THE CAST/CHARACTER STRATEGY
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CLOUD STRIFE-Your main character, Cloud starts the game as a mercenary working for AVALANCHE, a sort of eco-terrorist group that has been bombing mako reactors.   Over the course of the game, you find out that he grew up with Tifa, and that he has some kind of connection to Sephiroth.  Cloud uses swords that are usually bigger than he is.  He will almost always be the highest level member in the group.  He will also usually be your most powerful character.  (Only because he's usually your highest-level character.  If he's not the highest level, then it's usually a toss-up.)
     Ultimate Weapon: Cloud's Ultimate Weapon is a sword called (drumroll, please) the Ultima Weapon.  You get it from (Boy, what a variety of names!) the Ultima Weapon.  After you defeat the Diamond Weapon in Disc 2, head south on that continent to the crater lake.  You'll see the Ultima Weapon-the one that attacked Mideel-hovering over it.  Bump into it, and it will fight you for a while, then leave.  Find it, tail it until it stops, and repeat.  Eventually, it'll stop over Cosmo Canyon.  When you fight it this time, it will fight to the death.  On its death, it will use a Shadow Flare-a 8000 point attack-on the character that struck the killing blow.  It'll leave a nice crater behind, and you'll get the Ultima Weapon.  This sword's damage is based on Cloud's HP; it will be equal to his HP plus a percentage.  This means that, if an enemy manipulates him into attacking himself, he'll definitely be killed.  It also means that he'll do an average of 4000-5000 HP damage.  If Cloud has about 5000 HP, this sword will inflict 9999 damage on a critical strike.  If he uses his Level 4 Limit break with this sword, it is the most damaging attack in the game, even outstripping Knights of the Round.
    Level 4 Limit Break: I hope you like the Battle Square mini-game in Gold Saucer, because if you don't, you're in trouble.  You need to go there in Disc  2 or 3 and get 32,000 BP to get the Omnislash manual. A few suggestions: Equip whatever character you're using with these Materia: MP Plus, HP Plus, Restore (At best, mastered), Slash All, Ultima, A high level attack spell=All, Heal (At best, mastered; at least, with Esuna), Knights of the Round.  Equipping them with the Ribbon accessory will be a great help, also; it prevents many of the handicaps from affecting you.  The easiest way to get it is to wait until you have Cloud's Ultima Weapon, then enter him in the Square.  The one thing you really need to watch for are the little beggar-critters from North Crater, which will sometimes show up as your seventh battle.  They won't do anything for four rounds, then they'll get an attack that automatically kills you.  They're the reason  I recommend having Knights of the Round and Ultima equipped.  If you can make it through all eight battles three times, you will usually have enough for the Manual.  To get the GP to finance this, I rode in the Chocobo races, returning everything except Megalixers and materia for GP.  In the course of getting the Gold Chocobo, you easily earn a thousand GP this way.
     BARRET WALLACE-The head of AVALANCHE, at the beginning of the game his main interest is wrecking Shinra.  His hometown was destroyed by Shinra, leaving him a widower with a four-year old named Marlene.  His right arm was replaced with a gun, which means he can be put in the back rank with no penalty.  Barret is a rotten spellcaster.
     Ultimate Weapon: I'm still checking this out; according to the information I have, it should be on the stairs leading up to the Sister Ray if Barret is in your party.
     L4 Limit Break:  I'm also still checking this one out.  By what I've picked up, there will be someone in North Corel who will give it to you if you save the town from being squished by the train during the Huge Materia quest.
TIFA LOCKHEART-A childhood friend of Cloud's, Tifa is a martial artist who owns a bar in Sector 7 in Midgar.  Unfortunately, that leaves her "out in the cold" when Sector 7 is destroyed.  Tifa knows more about Cloud's background than Cloud himself.  Her limit breaks show up as wheels on a slot machine; each attack adds another wheel, up to seven.  Each wheel can come up Hit, Miss, or Yeah!-a normal attack, no attack, or double damage.  A bit of strategy with her limit breaks: Set the Timing to Recommended, trigger her limit, and wait until another character or creature takes their move.  The slot wheels will slow down enough that you can ensure straight Yeah!s.  If you can get good results on the slots, this string of attacks can be one of the stronger limit breaks in the game.  Tifa leads the party for a short time in Disc 2.
