Video Game / Final Fantasy VII New Threat Mod

Final Fantasy VII New Threat is a mod of the eponymous seventh game of the nerve-twistingly popular Final Fantasy series, made by Sega Chief. The current version is v. 2.0.

In this mod, enemies, stats, weapons and Materia have been tweaked and rebalanced. The random encounters and bosses have been made more powerful and challenging. The party members' stats have been tweaked to make each of them more unique, and a new system called the "Soul Point system" allows the player to specialize them by increasing some of their stats after a few key story events. Weapons and equipment often give stat boosts, so depending on a character's build, simply going to a new town and buying the new equipment will not always be the solution. Finally, the stat boosts of the Materia, as well as the effects and the MP costs of the magic, summons, and enemy skills, have been changed.

However, the mod isn't only a rebalancing of the gameplay. It also adds a few new enemies and bosses. Finally, it slightly changes some aspects of the story: It reactivates disabled content of the game, revamps some dialogues and scenes to clarify the plot, and adds new content (scenes and end-game sidequests).

The latest version, v 2.0, contains two scenarios. The Type A scenario features the original game's progression and boss roster. It is meant to be a Polished Port of the vanilla game that rebalances the gameplay, adds Anti Frustration Features, reactivates the disabled content of the original game, adds some new content, improves the translation, and tweaks some scenes and dialogues to better clarify what's going on. The Type B scenario, while keeping the original game's general progression and end goal, proposes a remixed event progression^note Though it mostly concerns the Midgar storyline. The rest of the scenario follows the original story., and an alternate boss roster. It replaces some boss encounters and changes the details of some story events (mostly at the beginning), but concludes the same way, and is recommended to people who already finished the original game's story at least once.

An earlier version, v 1.5, is still being maintained alongside the latest build. Version 1.5 is less polished, but contains a different approach to balancing, and content that was cut from 2.0. For simplicity's sake, unless stated otherwise, all the tropes listed below concern v 2.0.

Find more information about the mod, its changes, its updates, and download links on its topic on the Qhimm.com forums or on Sega Chief's Twitter. A legal copy of Final Fantasy VII (either the 98 PC version or the Steam version) is required to use the mod.

Only tropes that differ from the original game are listed below. Since most of the entries will discuss the changes made by this mod, beware of spoilers. Obviously, there are also unmarked spoilers for the original game.

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The Final Fantasy VII New Threat Mod provides examples of:

• Aborted Arc: In the Type B scenario, Rufus announces during his first meeting with the heroes he assembled a new elite squad to deal with rogue SOLDIERs such as Cloud and Sephiroth, the COMMANDOs - which is an idea taken from Version 1.5 of the mod. Cloud then fights one COMMANDO instead of Rufus. However, COMMANDOs are barely featured afterwards - save for a Wolfpack Boss fight at Nibelheim. (If the player visits the Highwind's Chocobo stable, he'll also learn two of them were taken prisoner during the takeover of the airship, though their presence might feel weird.) It's because Version 2.0 changed the approach to random encounters and fights. Version 1.5 featured a lot more different enemy groups during random encounters, including new enemies (though often palette swaps of existing monsters). Therefore, sometimes COMMANDOs were part of the random encounters (such as in the Temple of the Ancients). Two COMMANDOs also try to kill Sephiroth in the Whirlwind Maze, only to fail, and to pull off an Enemy Mine with Cloud's party for the battle against Jenova-DEATH. (They are the two soldiers later seen in the Highwind.) Since Version 2.0 aimed for a more polished experience, the homebrew enemy formations were scrapped, and only the scene at Nibelheim was kept.
• Adaptation Expansion:
  • The mod adds models of all the current main characters with idle animations and dialogues in some of the towns and places: Kalm, the Chocobo Farm, Under Junon, Costa del Sol, the bridge right after Mount Corel's reactor on a first visit, Cosmo Canyon, the lake in which Aerith is buried, Icicle, and Midgar on revisits. They can be interacted with, and it fleshes out some aspects of their personalities. For instance:
    • Tifa is sometimes found in the bars, and is shown to enjoy a good drink from time to time.
