Numerous monsters from FINAL FANTASY VII appear in the world of FF7FS.
In this article we'll go over the benefits to fighting monsters and some tips on taking them down.
Benefits to Defeating Monsters
Grow Stronger!
Defeating monsters will earn you a large amount of XP, which increases your maximum HP and MP and your skill level.
Earn Data Items!
Monsters will occasionally drop data items, which can be exchanged for items on the Collection screen.
A display will indicate if a monster is resistant or weak to a certain kind of attack.
Monsters for Beginners
Hedgehog Pie
Defense: Low
Weakness: Blizzard
Highly recommended for new players
Hedgehog Pies Are the Easiest Monsters for Beginners!
These critters can be easily taken down with melee weapons,
and will occasionally drop potions, making them good hunting for even an unarmed player.
Monodrive
Defense: Low
Aggro: None
Highly recommended for new players
Take Them Down if You Encounter Them!
Getting near will cause a monodrive to use its Alert ability, indicating its location to nearby candidates.
Using your gun against it, however, will give YOUR location away.
If you know other players are nearby, ignoring a monster to stay hidden is always an option.
Slug-Ray
Aggro: Relatively High
Weakness: Thunder
Recommended for new players
Slug-Rays Attack with Concentrated Fire When You Get Near!
It's recommended you take these mechanical monsters down with a firearm from a distance or near some cover.
They often appear in pairs, and attracting the attention of the two of them at once can mean massive damage to your HP.
Tougher Monsters
Cerulean Drake
Type: Aerial
Watch out for its magic attacks!
Fire materia and guns are effective
Stagger it and Take it Down with a Melee Attack!
Inflicting a certain amount of damage to it with guns, Fire materia, and other ranged attacks will cause it to come crashing down to the ground.
Once it hits the ground, close in and attack with your melee weapon.
Be careful of its Aero and Frigid Breath abilities.
Bomb
Resistance: Fire
It grants a large amount of XP, but should be handled cautiously
Occasionally drops the Bomb Launcher weapon or Fire materia
Rapid-Fire Guns Are Effective!
Weapons that fire rapidly can quickly whittle down a bomb's HP.
Recommended Guns:
Dissent's Bane / Combat Rifle Mod 2 / MP-60 Type A
Lethal Gaze / Shinra Type B Assault Rifle
Be Careful of Its Self-Destruct Ability!
When a bomb is low on HP, it may self-destruct.
If you see that one is getting ready to blow up, you'd better hightail it to a safe distance.
Unfortunately, a self-destructed bomb drops no rewards.
Cactuar
Weakness: Melee attacks
Resistance: Gunfire
Very low appearance rate! Give chase and take it down
Drops Tons of XP and Items!
This monster is a rare sight, so don't let it get away if you spot one.
Use melee attacks when it stops or hit it with Fire materia to chip away at its HP.
Advanced Monsters
Tonberry
Abilities: Doom and Gloom, Tantrum
Appears in areas with multiple chests
Looting the chests and escaping is an alternative to fighting
Prepare Potions or Cure Materia if You Take One On!
Getting near will cause it to use Doom and Gloom, and Tantrum will teleport a tonberry right next to a candidate and take its HP down to 1.
If you're brave enough to take on this monster of a monster, attacking from afar with materia or guns may be your best bet.
Cutter
Weakness: Thunder
Spawns in open areas
Level up Thunder before fighting this monster
Work With Your Team to Take it Down!
Getting nearby will cause a cutter to dash toward a candidate or attack with its blades from afar.
Try to keep your distance and get behind cover if you can.
This monster is much easier to take down if you have a whole team on your side. While one player baits it out, others can attack it from behind with Thunder to stagger it.
Scorpion Sentinel
Weakness: Thunder
Abilities: Mark 98 Cannons, Mark 99 Launchers
Boss monster with powerful ranged attacks
Take One On After Blanket Orders Are Issued!
When a scorpion sentinel spawns, blanket orders are issued to all candidates indicating the boss's location on the map.
A special field will appear around the boss, preventing damage from candidates outside the field.
Use Thunder to take down its HP when it focuses its attention on other candidates.
Just note that blanket orders will not always be issued, so scorpion sentinels are not guaranteed to appear in any given match.
Defeat for Rare Items!
Defeating this boss monster will grant rare weapons and tons of gil, an exclusive title, and maybe even rare data items.