Barret is the best long-range option that players can go for in FF7 Rebirth. His predominant fighting style is based on using ranged weapons to deal damage from a distance. This quality makes him especially unique in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is why I’ve almost never removed him from my party after equipping him with his best build.
- Barret is a long-range fighter in FF7 Rebirth who specializes in dealing high stagger damage.
- With the right build, he can also act as a Support and a hybrid Mage in battles.
- His abilities will allow players to build up stagger even more quickly, and his range allows him to stay clear of attacks.
- Barret still suffers from low base damage from his attacks, which can be overcome using the right offensive party members.
- Author’s Note: I have 30+ hours in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and have also completed the main story with Barret mostly staying in my party, which is why you can trust my experience with the character.
The Best Build For Barret
Here are the full components of the entire build that I’ve set up for Barret in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth:
| CATEGORY | CONTENT |
|---|---|
| Best Weapon | Battle Cry. |
| Best Armor | Cetran Bracer. |
| Best Accessories | Survival Vest. |
| Best Abilities | Bonus Round, Steelskin, Maximum Fury, And Focused Shot. |
| Best Synergy Abilities And Skills | Avalanche Two-Step, United Refocus, And Ninja Carbine. |
| Best Materia | Steadfast Block MP Up Materia, HP Up Materia, Time Materia, Healing Materia, Auto-Unique Ability Materia, Barrier Materia, And Elemental Spell Materia. |
My build not only focuses on increasing the power of Barret’s range on the battlefield but also strengthens his survivability and longevity during each battle. Barret is the type of character who needs to stay alive for the longest period since he can keep putting pressure on the boss from range whilst also providing support to his teammates.
- High Stagger Damage.
- Can Act As A Support.
- Access To Elemental Spells.
- Tank With High Health.
- Low Base Damage.
Best Weapons
Battle Cry is the perfect weapon for dealing both physical and magical attack damage. It provides the most balanced stats between the two damage types and is a great choice for the end-game as well. Even though I don’t like the ability that this weapon comes with, I prefer it for its stats.
If you want to get a little more physical damage, you can also try using the Hi-Caliber Rifle. However, the magic attack damage will drop considerably by equipping that weapon, and in my opinion, it’s not really worth it to get a small physical damage buff. Battle Cry also provides more Materia slots than the Hi-Caliber Rifle.
Armors
As I’ve mentioned before already, Barret needs to have a good defense in FF7 Rebirth. That is why I went with the Cetran Bracer for his armor, as it provides a great defense against both physical and magical attacks. In addition to its defensive qualities, it also comes equipped with 8 Materia slots. You can definitely find armor with better stats, but they will mostly lack the high number of Materia Slots.
Accessories
To further strengthen Barret’s defense, I went with the Survival Vest as his main accessory which has a direct impact on the Vitality stat. Buffed Vitality will boost Barret’s defense against physical attacks and will allow him to tank attacks. However, you can also choose to use the Supernatural Wristguards if you prioritize offense over defense.
Choosing to increase Barret’s attack power is an option, but I believe that Barret’s main potential lies in staggering enemies and bosses from range over time. That is why I’ve decided to put equal focus on his offense and defense.
Abilities
Each character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth comes equipped with special abilities, which they can utilize after their ATB gauge fills up. Some of these abilities are also locked to specific weapons at first. Once the proficiency bar of a weapon has been filled, the specific ability can be used with other weapons as well.
| No. | Ability | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bonus Round | Deal increased stagger damage for a brief period after using the Bonus Round ability. |
| 2 | Steelskin | Steelskin will decrease the damage that Barret suffers from each attack by boosting his defense for a brief period. |
| 3 | Maximum Fury | Uses all available ATB charges to continuosly fire bullets at enemies which deals great health damage. |
| 4 | Focused Shot | Focused Shot allows Barret to fire a strong attack which causes amazing Stagger build-up in FF7 Rebirth. |
- Uses of Bonus Round: You should be continuously using this ability as soon as your ATB bar fills up to build up stagger quickly from range.
- Uses of Steelskin: When a boss fight becomes an endurance test or when you have to tank attacks, then depend on Steelskin for such situations.
