FF7 Remake Pride & Joy Guide: Three-Person Team Vs. Top Secrets

Securing the coveted Ultimate Weapon achievement demands conquering Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s most punishing optional content. The Top Secrets combat simulator represents the pinnacle of difficulty, presenting players with a relentless gauntlet against formidable summon entities culminating in the mechanical monstrosity known as the Pride and Joy Prototype.

This elite accessory, Gotterdammerung, provides continuous limit break availability, fundamentally transforming combat dynamics. Obtaining this game-changing item requires meticulous preparation and execution against some of the most demanding encounters in the entire experience.

Many players underestimate the sequential nature of these battles, where resource management across multiple fights becomes as crucial as individual combat proficiency. The challenge tests not only your reaction times but your strategic planning across an extended engagement.

Before attempting this formidable trial, you must fulfill several critical prerequisites. First, complete the main narrative on Normal difficulty to unlock Hard Mode accessibility through the Chapter Select interface. This tougher variant introduces modified enemy behavior and restricted item usage.

The comprehensive checklist includes:

• Finish the core campaign on Normal Mode to activate Hard Mode progression
• Accomplish all twenty of Chadley’s Battle Intel research missions
• Clear every combat scenario in Corneo’s Colosseum during Chapter 9
• Conquer all additional Colosseum encounters available in Chapter 14
• Master every available Shinra Combat Simulator battle in Chapter 16

Once these milestones are achieved, initiate Chapter 17 on Hard Mode. Shortly after commencement, you’ll encounter Chadley near the simulation terminals. He will grant access to the culminating Three-Person Team vs. Top Secrets confrontation, pitting your squad against the summon specters from previous VR missions plus the climactic Pride and Joy Prototype.

The encounter sequence progresses through increasingly demanding summon battles: Shiva emerges first, followed by Fat Chocobo, then the aquatic terror Leviathan, and the draconic powerhouse Bahamut. Each victory demands specialized tactics and adaptable party configurations.

Against Shiva, employ fire-based spells and maintain constant pressure to prevent her Diamond Dust ultimate attack. Fat Chocobo requires aerial defense and timing counters against his weight-drop maneuvers. Leviathan necessitates barrier spells and precision dodging of tidal waves, while Bahamut demands interruption of his countdown to Megaflare.

The Pride and Joy Prototype final encounter introduces unique mechanical challenges. This robotic adversary employs area-denial attacks and timed explosive patterns that require spatial awareness and calculated aggression. Its vulnerability windows are brief but devastating when exploited properly.

Optimizing your materia configuration proves essential for success. Prioritize maximum HP augmentation, magical potency enhancement, and reliable revival capabilities. Elemental protection materia tailored to specific summon weaknesses can dramatically reduce incoming damage.

Character synergy forms another critical component. Cloud should focus on staggering and burst damage, Tifa on pressure building and combo execution, while Aerith provides magical support and healing sustainability.

Common strategic errors include inadequate MP conservation for later battles, poor positioning against area-effect abilities, and mismanagement of limit break availability. Advanced players should master animation canceling and perfect guard timing to minimize damage intake while maximizing offensive output.

For comprehensive weapon progression strategies, consult our detailed Weapons Unlock guide that covers optimization techniques applicable across different combat scenarios.

The White Out assault demands your immediate attention, unleashing frozen shockwaves through the terrain that immobilize any combatant struck. Maintaining proximity to Shiva typically lets you evade these by circling behind her or executing swift dodges. Should you become frozen, instantly swap to another party member and aggressively engage Shiva to prepare healing magic for the subsequent Heavenly Strike—a devastating ice crystal drop targeting the immobilized character. While close-quarters combat maximizes damage output, remain vigilant for her Icicle Strike, generating an explosive ice radius affecting nearby targets. Evasion proves challenging, making guarded absorption the superior defensive approach.

Shiva eventually conjures Frost Familiars that enhance her magical prowess and provide periodic restoration. Beware—White Out now discharges triple ice waves consecutively, significantly increasing stun probabilities. These familiars grant Shiva complete spell immunity, rendering Fire magic ineffective. Maintain relentless physical assault pressure and anticipate her Blizzaga cast, which consumes the familiars. Capitalize on this opening with Fire spells to rapidly build her stagger gauge. Quick-cast, lower-tier spells generally outperform slower options since Shiva frequently re-summons Frost Familiars, and you must avoid missing brief vulnerability windows or depleting MP reserves inefficiently.

Immediately deploy Ifrit when available, utilizing his abilities to inflict substantial damage and disrupt Shiva’s rhythm. Fiery assaults should quickly overwhelm her, triggering stagger states for amplified damage output. At approximately 25% health remaining, Shiva executes her ultimate summon ability, striking your entire squad. Ensure full health restoration precedes this attack, or she may eliminate your team instantly. Following this, sustain melee aggression and ideally unleash Limit Breaks until victory is secured.