    • Since Aerith has lived all her life in Midgar, she's shown to be disconcerted when visiting small towns like Kalm or vast grassy lands like the Chocobo Farm. She admits that she's used to live in a big city like Midgar, and would only be comfortable living in such a place. Kalm is too quiet for her taste, for instance.
    • Yuffie enjoys complaining about the places she visits, making bad puns... and annoying Red XIII.
    • Red XIII can be found acting like a regular cat/dog animal: taking long naps, or running around in the fields of the Chocobo Farm.
    • Cid is often showed either napping, or drinking booze.
  • Several scenes have been restored or added. The biggest instances:
    • Yuffie's introduction features an event during which she tries to rob the party when they're staying at Kalm's inn, right after Cloud's flashback. An event which ends with the FIVE party members going after her and thrashing her. After the fight, she forces herself into the party.
    • An optional conversation with Barret is triggered if the party visits Gongaga.
    • There's a romantic optional scene between Cloud and Tifa in Icicle Inn's bar, during which they discuss what they could do after they defeat Sephiroth.
    • Some of the biggest ones of course involve Aerith during the events of Disks 2 and 3, if saved by the player. There's notably an optional conversation with her in Gast's House about her birth parents, her taking part in Tifa's and Barret's rescue disguised as a journalist, and another optional scene between her and Cloud after the flashback of Zack's death. She also actively takes part in all the plot-related conversations during which the full team is gathered.
  • Plot-wise, some of Shinra's actions are a little tweaked or explained differently to make them appear more coherent.
    • During the Midgar Arc. They are aware that Midgar is doomed to soon become unsustainable because the Mako is running out, so their plan is to make sure nobody realizes the problem before they can find the Promised Land, build Neo Midgar, and relocate there. They use AVALANCHE as a scapegoat, building up their threat to spread fear among the masses, and make sure the citizens don't question the Company's actions. The destruction of Sector 7 has been turned into a Xanatos Gambit: Destroying AVALANCHE is merely a bonus. Even if some members of the group survive, Shinra will fulfil several other goals. By destroying one eighth of the city, and killing one eighth of its population, they reduce the Mako consumption, which buys them a few more years to find the Promised Land. The damage done to the city gives them an excuse to raise electricity's rates to fund the Neo Midgar project. Finally, they accuse AVALANCHE of having bombed the pillar while also organizing a rescue team, in order to build good PR, to have an other excuse to raise rates (to fight the terrorist menace) and to further rally the citizens behind them against a common threat.
    • During their search for the Promised Land. They use Marlene as leverage to force AVALANCHE to bring Aerith to the Temple of the Ancients, so that she will help them study its secrets. (Unfortunately for them, Sephiroth shows up first and disrupts their entire operation, wounding Tseng and making everyone else withdraw.) Tseng also states Rufus thinks they can find the Promised Land without Aerith's help, which explains why the Company isn't very insistent on capturing Aerith again after the first president's death. Reeve later pulls some strings to have Marlene and Elmyra removed from Shinra's direct custoy, and to have them put under his custody in Kalm.
  • The 2.0.9992 update merges the Junon Weapon Raid's event progressions of the Type A and Type B scenarios, which slightly lengthens this part. First, Barret's team goes to the control room to cut off the gas of the execution chamber, and then goes to the airport to take the Highwind. Each time, they fight a Wolfpack Mini-Boss.
  • New enemies, mini-bosses, and bosses have been added at various parts of the game. The biggest example is, of course, the Guard Scorpion, who has become a Recurring Boss. In version 1.5, there are even brand new enemy formations and new enemies in most zones; though version 2.0 restored the vanilla enemy formations.
  • There are small end-game sidequests (usually Superboss fights) to get the characters' fourth Limit Breaks.