     Ultimate Weapon:  The Premium Heart is hidden in that broken vending machine in Wall Market.  Return to Midgar in Disc 2, and talk to the man by the Sector 5 gate.  He'll mention losing his key at a dig site.  Go up to Bone Village, and look for normal treasure; sooner or later, you'll find the keycard.  The first time you examine the machine, it will still shoot at you.  Examine it again to find the Premium Heart.  The Premium Heart won't do much damage at first; give Tifa a few levels to get used to it.
     Level 4 Limit Break:  Go to Tifa's home in Nibelheim after you have the Highwind and Cloud.  Get Tifa in your party, go to the piano, and play the Highwind theme.  (If you don't want to puzzle it out trial-and-error style, here it is: Cancel, Switch, Menu, PgUp+Menu, PgUp+Switch, Cancel, Switch, Menu, PgUp+Cancel, OK, Cancel, Switch, Cancel, Start)Once you've played through it, Tifa will step out and start looking for the sheet music; while looking, she finds a letter from Zangan, that nicely explains how Tifa survived and what happened to Cloud's missing two years.  The letter ends by saying that these will be useful, and Tifa will find the Final Heaven manual hidden beside it.
AERIS GAINSBUROUGH-When you first meet her, she's just a girl selling flowers on the street.  A girl, selling fresh flowers, in a city where grass and flowers refuse to grow.  Her home has a lush garden, and she talks to her flowers as if they talk back.  The Turks have an unhealthy interest in her, but she sure as heck doesn't fit the standards for SOLDIER.  As time goes by, she turns out to be the most important character in the party.  Aeris is a powerful spellcaster and a pitiful fighter.  Notice her victory animation and take it as a hint-put her in the back row, and choose her weapons based on Materia slots and growth rather than attack strength.  She has some of the most powerful healing Limit Breaks, and her higher level Breaks make you invulnerable.
     Ultimate Weapon:  She doesn't have an Ultimate Weapon like the other characters do; while hers does have an astronomical amount of Materia slots, it has normal growth, whereas everyone else's has Zero growth.  It's called the Princess Guard, and it's found by heading through the door labeled "IIII" in the Time Guardian in the Temple of the Ancients.
      Level 4 Limit Break:  Her Great Gospel is an awesome Limit Break, and one of four ways to regain MP in battle without items.  (Great Gospel, Pulse of Life, Red's Blood Fang(For Red only), and Cait's L2 Limit Break).  However, you have to go fetch it on Disc 1, after you've got the Tiny Bronco.  Hop into the Dune Buggy and drive it into Costa Del Sol; stowaway to Port Junon, and leave town; you'll be in the buggy.  Head up just north and east of Junon Town, over the river to a cave, where you'll find an old man.  If the last two digits in the number of battles you've fought are the same, he'll give you Mythril or a Bolt Ring; he'll do this more than once.  If the numbers don't match up, run around that area until they do.  Once you have the Mythril, head back to the shack on the peninsula northeast of Gongaga, and talk to the man about anything but the Keystone and the Temple of the Ancients.  Give him the Mythril, then wait until he goes to the little wall-box upstairs.  The Great Gospel Manual will be in the box.  This Limit Break is ungodly powerful, even if it does have a time limit.  It is one of the most powerful Limit Breaks, and I get the sneaking suspicion that, due to "game balance", they only allowed it in because Aeris won't live that long after the point you can get it!
 RED XIII-A talking big cat, Red XIII first shows up as a Shinra lab specimen.  He proves to be one of the last of an ancient race of guardians and protectors, blessed with incredible longevity (and apparently a resistance to Jenova).  His real name is Nanaki; Red XIII is simply a name given to him by Hojo.  You'll find out what happened to the other twelve.  Red is a very well-balanced character, with great magic strength and powerful physical attacks.  His limit breaks are great attacks.  Red has the potential to be the second most powerful party member, next to Cloud.
