You’ll fight Rude and Reno at several points in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, both individually and as a pair. Here’s how you defeat them.
Rude and Reno are two members of the Turks, the shady secret police employed by the Shinra Corporation in the world of Final Fantasy VII. They’re responsible for recruiting new members of Solider, but they also get their hands dirty. Very dirty. You’re far more likely to find them involved in espionage, sabotage, and assassinations at the behest of President Shinra.
As Cloud and the crew run into the Turks throughout the Final Fantasy VII Remake, you’ll find them engaging in all of those things. They’re not bad people, but sometimes they have to do bad things, according to Rude. (Reno, meanwhile, is more anarchic and seems to enjoy the work. Also, the dude needs to fasten a couple more buttons on his shirt. Just saying.)
Given that you cross paths with them at several points, that means you’ll also need to fight them. Sometimes you’ll fight them singly. Other times, they’ll come as a pair. Here’s how you defeat Rude and Reno in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
How to defeat Reno in the Final Fantasy VII Remake
When you use the Assess Materia on Reno, it won’t show up any specific weaknesses. There’s no one spell you can use to stagger him, no one element that he’s susceptible to. That might make it seem like he’s tough to beat, especially as he’s lightning-fast and, as it happens, is mostly immune to lighting magic. (The only spell that’s guaranteed to hit a moving target.)
There is a technique to beat Reno, however, and it’s simpler than you’d think: block his attacks.
Up until your first fight with Reno in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, it’s possible to have survived that far without using the block button one. You can dodge-roll out of the way of big attacks and, if you’re generous with potions and curative magic, defending is mostly optional. For those of us who are used to the original Final Fantasy VII, where defending is something you only do while you’re waiting for something, then it feels weird.
But blocking in the Final Fantasy VII Remake not only reduces damage incurred from incoming attacks; it also increases your ATB charges. And in Reno’s case, it will also increase your chance to stagger him. Block his attacks, hit him when you’ve got an opening, and make sure you avoid – or destroy – his electro-shock mines or they’ll immobilise you.
How to defeat Rude in the Final Fantasy VII Remake
Unlike Reno, Rude does have a specific weakness: wind magic and elemental attacks.
Your best bet is to attach Wind Materia to your weapon – in a linked slot, along with the blue Elemental Materia – and hit him with both physical attacks, augmented with that wind element, and with powerful Aero/Aerora/Aeroga spells. If you’ve got the Chocobo and Moogle summon Materia, the wind element of that attack will also help.
Co-ordinate that with your team and you’ll quickly stagger Rude. This will allow you to deal massive damage while he’s stumbling around. (And if you hit him enough, you break his sunglasses, which is fun.)
Watch out for his wrestling moves, though. If you’re blocking he can still grab you and throw you around the arena, including into other party members for additional damage. Bit of a cheese move from fighting games if you ask us.
What about both of them together?
When you’re fighting Rude and Reno together, their individual strategies and weaknesses still apply, with a couple of specific extras.
Reno’s new weapon is Pyramid, a manifested magical pyramid that traps one of your party members. It’ll stop them from moving and continually damage them until you free them. The way to do that? Target the Pyramid directly. It’ll appear as an “additional” enemy on the field for you to murder.
Rude, meanwhile, spends some time up in a helicopter, supporting Reno from the air and firing down with a cannon. This means that only ranged party members (like Barret) can deal him physical damage, but a good lightning spell will upset the helicopter’s mechanics.
Once Rude’s on the ground, like Reno, the tactics revert back to their original, solo strategies.
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