Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a massive game with a mostly straightforward structure. Throughout its 40-plus hour playtime, you’ll go from dungeon to dungeon, completing some side-missions along the way, while pushing the story forward and rarely looking back. If you allow yourself to be swept up in the momentum of your mission to liberate Midgar, it can be easy to miss valuable collectibles accidentally. Some of the most important is Materia, which are colored orbs you can equip to characters to beef up their base attack skills by providing them spells, abilities, and summons.
You’re not going to want to bypass all the useful Materia you can collect throughout your journey. Below, we’ve detailed the easiest ones to miss, which includes info on what they do and how to find them. With this guide, you’ll be able to find Materia like Revival, Elemental, HP Up, Magnify, and more.
Be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more essential Materia you might’ve missed. For more about Materia, you should also read our Materia loadout guide about how to build the proper set for your party. Otherwise, read our FF7 Remake review.
HP Up
The HP Up Materia is one of the easiest you can miss early on. As you’re exploring the streets of Midgar Sector 1 during Chapter 2, you’ll come upon soldiers guarding a checkpoint with a white van on the other side, and beside it is a purple orb of HP Up Materia. Unfortunately, you can’t grab it, so keep moving until you hit a cutscene, followed by an attack by Shinra Security Officers. Before going further, head back east towards the checkpoint, and then grab the Materia.
Deadly Dodge
From a tactical perspective, the Deadly Dodge combat Materia is essential for early fights as Cloud. It allows you to dodge towards enemies with an area damage attack, which is excellent for opening up most battles.
You can purchase a Deadly Dodge Materia from the item shop later in Chapter 3, but you can get one for free during Chapter 2. Continue heading south from where you got the HP Up Materia we mentioned above. Just before the fountain plaza, you’ll fight off three more troopers. Once they’re dealt with, check beside the car for a Deadly Dodge Materia.
Auto-Cure
Auto-Cure is an excellent safeguard for keeping a party member healed during a tough encounter. At its base level, it’s capable of healing weakened party members up to three times per battle. However, it won’t activate if you don’t have not enough MP or ATB Charges to go around or if you’re controlling the character in need of emergency curing.
To get the Auto-Cure Materia, sync up with Chadley, the weird kid in the Sector 7 Slums, who wants your help developing new Materia. He’ll give you the Assess Materia when you take on the quest; use it on any enemies you fight in Scrap Boulevard to get the data you need. Later, he’ll give you Battle Intel assignments with a variety of objectives to unlock additional Materia–some of which we highlight later in this guide–that you’ll generally want to prioritize completing on the side to gain more access to varying Materia types. For this report, return when you’ve analyzed two different types of enemies to buy the newly-developed Auto-Cure Materia at a discounted rate.
First Strike
Completing Chadley’s third Battle Intel Report nets you a First Strike Materia. It’s not too hard to miss, but it’s worth mentioning just in case you don’t check in with Chadley often. First Strike is super handy for boosting the amount of ATB you naturally earn at the start of a battle. You’ll want to consider equipping it onto Tifa if you’ve made her your party leader, as her Unbridled Strength ability is good to start building up as soon as possible during a battle. After purchasing an Iron Sword for Cloud during Chapter 3, you should have no trouble earning First Strike from Chadley, as completing the associated Battle Intel Report simply requires that you use different abilities on enemies while they’re staggered.
Cleansing Materia
Cleansing Materia is foundational. With this handy orb of Materia, you can heal the poison status effect with MP–eliminating the need to use antidotes. After earning enough AP from using it numerous times, you can use Esuna, which heals all status conditions.
To get yourself a Cleansing Materia, you need to complete the Rat Problem side mission during Chapter 3. To do so, talk to the Item Store owner once the game tells you you’re free to tackle optional quests. Then take the path going north that’s on the west side of Seventh Heaven. Duck through the pipe to enter a vacant lot full of rats. Take them out and open the chest on the east side of the area for three grenades.
Return to the lot and fight the Doom Rats. They’re pretty quick, so try using Punisher mode’s counter attack to whittle down their health, and use magic to hit them at a distance. If you can do some sustained damage, you’ll Stagger rats, which allows you to knock them out. When you return to the Item Shop owner, you can buy a Cleansing Materia for a discounted price.
Revival
Phoenix Downs are expensive, and while you can find them in the occasional chest, your supply of them is mostly limited. So why not have a Materia on hand that’ll help bring your friends back from the dead with MP? Revival is a must-have that you can get relatively early on, but end up missing if you’re not paying attention.
After beating the boss in Chapter 4, follow the objective back to the Sector 7 Plate Edge. Just before the first right turn, grab the Revival Materia lying on the ground to your left just before the walkway.
