Chapter 1: Fall of a Hero is the 1st story mission in Final Fantasy 7 (VII) Rebirth. This walkthrough will guide you through all objectives of the Fall of a Hero Main Mission.
Area: Nibel (Flashback)
Objectives:
- Interlude: Episode 1
- Rescue
- Home Sweet Home
- First Time in Two Years
- The Old Water Tower
- Lockhart Residence
- The Inn
- The Mission Begins
- Happy Trails
- Clear the Way
- Bridge Is Out
- New Route
- Unlock the Elevator
- Cross the Bridge
- The Mission Continues
- Up the Cliff
- Beware the Gas
- Unlock the Elevator
- Reactor Survey
- Close the Valve
- Go Back Inside
- Sephiroth’s Whereabouts
- To Shinra Manor
- Worried Villagers
- Searching for Sephiroth
- The Basement
- Village in Turmoil
- Check on Mom
- Sephiroth’s Atrocities
- Tifa Comes Calling
- Late-Night Talk
- Get Some Rest
Interlude: Episode 1
Rescue
After the initial scenes at the start of the game, there is the first Interlude Episode where you are playing as Zack. Follow the linear path forward through the building, then back outside. Deal with the group of enemies you encounter to complete this short section.
Home Sweet Home
After some more scenes, you will have another short battle as Sephiroth. Like the Zack battle before you just need to defeat this one enemy to continue.
After another set of scenes, you will then be playing as Cloud in the town of Nibelheim. There is a bit of exploration and story interactions you can have here, but to continue the story immediately you can head into the Inn.
First Time in Two Years
Head over to the northeastern marked house and interact with the door for a scene about Cloud visiting his mother.
The Old Water Tower
Go to the nearby ladder to climb up the water tower for another scene.
Lockhart Residence
After the scene on the water tower, you can drop down and interact with the door immediately ahead to trigger the option to enter Tifa’s house. There is not actually anyone here, but you can try playing the piano upstairs and grab an Ether from a chest in the far room.
The Inn
When you’re ready to continue, head over and enter the Inn, then go upstairs for another scene.
The Mission Begins
The next day you’ll finally be on your way up the mountain. Follow Tifa along the path to continue. Note that along the path there will be boxes you can find and destroy which will sometimes give consumables, but as this Chapter is a flashback none of the items you gain are kept, so feel free to use any as much as you want.
After a short distance, you’ll encounter the first enemy group, and be given basic info on how to fight as Cloud.
Happy Trails
Keep following Tifa further up the path, and you will be prompted about the First Strike mechanic to initiate combat, then using ATB. Triple Slash is very useful for most of the enemy encounters in this chapter, as you are fighting just with Cloud and it will hit multiple enemies. The next enemy you’ll encounter is a Velociwing, which is the first enemy you may need to purposely avoid or block.
After the first, you will encounter another Velocwing, along with a small ground enemy. You are prompted on targetting now, and in situations like this it is more helpful to deal with the weak ground enemies before the Velociwing. There will be a scene, then you will be attacked by two Velociwings at once. Keep using Triple Slash to hit both of them with one command.
Clear the Way
After the scene, Cloud will head off on his own, and you’ll be prompted for a tutorial about setting Materia. You should set the Assess Materia now when prompted, and make sure to use it as you fight enemies as you can then always check enemy weakness during battle. Note that any extra Materia you pick up in this Chapter won’t be kept, so any further ones found can be tried out as you like, or completely ignored.
Keep following the linear path up the mountain dealing with the enemy groups along the way.
Bridge Is Out
When you reach the end of the route you won’t be able to progress, and Tifa will call you back. Just when you turn back you should be able to spot a green Materia on the ledge to the right. Climb up to grab this Wind Materia and equip it if you want.
New Route
Follow Tifa nearby where there is a spot in the wall you can squeeze through to continue.
Keep following the path ahead and wait for Sephiroth to open the door. Enter the Shinra facility then immediately to the right after going up the stairs, you can grab a Level Boost Materia, which increases the level of a linked Materia by 1 (non-permanently).
Head into the elevator to the next floor, where you will encounter an enemy called a Screamer. These enemies constantly swing their arm around their head attempting to hit you, which can help practice perfect blocking, which will nullify damage from a normal attack if timed correctly, and in the case of the Screamer also knocks them back, increasing their stagger. Once it’s dealt with, continue up the flights of stairs to the upper floor.
Unlock the Elevator
You’ll need to clear the Mako in the area to be able to use the elevator. To do this, move near the machine with the light on top nearby and hold 
when prompted to drag it around. Pull it near the clouds on the ground to have it suck them up, and when all 3 have been sucked up you will be able to use the elevator to progress.
Cross the Bridge
Back outside, follow the linear path ahead and go across the bridge toward the reactor.
The Mission Continues
After the scenes, you’ll be dropped down to a lower area and need to make it back up to the reactor.
Up the Cliff
Climb up the ledges nearby to continue, you can hold 
to climb ledges like this slightly faster. At the top, you’ll be prompted on resting at benches and can pick up the HP Up Materia sitting on the ground beside it.
Drop into the next area to fight the next enemies, and you will be prompted on the party leader setup, as well as fighting with Sephiroth. Sephiroth is quite strong and this is the only part of the story where you will get to play him, so have fun with him while you can.
Beware the Gas
Continue forward into the cave and hug the right side wall around the large pillar. In the dead end ahead you can pick up an Empowerment Materia.
