How to defeat Midgardsormr in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Your first major test in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will likely be the fearsome Midgardsormr boss during chapter two. If you’re struggling, fear not, as our tips will help you take down the slithery snake.

Old-school Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fans might recognize Migardsormr as the iconic and terrifying Midgar Zolom. It used to be a non-boss enemy that could wreck you in the early hours after leaving Midgar, which still baffles me to this day.

This serpentine specimen is reincarnated in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as Midgardsormr. Now a fully-fledged boss, the mandatory enemy packs less of a punch this time around, but still has more than enough venom to take you down if you’re unprepared.

Midgardsormr boss guide in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Phase one

Don’t let the Midgardsormr’s overwhelming size intimidate you—get stuck in from the get-go. Make sure you have one or more team members equipped with Blizzard Materia, and especially make sure you have the Shiva Summon Materia on an active teammate.

Pepper the boss with abilities and Blizzard spells to fill its Stagger meter. Its attacks are fairly basic and you just need to keep your distance, making Barret a great option here. Make sure to Guard against anything that comes your way.

Hound the Midgardsormr with Synergy Abilities, as this will instantly Pressure it. The boss has two main attacks to watch out for in phase one, with the first being its Toxic Waters attack. It causes Poison but gives you ample time to prepare. You just need to run to the edge of the battlefield to avoid it. If you get hit, a quick Antidote will sort you out.

Once you’ve done a decent bit of damage, the Midgardsormr will deliver its punishing Scorching Breath. Again, it’s highly telegraphed, so hide behind a tree and you’ll take no damage.

Reduce its health to 50 percent, and the Midgardsormr is likely to use its trademark Beta attack, but instead of obliterating you with big damage, it seems to make the snarling snake more angry, firey, and aggressive. We’ll need to end this fight quickly.

Using Aerith, it’s imperative you cast her Arcane Ward ability to land double spells. This means two lots of Blizzard for the price of one—and anyone else who has it equipped. Don’t forget to summon Shiva when the meter eventually fills up, too.

Do all of this, and the Midgardsormr will become another trophy for the gang. Plus, it will count toward the Swampy Situation trophy for completing chapter two in the Final Fantasy 7 trophy list.

Midgardsormr boss weaknesses in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The Midgardsormr’s main weakness in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Ice.

You can easily exploit this with Blizzard Materia—Blizzaga if you’ve leveled up your Materia fast enough. On top of this, you can also call upon the mighty power of Shiva to deliver regular attacks using ATB charges, as well as delivering a final, crushing blow as the deity departs the arena.

Midgardsormr boss resistances in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Lesser resistances

There are three Lesser Resistances you need to look out for with the Midgardsormr: Fixed Damage, Stop, and Petrify. The main things to note here are that the Midgardsormr essentially can’t be stopped or immobilized, which is understandable given it’s a 700 ft snake—excuse the hyperbole.

Greater resistances

Fire is the only Greater Resistance the Midgardsormr possesses. Since the snake is weak to Ice, it’s logical that Fire wouldn’t be effective. So, avoid any use of Fire Materia or its stronger variants, and don’t even think about calling in Ifrit.

Midgardsormr boss immunities in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Alongside its strengths and weaknesses, there’s an abundance of effects and spells the Midgardsormr is immune to: Proportional Damage, Berserk, Slow, Poison, Silence, Sleep, Stone, and Morphable Items.

Bear all this in mind when planning and coordinating your attack on the Midgardsormr.

Best party to use for Midgardsormr boss fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

For me personally, without Yuffie, the trio of choice has to be Cloud, Barret, and Aerith. I already believe this is the best party in all of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but here, each of their qualities shines.

Cloud can deal great damage and tank a lot of incoming fire, Barret can hit the boss with ranged damage, keeping him away from those tough Toxic Waters and Scorching Breath moves, while Aerith can heal and her Arcane Ward can speed up the fight.