FF7 Rebirth: Best Red XIII Build [Abilities, Playstyle, Gear & More]

In addition to the expanded kit of the established characters, Rebirth makes brand new additions to the party, and one such addition is Red XIII, a former Doctor Hojo patient and lab subject. Red XIII has an incredibly aggressive and ferocious battle style, and my build guide will teach you how to make the most of him in FF7 Rebirth.

Best Red XIII Build In FF7 Rebirth

Below is a summary of my recommended build for Red XIII in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth:

CATEGORY	CONTENT
BEST ABILITIES	Stardust Ray, Supernatural Fervor, Watcher's Respite, Chilling Roar, Retaliation
BEST GEAR	Golden Collar/Mystic Collar, Garm Bangle/Road Warrior Bangle, Silver's Brawler's Gloves/Steadfast Block Materia Earrings
BEST MATERIA	Precision Defence Focus Materia, Steadfast Block, Chakra + Level Up, ATB Boost
BEST SYNERGY SKILLS AND ABILITIES	Phantom Fang, Iron Defense, Savage Assault, Call of the Wild

Best Abilities

Red XIII’s kit is a mix of high attacking, counterattacking, and healing/boosting abilities. His heavily aggressive playstyle is further complemented by his superb range of abilities, which are comprised of not only high-damaging abilities and passive effects but also self-boosting and healing abilities.

Following is a list of abilities that I consider the best in the Red XIII kit:

ABILITY NAME	ASSOCIATED WEAPON	EFFECT	REASON
Stardust Ray	Mythril Collar	Unleash a devastating attack over a wide area. Costs 2 ATB.	Stardust was my most used ability in Red XIII’s build in FF7 Rebirth. This was easily my alternative for “Inifinity’s End,” which is the most devastating ability in the game. I highly recommend using this on staggered enemies.
Supernatural Fervor	Amethyst Collar	Grant Haste on all party members. It can only be used in Vengence Mode.	Haste is easily one of the most powerful effects in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Red XIII can bestow it upon all party members without a significant MP cost.
Watcher’s Respite	Golden Collar	Deplete the Vengence to heal allies. Potency is proportional to the amount expended.	You can’t always have Aerith in your Party, and you can’t rely on items a lot, especially in simulation and hard mode. That is where Watcher’s Respite proves its real worth
Chilling Roar	Silver Collar	Retaliate with ice shards, whatever is hit by an attack. Charges the Vengence Gauge when a counterstrike lands.	Its automatic damage is not what I chose it for; I chose it because of how it passively helped me charge the Vengence Gauge.
Retaliation	Folios	Launch a deadly assault from above. It can only be performed in midair.	Retaliation is the only skill on the list that’s unlocked through the Folios and is easily one of the most powerful counterattacks right up there with Cloud’s Counterstance.

Best Materia Setup

When playing Red XIII, its important to further enhance its attacking and guarding prowess, as both are directly related to his Vengence Mode. So it’s important to strengthen him at what he is good at with the best Materia and use other party members like Cloud and Yuffie to cover for his lack of airborne combat.

• Precision Defence Focus Materia: Having an extended input timing for blocking that also deals stagger damage is a must-have for the Red XIII build in FF7 Rebirth.
• Steadfast Block (In case Errarings are unavailable): Grants ATB boost while guarding, allowing Red XIII to unleash devastating counterattacks after blocking.
• Empowerment Materia: Empowerment Materia Level 1 gives the user access to Brave, which further raises the physical attack, which further complements Red XIII’s plastyle.
• Chakra + Level Up:  Chakra is extremely good for getting Red XIII out of the critical situation as it heals HP proportionally to the damage taken. Pair it with Level Up to maximize the effect.
• ATB Boost: Some of Red XIII’s abilities can only be used in Vengence Mode, making ATB boost an essential skill to charge up ATB while Vengence Mode is activated.

Recommended Gear

GEAR NAME	TYPE	STATS	EFFECTS
Golder Collar OR Mystic Collar	Weapon	+145 Damage +40 Magic Damage 5 Materia Slots (4 linked) OR +111 Damage +67 Magic Damage 6 Materia Slots (2 linked)	Watcher’s Respite: Deplete Vengence Gauge to heal allies (health healed depends on Vengence Gauge quantity) OR Watcher’s Spirit: Deplete the Vengence Gauge to increase Allie’s ATB. Potency is proportional to the amount expended.
Garm Bangle  OR  Road Warrior Bangle	Armor	+59 Defence  +28 Magic Defence 5 Materia Slots (4 linked) OR +53 Defence  25 Magic Defence 4 Materia Slots (2 linked)	N/A
Silver’s Brawler’s Gloves OR Steadfast Block Materia Earrings	Accessory	N/A	Slightly Increases the limit gauge charge rate upon staggering a foe. OR Allow use of the highest level of steadfast block materia, drastically decreasing damage taken on guarding while greatly increasing the ATB charge accrued.

Synergy Skills & Abilities

Like the rest of the cast, Red XIII also comes equipped with his own Synergy Skills and abilities. While he doesn’t own the most unique synergy skills, it has its uses if utilized correctly.

• Phantom Fang: Similar to Yuffie’s Ninja Bazooka, activate it at the right time to launch a counterstrike. I think this synergy skill should be prioritized the most, given that you have the right party members.
• Iron Defense: Iron Defence allows Red XIII to take a defensive stance with any party member. As you’ll be the target of the enemy’s aggression a lot (if you utilize him for offense), Iron Defence is a recommended skill.
• Savage Assault: Cloud is a mandatory party member almost 90% of the time, and Savage Assault is great for dealing massive damage to the enemy, not because of its own damage but because it also unlocks Howling Moon.
• Call of the Wild: It is a very personal choice because of its unique animation with Tifa, but do not underestimate its effect, as it also boosts the attack damage and extends stagger time.

Red XIII’s Role And Playstyle In FF7 Rebirth

Square Enix described Red XIII as an “aggressive defensive” character, and I definitely agree. His moveset is snappy and fast, and his guarding fills his Vengence Mode, opening up future opportunities for counterattacking. Additionally, you can also do a quick counter-attack after blocking the enemy’s attack, something the game didn’t tell me in the tutorial.

To fully utilize Red XIII, try perfect blocking enemy attacks to charge Vengence Gauge to the maximum, and use his cyclone attack (hold square) for maximum stagger damage. His moveset is really great for both base and stagger damage, and I highly recommend utilizing both to the maximum extent.

My Opinion On Red XIII

As soon as I got my hands on Red XIII, I immediately clicked with his playstyle. However, he really shined in those tough Summon encounters, where I needed someone who had great damage potential but could also self-heal. I literally took down Pheonix solo (Power 2) solo with Red XIII. That’s how good he is just on his own.

This concludes my build guide on Red XIII in FF7 Rebirth. While you are at it, consider reading our best Barret build guide by Haris Umer and my review of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Next:

• FF7 Rebirth: How To Upgrade Weapons & Get Weapon Skills
• FF7 Rebirth: Location of Dried Driftwood
• FF7 Rebirth: All Piko Feed Locations