    • Cloud's fourth Limit Break is obtained after witnessing the events of the flashback of Zack's death, which now includes a Hopeless Boss Fight. In Version 2.0, so is Aerith's Great Gospel.
    • Vincent's fourth Limit Break is obtained after fighting Lucrecia, who has mutated due to the Jenova cells.
    • Yuffie's fourth Limit Break is obtained by returning to Wutai for another Duel Boss against Godo, then doing a second boss fight in the Cave of the Sacred Fire against the spirit of Da-Chao.
    • Getting Red XIII's fourth Limit Break involves returning into the Gi Cave and fighting an evil spirit taking Nanaki's appearance, in order for Red to see his father again.
    • Cait Sith's end-game small sidequest happens at the Temple of the Ancients. It features a boss fight against a One-Winged Angel version of a Cait Sith and another of his Moogle. For real.
    • To get Barret's fourth Limit Break, the party has to go to Mount Corel's Reactor in order to fight one last time the Guard Scorpion, and to destroy it once and for all.
    • In older versions, Aerith's, Tifa's and Cid's fourth Limit Breaks are also obtained after a specific Superboss, though these were removed in Version 2.0. Cid's fourth Limit Break is now obtained automatically right before the heroes fly to the Northern Crater after Hojo's death, and Aerith's fourth Limit Break is obtained at the same time as Cloud's.
  • Each secret Materia of the Materia Caves is now protected by an optional secret boss.
  • A new sidequest in Nibelheim's Shinra Mansion unlocks an optional boss fight against Ozma.
• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Yuffie is recruited right after Cloud's flashback, as she's trying to rob the group while they're staying at Kalm's inn, while in the original game she can only be met after the Mythril Mine.
  • In the Type B scenario, Tifa is present from the beginning as part of the team striking the Mako Reactor number 1 while in the vanilla game she only appears at Sector 7.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Heavily downplayed. In the Type B scenario, Shinra merely sends soldiers to search Sector 7 and capture AVALANCHE, instead of dropping the plate on the slums and killing many citizens. They still do all the other horrible things they do in the vanilla game though.
• Anti-Frustration Feature:
  • Annoyed by a long dungeon with a high encounter rate such as the Gi Cave, Mount Nibel or the Great Glacier? Luckily for you, the Enemy Away Materia can be acquired very early in the game.
  • The Materia menu is unlocked right after the first fight, and more types of Materia are available for the early parts of the game.
  • A few more save points have been added, and the save point of the Gold Saucer is now free. There's also the opportunity to save between each stage of the final battle.
  • The player is warned when a new Fort Condor battle is available. There's also an NPC that will spawn in the current area. Talking to him gives the option to instantly transport to Fort Condor, and then to once again be transported back to the current area, which spares a lot of back-tracking.
  • Some of the lengthy plot-heavy flashbacks or scenes can be skipped to make replays less tedious.
  • The infamously tedious puzzle of the Giant Clock Room in the Temple of the Ancients can be skipped: There's an option to spawn platforms allowing to access all the rooms at the same time.
  • As of Version 2.09992, in the Whirlwind Maze, players are now knocked through the wind rather than away, to help with progression.
  • For those who were annoyed by Tifa's sudden wimpy moment during the infamous "slap fight" with Scarlet, the mod adds a "Limit Break" choice option. Choosing it will have Tifa utterly waste Scarlet with martial arts moves and instantly win the fight.
  • For those who consider Chocobo-breeding a tedious, annoying side-quest, Kalm's traveler now awards a Golden Chocobo in exchange for the Guide Book.
• Ascended Extra:
  • A downplayed case with Yuffie and Vincent. They are now mandatory party members, not optional ones like in the original game. However, most of their screentime consists of the content that is already in the vanilla game, though Yuffie's introduction is featured in a new scene of her trying to rob the party during their stay at Kalm's inn... a theft which prompts the FIVE party members to go after her and beat her up during a rather one-sided boss fight.