Fat Chocobo provides a tactical respite between the intense Shiva and Leviathan conflicts, but remain alert for auxiliary creatures it summons during engagement.

Combating Fat Chocobo proves considerably simpler than Shiva, though situational awareness remains crucial. The summon lacks defined vulnerabilities, so employ your most powerful assaults; conserve magical resources here as spellcasting provides minimal returns. Optimal pressure application comes through ATB techniques like Cloud’s Braver and Focused Thrust alongside Tifa’s Focused Strike and Chi Trap. Select preferred abilities delivering maximum damage output. Simultaneously, Barret’s role involves continuous bombardment to maintain ATB reserves for Prayer applications.

Fat Chocobo retaliates with numerous physical strikes, making Barrier spells beneficial for additional protection. His Wark maneuver involves hurling miscellaneous debris that you can readily evade through dodging. During close encounters, monitor for Boom—an aerial ascent followed by crushing descent creating substantial area-denial impact. Subsequently, he initiates Roly Poly, rolling aggressively across the battlefield, which agile players can avoid with timely evasion.

Concurrently, the orbiting Moogle periodically conjures spectral adversaries—specifically Bombs and Tonberries, with the latter capable of instant elimination. Dispatch these threats rapidly using Cloud’s Triple Strike, or preferably eliminate them with Barret’s ranged attacks while teammates maintain offensive pressure. Coordinate ATB assaults against Fat Chocobo to inflict damage and increase pressure, then exploit with Focused Thrust, Focused Strike, and Focused Shot to accelerate stagger accumulation.

When opportunities arise, summon Ifrit or Shiva to intensify pressure on Fat Chocobo—as the confrontation progresses, increasingly numerous minion reinforcements spawn to overwhelm your position. These should be manageable through Triple Strike and Barret’s firearm expertise, but if sustaining significant injury, temporarily disengage to address them before refocusing on the primary adversary.

Leviathan presents formidable opposition; maintain aggro control and sustain healing with Barret while your close-range specialists attempt staggering through concentrated damage on the Dorsal Fin.

Leviathan intensifies the challenge. Its capabilities lack elemental affiliation but demonstrate vulnerability to Thunder magic, justifying your Lightning Materia preparation. The adversary proves challenging primarily due to its evasive mobility and targeting difficulty. It continuously repositions across the expansive combat zone, forcing your melee units to pursue constantly. Remain primarily with Barret throughout this encounter (he typically possesses the highest HP pool, thus superior capacity to withstand Leviathan’s powerful strikes) to ensure consistent healing support while liberating your assault teams for ATB offensive maneuvers.

Once you’ve inflicted sufficient damage, Leviathan transitions to its aerial assault phase, deploying Tidal Wave to generate dangerous water cyclones across the combat area. These rotating hazards deal continuous damage upon contact, requiring constant repositioning while maintaining offensive pressure. During this mobile phase, Lightning-element spells become your primary tool for grounding the creature, though the flying period actually presents strategic advantages for ATB accumulation and recovery actions if your team requires healing.

Maintaining optimal health levels is absolutely essential, as Leviathan will eventually unleash its devastating ultimate ability capable of critically damaging your entire squad. With proper preparation, you should withstand this assault, and following the ultimate, concentrated offensive efforts will typically eliminate the remaining health pool.

Bahamut presents a significantly enhanced challenge compared to previous encounters, now accompanied by Ifrit as backup reinforcement.

This legendary summon ranks among the most demanding encounters in the game – exhibiting exceptional speed and aggression complemented by numerous high-damage abilities. The pinnacle of its deadly arsenal remains Mega Flare, a team-wiping ultimate that typically eliminates even max-level characters at full health. Maximizing defensive stats proves crucial for survival, with guarding becoming essential against claw combos and spinning charges. Cloud’s Punisher mode combined with Counterstance enables powerful retaliation opportunities, transforming defensive moments into offensive advantages.

While managing various attacks remains important, your paramount concern revolves around countering Mega Flare. Under standard conditions, this attack guarantees team elimination, leaving only two viable countermeasures: staggering Bahamut to interrupt the cast or deploying Manawall spells with healing to endure the damage. The countdown sequence clearly signals the impending cataclysm. Prioritizing Bahamut’s stagger gauge should dominate your combat approach, though sufficient HP and defense to survive the ultimate must inform your equipment selections.

Opt for weaponry and protective gear emphasizing maximum attack and defense values. Our successful strategy involved minimal magical expenditure beyond healing necessities; Bahamut’s relentless assault patterns frequently interrupt spellcasting attempts, and his lack of elemental vulnerabilities makes MP conservation for emergency recovery the optimal approach.

Your core combat methodology involves blocking major assaults while aggressively closing distance and applying constant pressure to elevate the stagger meter. Rapid character switching proves vital since Bahamut aggressively targets your controlled unit; transitioning to less-threatened allies creates windows for ATB generation and healing administration.

