Key Takeaway
Pressuring an enemy increases the speed at which the Stagger bar fills. Once staggered, an enemy takes increased damage and is incapacitated for a short time.
To Pressure an enemy, use the Assess Materia on it. On the left side of the information screen, the text in yellow will explain what action you’ll need to take to Pressure your foe.
Applying Pressure enemies in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can make tough fights easier, but that’s not all. This skill often appears as a Fiend Intel objective. Therefore, mastering it is necessary for those aiming to unlock all of Chadley’s Combat Simulator challenges, earn Data Points, and boost their party’s XP.
Table Of Contents
About Pressuring Enemies
In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Pressuring an enemy is the best way to put your enemy at a disadvantage. Pressuring is a status affliction that vastly increases the speed at which the Stagger bar fills.
The orange Stagger bar is located beneath an enemy’s health bar. Once an enemy is Staggered, they take 160% more damage and become incapacitated and defenseless for a short time.
TipWhile Staggering an enemy seems like an added perk in Rebirth‘s battle system, it’s all but required when it comes to tough bosses later in the game. With some baddies boasting frighteningly massive health bars, the only way to deal any useful damage is to get the Stagger bar filled. And the only way to do that quickly is by mastering the Pressure tactic.
How to Pressure an Enemy in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
To Pressure an enemy, you need to exploit its weakness. This can mean exploiting an elemental vulnerability like fire or ice, but there can be more niche and unexpected factors. You may need to use a particular ability, destroy a specific part of the enemy’s body, dodge its attacks, or do something else entirely.
Figuring out an enemy’s main weakness is the first step. To find an enemy’s main weakness, you’ll need to equip the Assess Materia.
Using Assess will list all of an enemy’s weaknesses, which uses one ATB charge to activate. How to Pressure an enemy appears on the left side of the screen in yellow.
Once you’ve assessed an enemy, you can bring up the above information screen at any time during battle by pressing the touchpad on the PS5 controller. You’ll know you’ve successfully Pressured an enemy by checking for the word ‘Pressured’ beneath its health bar.
Where to Get Assess Materia
Assess materia is easy to come by in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It can be purchased from Materia shops from Chapter 2 onwards for 500 gil. Cloud also starts the game with the Assess Materia, while Yuffie appears with it equipped in Chapter 6.
If you don’t feel like using one of your precious Materia slots for Assess, equipping the Assess Materia Earrings will let you scan the weaknesses of all enemies on the field.
To get the Assess Materia Earrings, you need to win the Queen’s Blood Tournament in Chapter 5. This means winning six rounds of card duels, so get your deck ready!
When engaging enemies in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the best and most reliable combat loop is to Pressure and Stagger. Before rushing into battle, remember to properly assess your opponent and hit their weaknesses as fast as you can. Knowledge is power—now, start fast traveling to every Fiend Intel location you can find, slay your foes, and reap the rewards!
