The ultimate weapons found in Final Fantasy VII will grant your characters incredible strength and bonuses, but getting your hands on them isn’t always straightforward. As with other titles in the long-running franchise, finding them is a fan-favorite side quest that will make late-game battles much easier to navigate.
Table Of Contents
What are Ultimate Weapons?
Ultimate weapons have appeared in many Final Fantasy titles over the years. In early titles, these rare pieces of equipment were often earned by defeating difficult enemies or clearing certain dungeons. While this is still the case in some more modern Final Fantasy games, certain ultimate weapons don’t require any show of strength–they are simply hidden in hard-to-find areas around the map. Before the internet became accessible, it was nearly impossible to locate some of these items without the help of a strategy guide.
In Final Fantasy VII, all nine playable characters have a corresponding ultimate weapon. The strength and bonus stats of these weapons vary, and they halt all equipped Materia growth. While they may not always be the best items to equip, they can offer some impressive offensive buffs useful for endgame content.
Cloud (Ultima Weapon)
To obtain Cloud’s ultimate weapon, you’ll need to defeat Ultimate Weapon himself.
This optional boss can only be found after defeating Diamond Weapon by using the Highwind. It will initially appear in a crater near Junon, and after engaging it, Ultimate Weapon will flee to a number of different locations on the map. You’ll need to keep chasing it until it lands above Cosmo Canyon where it can finally be slain, dropping Ultima Weapon as loot.
While Ultima Weapon easily surpasses all of Cloud’s other swords in terms of attack strength, the damage it deals is dependent on Cloud’s HP. The higher his HP, the more damage the weapon will deal.
If the weapon’s name sounds familiar, it’s because it first appeared in Final Fantasy VI. It also appears in Final Fantasy VIII, where it is dropped by Ultima Weapon.
Aerith (Princess Guard)
Aerith’s Princess Guard is the first ultimate weapon you can find in Final Fantasy VII, and also one of the easiest to find. It’s located in a treasure chest in the clock room found in the Temple of the Ancients.
Once inside the clock room, rotate the hour and minute hands to form a bridge to room IIII.
If a party member dies in battle, the Princess Guard will deal double damage. If two party members die, the damage dealt will be tripled, making this worth snagging as quickly as you can.
Barret (Missing Score)
Be warned: it’s very easy to miss Barret’s ultimate weapon. Near the end of the Raid on Midgar, you’ll need to have Barret in your party to trigger a treasure chest to appear.
After defeating the Proud Clod, you’ll run up a set of stairs towards the Sister Ray. If Barret is with you, a green chest will appear along your path. If you don’t have Barret in your party at this time, the item will be permanently missed.
Missing Score has one of the highest Magic stat boosts of any weapon in Final Fantasy VII and also has the highest attack power of any of Barret’s weapons. The damage it deals in battle is based on the total AP of all Materia equipped in its slots.
Tifa (Premium Heart)
After Cloud returns to the party after the harrowing events in Mideel, use the Highwind to travel to the Bone Village and do some treasure hunting. Search for a “Good Treasure” near the ruined plane. This will earn you the Key to Sector 5, which can be used to return to Midgar.
Visit Wall Market and find the Item Shop. Inside, you’ll get the Premium Heart after interacting with the malfunctioning computer. If you bring Cid and Tifa along, a unique cutscene will play.
Tifa’s ultimate weapon deals damage based on how much her Limit gauge is filled. If her Limit gauge is completely empty, it will do much less than her normal damage output.
Red XIII (Limited Moon)
The Limited Moon can be found in Cosmo Canyon after the Raid on Midgar mission has been completed.
With Red XIII in your party, visit Bugenhagen, who will hand over the Limited Moon before passing away in a heartwrenching cutscene.
Limited Moon deals damage based on how much MP has. With the highest attack power of any of Red XIII’s weapons, it has the potential to do serious damage if the MP Absorb Materia is equipped.
Cait Sith (HP Shout)
As with Barret’s ultimate weapon, Cait Sith’s HP Shout is also permanently missable if you’re not careful.
Return to the Shinra Building during the Mako Cannon Rampage. (This is the portion of the game after Cloud and the party leave the City of the Ancients.) Head to the 64th floor and search the lockers in the gym to find the weapon.
Like Cloud’s ultimate weapon, the HP Shout deals more damage the higher Cait Sith’s HP is. Using it along with the HP Absorb Materia is a useful strategy, ensuring that Cait Sith is at full HP at all times.
Cid (Venus Gospel)
After completing the Huge Materia quest, return to Rocket Town and chat with the old man who loved gazing at the rocket all day. After talking to him three times, he’ll hand over the Venus Gospel without a fuss.
Like Red XIII’s ultimate weapon, the Venus Gospel deals damage based on how full Cid’s MP is. While it technically has lower attack strength than the Flayer, Cid’s ultimate weapon has more Materia slots, giving it much higher potential overall.
Vincent (Death Penalty)
To find Vincent’s most powerful gun, you’ll need to participate in a hidden side quest available later in the game. Death Penalty can be found inside Lucrecia’s Cave, which can be found at the center of the western continent behind the stream dividing the Golden Saucer Area and the Nibel Area.
To reach this secret location, you’ll need either a blue Chocobo or access to the submarine. With Vincent in your party, head to the cave. After a detailed cutscene, you’ll need to leave the cave and fight between two to 11 random battles to trigger the item to appear. (Best to fight 11 just to be safe.)
Upon returning to the cave, you’ll find not only Vincent’s ultimate weapon, but his Chaos Limit Break as well.
Death Penalty deals damage based on how many enemies Vincent has killed over the course of the entire game. If you use Vincent enough, this ultimate weapon has the potential to kill almost any enemy with a single hit.
Yuffie (Conformer)
Yuffie’s ultimate weapon can be found after you gain access to the submarine. Search the ocean floor until you discover the Sunken Gelnika on the east coast of the western continent. This crashed plane houses one of Final Fantasy VII‘s bonus dungeons containing some of the most powerful enemies in the game, along with some of the best treasures.
The Conformer is located in the top left corner of the Research Room, partially obscured by the pipes on the ceiling.
The weapon deals damage based on the enemy’s level–the higher the level, the more damage dealt. It’s Yuffie’s most powerful weapon by a wide margin.
