Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Best weapons and locations for all characters
Every FF7 Rebirth character's best weapon and location
Wondering what the best weapons are in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth? The key to developing each character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is picking a solid weapon and leveling it up. Every character will run into at least five weapons over the course of their long journey, and these weapons all have predetermined abilities and Materia slots that allow for the addition of new skills.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's weapon leveling and Materia systems mean that even the Buster Sword can make it to endgame as a powerful blade. But just because all starting weapons remain viable doesn't necessarily make them the best picks for Cloud and his party, and the same goes for the so-called ultimate weapons that can be acquired in the final hours of the game. In this guide, we'll explain our choices for the best weapons in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for each character, with an eye towards providing the best battle experience for the majority of the game. The following tips apply to both Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PS5 release and the recent PC port.
In this guide:
- Cloud best weapons
- Barret best weapons
- Tifa best weapons
- Aerith best weapons
- Red XIII best weapons
- Yuffie best weapons
- Cait Sith best weapons
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Cloud best weapons

- Best Weapon: Sleek Saber
- Location: Abandoned Dock, Grasslands
- Alternate choice: Slipstream Saber
Cloud's best weapon is the Sleek Saber. Found in a chest in the Abandoned Dock of Chapter 2, the Sleek Saber might be an early blade, but it has high Attack power that'll serve you well throughout the game, and acquiring it so early goes a long way towards transforming Cloud into a balanced, ever-reliable melee attacker. Firebolt Blade is also an excellent ability that makes airborne slashes extra flashy, and by selecting ATB Charge Rate Up and Weapon Ability ATB Recovery upgrades on this blade, Cloud will continuously be able to set mobs on fire over and over again.
If you're not a fan of the Sleek Saber, the Slipstream Saber is an alternate choice that's technically much stronger. Sadly, it only comes in near the end of the game, in the Labyrinth Ceiling of the Corridor of Trepidation, located within the Temple of the Ancients. If it were acquired earlier, it'd be an easy pick for number one.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Barret best weapons

- Best Weapon: Barrage Blaster
- Location: Railway Control Tower - 1F, Coal Mines - Ground Level
- Alternate choice: Gatling Gun
Barret's best weapon is the Barrage Blaster, which is found in a chest on the first floor of Mount Corel's Coal Mines in Chapter 7. The blaster works well to supplement a tanky role, since its ability Lifesaver increases HP and lets Barret take damage in the place of other party members. Combine this with weapon skills like Enhanced Physical Guard and Limit Gauge Guard to reduce damage and increase Limit Break gain while guarding.
If tanking as Barret isn't your playstyle, you can always stick with the Gatling Gun, which is probably the best starting weapon for any character in the game if you want to focus on consistent damage. Overcharge Protection casts a defensive spell around Barret everytime he uses his unique Overcharge skill, which deals massive damage and staggers foes while building up Barret's ATB, and you can combine this with Focused Shot to burn those ATB charges in exchange for a concentrated burst.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Tifa best weapons

- Best Weapon: Kaiser Knuckles
- Location: Shinra-8, Cargo Deck - 1F
- Alternate choice: Járngreipr
Tifa's best weapon is the Kaiser Knuckles. Located in a chest on the Shinra-8 Ferry in Chapter 5, these metal gloves pack a mean punch with an extremely high Attack stat. Their Magic stat is minimal, but Tifa's a physical attacker first and foremost, and it feels great to use Overpower with these gloves, which lets you create combos with Tifa's other attacks to pressure and stagger enemies. The other key skill is Concentration, which gives you a 50% chance of starting battle with Tifa's Unbridled Strength default ability, which increases her chi and lets her unleash her Whirling Uppercut, Omnistrike, and Rise and Fall techniques.
The Járngreipr gloves are your alternate choice, and are technically Tifa's ultimate weapons. Alas, like the Slipstream Saber, they are found at the very end of the game in the Temple of Ancients' Corridor of Currents, Hall of Life - Second Tier.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Aerith best weapons

