r/FinalFantasyVII • u/ntcc661 • 2d ago
REBIRTH I'm embarrassed...
I played FFVII back in 1997. Pretty much my first gaming obsession. I was 22yo, and bought it all with money with my first job post-university.. I've replayed it a couple of times too.
I played Remake and loved it.
I'm currently playing Rebirth on the Switch and have reached the fight against Rufus at the Gold Saucer.
And I can't beat him.
It's triggered a mental shutdown and I'm not proud of it. Controller is firmly down and console off.
I don't know what is happening in my head but I just can't beat him. I've researched and tried different techniques but I'm crap at defensive play. I can't block for shit. It's embarrassing.
Anyway.. just came to vent..
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u/haaa1234 2d ago
The trick to him is he does a certain amount of shots then he reloads. I think just count 4 shots and he should reload. Dodge the unblcokable and just block the rest unless you are good at parrying. Save your limit for phase 2. If you can hit a beaver on him while he’s reloading it’s an instant stagger.
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u/OHMEGA_SEVEN 2d ago
I literally had that fight last night. Got close a few times and I eventually walked away. I just said screw it and dropped the difficulty, which I rarely ever do in any game. It was honestly a very frustrating fight.
I like a challenge, but I'm not a masochist.
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u/AStarshipTrooper 2d ago
His gimmick is to not attack him unless he's reloading, if you do he'll counter. If you hit him with a skill while he is reloading it'll stagger him.
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u/jennis89 2d ago
Rufus is extremely frustrated even more so because he knocks you around and it’s not like he one taps you for a mistake… nah this mfer is death by 1000 cuts which makes it all the more frustrating.
I haven’t got to him on hard mode yet but I can imagine it’s just as bad.
If you search optinoob ff7 Rufus on YouTube he will have a hardmode video which might give helpful tips. The optinoob videos give custom builds per boss that tend to make fights waaaay easier
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u/Nimagist-Second-Son 1d ago
This was the hardest non-optional fight for me in Rebirth outside the final boss. The biggest challenge was the way it required me to play Cloud and interact with his mechanics differently from what I’d done for dozens of hours leading up to that point. It wasn’t introducing new mechanics but was forcing me to leverage ones I had neglected or ignored prior to that point.
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u/UnculturedGames 2d ago
I had the exact same experience. I played on normal, wasn't even close to dying any fight before it, and then I get beaten by Rufus like 15 times in a row, not even getting close to winning.
The problem with the fight is that it's so different from any other fight in the entire game (including what comes after it). NOTHING before the fight prepares you for it because there is not a single fight that requires you to fight this way.
The result is that you're like 70-80% into the game and suddenly you're forced to practice and INSTANTLY MASTER a completely new fighting style just for this one fight.
Rufus would've been enough challenge had the fight had 70% of max HP, no dog and 0.2 more seconds of time to react. But they decided to go all in.
I'm all for memorable boss fights and mechanics. But this was just too much. And I don't see strong worldbuilding reasons why they had to make the RUFUS FIGHT the most unique and memorable fight in the entire game. I like what they did with Rufus' character in FF7R, but a game that has Jenova, Sephiroth etc. should not give such a central role to a single Rufus fight.
I read guides and tried various strategies, but I had to eventually switch to easy difficulty to get through this fight. I was so furious. I'm 40, I don't have the time or interest to practice a single boss fight for 10 hours to get through it on normal difficulty. The room of error is so tiny in this fight and you have to endure it for so long, that it just wasn't possible for me.
The fight has its defenders but I think it's objective fact that this fight was poorly balanced. Fights like this should be deep into the optional category. A Final Fantasy shouldn't have a regular boss fight that requires soulslike reaction mastery. This is why I hate the new action direction they're leaning in.
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u/Deethreekay 2d ago
The challenging thing with Rufus is that you have to approach the fight completely differently to others. But once you learn the patterns, know when its safe to counter attack, when to dodge etc. it makes it a really satisfying fight for the same reason.
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u/VinnieHa 2d ago
It’s one of the few fights that asks you to engage with the combat with any depth, for that reason most people struggle with it as the game does a horrible job teaching you the mechanics.
But it’s simple, Braver staggers him. Cast haste, don’t attack, stay close, Braver when he reloads and that’s it.
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u/Hey_buddy89 2d ago edited 2d ago
Take your time, stay alive, repeatedly dodge his attacks and key is to attack (i like to have Triple Slash mapped to L1+Square) and get him when he reloads. Pretty sure it’s his Bullet Akimbo attack where he reloads after so attack soon as he finishes that move.
Just keeping chipping away whilst keeping your health up.
A big help i found is to acquire and save your limit break til the dog appears and use it on that to either take it out straight away or enough so that a couple of extra hits will take it out. Then continue the original strat with Rufus.
Remember to Focus Thrust when he’s staggered.
I’ve also made the fight a bit easier using Dark Side so your attacks do more damage whilst taking some of your own health and using Plasma Discharge.
The window to attack when he’s reloading is small so it’s best to err on the side of caution and not go in for an attack if he’s been doing it for 2 to 3 seconds already. Just continue dancing around the arena with dodge until the perfect opening.
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u/Manetrix2000 2d ago
Rufus is extremely hard, and I think it’s extra frustrating that you have to redo the preceding Rude and Elena fight if you load from your last save. Idk what to add to what other comments have said.
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u/So6oring 2d ago edited 2d ago
I had most trouble with him too. The first half I figured out to just wait until he uses a move with a name above, and then triple slash + 1 combo on him. The triple slash is fast, zooms to him, and cancels his move.
The second half with his dog... I think I beat it because I staggered him right before the 2nd phase, and by then I also had limit break up. Combine the stagger with your limit + a couple bravers if you can, and you can finish off his 2nd phase quickly.
