Final Fantasy VII introduced the concept of characters who sustained a certain amount of damage having access to a special attack. Although this special attack goes by various names in other games, here it’s called a Limit Break. Here's how it works and how you can obtain them for Final Fantasy VII's many party members.
Instructions in this article apply to Final Fantasy VII for the original PlayStation and the re-release for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The Basics of Limit Breaks
During battle, you’ll notice a gauge labeled Limit. To trigger a Limit Break attack that gauge must be full. Every time a character takes damage from an enemy, the Limit Gauge fills a little bit. Get hit enough and, eventually, you’ll get a Limit Break.
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Advanced Strategy for Building Up the Limit Break Gauge
Just because you get a Limit Break doesn’t mean you have to use it. The gauge doesn't deplete between battles, so if you get a Limit Break during one battle, you can carry it into another. Since Limit Breaks are among the most powerful attacks in the game, filling your gauge before a boss battle can be a huge part of your strategy.
If you want to build a character's Limit Break gauge faster, try placing them in the front row. Enemies attack characters up front much more frequently. To facilitate the process even further, equip the character with the Cover Materia. This lets the character take blows meant for other party members. Additionally, the Hyper status causes the Limit Gauge to fill at twice the normal rate at the expense of attack accuracy. It’s worth it to make the character whose Limit Break you’re attempting to trigger Hyper and, when you’re finished, cure the Hyper status with a Tranquilizer.
How To Get More Limit Breaks
Unlocking Limit Breaks works the same way for most characters in the game. There are four levels of Limit Breaks. Each character starts with a Level 1 Break. To unlock the second, they have to use the first one eight times. To unlock the first Level 2 Limit Break, a character has to kill 80 enemies. Then, the process repeats to obtain the next Limit Breaks. Once you collect six Limit Breaks for a character, you will meet the requirements to unlock their Level 4 Limit Break. Unlike the previous ones, Level 4 Limit Breaks must be unlocked by questing for an item.
There are two exceptions to the usual Limit Break formula. Vincent Valentine only requires 60 kills to advance in level. Additionally, he only has one Limit Break per level, as he transforms him into a unique creature for the rest of the battle. Meanwhile, Cait Sith only has two Limit Breaks. The second unlocks after killing 80 enemies.
Limit Breaks By Character
Here is the full list of Limit Breaks for some of Final Fantasy VII's characters, along with instructions on how to unlock them:
CLOUD STRIFE
Limit BreakHow to Obtain ItDescription
| Braver (Level 1) | Starting Limit Break | Cloud jumps into the air and brings his sword down on the enemy. It causes a moderate amount of damage and targets one enemy. |
| Cross-Slash (Level 1) | Use Braver eight times. |
Cloud cuts an enemy in the pattern of the Kanji “Kyou.” It does moderate damage and paralyzes. It targets one enemy. |
| Blade Beam (Level 2) | Kill 80 enemies with Cloud. | Cloud strikes the ground and blasts a beam from his sword toward an enemy. The initial blast does moderate damage to the initial enemy and smaller blasts branch off, doing low damage to any other enemy. |
| Climhazzard (Level 2) | Use Blade Beam eight times. | Cloud stabs into an enemy with his sword and cuts upward with a leap. Does heavy damage to one enemy. |
| Meteorain (Level 3) | Kill an additional 80 enemies with Cloud after obtaining Blade Beam. | Cloud jumps into the air and fires six meteors from his sword. These target enemies at random and each strike causes low damage. |
| Finishing Touch (Level 3) | Cloud must use Meteorain eight times. | Cloud swings his sword around and causes a tornado which destroys all regular enemies instantly. Against bosses it does moderate damage to all targets. |