  • Arguably, this also happens to Aerith. Since the mod features the option to save her, AND the story takes that fact into account and tweaks some events of the plot accordingly, she can therefore physically appear in the rest of the game. She will be part of the team during group meetings, will have lines of dialogues, can be interacted with, and there are even extended scenes featuring her. For instance, she will actively take part in Barret's and Tifa's rescue during the their public execution, disguised as journalist, knocking Scarlet out with a chair, and basically taking Yuffie's place as Barret's and Cait Sith's third teammate during this portion of the game. There are also optional conversations between her and Cloud in Gast's house at Icicle and after the flashback of Zack's death.
  • Downplayed with Tseng, whose survival is confirmed in the mod, who shows up as a boss in front of the Rocket when Cloud and his team try to retrieve the Mega-Materia.
  • The Guard Scorpion becomes a recurring boss, to the point of being a Running Gag.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: In-Universe, the party dismisses the Optional Boss of Cait Sith's endgame sidequest as a bad trip, and agrees to never mention it again.
• Climax Boss: Jenova-DEATH ticks all the boxes even more than in the vanilla game, thanks to the modifications to the fight. As before, the boss battle happens at a key moment, during the reveal of Sephiroth's true identity - a reveal which here actually takes place during the fight itself, since Jenova starts the fight under Sephiroth's guise before revealing its true form. Moreover, Jenova-DEATH has been revamped, and is now a Marathon Boss who will test the characters' endurance. Plus, players won't be able to shrug off her attacks by simply putting protections against the fire element on their party. Therefore, the battle is a more than decent challenge. The Judgement Day OST also works surprisingly well for this fight.
• Competitive Balance: One aim of the mod is to make this more prevalent. Players are encouraged to create more specialized character builds with the Soul Point system, and with the revamped Materia and equipment, instead of having a team of three Jack of All Stats. Some enemies are highly resistant to magic, others have a strong physical defense, so it's more viable to have at least one party member specialized in magic and one physical brawler. Moreover, most weapons have less Materia slots than in vanilla to encourage players to be more strategic with their builds.
• Death by Adaptation: In the original game, Lucrecia's fate is left ambiguous. In this mod, if one does the corresponding sidequest, the party is forced to Mercy Kill her after she's no longer able to resist the influence of the Jenova cells in her body, and mutates into a monster.
• Demoted to Extra: Reno in the Type B scenario. In the vanilla game, Reno is something akin to a Starter Villain as far as Shinra is concerned: he's responsible for Aerith and Cloud teaming up when he tries to capture her in the church, and he's the first Shinra executive who's directly confronted when the Company blows up Sector 7's pillar. However, in the Type B scenario, Rude is the one who's confronted in Aerith's church; and the whole subplot of Shinra trying to destroy Sector 7 is dropped. The optional fight against Reno and Rude in Gongaga is also dropped, replaced by a fight against one of Scarlet's robots. Therefore, it means that all of Reno's main appearances in Disk 1 have been removed, save for the optional Wutai sidequest. In the 2.09992 update, he's added to the Mythril Mines scene, so the trope is downplayed.
• Developer's Foresight: The optional Superboss who protects the Mime Materia is a Mimic. By default, it takes Cloud's appearance. However, if it's faced while Cid or Tifa is the leader (for instance through the feature available after reaching the bottom of North Crater), it will take the form of the current party leader, complete with a different moveset.
• Elite Mook: Outside of the SOLDIERs, the Shinra Company employs a few other elite soldiers, who are often fought as mini-bosses.
  • Rufus Shinra employs Presidential Guards, who are the strongest "machine gun wielding" soldiers of the Company, and use a powerful grenade which hit all the heroes when they are defeated. These men are confronted several times during the game. (They are fought two times during the party's raid on Junon. In the Type B scenario, two of them are also the first stage of the Palmer boss fight, and there is another battle with them when the party tries to escape Junon during the WEAPON's assault.)