- Uses of Maximum Fury: As soon as the boss gets staggered, utilize Maximum Fury to deal a large amount of damage to their health.
- Uses of Focused Shot: It can also be used to quickly build up stagger and should be paired with the Bonus Round to quickly stagger bosses from range.
Synergy Abilities And Skills
The Synergy Abilities and Skills will allow Barret to team up with his party members and launch powerful attacks that can disrupt bosses or provide buffs. There are both offensive and defensive variants of these abilities.
| Edit | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NO. | SYNERGY SKILL/ABILITY | PARTNERS | DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | Avalanche Two-Step | Tifa | A good combo attack performed with Tifa which has a greater effect on staggered enemies. |
| 2 | United Refocus | Cloud | It allow both Cloud and Barret to gain 3 ATB bars which allows them to use more of their abilities. |
| 3 | Ninja Carbine | Yuffie | Ninja Carbine is basically a strong ranged attack that can be performed by teaming up with Yuffie and it even increases the limit level. |
- Uses of Avalanche Two-Step: It should be used as soon as an enemy or boss gets staggered so that the staggered state can last for longer and you can keep on attacking.
- Uses of United Refocus: Another ability that should be used as soon as possible in a boss fight to get 3 ATB bars for more frequent ability usage.
- Uses of Ninja Carbine: When the boss is approaching death or has low health, then you can use this ability to finish him off or to increase your Limit Level to prepare for a multiphase boss battle.
Materia Setup
Materia provide characters with buffs or the ability to use spells in battle. Since Barret is a character that stays at range for most of the battle, I’ve built up a special Materia setup for him. Something that will allow him to act as a hybrid Mage and Support in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
| NO. | MATERIA | DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | Steadfast Block Materia | Blocking an attack will result in less damage taken when this Materia is equipped and ATB gain will also be increased while guarding. |
| 2 | Mp Up Materia | Increases the maximum amount of MP and that is really useful for Barret since he will be able to use more elemental and support spells. |
| 3 | HP Up Materia | Another important part of the build which will increase Barret's survivabilitiy by increasing his total health. |
| 4 | Time Materia | Barret can use spells that will freeze or slow down certain enemies and bosses which will allow your party to punish them. |
| 5 | Healing Materia | Instead of depending on healing items, Barret will be able to heal his teammates using healing spells. |
| 6 | Elemental Spells Materia | Since my build has multiple Materia slots, you should equip Barret with at least three different types of Elemental Materia (Fire, Ice, Wind, or Lightning). |
| 7 | Auto-Unique Ability Materia | When you switch from Barret to offensive party members once the boss gets staggered, Barret will still be able to use his abilities without having to give him commands when this Materia is equipped. |
| 8 | Barrier Materia | A powerful defensive Materia that will allow Barret to cast spells which will boost his defense and protect him from incoming physical and magic damage. |
My build uses gear with a lot of Materia slots, so you will also have the choice to use your favorite Materia since my setup won’t fill up all of the available slots.
Playstyle Information
Barret is a long-range character with low base damage, but he has the potential to deal high stagger damage while staying clear of incoming attacks. He can also support his party members with healing, revivals, or buffs. Additionally, the best way to utilize Barret is to stagger enemies with him.
Once an enemy gets staggered, you should switch to more offensive party members who deal high damage at close range, like Tifa, and start spamming your attacks. In the meantime, Baarret can be used to deal more damage or to provide buffs/healing to his teammates.
My Take On Barret’s Best Build
Barret has stayed in my party the longest in my overall journey through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This best build allowed me to use Barret for the entirety of my play through. I repeatedly switch to him during battles to get quick support or to deal stagger damage from range while my other party members are engaged with the boss or enemies.
This concludes my guide on the best build for Barret in FF7 Rebirth. I have explained my best build in complete detail and have also entailed all of the components of the build. Let me know if my build allowed you to get more use out of Barret while playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check out Hamid Shah’s Review of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, where he talks about the fun but deep combat system of the game.
NEXT:
- FF7 Rebirth: Best Yuffie Build
- FF7 Rebirth: Best Aerith Build
- FF7 Rebirth: Best Cloud Build
- FF7 Rebirth: All Piko Feed Locations
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Love the new bonus round ability. Works great with Barret\'s kit.
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