| Omnislash (Level 4) | After obtaining all previous Limit Breaks, use the Omnislash item to unlock it. To obtain the Omnislash item, you must purchase it at the Gold Saucer Battle Square for 64,000 Battle Points on Disc 1 or 32,000 Battle Points on Disc 2. | Cloud executes a 15-hit combo, striking enemies at random for moderate damage each hit. |
AERIS GAINSBOROUGH
Limit BreakHow to Obtain ItDescription
| Healing Wind (Level 1) | Starting Limit Break | Aeris calls forth a breeze that heals each character for ½ their max HP. |
| Seal Evil (Level 1) | Use Healing Wind eight times. | Rays of light dazzle the enemy. Casts the effects of Stop and Silence on all enemies. |
| Breath of the Earth (Level 2) | Aeris must kill 80 enemies. | Light encircles each party member and all status effects, even positive ones, are dispelled. |
| Fury Brand (Level 2) | Use Breath of the Earth eight times. | Electricity envelopes the party, each character’s Limit Gauge besides Aeris’ is filled instantly. |
| Planet Protector (Level 3) | Kill an additional 80 enemies after obtaining Breath of the Earth. | Stars encircle the party and every character becomes immune to damage for a short time. |
| Pulse of Life (Level 3) | Use Planet Protector eight times. | Shimmering light refills the HP and MP gauges of all characters. If any characters are knocked out, this also revives them. |
| Great Gospel (Level 4) | After obtaining the previous six Limit Breaks, use the Great Gospel item, wait until you have the Buggy and drive it to Costa Del Sol. Take the boat back to Junon and when you exit the city you’ll still be in the Buggy. Head north to the river and drive until you reach the shallows that the Buggy can cross. You’ll see a cave close by and in it is an old man who will know how many battles you’ve fought. You may have to wait and re-enter the cave to trigger this message. When the last two digits of the amount of battles you’ve fought match, he’ll give you an item. If he doesn’t give you the Mithril on your first try, you’ll have to fight 10 more battles and come back. Once you have the Mithril go back to Gongaga and give it to the Blacksmith. He’ll let you choose between gaining a big box or a little box. Open the little box and you’ll get Great Gospel. | A beam of light from the sky refills everyone’s HP and MP and raises any knocked out party members. It also grants the party invisibility for a short time. |
TIFA LOCKHART
Tifa’s Limit Breaks have the added element of a reel that can allow for extra damage if you land on a “Yeah!” space. However, if you land on a “Miss!” space that attack won’t cause damage to the enemy. You don’t have to stop the reels and often it’s not worth the risk to try. Also, each of her Limit Breaks combos with the last, so by the time you get her Level 4 Limit Break she’ll do a seven-move combo.
Limit BreakHow to Obtain ItDescription
| Beat Rush (Level 1) | Starting Limit Break | A fairly weak punch combo. |
| Somersault (Level 1) | Use Beat Rush eight times. | A somersault kick to the enemy. Does low damage. |
| Water Kick (Level 2) | Kill 80 enemies with Tifa. | A moderately powerful low kick. |
| Meteodrive (Level 2) | Use Water Kick eight times. | Tifa suplexes one enemy, causing moderate damage. |
| Dolphin Blow (Level 3) | After obtaining Water Kick, kill an additional 80 enemies. | Tifa uppercuts the enemy so hard it summons a dolphin. |
| Meteor Strike (Level 3) | Use Dolphin Blow eight times. | Tifa grabs an enemy, leaps up, and tosses them to the ground. |
| Final Heaven (Level 4) | After learning all six previous Limit Breaks, use the Final Heaven item on Tifa to unlock this. To obtain the Final Heaven item, wait until Cloud is back in charge of the party after the events of Mideel and return to Tifa’s house in Nibelheim. Go to the piano and play the notes: Do, Re, Mi, Ti, La, Do, Re, Mi, So, Fa, Do, Re, Mi. After watching a short scene you’ll receive the item Final Heaven. | Tifa charges her fist and punches the enemy, making the ground explode. |
There's plenty more to know about Limit Breaks, but these tips will get you started. Still, if you're interested, there is more information in the second part of this article about the limit breaks for Cid, Barret, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cait Sith, and Vincent.