Capitalize on attack openings to significantly advance Bahamut’s stagger progression. We specialized Tifa for this role, equipping ATB acceleration accessories to maintain consistent Focused Strike availability. Cloud’s Counterstance effectively pressures the summon, creating vulnerability windows for Tifa’s assaults; this remains one of Cloud’s most valuable abilities so ensure you master its application. When ATB abilities become available, prioritize high-damage options to increase pressure, then transition to Cloud’s Focused Thrust, Barret’s Focused Shot, and Tifa’s Focused Strike for maximum stagger accumulation. Limit Breaks including Ascension, Dolphin Flurry, and Catastrophe excel at driving stagger meters, though timing remains critical – deploy them during stationary phases to avoid wasted opportunities.

Successful Mega Flare survival requires either staggering Bahamut before countdown completion or comprehensive Manawall protection.

During Bahamut’s countdown initiation, he activates a damaging aura that continuously harms nearby party members. This necessitates vigilant healing management, requiring frequent switches to Barret for ATB replenishment and sustained recovery. Maintain aggressive pressure throughout this phase, as stagger effectiveness directly correlates with damage output intensity.

Following your intense confrontation with Bahamut, the Pride and Joy Prototype presents a strategic shift in combat dynamics. While Elemental materia provides sustained pressure capabilities against previous foes, this mechanical adversary demands spatial awareness over elemental advantages. The psychological transition from Bahamut’s relentless assault to this methodical encounter is crucial—many players underestimate this battle due to the preceding difficulty spike.

The mechanical behemoth exhibits significant mobility limitations in tight spaces, making positioning your squad’s primary weapon. Unlike the fluid combat of previous encounters, this fight rewards tactical patience over aggressive momentum.

The encouraging reality is that compared to Bahamut’s devastating power, the Pride and Joy Prototype offers a manageable challenge for properly prepared teams. Most skilled parties can systematically dismantle this prototype without encountering catastrophic failure states, provided they adhere to fundamental positioning principles.

The foundational approach centers on maintaining optimal distance while consistently flanking the mechanical adversary. Deploying Barret as your primary controller allows sustained ranged harassment that monopolizes the prototype’s attention matrix. This strategic diversion creates uninterrupted engagement windows for Tifa and Cloud to execute precision strikes at close quarters.

Barret’s ranged superiority enables continuous ATB generation while minimizing damage intake. During these controlled phases, synchronize Tifa and Cloud’s heavy ATB abilities to maximize damage efficiency while the prototype remains distracted. Your primary objectives remain the dual foot assemblies—systematically disabling both simultaneously yields superior tactical advantages.

Advanced players should master ATB cycling between characters to maintain constant pressure. Consider consulting our comprehensive Class Guide for advanced character specialization techniques that enhance this strategic framework.

Pride and Joy’s arsenal contains several high-impact maneuvers that demand specific countermeasures. The Brutal Tackle sequence features aggressive pursuit patterns that are virtually unavoidable—mitigate through strategic healing allocation rather than evasion attempts. Conversely, Brute Force’s ground impact creates predictable area denial that simple repositioning neutralizes completely.

When the prototype initiates its illumination phase, anticipate simultaneous napalm deployment and laser barrages. The incendiary zones create persistent damage fields, while the ground-focused lasers require lateral movement avoidance.

The Beam Cannon represents the most dangerous attack in its repertoire, requiring immediate positional response. This charged emission covers massive frontal sectors but leaves the rear and flanks completely vulnerable. The key is recognizing the charge animation and relocating to safe zones before discharge.

Compared to the complex attack patterns encountered in earlier Complete Guide scenarios, these telegraphed moves become manageable through pattern recognition.

Execute the aggro manipulation strategy with Barret maintaining threat priority while Tifa and Cloud concentrate on structural weak points. Disabling a single foot assembly forces the prototype into a kneeling vulnerability state, while simultaneous destruction of both leg systems triggers full stagger conditions.

During these critical vulnerability windows, redirect assaults toward the arm assemblies to amplify stagger accumulation. This layered targeting approach maximizes damage potential during limited engagement opportunities.

The remaining combat sequence emphasizes sustained evasion and opportunistic striking. Maintain consistent damage application while managing health reserves, recognizing that this mechanical adversary lacks both the speed and destructive capacity of its predecessor.

Coordinate Limit Break deployment during stagger phases for catastrophic damage multiplication. Properly executed, this methodical approach ensures victory with minimal resource expenditure.

Victorious completion grants the Gotterdammerung accessory, revolutionizing your combat approach across all engagements. This legendary equipment provides immediate Limit Break availability at encounter initiation and generates continuous limit charge independent of action selection.

The accompanying Ultimate Weapon Trophy acknowledges your mastery over this prototype encounter. For players seeking to enhance their arsenal further, our Weapons Unlock guide details additional power progression pathways.

Strategic implication analysis reveals this accessory fundamentally alters end-game content approaches, particularly in time-sensitive challenges where initial burst damage determines success thresholds.

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