Check out this guide on the 3-C SOLDIER Candidates battle in Final Fantasy 7 Remake (FF7 Remake, FF7R)! Learn about M.O.T.H. Unit, Materia for Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Barret, and more!!!
Table of Contents
How To Unlock 3-C Soldier Challenges & Rewards
Location And Rewards
| Location | Shinra Battle Simulator ※HARD Mode, Chapter 17 |
|---|---|
| Mission | Cloud vs. 3-C SOLDIER Candidates Barret vs. 3-C SOLDIER Candidates Tifa vs. 3-C SOLDIER Candidates Aerith vs. 3-C SOLDIER Candidates |
| Reward | Cloud: The Art of Swordplay Vol. XIII Barret: Sharpshooter's Companion Vol. XIII Tifa: Way of the Fist Vol. XIII Aerith: Telluric Scriptures Vol. XI |
Recommended Equipment For All Characters
Materia And Equipment To Bring For Each Character
 Cloud | Weapon: Hardedge Armor: Force Bracelet Accessory: Bulletproof Vest or Circlet Limit: Ascension or Cross Slash |
|---|---|
| Aerith | Weapon: Reinforced Staff Armor: Chain Bangle Accessory: Revival Earrings Limit: Healing Wind |
Tifa | Weapon: Feathered Gloves Armor: Force Bracelet Accessory: Supernatural Wristguards Limit: Somersault |
Get As Many Materia Slots As Possible
It is possible to customize your weapon & armor loadout as you like here. The important thing is that you have enough slots to fit in the Materia recommended below. Different characters will benefit from different Materia, but you'll generally want the top 3-4 on every character.
Recommended Materia
| Materia | Rating | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Healing | ★★★ | ・An absolute must. You need to heal! |
| Elemental | ★★★ | ・ Will nullify Lightning damage only when slotted into armor and linked with Lightning Materia |
| Lightning | ★★★ | ・Many enemies here are weak to Lightning ・Necessary to stop the MOTH Unit from spinning |
| Steadfast Block | ★★★ | ・Necessary to build ATB during some fights where you have to play defensively |
| Ice | ★★・ | ・Lets you deal with Unknown Entity in the first battle |
| ATB Stagger | ★★・ | ・Gives you a boost of ATB when you stagger an enemy so you can take them out faster with a Thunder |
| HP Up | ★★・ | ・Needed if you let hits through from Battles 4 and 5 |
| First Strike | ★★・ | ・Makes the process faster and smoother |
| Time | ★★・ | ・Lets you Haste yourself for fights where you won't be attacking much |
| Barrier | ★★・ | ・Barrier and Manaward work well on Battle 5 |
| Fire | ★・・ | ・Can kill the Enhanced Shock Trooper easily in the first battle. |
Cloud Further Details
Steadfast Block A Must
For these fights as Cloud, you will absolutely have to make active use of the guard/block mechanic of the game. By equipping Steadfast Block, you will be able to get ATB from your defensive maneuvers, which is crucial.
First Strike Optional
First Strike might not be completely necessary here. It is possible to swap it out with the Elemental Materia (connected to Lightning), to get immunity to lightning spells. We prefer First Strike as it allows you to clear the first 4 battles much quickly & get to the decisive MOTH Unit battle.
Lightning + Elemental
By linking Lightning & Elemental Materia (rank 2 or higher) (in Armor only! Not weapons) you can block all incoming electric damage. This will help you massively as you won't have to worry about many of the attacks of enemies here. For Cloud specifically, we didn't feel we needed it, but it will definitely make your life easier!
Aerith Further Details
Bring Revival Earrings
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Revival Earrings | Enter battle with the Auto-Life status effect. Revives you when you die once. Breaks on use. |
The reason we've included revival earrings is that Aerith can be somewhat fragile. They serve as a good back-up in case you fail to dodge an attack. They will be expended once you use them, but they can be purchased at vending machines with ease.
Tifa Further Details
Use Overpower
Tifa, being melee as well, has a similar approach to these fights as Cloud. Try to pressure opponents with Overpower (learned from Metal Knuckles and make sure to block key attacks. When you stagger opponents (unless they're weak to Lightning, in which case just use Thunder) consider using True Strike to increase your stagger bonus damage! Other than that, tread carefully & block a lot.
Unknown Entity / Enhanced Shock Trooper Guide
Key Points- Hit Unknown Entity First
- Use Only Triple Slash (Cloud)
- Avoid Its Spinning Ability!
