The Best Materia Set-Up For Each Party Member

Updated on July 24, 2026, by Mark Sammut: I’ve added alternatives to the Materia chosen for 4 of the 5 main characters in the base game, along with substituting some of the recommended ones.

Picking the right Materia build for each character is important in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Each playable character has their own strengths and advantages, and the Materia should complement their party role. This guide goes over the ideal setup for each member and how that fits into the party’s overall strategy.

There is always a little variance depending on the player’s preferred playstyle and party setup; however, certain Materia simply fit specific characters better than others. While you should 100% experiment with different loadouts to see what works for you, these recommendations should serve as a great foundation.

What is Materia?

While likely unnecessary for most readers, let’s still explain what Materia are in FF7 Remake. Materia are magical orbs that grant characters abilities, spells, and passive bonuses. By equipping them with weapons and armor, characters can gain access to magic attacks, stat boosts, and support effects that enhance combat. Different Materia can also be combined to create powerful effects, making them essential for building effective party setups.

How to Get Materia in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Before getting to the individual characters, let’s briefly explain how to unlock Materia in FF7 Remake​​​​​​. There are quite a few ways to obtain them, some of which are handed out as part of the story. For example, you get Healing at the start of Chapter 2. However, most Materia need to be either purchased from vendors or collected while exploring the world. Most of them are in plain sight, so they are pretty difficult to miss, but you always have the option to go back to a chapter to find anything you left behind. Most shops sell Materia, and you can even buy multiple copies or purchase something that you had missed during exploration.

• The earliest item shop that sells Materia will be in the Sector 7 slums, a section available from Chapter 3. You can purchase basic Materia like Healing, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Deadly Dodge, and Cleansing.
• In Chapter 8, the gang will arrive in Sector 5, gaining access to a Materia shop in the central district. Besides the previous Materia, this shop has Revival, Poison, Barrier, HP Up, and MP Up. Subversion can also be picked up from Chapter 13.
• In Chapter 8, the Moogle Emporium also becomes accessible, with a shop dedicated to Materia. New items include Barrier and Binding.
• In the late game, when Cloud, Tifa, and Barret break into Shinra, they will be able to purchase items from inside the building. No new Materia is found here.
• In the “INTERmission” DLC, the Junk Shop has Wind, HP Absorption, MP Absorption, and Luck Up.
• There are also vending machines near dungeons that sell Materia. They typically have a similar inventory to the shops.

Cloud

A Close-Range Swordsman With Powerful Attacks

Cloud is the FF7 Remake’s main melee fighter. His job is to be on the front lines, slicing and dicing while his teammates provide aid and support. Because of this, Materia isn’t as crucial to his performance and is seen more as a bonus. That being said, there are still certain pieces of Materia that will benefit Cloud quite a bit.

Deadly Dodge

Deadly Dodge is probably Cloud’s strongest Materia option, as it enables him to deal area-of-effect damage immediately after performing a successful dodge. The player will likely spend the majority of the time controlling Cloud, making this a highly useful skill.

HP Up

HP Up is also handy for keeping health high and giving Cloud more room for error. Given that he’s pretty much always fighting in the thick of things, it’s always great to give Cloud greater vitality and allow him to absorb more damage before succumbing to these blows. While the game is manageable without equipping HP Up on Cloud, doing so will make the moment-to-moment combat infinitely better and more satisfying.

ATB Stagger

ATB makes the world go around in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, with players being able to access their strongest attacks only when they’re making the most of this gauge. So, it’s easy to see why party members would benefit from a Materia that supercharges this meter when staggering an enemy. This is perfect for Cloud since players will spend the most time controlling this character and would love to use his best attacks against tough opponents who are being pushed against the ropes.

As useful as ATB Stagger can be, it is ultimately situational and not great for situations when you won’t be staggering enemies often, particularly against bosses. In these instances, ATB Assist could act as a substitute, at least for players who regularly swap between characters in the middle of combat. When you execute two ATB commands directly after each other, the rest of the party’s ATB meters increase.