Head back and defeat the next group of enemies, then make your way toward the large glowing crystal at the bottom of the cave for another scene. You can then start following the path north through a Velociwing and a Screamer. Deal with them and climb the next two ledges, then turn around and look left where you can spot a Spare Change Materia on a ledge, which is fun in this Chapter if you want to waste your Gil, but is otherwise not very good.
Keep following the path ahead, climbing the cliffs and defeating the enemies where required. After moving across the wooden planks along the cliff you can look to the lower area down to the left where you can pick up a Magnify Materia, which allows the linked Materia to hit multiple enemies, which is always very helpful.
Climb back up and keep following the path, and you’ll encounter a Zu, which functions sort of as a miniboss for this section. It’s much tougher than all prior enemies, so you’ll want to make sure to Assess and use all your learned skills so far to deal with them. You are prompted to use Synergy skills as well, which help charge ATB for both characters. The Zu is weak to Wind, so use Aero (Wind Materia) on Cloud to help stagger it, then when staggered use ATB commands on both characters to take it out.
After it’s dealt with climb the stairs ahead, grabbing the Mega-potion from the chest on the way. To progress climb up to the right, but you can first climb some ledges to the left to find a Precision Defense Focus Materia. This Materia can be quite helpful as it extends the window for perfect blocks at level 1.
Keep following the path ahead through the next group of enemies, then up the long ladder. Immediately left at the top you can find an Auto-cast Materia, which when placed on a character you aren’t controlling causes them to automatically use the linked spell themself.
Unlock the Elevator
Continue forward and there will be another area with mako gas you need to clear before you can enter the next elevator. First, pull the machine past the fence where it is at the start to get the nearby gas cloud.
Then go around where the cord leads from and pull the switch to open the big door. Once the door is open you can pull the machine through the door to pick up the other mako gas clouds.
Before heading into the elevator, you can drop off the northwest side of the platform to a lower level where there is a stack of boxes. Destroy the stack of boxes to find a Comet Materia which is quite strong and you can use in the boss fight ahead.
Go up the elevator and follow the path ahead. Along the way you can find 2 chests containing Elixirs, then a bench you can rest on before continuing.
Boss: Materia Guardian
- Weaknesses / Status Ailments: Fire
- Lesser Resistances:
- Greater Resistances:
- Immunities: Proportional Damage, Berserk, Slow, Stop, Silence, Sleep, Petrify, Stone, Morphable Items
- Absorbed Elements: —
- Items Dropped: —
- Rare Items Dropped: —
- Stealable Items: —
- Assess Info: Evading its capture attempts or freeing captured allies will pressure it. Destroying its legs while it is on the ceiling will also pressure it.
As the first boss, Materia Guardian acts as more of a tutorial for the new battle mechanics than anything else, plus you have Sephiroth who is hugely overpowered. Hit him with physical attacks supplemented with Fire spells when you can, then watch out for when he uses his Hindlegs to grab Cloud. Either swap to Cloud and dodge it with 
to Pressure him, or if he is captured and in the Bound state, swap back to Sephiroth and hit him with your strongest Fire spells to free Cloud and Pressure it.
After half of its health has gone, it will start attaching itself to the ceiling so aim for its legs to not only Pressure it, but get it to drop down to the ground. After its health hits a certain point, the game will teach you about Synergy Abilities and you will be prompted to use Double Helix which will do huge damage, before finally using your Limit to finish it off.
Hard Tips: Have Elemental-Fire equipped in Cloud’s weapon to exploit its weakness. Make sure to dodge its grab attack to pressure it, or use Sephiroth to attack its Hindleg after grabbing Cloud to pressure it. Make sure to save your synergy bars to use Double Helix when it tries to use Trine, don’t waste it early.
Reactor Survey
After the scenes, head up the stairs into the reactor and along the linear path.
Close the Valve
When prompted by Sephiroth, go back out of the room and interact with the valve on the wall. Keep holding and to continually turn the valve.
Go Back Inside
Head back into the room where Sephiroth is.
Sephiroth’s Whereabouts
After the scenes, you’ll be back at the Inn in Nibelheim. Head downstairs to continue.
To Shinra Manor
The Mayor says that Sephiroth left to go to Shinra Manor, so you will need to make your way there.
Worried Villagers
Outside the Inn there are a group of villagers, you can follow them out of the village to Shinra Manor.
Searching for Sephiroth
Head inside the manor and go to the left. At the end of the second room, you can find an elevator which leads down to the basement.
The Basement
In the basement, follow the path into the room ahead.
Village in Turmoil
After the scenes, you will be back outside the Manor. Follow the path back toward the village.
Check on Mom
You’ll now need to slowly walk back to Cloud’s house. When some wood blocks you path you will need to turn around and head through the building to the left where you can crawl through a hole to reach the house.
Sephiroth’s Atrocities
After the next scene, alternate holding and when prompted.
Tifa Comes Calling
Now with the flashback finished you are at the Inn at Kalm. Head over to the door to meet with Tifa.
Late-Night Talk
Follow Tifa up to the rooftop of the inn for a scene.
Get Some Rest
Finally head back down to the room to complete the chapter.
This finishes Chapter 1: Fall of a Hero in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Next Up: Chapter 2: A New Journey Begins
For all other Mission Walkthroughs, check out our complete Final Fantasy 7 (VII) Rebirth Walkthrough.
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