  • In the Type B scenario (and version 1.5), Rufus Shinra has mounted a special unit to counter Cloud, Sephiroth, and other rogue SOLDIERs: the COMMANDOs.
• Flunky Boss:
  • The Thunder Gunner that attacks the party in the core of Mako Reactor 5 is accompanied by two Special Combatants.
  • The Guard Scorpion fought in the Shinra Tower is accompanied by two Mighty Grunts.
  • The fight against the Hundred Gunner and the Heli Gunner has been turned into that instead of a sequential boss fight. Indeed, now the Heli Gunnner (and another Thunder Gunner) arrive during the fight against the Hundred Gunner.
  • Jenova-BIRTH will now summon several tentacles and mutant monsters at some point during the boss fight.
  • The optional mini-boss in front of the Nibelheim Reactor is the Guard Scorpion escorted by two Shinra troopers.
  • The Guard Scorpion fought in front of Junon's Underwater Reactor will summon four miniature versions of itself after some time.
  • Tseng will attempt to prevent the party from entering the space rocket with the help of two Shinra soldiers whom he'll buff.
• Funny Background Event: Party members can be found in some places doing funny things. For instance, Red XIII will be running around in Chocobo Farm's fields like a regular dog. During the scene on the bridge right after the first visit to Mount Corel's Reactor, Yuffie is shown fishing with Red XIII in the background.
• Guest-Star Party Member:
  • Jessie helps Cloud and Barret during the second fight against the Guard Scorpion. She's controlled by the AI, and uses the moveset of a Shinra trooper (machine gun and grenades).
  • In older versions of the mod, two Shinra COMMANDOs, part of a squad of elite soldiers assembled to track down Sephiroth, help the party during their fight against Jenova-DEATH.
• Hoist by Their Own Petard: Jenova-LIFE resurrects Aerith to use her as an ally during the boss fight. However, it also means that if the player manages to beat Jenova while keeping her alive, then after the fight, Cloud and his friends will be able to prevent her death. Plus, if Aerith dies during the fight, she'll cast Great Gospel on your party, which will turn the second half of the fight into a cakewalk.
• Interface Spoiler: The Soul Point system's menu spoils several things about the vanilla game that veteran players already know anyway. The first Soul Point is given after the fight against Jenova-BIRTH, but the menu already reveals the names of future party members Cait Sith, Vincent, and Cid. Moreover, since Aerith can only receive the upgrade two times while it's four times for everyone else, it's easy to guess that she won't stay in the party forever. Later subverted when it turns out that this menu cleverly hides another huge spoiler that will take a veteran player by surprise: you can, in fact, save Aerith. Had the menu shown from the start that she can receive four upgrades, it would probably have tipped off someone who knows the game well.
• In Spite of a Nail: While it changes the details of some events, the mod still keeps the original game's general progression.
  • In both scenarios, even if the player prevents Aerith's death, the rest of the game's events will remain roughly the same.
  • The Type B scenario changes some narrative events, but concludes the same way as the original game. The main plot points still happen, but the details of some events leading to them change.
    • Cloud and Aerith try to meet Don Corneo like in the vanilla game, but it's to get a way to go to Sector 7 in spite of Shinra's blockade, not to help Tifa.
    • AVALANCHE still has to infiltrate Shinra's Headquarter. However, this time it's not to save Aerith, but to save Tifa and Elmyra who were captured and used as hostages by Shinra. Aerith herself is actually part of the rescue team.
• Irony: As a Cetra, Aerith has a special connection to the Planet. However, she admits during some idle conversations that she prefers to live in an urban environment. A small town like Kalm is too quiet for her taste, and she feels a bit unnerved by the Chocobo Farm's vast open space.
• Last Ditch Move: Upon defeat, Rufus Shinra's Presidential Guards have a nasty surprise for their opponents. A Mako Bomb which will be the death of any unprepared team low on health.