Steadfast Block

Steadfast Block is a great Materia for Cloud, as it reduces enemy damage and fills the ATB gauge faster when Cloud is on guard. While this Materia can be switched out for something a little more offensive like Time, this might work against the player. This is because while Time grants access to Haste to increase the ATB gauge refill rate, many believe that Steadfast Block performs better in this context.

Elemental Materia + Lightning

The combination of Elemental Materia along with Lightning is a powerful combo and is considered essential on Cloud’s weapon. It increases damage output significantly, and Lightning is guaranteed to hit. It also seems thematically appropriate for Cloud to strike with Lightning.

Alternative: Elemental Materia + Fire

Cloud begins life with the Fire materia, so FF7 Remake clearly pushes this element on him. While Lightning should definitely be equipped against robot enemies, Fire is perfectly fine as an alternative, and players will likely have leveled it up after a few hours, giving them access to its stronger forms.

HP Absorb

Cloud hits like a truck with his melee attacks, but this also means that he’ll be in the heat of the action more often than not. This means he’ll be taking some damage in the process, and players will have to keep an eye on his health bar in every encounter. Thankfully, HP Absorb will allow him to replenish his health bar while dishing out damage. This can make it more manageable to get into the thick of battle and remain there without having to guard or heal all that often.

While not as pitch-perfect as HP Absorb, Chakra works well as a safety net for most characters, including Cloud. The Materia heals HP depending on the amount of damage received, along with also curing Poison. At its base level, it only cures 20% of the damage taken, which isn’t really that useful; however, by level 5, that increases to 40%, which is more than enough to get Cloud out of tough positions. As you build up the ATB meter fairly quickly, Cloud will always be a few actions away from a heal option.

First Strike

The game auto-reverts to Cloud as the main character whenever he’s in the party, which happens more often than not. This means that players will be using him the most in battle, so First Strike should definitely be used to maximize his potential. After all, players can technically use an ATB charge from the get-go to deal damage before either continuing their usual barrage of sword strikes or switching over to another party member.

Ifrit

Finally, a good summon for Cloud is Ifrit, since it gives him access to Fire. This is obviously one of the more subjective aspects of these recommendations, and players don’t really have to stick to this particular Summon Materia for Cloud. However, there’s no denying just how useful this summon is in general. Having it on Cloud gives him access to another magic attack, which is never a bad thing.

Ifrit is Cloud’s perfect summon for most of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but he could step aside for Bahamut once he is unlocked. Although not necessarily the best, Bahamut is technically the strongest summon in FF7 Remake, and he feels like a step-up compared to Ifrit. To unlock him, you need to complete Chadley’s 19 Battle Intel reports and then defeat Bahamut in a VR fight, making him a pure endgame summon.

Barret

A Long-Range Gunner Who Can Swoop In To Turn The Tide Of Battle

Barret is meant to function as a type of ranged Tank. He can draw enemies’ attention away from Cloud to give him breathing room and focus on crowd control. As a result, players should equip Materia on Barret that complements his play style and makes him a ranged behemoth in battle.

Assess

Assess is used to determine the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of opponents. Having this knowledge takes away a lot of guesswork and keeps the party efficient and effective in battle. After all, Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s combat isn’t all that easy, and players need to be on their toes at all times to get through most encounters with minimal damage.

Alternative: Steadfast Block

You only need one character with Assess, and somebody like Cloud might be some people’s preferred option due to his availability. In that case, Barret will have a freed-up slot, and Steadfast Block improves his guard by reducing damage taken and filling up the ATB meter. Perfect as a combo with Lifesaver.

First Strike

First Strike is a great addition to any combatant’s arsenal. However, given that Barret is the recommended character for Assess, it makes more sense to give him the First Strike Materia. It gives Barret enough ATB at the beginning of the fight to immediately use Assess, which can make the rest of the battle comparatively easier.