Chocobo And Moogle Summon Materia
After getting your first Summon Materia at the start of Chapter 4, you’re probably going to be champing at the bit for the next one. The next Summon Materia is available during Chapter 6 and is pointed out to you by Tifa as you’re slowly passing by some industrial ventilation fans. Unfortunately, you can’t access it until after you power down two out of the three sunlamps in the area.
Once that deed is done, return to the H-01 section to use the gondola that will take you back toward the ventilation system. On the far side, take the ladder up to a service room where you activate a console that orders you to do some cleaning maintenance in the next room within a minute. Kill all the enemies and press the button on the console at the end of the room in time to complete the job. Don’t worry if you fail to kill everything within the time limit, though. You can double back out of the room and hit the console again to start a new, easier fight with some weaker enemies.
Once you activate the other console, you can head into the fan corridor and snag the Chocobo and Moogle Summon Materia. It’s a useful one to have equipped when up against enemies weak to the Wind element.
MP Up
If you’re in the market for another MP Up Matera, but would rather not fork over the 2,000 Gil needed to purchase a new one, then you can snag yourself a freebie during Chapter 6. The positive effects of this Materia are apparent, and you’re likely going to want a couple for a special somebody who’ll inevitably end up joining your party later on.
Return on the second gondola to the area you entered when you climbed down the ladder from Sunlamp 2. Go around the cargo containers to find a ladder down, leading to another platform where you’ll fight two Queen Grashtrikes. Dispatch them, then use the control panel to lower the walkway ahead. Don’t align it with the gate so you can cross; instead, keep lowering it until the MP Up Materia sitting on top of the frame is low enough for you to grab.
Elemental Materia
The Elemental Materia is a handy way to imbue a party member’s melee attacks with elemental power when attached to a weapon or increase their magical defense against a particular element when attached to armor. To explain, weapons and armor feature sockets that you place Materia into, and there are two variants of sockets: single, isolated ones and joint ones. The joint sockets are what you can use to activate Elemental on weapons and armor. We highly recommend you give this one to Cloud, but try to be cautious when you face an enemy whose elemental affinity matches the current element of whoever is using this Materia.
To get yourself an Elemental Materia, follow the directions we detailed above about how to get MP Up during Chapter 6. After manipulating the walkway to get the MP Up Materia, put it back in place so you can cross it. Head to the far end of the next platform to grab the Elemental Materia.
Binding
Binding Materia is a must for party members you’re speccing to become powerful mages. It allows you to cast status ailment spells like Sleep, Silence, and Berserk. It’s possible to purchase one at the Wall Market Materia shop during Chapter 9, but that’s 3,000 Gil, and who wants to burn that much hard-earned cash on something you can get for free?
A Binding Materia is up for grabs earlier on during Chapter 9 when you need to use a robotic hand to pick up some cargo containers. Right after fighting three Terpsicolts, look for a ramp heading down on the east side of the area where you’ll find a split path. Head up the path with the slope to find controls for the big robot hand. Use the hand to pick up the cargo container and move it to the right, so that it makes a path with the wood walkway nearby, which has the Binding Materia on top of it. When Aerith heads down, pick her up, and place her on top of the cargo container. She’ll then run over and grab the Binding Materia for you.
Magnify
The Magnify Materia works much like Elemental in that it’s one you attach into joint slots. When you connect a spell Materia to Magnify, you can cast that respective spell onto multiple targets. So, if you have Magnify attached to the Healing Materia, it will cure multiple characters instead of just one. It also works the same way for offensive spells, but it’s important to note that the primary target receives the bulk of the damage, and those around them get a reduced amount.
You can find a Magnify Materia not long after you get Binding during Chapter 9. After you’ve first confronted a fella named Beck and his goonies, proceed until you reach another section with a robot hand you can operate to move some containers around. You can grab the Magnify Materia by moving the first container up and to the right to make a path to it, then dropping Aerith off on tor for her to procure it in your stead.
All The Summon Materia From Chadley’s Intel Reports
If you’re gunning your way through FF7’s story, you’re guaranteed to miss the majority of the game’s Summon Materia. Because if you’re not talking to Chadley, then you’re going to lock yourself out of getting these powerful battle allies–for a while, at least.
To start the process of getting more Summon Materia, talk to Chadley again as early as Chapter 8 to access your first VR Mission, which is a unique challenge where you fight a summon creature to earn its respective Materia.
Make it a rule of thumb to find Chadley every time you come upon a new semi-open area where you can explore and do side missions because chances are he’ll have a new VR Battle for you to complete. Pivotal moments where you can talk to him to get a new VR Mission include Chapter 8 (Shiva), Chapter 9 (Fat Chocobo), and Chapter 14 (Leviathan). There is another one you can earn, but you can only access that by completing all of Chadley’s Battle Intel Reports. We’ve listed their identity under this spoiler tag: Bahamut.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
