Uploaded May 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If this run is Batman, then the Cliffs were almost Bane.
Challenge Conditions
-) Gjoerulv's Hardcore Mod Installed
-) Lv.1 Party Only
-) No Overflow
-) No 'Game Over' Slots
-) No Sources
-Wutai-
With a Hypnocrown equipped, we can now Manipulate the Razor Weeds and Adamantaimai in this area (our level was too low before for Manipulate to succeed against these high-level guys). The Weeds will only use Glasscutter until attacked, which inflicts %-based damage, so there's no danger in this fight if we have them confuse each other and then finish them off. Same thing goes with the Adamantaimai; so long as we don't attack it, we won't be killed by a strong counter-attack.
-Great Glacier-
Not in the video, but worth mentioning. From the Ancient Forest onwards, we're in serious danger from enemy groups as they can quickly wipe us out. Ice protection is very useful going through this area as there's a few ice-elemental attacks that hit multiple targets. We also took out Snow using Ice-protection and Confuse-protection, which makes it impossible for her to kill you.
-Gaea's Cliff-
By far and away the most difficult segment of this run so far. The enemies here are quick, and Stilva can open with an attack that sweeps your team so it's a mad dash for the save-point below the Icicle room. Once we're there, we can pick up Stilva and Malboro's E. Skills.
Stilva is easy to take care of, just have lightning protection and hope to manipulate him before Big Red Clipper is used. Malboro is also fairly straightforward though he can't be Manipulated. I had my guys equipped with Ice protection and then gave them some form of Poison status defence; this nullifies his Bio2 as well leaving him with no damaging attacks. Cloud had a Ribbon which kept him active after Bad Breath, at which point the plan is to keep attacking with Cloud until the Destruct + Added Effect in his weapon inflicts instant death.
Now we've got the Icicles to take care of. These fights are very short but very tricky, and required dozens of attempts. We need to get a first turn against the very quick Evilheads so I've got everyone equipped with Bronze Bangles and Choco Feathers to narrow the gap. We have to throw an Hourglass and it has to hit at least three of the Evilheads and has to hit the Icicle. With that done, Tifa then needs to use Demi2 on the Icicle, which is weak to this element (if it hasn't been Stopped then it's counter-attack will kill everyone) and we follow that up with any attack to take care of it.
That's the Evilhead Icicle strategy. The third Icicle has a different formation with two Evilheads and two Grievers. who are immune to Stop. For this one, I had to backtrack all the way to Wutai to fill Cloud's Finishing Touch limit break on their %-based attacks and then escort him back to the Gaea's Cliffs. This took more resets than I'd care to count, and once we did get back we have to get first turn with that Hourglass again to freeze the Icicle (doesn't need to hit the Evilheads this time though) and use Finishing Touch while this animation plays. That takes care of the regular enemies, leaving us free to kill the Icicle and advance up the cliffs. Whew.
Finally, we've got Dragon Force to learn from the Blue Dragons wandering around near Schizo's corridor. Manipulate works again, so we use that and then poison him to take him out. A %-based defence boost could be useful on someone with good armour and a Protect Vest equipped, right?
If this run is Batman, then the Cliffs were almost Bane.
Challenge Conditions
-) Gjoerulv's Hardcore Mod Installed
-) Lv.1 Party Only
-) No Overflow
-) No 'Game Over' Slots
-) No Sources
-Wutai-
With a Hypnocrown equipped, we can now Manipulate the Razor Weeds and Adamantaimai in this area (our level was too low before for Manipulate to succeed against these high-level guys). The Weeds will only use Glasscutter until attacked, which inflicts %-based damage, so there's no danger in this fight if we have them confuse each other and then finish them off. Same thing goes with the Adamantaimai; so long as we don't attack it, we won't be killed by a strong counter-attack.
-Great Glacier-
Not in the video, but worth mentioning. From the Ancient Forest onwards, we're in serious danger from enemy groups as they can quickly wipe us out. Ice protection is very useful going through this area as there's a few ice-elemental attacks that hit multiple targets. We also took out Snow using Ice-protection and Confuse-protection, which makes it impossible for her to kill you.
-Gaea's Cliff-
By far and away the most difficult segment of this run so far. The enemies here are quick, and Stilva can open with an attack that sweeps your team so it's a mad dash for the save-point below the Icicle room. Once we're there, we can pick up Stilva and Malboro's E. Skills.
Stilva is easy to take care of, just have lightning protection and hope to manipulate him before Big Red Clipper is used. Malboro is also fairly straightforward though he can't be Manipulated. I had my guys equipped with Ice protection and then gave them some form of Poison status defence; this nullifies his Bio2 as well leaving him with no damaging attacks. Cloud had a Ribbon which kept him active after Bad Breath, at which point the plan is to keep attacking with Cloud until the Destruct + Added Effect in his weapon inflicts instant death.
Now we've got the Icicles to take care of. These fights are very short but very tricky, and required dozens of attempts. We need to get a first turn against the very quick Evilheads so I've got everyone equipped with Bronze Bangles and Choco Feathers to narrow the gap. We have to throw an Hourglass and it has to hit at least three of the Evilheads and has to hit the Icicle. With that done, Tifa then needs to use Demi2 on the Icicle, which is weak to this element (if it hasn't been Stopped then it's counter-attack will kill everyone) and we follow that up with any attack to take care of it.
That's the Evilhead Icicle strategy. The third Icicle has a different formation with two Evilheads and two Grievers. who are immune to Stop. For this one, I had to backtrack all the way to Wutai to fill Cloud's Finishing Touch limit break on their %-based attacks and then escort him back to the Gaea's Cliffs. This took more resets than I'd care to count, and once we did get back we have to get first turn with that Hourglass again to freeze the Icicle (doesn't need to hit the Evilheads this time though) and use Finishing Touch while this animation plays. That takes care of the regular enemies, leaving us free to kill the Icicle and advance up the cliffs. Whew.
Finally, we've got Dragon Force to learn from the Blue Dragons wandering around near Schizo's corridor. Manipulate works again, so we use that and then poison him to take him out. A %-based defence boost could be useful on someone with good armour and a Protect Vest equipped, right?
