[Problem Solved] Defeat FF7's Most Ferocious Secret Boss "Ruby Weapon"! Just 3 Preparations and Strategy Tips

Even after many years since its 1997 release, "Final Fantasy 7" continues to captivate countless players. However, in the final stages of its adventure, a colossal obstacle stands before many players: the infamous "Ruby Weapon," renowned as the game's strongest secret boss.

After defeating the Ultimate Weapon, this crimson calamity appears in the Corel Desert, boasting overwhelming combat abilities that make victory seem impossible on first encounter. "Its unreasonable strength is breaking my spirit," "I don't know the countermeasures and keep getting wiped out"... such desperate cries can still be heard decades after its release.

However, rest assured. Ruby Weapon's behavior patterns are clear, and with the right preparation and strategy, it's a boss anyone can defeat. In this article, game media 'Game-Rack' will thoroughly explain just three crucial preparations and specific battle tactics to overcome Ruby Weapon, which has driven countless players to despair.

Is Ruby Weapon Actually Weak? A Thorough Explanation of the Basic Strategy

Ruby Weapon's strength lies in its "Antlion" attack, unleashed immediately at the start of battle, and its super-powerful area-of-effect attack "Ultima," cast as a counter to specific attacks. If you challenge it with brute force like a normal boss, your party members will likely be removed from battle one by one, and you'll be wiped out by the counter Ultima.

The key to conquering this formidable foe lies in what's known as a "lockdown" or "cheese" strategy, where you restrict the enemy's actions and create a situation where you can attack unilaterally. Specifically, the most effective tactic is to cast the strongest summon magic, "Knights of the Round," twice in a row with "W-Summon," and then continuously repeat it with "Mimic."

For this strategy to work, you need to understand Ruby Weapon's troublesome characteristics and turn them to your advantage. Especially crucial is how to disable its "invincible mode" at the start of battle. Understanding and executing this series of complex steps is the first step towards victory.

Essential for the Lockdown Strategy! Easy "Knights of the Round" Acquisition Chart

The core of defeating Ruby Weapon is the summon materia "Knights of the Round." Without this materia, victory is impossible. However, its acquisition method is known to be very time-consuming.

1. Mate a Mountain Chocobo (Green) with a River Chocobo (Blue) at the Chocobo Stable to breed a Sea Chocobo (Gold).
2. Ride the Sea Chocobo to the circular "Materia Cave" located in the northeast of the world map.
3. Obtain "Knights of the Round" inside the cave.

This series of Chocobo breeding and exploration is a particularly time-consuming end-game element in FF7. Making mistakes with routes or mating combinations can lead to a huge waste of time. If you want to avoid detours, you can check the detailed steps in this strategy guide beforehand to easily grasp the shortest path to acquisition.

Recommended Materia and Equipment: This is All You Need

Once you have "Knights of the Round," the core of your strategy, the next step is to prepare the materia and equipment to maximize its effectiveness. Any characters will do, but here's an example setup with Cloud as the attacker and the other two as support.

Particularly important is the combination of "Final Attack" and "Phoenix" to prevent a game over. Also, Ruby Weapon's tentacles unleash various status effect attacks, so you'll want to equip a "Ribbon" on everyone to completely guard against them.

Specific Steps for the W-Summon Mimic Strategy

Once preparations are complete, it's time for the decisive battle. Follow these steps and act calmly.

1. Antlion Countermeasure: Start with 2 KO'd characters: Before engaging Ruby Weapon, ensure two party members are knocked out. This completely evades the opening "Antlion" attack.
2. Revive and Apply Slow: Once battle begins, the surviving character revives the two allies using "Phoenix Down" or "Revive." Then, use the summon materia "Hades" to inflict Slow on Ruby Weapon.
3. Begin Attack: The attacker (Cloud) casts "Knights of the Round" twice using "W-Summon."
4. Mimic Loop: Other characters simply select "Mimic" repeatedly to copy Cloud's W-Summon.
5. Ultima Countermeasure: Ruby Weapon will use "Ultima" as a counter to "Knights of the Round," but even if you get wiped out, you will automatically revive thanks to the "Final Attack" + "Phoenix" effect.
6. Continue Loop: After reviving, simply repeat "Mimic" again to unilaterally deplete Ruby Weapon's HP.

Once this strategy gets going, it becomes a simple matter of pressing buttons. Ruby Weapon's HP is very high at around 800,000, but it will fall helplessly before this loop.

What is the "Antlion" Countermeasure: Starting with 2 KO'd Characters?

The biggest point of this strategy is intentionally having two party members knocked out at the start of the battle. Why is such an unusual tactic necessary?

As long as there are two or more battle-capable characters, Ruby Weapon maintains its invincible mode and prioritizes using "Antlion," which permanently removes a single character from battle. If you get hit by this attack, you can't even revive them, severely crippling your party's strength. However, if there is only one surviving member at the start of battle, Ruby Weapon will not use "Antlion" and instead transition to "Tentacle Mode," where it can take damage. By taking advantage of this habit and intentionally starting the battle with only one survivor, you can seal off the most troublesome "Antlion" attack and safely prepare your battle formation. This preparation is the most important and effective blow to defeat the seemingly impenetrable Ruby Weapon.