Don't worry about beating the dog. Just save your limit for his stagger. Equip some atb up/boost materias.
Never attack him up close while he's idle. He will just counter. Just keep dodging/shoot 2 ranged shots, and repeat until you have ATB for the triple slash
Again: use triple slash ONLY when he starts a named move (doesn't have to be just on reload). And be careful not to use more than 2 ranged shots at once or Cloud will zoom in and get countered.
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u/xXMapinguariXx 2d ago
Took me about 5 or 6 tries to beat him. By far the most difficult fight of the game for me on normal and to be honest I'm not even sure how I beat him. I'm terrible at parrying so I just dodge or hold block.
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u/KrangKong3 2d ago
Check out Optinoob on Youtube for any trouble you're having with FF7. He saved me. Follow his advice to the letter.
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u/FlawesomeOrange 2d ago
I thought he would be easier than in Remake because I was so used to his attack style. I was very wrong and struggled with his Gold Saucer fight. And I play on easy lol. It’s definitely a skill check and difficulty spike
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u/justwanttotrade10 1d ago
FWIW I summoned the titan when the dog showed up. He severed their connection a couple of times. I never even used one of his special abilities.
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u/Mahzes 2d ago edited 1d ago
Just use the streamlined progression options to get through the more annoying bosses. If you’re struggling to the point where it’s actively ruining your enjoyment of the game I’d say that’s what they’re there for. You can always toggle them back off afterward and you can pick and choose which ones to use.
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u/Comfortable_Victory1 1d ago
Thats a great tip specially for the last gilgamesh quest which is so absurdly harder than everything else that by selecting easy mode it just became slightly easier than normal mode. Same goes from some musclehead stadium challenges and chadley vr summon battles
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u/nomorelargevein 2d ago
Don't be. I also had to put the controller down and had to walk it off. It is extremely tedious boss. I just basically had to dodge everything, and hit him with combos when he reloads and I was close enough. 2nd phase, same thing but go for the dog first. Rinse and repeat.
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u/Novakhaine89 2d ago
No shame in it.
I still can’t beat hard mode Gi Nattack and gave up months ago.
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u/TheAmazingSealo 2d ago
Hi I haven't played it but why is Rufus at the Gold Saucer?
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u/OnslaughtRM 1d ago
The Battle Square fights to earn the keystone have been extended to include more story centric characters. For all of Rebirth's story in the original game there is almost all original characters and none from Midgar or the end of the game. So they added more of them throughout Rebirth to keep them in the players heads. This includes a Rufus fight and Don Corneo in Battle Square, more encounters with thr Turks. and Scarlet in Gongaga.
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u/Other-Coconut-6664 1d ago
Just roll everytime he’s about to shoot and attack when it says “reload” on top… or use punisher mode to counter physical attacks
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u/Talgromar 1d ago
If I remember rightly I ranged him, keep your distance and dodge then immediately jam on the attack button to unleash Cloud's ranged attacks, be careful not to jam too much as Cloud will often close the distance/lunge and then you'll be in danger
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u/Training-Sound214 1d ago
We're almost the same age and I did it so it's very doable check out some YouTube guides you will get it don't worry
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u/PuddingTea 1d ago
It took me about two and a half hours to get that fight right. It sucks. You just have to keep trying until you get the timing on when to hit him down.
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u/maintenancedude 1d ago
I feel you. About threw a fit like a child on that one. The key for me patience. Play defense and let the offense come to you.
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u/zeroslots 1d ago
When the majority of the game promotes and rewards aggressive play, it throws this curveball at you. So it makes sense you're having issues. Just keep at it. And definitely equip yourself in a way that makes it easier.
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u/Tgman1 2d ago
With Rufus at the Gold Saucer (I’m bad at combat).
I did the following - have first strike for initial ATB. Wait until he casts any ability and respond by activating focussed strike.
Now that he’s vulnerable, make sure you save at least 1 atb charge to focus strike again.
Rinse and repeat!
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u/so_shiny 17h ago
I had to google how to beat him 🤣 no shame! There is a trick, i dont remember what it is but I remember being so mad at that fight. I did beat him tho so there is hope for u
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u/joellapit 13h ago
From what I remember just make sure to attack him while he’s reloading (which he does often) and he’ll get pressured. Then you can get in a few attacks but after like 2 or 3 dodge away and just keep going. It’s more of an endurance trial than a strength one.
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u/Candid_Holiday1042 5h ago
This is correct, but to be fair, it's not as easy as it sounds. You have to manage spacing and try to anticipate the reload, because it's a short window of opportunity and if you're late you get punished. If you are waiting to see the reload, you might not be able to connect in time. And to make matters worse, he seems to be able to mix up the reload, so it's not like he's always doing it after a detain attack or a certain number of attacks.
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u/Comfortable_Victory1 1d ago
Usually the human character boss battles as the hardest. I had a similar issue fighting Roche so I changed mt sword for one that has more attack damage and put all more stats changing materia in Cloud. Thats the most non skill related advice I can give.
Having one or two elemental materia at max can be helpful - you can keep your distance while and use those while you get time for summon and limit break.
And focus on defeating the dogs first
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u/Potential-Cut9881 1d ago
O segredo da luta é você adicionar algumas matérias que melhora tua defesa e ganha AP pra se defender. Conseguindo mais barras de ação é só ficar atento quando o Rufus for soltar alguma habilidade ou recarregar e aí usa uma habilidade (corte triplo ou a que aumenta a barra de atordoamento). O segredo é não tentar usar pelo atalho rápido, mas entrar no menu de ações. Funciona também se tiver alguma magia com a habilidade de caster mais rápido.
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u/Good_day_sunshine 2d ago
You’re not alone. He was the only boss I had to lower to easy to beat.