How to solve Mako gas elevator puzzles in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Barrett isn’t proud that you’re the one sucking up Mako, but you do what it takes to reach that Nibel Mako reactor in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth—and that means getting rid of the Mako gas blocking your path.

As you journey through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s Nibelheim chapter with your buddy Sephiroth, you put up with many Screamers, scattered Materia obs, and malfunctioning elevators. All the hours you’ve put into FF7R have led you to this: solving puzzles. The facility’s elevators and doors are corrupted by Mako leaks that prevent them from working properly. To get them back up and running, you have to solve all the Mako gas puzzles.

How to clear the Mako gas and unlock the elevators in FF7 Rebirth

You run into two puzzles asking you to get rid of Mako gas to activate an elevator in this chapter. As we pointed out in our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview, this game rewards exploration, and that’s exactly how you find the solution to this puzzle. Below, you’ll find the solution to both Mako gas puzzles.

Shinra Facility

On the second floor of the Shinra Facility, you run into your first Mako gas puzzle in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Follow these steps to clear the gas and access the elevator:

1. To the elevator console’s right is a fenced area you can enter. Inside lies a wired device you can manipulate to absorb the Mako.
2. Grab the wired device with L2 and drag it through the Mako leaks in front of the elevator console.
3. Make sure to stop at every leak to give the wired device enough time to absorb the Mako. You’ll get a robotic audio message telling you the Mako levels have descended and a percentage once it’s done.
4. Once you’ve cleared 100 percent of the Mako in the area, interact with the elevator console once more to activate it.

Southern Ridge

The Southern Ridge Mako puzzle in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth features the same mechanics as the one you ran into in the Shinra Facility. The Mako gas won’t let you through, and there is a wired device to the right inside a fenced area. The wire is a bit shorter now, however, so you can’t just reach every Mako leak right away.

To solve the second Mako gas puzzle, drag the wired device closer to the power source. If you look to the left, there is another exit closer to it. Exit with the wired device through this door, and you won’t get that “The cable is not long enough” message.

Just like before, absorb all the Mako gas until you get 100 percent completion. All that’s left to do is interact with the door to exit this area. And since we’re talking completion, you might want to keep our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trophy guide handy if you’re going for the platinum trophy.