If Barret doesn’t have Assess, First Strike becomes a bit less useful. In this case, you can go with ATB Stagger in its place, which fills the gauge whenever Barret staggers an enemy. His Focused Shot ability is specifically designed to facilitate stagger, so this Materia synergizes with it.

HP Up

Given Barret is meant to be the tank, it’s important to keep his health high with HP Up. Of course, it’s also true that Barret stays away from conflicts and keeps a decent amount of range between him and his enemies, so players can always replace this Materia with other recommendations instead.

Provoke

Barret is a tank in battle, which is why it’s rather odd that he’s a ranged fighter who’s almost always out of harm’s way. This can be frustrating for players being pounded by enemies and needing his help to even the playing field. With the Provoke Materia on him, Barrett can direct all enemy attention towards him whenever the player is in a tight spot, giving them some much-needed breathing room without worrying about said party member biting the dust because of Barret’s high HP.

Once Barret has Lifesaver, Provoke becomes largely irrelevant and should be removed from his kit. In its place, the Barrier magic Materia works perfectly, as it cuts 50% of physical damage in just its base form. At level 3, it blocks 50% physical and magical damage. As Barret’s Lifesaver forces enemies to target him, Barrier basically reduces 50% damage for the full party.

Chakra

Barret’s Lifesaver is one of his most useful abilities, as it redirects damage from characters like Aerith and Tifa (who are essentially glass cannons). Consequently, Barret should be taking a lot of damage during most fights, making him absolutely perfect for Chakra. Beyond that, you will need easy access to a reliable heal.

Wind

Wind is the ideal elemental Materia for Barret to wield, as it enables him to deal damage to enemies and draw them in towards him. This is handy for keeping other teammates from getting overwhelmed and draws the aggro to Barret instead. This, coupled with the range from which Barret attacks, means that his casting of Wind can be a source of great annoyance for enemies.

Leviathan

For the summon Materia, Leviathan seems to be a solid choice that complements Barret well. Of course, getting this summon can be quite a task, due to the challenge involved in defeating Leviathan. Thankfully, getting a few levels should be enough to let players defeat this imposing beast.

Aerith

The Best Mage In The Party By A Country Mile

Aerith is the designated healer of the party. Her primary concern is to keep everyone in the fight as long as possible and get them back up when they go down. This is why most of her Materia should support the party. However, her magical offense shouldn’t be ignored either.

Magnify + Healing

This combination is immensely powerful for keeping the entire party in the fight. Healing is obvious, as it enables Aerith to keep replenishing her teammates’ HP, which is her primary job. However, the addition of Magnify can allow her to use the same spell to heal the entire group in an appropriate area of effect zone at the same time when fully upgraded. The effect is diminished, but being able to heal everyone at once saves a ton of MP and is efficient even with the loss.

If you don’t waste two slots to maximize the effect of Healing, Pray pretty much does the same thing, and Aerith comes equipped with this materia. The main downside is the requirement of two ATB bars, which can be tiring to build up if you don’t typically play as Aerith.

Revival

Revival is also critical for Aerith, as it allows her to get teammates back up when they’re knocked down. Not only does this save Phoenix Down feathers, but it is also essential in greater difficulties that don’t allow items like Phoenix Down. Without this ability, the player will see the Game Over screen more often than not.

Refocus

Refocus lets Aerith break her ATB gauge into three parts for faster regeneration. This is an excellent ability that Aerith will definitely benefit from, due to her inclination towards healing magic. It will allow her to keep party members at high HP levels and safeguard their well-being in a particularly nasty battle.

Fire

Fire is a great element that Aerith can use to bring pain to enemies. Of course, given Aerith’s immense magical damage, pretty much any element is the perfect choice for her.

Alternative: Any Other Elemental Materia

Well, yeah, Aerith is effective with pretty much any element, so you can go with Wind, Ice, or Lightning.

