Weapons, armour and accessory decisions
Compare Materia growth, linked slots and protection before replacing equipment.
Story and late-game spoilers.
Original Final Fantasy VII and ports of that game; not Remake or Rebirth.
8 items · one picture per entry · open a picture for full size.
Item directory
Weapons
A larger attack number can hide a reduction in Materia growth. Compare all three properties before replacing a training weapon during a long sequence of ordinary battles.
Armour
Armour also holds Materia. Moving to better protection can break a linked Support combination, so inspect your entire setup after equipping a new piece.
Accessories
One accessory slot means a real tradeoff. Protection against a boss’s disabling status can be more useful than a small offensive increase.
Restore and All
Party healing combination. Place compatible Materia in linked slots.
Elemental
Linked in a weapon it changes attack properties; linked in armour it changes elemental protection. Check the linked element and Materia level rather than treating the two placements as equivalent.
Ribbon
A valuable late-game accessory, but not a reason to ignore the encounter’s other mechanics. Keep healing and revival options distributed across the active party.
Double and triple growth gear
Useful when gaining AP. Consider a dedicated training loadout, then switch back to the appropriate protection and damage setup for a boss.
Ultimate weapons
Their performance depends on character-specific conditions and they do not provide normal Materia growth. Read the condition and use other gear when your priority is levelling Materia.