     Ultimate Weapon:  Red XIII's Limited Moon isn't available until Disc 3.  Head to Cosmo Canyon and go up to Bugenhagen's home.  Red will talk to Bugenhagen, who will decide that he needs to see the world for himself.  (Or so Red says; there's a lot of controversy, and the most common belief is that he died.)  Before he leaves, he gives Red the Limited Moon.  The Limited Moon is one of the few (and maybe the only, I haven't found them all yet) Ultimate Weapons with no control on its power.  All of the others have some circumstance where they're weakened-Cloud's HP are low, Yuffie's more powerful than her opponent, etc., etc..
     Level 4 Limit Break:  The Cosmo Memory Manual is being kept by the Lost Number in the safe in the Shinra Mansion; when you kill the Lost Number, you'll get the Manual.  This attack regularly does 9999 damage.  Even if you aren't planning on finding Vincent, this could be incentive to solve the safe puzzle.  (Something with creepy signifigance: Yuffie's L4 Limit Break comes from Wutai, her homeland.  Tifa's L4 is found in her home in Nibelheim.  Lucrecia has Vincent's.  Cloud's, well, somehow it seems strangely appropriate, knowing Dio.  Red's is the only one that's hidden in a place that has nothing to do with its character-or does it????)
YUFFIE KISARAGI-Yuffie is a hidden character.  She's a sixteen-year-old ninja from Wutai, who collects materia in the hopes of making Wutai as powerful as it was before the war.  Unfortunately, she attempts to collect YOUR materia.  Her father is the lord of Wutai.  She's perfectly useful, so long as you're ready to clear up her little Materia Misunderstanding, and put up with her attitude.  One of the big benefits to having her is that, when Barret and Cait Sith are escaping from Junon town in Disc two, she'll join them, rounding out the party with three characters.  (Because you'll be meeting members of SOLDIER-albiet 2nd Class-this is a big advantage.  Sometimes I only barely survived, even with Yuffie.)  She's very well balanced, with great limit breaks, and her sub-quest nets you a nice summon materia.  She uses long range weapons, so she can go in the back rank with no penalties.  To find her, run around the forests near Gongaga and Junon.  Eventually, you'll fight a Mystery Ninja.  Defeat her, and you'll wind up in a nice little wilderness screen.  DO NOT TOUCH THAT SAVE POINT.  If you do, she'll run away, taking 200 gil with her when she goes.  If you give an incorrect response in the discussion, she'll run away and take the gil.  If she does, you can find her again and go through it all again.  The proper responses are, in this order: Bottom, Top, Bottom, Top, Bottom.  Her subquest happens the first time you try and go near Wutai if you've found her; the only way to postpone it is to simply not go near Wutai.
     Ultimate Weapon:  Yuffie's Conformer is on the Gelnica.  Go through the door right by the save point; it's in one of the green chests.  It figures damage based on how powerful Yuffie is compared to her opponent; the stronger her opponent, the more damage it does.  A real big advantage to the Conformer is that, if Yuffie is Confused, the Conformer will not damage party members!  (If you intentionally hit a party member who's confused, the Conformer won't do any damage, but they'll still snap out of it!)
     Level 4 Limit Break:  Yuffie's All Creation is in Wutai.  After you've completed her subquest, return to Wutai with Yuffie in your party.  Go into the pagoda by Lord Godo's home and talk to the Guardian (after equipping Yuffie well!); Yuffie will agree to climb the Pagoda.  You'll go through five short, one-on-one duels.  After the duel with Lord Godo, he'll give Yuffie the All Creation manual and the Leviathan Summon.  From the little discussion he has with Yuffie, I'm betting that all your materia mysteriously disappears just after the game ends...
CAIT SITH-This goofy creature seems to be a fortune teller at Gold Saucer.  He collars Cloud on your first visit, and insists on accompanying you.  It isn't until late in Disc one that you find out he has...*other*...allegiances.  Cait Sith isn't the big white moogle, he's the little cat guy on top. He's a remote controlled stuffed animal/robot; just wait until you find out who's controlling him.  Cait Sith may be important to the storyline, but he is probably the weakest character in the game.  He's a bad fighter and an average spellcaster.