Synergy (PS5/PC/Intergrade)

One of the more underrated options, mainly due to the original PS4 version being terrible, Synergy got reworked in subsequent releases. Rather than using ATB and MP to trigger a linked spell, Synergy now costs neither, allowing its user to simply unleash the spell as a follow-up to another character’s action. Basically, when you control Cloud and spend ATB, Aerith automatically casts a free follow-up spell without spending MP or ATB.

Time Materia For Haste

Aerith is Final Fantasy 7 Remake‘s main support character, and that goes beyond just healing her teammates. Haste boosts the effected character’s ATB regeneration by 30%, while also removing the Slow and Stop debuffs.

Once you max out the Time Materia, you gain access to Stop, which stops an enemy in their tracks for a time.

Steadfast Block

Aerith cannot dodge a hit. OK, she can, but the odds are not in her favor. While she should be kept away from the thick of the action, there will be times when enemies make a beeline for her, especially if you control her. Steadfast Block will minimize the damage received while boosting her ATB.

MP Absorb

There’s no denying that Aerith has a massive MP pool, but using her magic too many times will lead to players facing issues in prolonged fights where even this caster will eventually run out of MP. This should ideally be avoided since she hits the hardest with her magic attacks. Giving Aerith the MP Absorb Materia is a great way to ensure that she can make up at least some of the damage she incurs as MP, lessening the time period in between having to replenish her source of magic.

Link MP Absorb with Aerith’s most used element, as this is absolutely crucial to ensure she keeps up her mana pool.

Magic Up

While there’s something to be said about equalizing every party member’s stats to make them useful in a bevy of situations, there’s no denying that min-maxing is the optimal way to ensure that party members unleash the highest levels of damage in battle. This is why the Magic Up Materia is perfect for Aerith since it bolsters a stat that is already as high as can be and brings it to new heights. Suffice it to say, most players who control Aerith and unleash a wealth of powerful magic on their enemies will be immensely surprised to see just how high the damage numbers will be.

Shiva

Giving Aerith the Shiva Summon just feels like the right thing to do. This icy Summon has been a mainstay of the series and is one of the coolest allies in the game, quite literally.

Tifa

A Fast Brawler With Amazing Close-Combat Capabilities

Tifa is a multi-use fighter, able to jump into the front lines or hang back and use spells as needed. This means she’s capable of being support, tank, melee fighter, healer, and more as the player sees fit. This recommended Materia build is based on the composition of the other teammates.

Parry

Tifa spends a lot of time up close and personal with her enemies. So, it’s easy to see why players would prefer to use Materia, which accentuates her close-combat moves and helps turn the tide of battle against the opposition. The Parry Materia is great in this regard, letting players dodge and assault enemies at the same time at the drop of a hat. Suffice it to say, a swift fighter like Tifa will benefit from a Materia that helps them turn defense into offense in a flash.

Chakra

Similar to Cloud, Tifa spends fights on the frontline as a melee fighter who will almost definitely suffer blows. Chakra is vital to keeping her alive.

Steadfast Block

Steadfast Block is a good Materia to increase Tifa’s durability and fill the ATB gauge faster. Given her emphasis as a melee character, this Materia will be a perfect accompaniment to her in-your-face combat style.

Barrier

Barrier Materia lets Tifa focus more on defense and step in as a tank when needed. A Barrier spell like Manawall is also helpful for shrugging off strong magical boss attacks, which is especially useful in some of the more challenging battles.

Elemental + Element Materia

Although she isn’t a terrible makeshift mage option, Tifa is clearly designed to get up close to enemies, and slowing her down with ranged attacks wastes her abilities. However, Elemental linked with a Fire/Ice/Lightning/Wind Materia adds that element to her weapon, allowing her to target an enemy’s weakness.

HP Absorb

Just like Cloud, Tifa is another fighter who loves to get down and dirty while fighting up close with enemies. This makes her a natural target who is bound to incur a decent amount of damage during any fight. With HP Absorb, Tifa can restore some HP with her punches, which is going to be a source of delight for players who love her energetic play style.

