Final Fantasy 7: Remake's Top Secrets mission is arguably the most challenging battle encounter in the game. In this guide, we'll tackle the entirety of FF7 Remake's Top Secrets mission, including each boss's weaknesses and tips on how to beat them.
How to beat all Top Secret bosses in FF7 Remake
To unlock the Three-Person Team vs. Top Secrets mission in FF7 Remake, you have to complete all of Chadley's missions and finish all Colosseum and Shinra Combat Simulator challenges. The Top Secrets mission will spike your difficulty level to Hard, so ensure you know the ins and outs of the combat system.
The mission consists of five gauntlet rounds of bosses, and you have to clear all of them in one go. With all said, let's set up the party and equipment before delving into the bosses.
FF7 Remake Top Secrets Recommended Party and Equipment Overview
Since this is one of the most difficult missions in FF7 Remake, I highly recommend you take on the gauntlet once you've collected the equipment necessary to beat all five rounds of the mission.
Cloud
- Weapon: Mythril Saber (Elemental Strike-Lightning Link, Fire, Refocus, MP Up 2x)
- Armor: Force Bracelet (First Strike, ATB Stagger, Skill Master, Refocus)
- Accessory: Fury Ring
Tifa
- Weapon: Metal Knuckles (Elemental Strike-Lightning Link, ATB Stagger, ATB Assist, Luck Up 2x)
- Armor: Chain Bangle (Magnify-Time Link, Skill Master, Parry)
- Accessory: Fury Ring
Aerith
- Weapon: Mythril Rod (ATB Boost, Lightning, Fire, Ice, MP Up 2x)
- Armor: Force Bracelet (First Strike, Skill Master, Magic Up 2x)
- Accessory: Fury Ring
For this lineup, Cloud and Aerith will be your main magic damage dealers, while Tifa will take the responsibility of filling up everyone's ATB Gauge and casting group Haste.
Top Secrets Battle #1: How to beat Shiva
Shiva is the easiest boss battle in this mission. Here are a few tips you can use as leverage when fighting Shiva:
- Shiva is weak to Fire. Use Fire/Firaga/ spells to pressure Shiva consistently.
- Once you put Shiva in a Pressured state, you can cast abilities like Tifa's Focused Strike or Cloud's Focused Thrust to increase her Stagger Bar.
- If Shiva is in a Staggered state, you can extend this by using Stop (Shiva is not immune to Stop).
Repeat these tips over the battle, and you should come out on top without any trouble.
Top Secrets Battle #2: How to beat Fat Chocobo
Fat Chocobo is one of the most hard-hitting secret bosses you can face in FF7 Remake. To get around its huge physical damage, you need to keep it in a Staggered state. Let's explore a few strategies on how to best Fat Chocobo:
- Keep hitting Fat Chocobo until it is in a Pressured State. Cast Blizzaga and then Firaga to ramp up its Stagger Bar quickly.
- Before staggering the Fat Chocobo, use Unbridled Strength on Tifa until she gets Omnistrike.
- On the Staggered State, use Omnistrike to increase the stagger % of the Fat Chocobo immensely.
- Note: Do not cast any spells if the Moogle summons a Tonberry. The Tonberry will use Doom & Gloom to kill the spellcaster. Use either Tifa/Cloud to eliminate the Tonberry.
Be wary of what Moogle will cast onto your team, and try your best to avoid Fat Chocobo's physical attacks. With this simple strategy loop, you'll be able to clear this round easily.
Top Secrets Battle #3: How to beat Leviathan
Leviathan stands as arguably one of the toughest rounds in the Top Secret mission in FF7 Remake. It hits very hard with its skills, and most of them cover a large area of effect. The tips and strategies below will help you significantly diminish the difficulty of this battle:
- The Thundaga spell is your friend. Try to cast Thundaga as much as possible while constantly restoring MP.
- Since Leviathan is immune to Fire and Ice, your best option to fill up the stagger bar is by using Focused Strike or Focused Thrust.
- There is a way to cheese the Leviathan by constantly switching between your party members. Enemies in FF7 Remake always target the character the player is controlling. The trick is to swap yourself over to another party member, which the Leviathan isn't targeting. Once the Leviathan turns to your controlled character, quickly swap to another one.
Whether you choose to cheese your way out of this boss battle or not, the Leviathan will surely bring disaster if you don't have a single Thunder spell on your party. Remember to equip any Thunder spell you have, and you should be able to take this beast down.
Top Secrets Battle #4: How to beat Bahamuth and Ifrit
Bahamuth is a pain to deal with itself. However, Bahamuth can summon Ifrit once you trigger certain conditions. Here are a few tips to skip the Ifrit fight and take down Bahamuth with ease:
- Spells with -aga are a must. Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga will completely stun Bahamuth for about two seconds. This strategy helps keep Bahamuth in check. The trick is to alternate between Aerith and Cloud's spells.
- Once Bahamuth is in a Pressured State, it's crucial you don't get his health down to 50%. This is the basic trigger that will allows Ifrit to join the fight.
- After the first Pressured State, continue with the -aga spells. After Bahamuth enters its second Pressured State, blast all your powerful skills and limit break at it. This ensures you finish off Bahamuth before he is able to recover and summon Ifrit.
If you successfully defeat Bahamuth before he summons Ifrit, then this round will be a lot less difficult than it needs to be. Keep casting -aga spells to keep Bahamuth in check, and you'll be good to go.
Related: Best PC mods for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Top Secrets Battle #5: How to beat Pride and Joy Prototype
If you've made it this far, then massive props to you. One more boss stands in your way, and it's the Pride and Joy Prototype. This is boss is a lot easier than Leviathan and Bahamuth, so no need to worry. These tips will ensure you deny Pride and Joy Prototype any form of offense:
- At the beginning of the fight, have any of your spellcasters cast Thundaga. Afterward, quickly switch to Tifa and lure the boss's first attack away from your spellcasters.
- Cast Thundaga again as soon as possible, and this will knock the boss down.
- Target the Left and Right leg of the boss with Thundaga and normal attacks repeatedly until you defeat it. Don't forget to have Tifa cast group haste on your team.
With this strategy, the Pride and Joy Prototype will barely be able to cast any skills besides the initial one. After beating the boss, you'll be rewarded with the Ultimate Weapon trophy and the Götterdämmerung.
For more Final Fantasy, check out 11 Best Final Fantasy Games, Ranked on Pro Game Guides.