Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – How to Play Red XIII

Red XIII is among the most unique playable characters in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. While most of the cast is clearly offense-oriented, even long-range characters like Barret and Aerith, the wolf-like talking beast is meant to be played as a defensive character that comes with a surprising amount of depth. As such, he is not exactly straightforward to play, as you need to pay attention to a few things to make him show his true potential.

Red XIII Basic Moveset

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As mentioned above, Red XIII is a defensive character that has to be played differently than the rest of the cast to show what he can really do. His unique ability is Vengeance Mode, which can only be activated after the gauge has been filled by blocking or parrying attacks. The fuller the gauge is, the longer Vengeance Mode will last. The longest Vengeance Mode will last is after using Red XIII's level 2 Limit Break, Howling Moon.

In Vengeance Mode, all of Red XIII's attacks are enhanced, and he can use Syphon Fang, a special attack that restores health. Additionally, in Vengeance Mode, he can perform a fast lunging strike that goes through enemies and restores a small amount of HP by pressing the triangle button after dodging.

The Red XIII's basic toolkit is rounded up by a spinning attack performed by holding down the square button and a counterstrike that can be performed using the same button after blocking or parrying an attack.

How to Play Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

As entering Vengeance Mode as soon as possible is Red XIII's entire game plan, you will want to stay on the defensive at all times. Since blocking doesn't negate damage, Red XIII should always equip the Steadfast Block materia, which reduces damage while blocking and charges ATB. Red XIII, much like Aerith, requires some time to build up ATB with regular attacks, so this provides a very welcome boost. Additionally, equip the Precision Defense Focus materia