- Heal Up Regularly
Cloud Tips
Take Out Unknown Entity First
If you have the First Strike Materia, this fight becomes a lot easier. First, ignore the figure skating Trooper & head for the Entity. Hit it once or twice, then immediately use Triple Slash. You should have enough ATB to use this twice. If you're level 50, this should be enough to kill both of them without having to do anything else!
Triple Slash Obtained From Iron Blade
The ability Triple Slash can be acquired by equipping the Iron Blade. Chances are you have this item, but in case you don't, follow the link below to find out where to get it.
Check Out The Iron Blade HereAerith Tips
Use Ice Moves To Kill Entity Fast
A level 50 Aerith with Blizzaga can sometimes even one shot the Entity, so make sure to do this at the start of the battle. This way you can have room to deal with the Shock Trooper 1 on 1.
If You Struggle With This, Bring Fire
It's possible to bring Fire Materia to deal with the Shock Trooper here. If you find yourself being overwhelmed, consider swapping it out.
Zenene Guide
Key Points- Use Triple Slash To Pressure It (Cloud)
- Avoid Taking Damage At All
- Keep Your Distance
Cloud Tips
Burst It Down Before You Get Hit
With the build above, you can simply approach, melee one or two times, and then repeatedly use Triple Slash to knock down Zenene! By doing this, you'll be able to take it out without even taking any damage. This requires the First Strike Materia, however.
Aerith Tips
Keep Moving
It's possible to dodge all of Zenene's moves if you keep moving! Don't stay in one spot for too long and keep moving.
Sledgeworm Guide
Key Points- Interrupt Its Electric Charge With A Lightning Attack
- Weak to Lightning
- Take It Out With Thundaga
Cloud And Aerith Tips
Interrupt Its Lightning Field Ability
When Sledgeworm makes all the holes in the field start shimmering with electricity, use a Lightning spell on it to interrupt it! In almost all cases, Thundara or Thundaga was able to interrupt its cast here. If you're running elemental/lightning materia, you won't have to worry about the damage anyway, as it's electric.
Pause Time And Check Its Location
Sledgeworm will pop out of a random hole in the field. It can be disorienting, and it may pop up behind you, so pause time with the R2 button and look around the map to see where it spawns. Then, make sure to dodge the line of fire it sends out at the last minute by pressing X.
Don't Waste ATB
Wait until Sledgeworm is in the middle of an attack to fire off your Lightning spells. If it's not doing anything, chances are it will bury back underground, your lightning spell will whiff, and you'll be down 1 ATB gauge.
Armored Shock Trooper Guide
Key Points- Weak to Lightning
- Put up barrier
- Stagger and use Thundaga to kill it
- Use Counterstance (Cloud)
Cloud Tips
Use Counterstance + Lightning
By repeatedly using Lightning attacks you can easily take this out, however, if you want to conserve your MP for the next fight, consider using Cloud's Counterstance ability. Time it when you see the Robot raise his sword up in the air! Too early, and you'll be hit. If you're worried about this, put on a barrier at the beginning of the fight.
Tifa Tips
Dodge A Lot!
Unlike Cloud, who can just react to attacks with Counterstance easily, Tifa will actually need to dodge this robot's attacks. When you see it raise its sword in the air, stop your attacks and back off.
M.O.T.H. Unit
Key Points- Weak to Lightning and Air
- Lightning + Elemental materia in your armor will make it much easier
- Take it out with Thundaga
Equip Lightning and Elemental Materia
By linking the above two materia (Elemental should be Level 2 or higher!) in a piece of armor, not a weapon, you can nullify the damage taken from three of MOTH Unit's main abilities. However, one of them you won't be able to do anything against, so blocking is very important.
Possible Without Elemental Materia
⬆ If you guard, you can reduce Ultra High Voltage's damage to 3000. Failing to block will probably kill you!!!
If you forgot to pick up Elemental Materia, you can still do this fight, as long as you have the other Materia listed above. You will need to Guard for the majority of the fight, however. If you get hit with a non-guarded electric ability, you will probably die. Alternatively, you can use Manaward to reduce elemental damage taken.
Use Thunder After It's Pressured
When MOTH Unit uses one of its major high-damage abilities, it will be pressured. Use this opportunity to get off a Thundaga and stagger it. If you can build up your limit, wait until the stagger and fire it off. You should knock it out at that point. Once again, to reiterate, if you don't have Elemental Materia, spend the majority of the fight guarding!