Deadly Dodge

Deadly Dodge is a great choice of Materia to have on any melee fighter, and Tifa definitely fits the bill. In her case, this Materia allows her to perform a series of roundhouse kicks that hit for decent damage after a successful dodge.

Fat Chocobo

Finally, Tifa can choose to summon Fat Chocobo to benefit the team and damage unsuspecting enemies. It’s a simple Summon choice, and can easily be replaced by any of the other great Summon Materia in the game.

Yuffie

A Well-Rounded ATB Machine

Playable via FF7‘s “INTERmission” expansion, Yuffie is the release’s main attraction, as she is a relatively beloved character. More importantly, the DLC further enhances the original game’s combat system, which is particularly evident in Yuffie’s gameplay. While all the characters are somewhat versatile, the Materia Hunter takes things a few steps further, being arguably the most balanced and well-rounded fighter in the game. Although she cannot hit as hard as Cloud or deliver devastating magic support like Aerith, Yuffie is competent in nearly every aspect, largely due to her weapon being perfect for both close and long-ranged combat.

Yuffie comes pre-installed with a couple of Materia, and you can complete most of the DLC campaign by building on these core options as they are relatively well-rounded. That said, let’s go through an optimized loadout for Yuffie.

Elemental

Even without a Materia, Yuffie is capable of elemental damage courtesy of her Ninjutsu. However, you should consider adding this Materia as it will imbue her physical attacks with elemental damage. As she has fairly decent Magic Attack Power, she is a solid option if you want an elemental-based fighter.

Magic Materia

This is really the player’s choice, as the most important thing is that Elemental is linked with Magic. You can go for either Fire, Ice, Wind, or Lightning, depending on what you prefer.

ATB Assist

Arguably, this is the only “must include” Materia, as it taps directly into Yuffie’s emphasis on ATB commands and picks up the slack for Sonon’s lackluster ATB build. Although they have their own strengths and weaknesses, Yuffie and Sonon function as a pair, and their loadouts should seek to maximize their functionality as a team.

ATB Boost

Building on the last entry, ATB Boost doubles the bar and lets players use two ATB abilities. It is widely complementary to the Yuffie and Sonon combo.

Magic Up

Although Yuffie is a capable magic user, her basic stats could use a boost to make her more viable before you get a chance to upgrade her shuriken. Magic Up gives a 5% boost per level, so it makes a substantial difference once it is upgraded a few times.

MP Up

Largely the same reasoning as Magic Up, as this materia just makes Yuffie a more reliable magic user.

HP Up

While not really required for standard difficulty, this is pretty much a must for hard.

First Strike

Immediate ATB at the start of the battle, allowing Yuffie to instantly apply pressure to enemies.

Skill Master

Another ATB-focused Materia that benefits characters who prioritize abilities and magic spells.

Healing

Really depends on whether you plan to run Yuffie as more of a healer and support character.

Sonon

A Support-Only Character Who Needs To Synergize With Yuffie

Technically, Sonon is not a playable character in FF7 Remake Intergrade or the “INTERmission” DLC, but he is effectively the yang to Yiffie’s yin. Players can issue commands to Sonon, but they cannot directly control them. While he isn’t a bad staff melee fighter by any stretch of the imagination, his mechanical role is to support his partner and bring out the best in her. The Materia build for Sonon should be designed with solely Yuffie in mind.

Magnify & Healing

Use these as your linked Materia, as they will allow Sonon to heal Yuffie and themselves. Magnify, in general, is a must for Sonon, even if you opt not to use him as a healer.

HP Up

Sonon will take a lot of hits as he often steps in as a tank. Consequently, more HP will never hurt.

ATB Assist

Boosts Yuffie’s ATB gain and helps keep her attack loop going.

Barrier

Not really necessary for basic fights, but can be a game-changer in boss encounters. If Sonon is struggling to stay alive against one of the harder enemies, give this one a try.

Revival

Again, primarily for the harder fights in the DLC.