• Marathon Boss: Jenova-DEATH. The boss fight starts with Jenova still using Sephiroth's appearance, who is rather easy to deal with, though one may want to destroy it quickly as it can remove status buff or use Heartless Angel. However, after this form is destroyed, the real battle begins. Jenova-DEATH has a big amount of HP, with the gimmick that its defenses start high, and are progressively lowered after each hit, turning the fight into a true endurance match. Jenova also regularly inflicts the Death Sentence status effect, and can even cast Death, which forces the player to revive dead party members, and extends the fight even more.
• Mascot Mook: Technically, Mascot Boss. The very first boss of the game, the Guard Scorpion (renamed X-ATM Scorpion) is Sega Chief's avatar and the mod's mascot, as well as a Recurring Boss (and recurring gag).
• Optional Boss: The mods adds a handful of them.
  • There is one in each Materia Cave.
  • Most of the fourth Limit Breaks are now obtained after an optional boss.
  • It's possible to unlock a fight against the (in)famous Ozma itself.
• Pet the Dog: Almost whenever Yuffie and Red XIII are shown together during their idle dialogues in town, the former is shown pestering the latter. However, in Under Junon during the events of Disk 3, she will earnestly propose to accompany him so that he won't be alone when he mentions that he intends to continue traveling after they defeat Sephiroth.
• Recurring Boss:
  • The very first boss, the Guard Scorpion, has been turned into one. In the Type A scenario, it is fought two times in Reactor 1 (though the second time it can't attack; it's just trying to stall for time). Then, upgraded Guard Scorpions will show up from time to time as mandatory or optional mini-bosses.^note One is fought at Floor 59 in the Shinra HQ in a mandatory boss battle. There's an optional fight at Corel's Mako Reactor and another optional one at Mount Nibel's Mako Reactor. Another mandatory boss battle takes place in front of Junon's underwater Mako Reactor. Finally, it's the Optional Boss that needs to be defeated to get Barret's ultimate weapon, and it even gets a One-Winged Angel form. There's even the implication that it's always the same one and keeps getting rebuilt over and over again.
  • Reno and Rude were already ones in the vanilla game, but now Elena has also joined the club in the Type A scenario, since the mod adds an additional boss fight against Rude and her at the end of the Mythril Cave.^note Since the 2.09992 update, in the Type B scenario, there is a fight against Reno instead. In older versions, there's even another boss fight with Elena at Icicle, though that one was removed from Version 2.0.
  • In the Mako Reactor 5's core, a new machine called the Thunder Gunner attacks the party, and it later returns as one of Hundred Gunner's flunkies.
• Revive Kills Zombie: Inverted. Jenova-LIFE uses spells called Uncure and Unlife, which can ressurect Aerith as a minion under its control, but hurt Cloud and his friends, allowing the boss to bypass the protection of MBarrier.
• Running Gag: The very first boss of the game, the Guard Scorpion, just won't give up chasing the party. It keeps getting rebuilt to attack them. It's even more pronounced in Version 1.5, in which he will appear at some far-fetched moments, such as in the Temple of the Ancients (that one has been kept in the Type B scenario), or on the train when the party goes to retrieve Corel's Mega-Materia, in which its stated goal is just to make the team lose time.
• Shout-Out:
  • Version 2.0 makes several to Final Fantasy VII Remake.
    • If Aerith has been saved by the player, she will take part in the rescue operation to save Tifa and Barret when they're prisoners in Junon, disguised as a journalist. She'll knock out Scarlet with a chair, a clear reference to the famous scene of Aerith hitting one of Corneo's goons over the head with a chair in the remake.
    • The Optional Boss of Cait Sith's endgame sidequest is called the "Arbiter of Cait".^note Arbiter of Fate.