- Best Weapon: Wizard's Rod
- Location: Mt. Corel - Foot
- Alternate choice: Plumose Rod
Aerith's best weapon is the Wizard's Rod, which really lets her spellcasting shine via Materia flexibility. Found in a chest near the rest stop of Mt. Corel in Chapter 7, this rod might not have the most impressive Attack and Magic stats, but it makes up for this with more Materia slots. You'll have two linked slot pairs to start with, meaning that you can immediately start outfitting Aerith with cool combos, and the Lustrous Shield ability, which conjures a magical forcefield to defend against enemy attacks, is also mighty useful.
The Plumose Rod is another great option for Aerith, though it's another late game weapon that requires some busywork. You'll have to complete the "Lament of the Damned" mission available in Chapter 12. Once you've made it through Shinra Manor and completed Hojo's challenges, you'll be able to acquire the rod.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Red XIII best weapons

- Best Weapon: Golden Collar
- Location: Coolant Control - B3, Gongaga Reactor
- Alternate choice: Brinsingamen
Red XIII's best weapon is the Golden Collar, which is found in the Gongaga Reactor in Chapter 9. This opulant neckband has an excellent Attack value of 145 and boasts two Magic Attack power +20 weapon skills. With Watcher's Respite, you'll also be able to deplete Red XIII's Vengeance Gauge to heal other party members, offering up a handy bit of support flexibility.
Like other party members, though, Red XIII technically has an ultimate weapon that surpasses the Golden Collar in many ways - this would be the Brinsingamen, which can be picked up in the Temple of Ancients' Corridor of Repose, Hall of Life - Second Tier. The Brinsingamen's main ability is Reaper Touch, which delivers a strike of damage that's inversely proportional to current HP. If flexing with your HP values sounds like your cup of tea, the Brinsingamen's worth getting, even if it's a late game weapon.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Yuffie best weapons

- Best Weapon: Bird of Prey
- Location: Cissnei's House, Gongaga Village
- Alternate choice: Crystalline Cross
Yuffie's best weapon is the Bird of Prey, which is found in Gongaga Village in Chapter 9. The house containing this sickle-shaped weapon is near the Rest Spot. Bird of Prey takes my top spot mostly because of the Doppelganger ability, which creates a Yuffie clone that mimics all of her actions. I tend to use Yuffie for physical attack spamming, and any attack plus Doppelganger leads to a sheer mess of damage numbers popping up all over the screen.
For those who want a more subtle approach, the Crystalline Cross is a favourite. Its Banishment ability lets Yuffie increase her damage output if she uses other ATB skills. Use a varied number of abilities, in other words, and get an attack buff as a reward without needing to rely on the support members of your party.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Cait Sith best weapons

- Best Weapon: Golden Megaphone
- Location: Mako Research Facility - Section W, Shinra Manor
- Alternate choice: Resounding Megaphone
Cait Sith's best weapon is the Golden Megaphone. This megaphone can be found in Chapter 11 in a chest in the Specimen Testing Area, located in the Mako Research Facility - Section W floor of Shinra Manor. With a nice Magic score of 101, the Golden Megaphone also has six Materia slots including one linked pair, letting you customise it to a great degree for all manner of spell hijinks. Lest you think the physicality here is lacking, Moogle Knuckle is a fun ability that'll get Cait Sith's big Moogle to deliver a potent punch to the face.
An alternate choice for Cait Sith is the Resounding Megaphone, which has some interesting support capabilities with Altruistic Buff Up and Altruistic Recover +10%. Since Moogle Sentinel also reduces damage, Cait Sith can serve as a decent tank if he's got the Resounding Megaphone equipped.
And there you have it - our picks for the best weapons for each character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. For more on the latest chapter of Cloud and company versus Sephiroth, see our guide to the best Materia in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as well as how to romance Tifa.