack.

To get the lvl4 manual, go to the waterfall on the northern side of the round lake on the second continent. You need a either a colored chocobo or the submarine to reach it.

If you go to the waterfall with Vincent in your party, a cutscene follows. Exit the cave, go to the mainland, fight ten battles, re-enter it, and 'talk' to Lucrecia to get the final limit.