    • The Type B scenario includes some events from the Remake into the modified Midgar storyline. Soon after Cloud's meeting with Aerith, the two of them fight Rude together. Also, Cloud's and Aerith's plan to meet Don Corneo is to win a fighting tournament. There are even Kotch and Scotch as commentators, and the Hell House is the final opponent and mini-boss of the tournament.
  • There are also references to other entries of the Final Fantasy franchise.
    • The Guard Scorpion which several times stands in the party's way^note (The game hints it's chasing after them.) is called X-ATM Scorpion; which is a reference to X-ATM-092, an other arachnid robot known for its relentless pursuit of the main protagonists.
    • One of the Cait Siths in Cait Sith's endgame sidequest repeats: "I'm sharpening my knife, kupo!"
    • Kalm's traveler dreams of traveling the world as a spoony bard.
    • The final opponent of Battle Arena's Special Fight is none other than the legendary Ziegfried. Kidding. It's actually Gilgamesh. Because... "For Gilgamesh – It's Cameo Time!"
    • Speaking of optional fights, there is a hidden sidequest which unlocks an optional boss fight against the (in)famous Ozma.
  • Diamond Weapon's ultimate skill is called Diamond is Unbreakable.
  • The Type B scenario slightly changes the events of Mount Nibel, and has Shinra Troopers trying to stop Cloud and his party. The one at the top of the bridge exclaims: "It's over AVALANCHE! I have the high ground!"
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • It is possible to prevent Aerith's death. The story will take that fact into account, and she will take part in the remaining events of the game.
  • In the Type B scenario, due to the fact that Shinra doesn't enact the whole "drop-the-Plate" plan, all the citizens of Sector 7 as well as Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie survive.
• Turns Red: Rude has a new spell called 'Turk Heal', which he uses after a certain amount of his health has been depleted. (During some fights, he also uses it on his ally.) It heals a few HP, and casts Fury, which prevents him or his ally from using spells and techniques, but makes their physical attacks much stronger. As an added bonus, it makes their battle model become red.
• Useless Useful Spell: Averted with some Materia, due to the gameplay and the stats having been tweaked.
  • The "Destruct" Materia is less situational, as more bosses will try to buff or to protect themselves, and Dispel can be used to remove some annoying status effects (such as Death Sentence).
  • Poison can be a saving grace against some bosses.
  • A few bosses aren't immunite to Gravity spells, and it's often one of the best ways to harm them. (Though these spells still have a chance to miss, due to how powerful they can be.)
  • Given the fact that the bosses often hit hard, and sometimes several times per turn, slowing them with the "Time" Materia is a lot more useful than in the vanilla game.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are Spared by the Adaptation in the Type B scenario, but more or less disappear from the plot after the infiltration of Shinra Headquarters with no mention of their whereabouts. Barret lampshades it during his conversation in Cosmo Canyon, in which he wonders if they're still fighting in Midgar, or if they chose to hide. If the team returns to Midgar after getting the Sector 5 Key, they are nowhere to be seen, as Sector 7 can't be accessed.
• Wolfpack Boss:
  • Some have been added as mini-bosses.
    • As of the 2.09992 update, the escape from Junon during the Weapon Raid features Barret's group having to fight a group of Junon troopers led by two Presidential Guards in the control room, and shortly afterwards an other group of troopers led by a second-class SOLDIER in order to reach the Highwind. In previous versions of 2.0, the fight in front of the Highwind takes place only in the Type A scenario; and the one in the control room, only in the Type B scenario.
    • Later, at the start of AVALANCHE's raid against Junon's Underwater Reactor, the heroes have to confront another squad of troopers led by two Presidential Guards.
  • The Hopeless Boss Fight of Zack's flashback is several waves of Shinra troopers and machines, which ends with a group of first-class SOLDIERs.
  • In the Type B scenario, the fight against the Air Buster has been replaced by a fight against a few waves of third-class SOLDIERs.
  • In the Type B scenario, and in Version 1.5, the entrance of Nibelheim's Shinra Mansion is guarded by a COMMANDO captain and two COMMANDO troopers.