     Ultimate Weapon:  It's called the HP Shout; when you're looking for the Sister Ray, look for the "wrong turn" that takes you to Shinra HQ.  Run up to the gym level; it's the megaphone in the locker that you couldn't take on Disc 1.  (Almost makes it kind of funny that Cait Sith is the one who stops you from going into Shinra HQ if he's not in your party!)
     Level 4 Limit Break:  Cait Sith doesn't have a Level 4 Limit Break.  He only goes up to 2.  (If anyone has seen a Level 3 or 4 Limit Break for Cait Sith, I'd love to hear it.)
VINCENT VALENTINE-Vincent is the other hidden character.  He WAS a Turk, at least twenty to thirty-some years ago; he isn't quite human anymore.  To top it off, he acts strangely, probably because he was locked in a tomb for twenty to thirty-some years.  Vincent is the second strangest character in the game.  (Sorry, Vince, but it's hard to top a double-agent remote controlled stuffed cat who dabbles in astrology.)  He's also the most depressing character in the game.  Just talk to him on the Highwind every chance you get; you'll see what I mean.  He uses guns, so he can go in the back rank.  He's a very good spellcaster, but you don't want to give him any of your important spells.  You see, for his limit breaks, he changes into a monster and goes berserk.  He will not use any materia for the rest of combat.  If you can get around that little disability, he's actually a pretty good character.  To find Vincent, read the letter (presumably from Hojo) on the first floor of the Shinra Mansion.  The clues refer to: 1, the lid of the box in the second floor arboretum; 2, the piano in the back room of the first floor; and 3, a board by the upper left door on the second floor.  The creek is in the lower room(where the secret door is), next to the chair the Shinra soldier sits in during Cloud's Kalm flashback.  Once you have all three numbers, put the pointer to the blank space, and it'll give you the fourth.  They're the combination to the safe; once it's open, you get to fight the Lost Number boss.  There'll be a key in the safe.  In the basement, you can now open that locked room.  Vincent is in the only closed coffin.  Just be careful-he wakes up on the wrong side of the coffin, and will stay there if you don't talk him out of it.  When you first get an option, choose "Talk about Sephiroth".  Then, either leave the mansion or meet Sephiroth in the library, come back, and ask, "Who are you?"  When you leave the room, Vincent will follow you.  He has a side area of the game.  When you get the submarine, explore all the underwater tunnels.  You'll come to one that comes up in the crater lake on the western continent.  Get out of the sub, make sure Vincent's in your party, then walk into the waterfall.  The first time you come, you'll get to meet Sephiroth's REAL mother, Lucrecia.  You'll also see a flashback that explains why he's so wierd.  (yes, I know that could apply to both Sephiroth and Vincent.  It's intentional.)  You can also get to this area with a green, black, or gold chocobo.
     Ultimate Weapon:  The Death Penalty is behind the waterfall.  After you've talked to Lucrecia, go back to the waterfall another time with Vincent, and walk up to where she was standing.  Vincent will automatically pick up the Death Penalty and the Chaos Manual.  At first, the Death Penalty won't do that much damage.  It's like Tifa's Premium Heart; Vincent just needs time to get used to it.
     Level 4 Limit Break:  The Chaos Manual is behind the waterfall, with the Death Penalty.  Vincent's comment when you use it is yet another reason I call him the most depressing character.  Unlike the Death Penalty, the Chaos morph is rather useful.
CID HIGHWIND-Cid is a pilot who almost became the first man in space.  He's rough around the edges and has a razor tongue, but his heart's in the right place.  He's a man of science who doesn't like magic.  That should be a clue.  If he's the same level as Cloud, he's actually a more powerful fighter than Cloud, but he's a rotten spellcaster.  Cid also leads the party for a time on Disc 2; he leads it longer than Tifa does.  He's the captain of the airship Highwind, and the crew of that ship are willing to defect to join him.
     Ultimate Weapon:  Cid's Venus Gospel is in Rocket Town.  After you get launched into space, return to Rocket Town and talk to the man by the Item Shop three times-the same old man who gives you the Yoshiyuki if you look at the rocket with him the first time you come into Rocket Town.  You should get the Venus Gospel.
     Level 4 Limit Break:  His Highwind Manual is is the downed Gelnica, in the far back room.