Chapter 1:Midgar
Midgar, the planet's capital city and Shinra's home base, is an enormous floating city made up of eight sectors. Shinra, Inc. rules Midgar with an iron fist. The well-to-do flourish here, while the downtrodden live outside the city in filthy slums. As testimony to Shinra's technical wizardry, gigantic energy reactors produce massive amounts of mako, a vital energy that's now produced for evil purposes.
To combat Shinra's ruinous treatment of the planet, Cloud and his Avalanche rebel comrades take Midgar by storm. The rebel heroes blow up energy reactors, slosh around sewers and slums, and infiltrate the very heart of Shinra's power base. Whew! The heroes barely have a moment to catch their breath.
Mako Reactor No. 1
Advance Intelligence Report
Recommended EXP Level: 6 (Cloud's Starting Level)
Landmark(s): Outside Midgar Mako Reactor No. 1
Earlier Development(s): Fire up Final Fantasy VII
Goal(s): Blow up Mako Reactor No. 1
Save Point(s): Just before you reach the reactor core and meet the first boss
"Let's go, newcomer! Follow me!" yells Barret, the Avalanche leader, after Cloud does a backflip off the train. With those fateful words, Final Fantasy VII begins.
Search the bodies of the unconscious guards on the platform. Run north to catch up with Barret and the other rebels: Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge. Your first encounter with Shinra thugs! Fortunately, Cloud starts the game at Level 6, with the Bolt and Ice spells in his repertoire. The Shinra guards don't do much damage and are easily overcome. Head west at the end of the platform. Move north, and meet the rebels outside a locked door.
Mako Reactor No. 1, continued:
After the first door is unlocked, enter the reactor. Follow and talk to your new comrades as you infiltrate the reactor's core. Go east, north, and then west beneath an overhang and through a door to a catwalk. Head west on the catwalk and then north at the intersection.
Have the rebel at the access panel open the door to the north. Do the same at the next door to the west. Walk through the door and head east, and then head north into the elevator. Flip the switch by examining or searching it. Exit the elevator, descend three lengthy, connected stairways, and then go straight through the door at the bottom.
Jump over the crack in the catwalk, climb down the ladder, proceed south, climb down another two ladders, and head south onto a large pipe. Push on west along the pipe, and then go down yet another ladder.
Breathe a sigh of relief. There's the first twirling save point! Step up to it and save the game using the Save command that now appears on the Main menu.
From the first save point, run east along the catwalk to a dead end. Heal up with Cure potions, refresh Cloud's magic points, and then set the bomb. Uh oh! Now your first fight with a boss begins. Guard Scorpion is a terrifying robotic machine.
GUARD SCORPION
HP 800
MP 50
Best Attack: Magic
Remarks The Scorpion's targeting scope is impotent, but it tells you whom he will attack next. Do not attack when the boss shakes, with his tail up. Equip Barret's new gun after the battle.
Rewards Assault Gun
EXP: 100AP: 10Gil: 100
With this boss dispatched, you've reached the first of Final Fantasy VII's many action sequences. The heroes have only 10 minutes to leave the sabotaged reactor before the bomb explodes. What are you waiting for, a handwritten invitation?
Dash for the Reactor Exit
Retrace your steps to the room you first entered from the railroad tracks. Be sure to follow the rebels as they head for the exit. You may wish to use the catwalk save point again. You must speak to every rebel-especially the one at the top two ladders and the one just outside the elevator. Just before the exit, rescue the fallen rebel.
Boom! With billowing smoke and flying shrapnel at your backs, you escape the exploding reactor. The rebels emerge in a caved-in passageway. Next, the rebels blow a hole in a wall and split up, but not before promising to hook up with Cloud later at their hideout. Climb the stairs, alone, into Midgar proper.
Congratulations!! You have completed your first successful mission!!
