How to increase stagger in FF7 Remake to 200 percent for Chadley's intel

Chadley’s Battle Intel Reports in Final Fantasy VII Remake greatly increase in difficulty as the game progresses. One late-game report, The Stagger Effect Pt. 3, requires you to raise an opponent’s stagger level to 200 percent. There’s also a trophy called “Staggering Feat” that requires an even higher stagger rate of 300 percent. Without the right tools, it can be tough to increase stagger, so here’s how to maximize your stagger output to make Chadley proud.

What is stagger percentage and how do you increase it?

The stagger mechanic in FF7 Remake stuns a foe after it’s been hit enough with the right attack type(s), filling the stagger bar located beneath their HP. Once they’re staggered, a percentage will appear adjacent to the stagger bar which functions as a damage multiplier while the enemy remains in that state. When the enemy is first staggered, the percentage will be at 160, but you can increase the percentage with abilities in the “Focused” series, Aerith’s Ray of Judgement, or Tifa’s Chi-based triangle attacks.

Meeting Chadley’s demands and earning a trophy in the process requires a bit more strategy, however.

How to get 200 and 300 percent stagger in FF7 Remake

It’s hard to find an enemy that has a large enough stagger bar and enough HP to grant you enough time to reach 300 percent. Fortunately, Chadley has your back. Participate in Chadley’s VR Mission against the Fat Chocobo Summon, and this won’t be so tough. You’ll unlock the challenge in Chapter 9, but you’ll need to wait until a bit later when you have the optimal tools needed to increase his stagger high enough.

To complete the challenge using Fat Chocobo as your target, you’ll need Tifa in your party. Tifa can immensely increase Fat Chocobo’s stagger using a combination of her triangle moves: Rise and Fall, Whirling Uppercut, and Omnistrike. Whirling Uppercut will increase stagger by 5 percent, Omnistrike adds 20 percent, and Rise and Fall adds 25 percent. Tifa’s triangle move is upgraded by using her Unbridled Strength ability, which costs an ATB bar per use, meaning it costs two ATB to reach a single use of Rise and Fall.

This whole endeavour is best attempted after unlocking Tifa’s Purple Pain weapon in Chapter 16. The gauntlets unlock the ability True Strike, which costs one ATB gauge and increases stagger by 30 percent with every successful hit. It would also be helpful to acquire Aerith’s Mythril Rod in Chapter 11, which unlocks Ray of Judgement, a beam that costs two ATB gauges and massively increases stagger.

When you enter the VR Mission, begin by using Unbridled Strength twice to prepare Tifa. Now focus on staggering Fat Chocobo. Once they’re staggered, press triangle twice, once for Rise and Fall, and a second time for Omnistrike. That should’ve increased Fat Chocobo’s Stagger to about 205 percent. If you’ve unlocked True Strike, use both of the ATB segments that should be remaining to use True Strike twice. If unlocked, you can also use Ray of Judgement around the same time. After the onslaught of stagger techniques, Fat Chocobo should be at nearly 300. Use True Strike one more time to finish the fight.

Alternatively, if you don’t have access to Ray of Judgement or True Strike, spamming Unbridled Strength twice, Rise and Fall, Omnistrike, and then repeating is a valid way to go about this fight. This method might just take a bit more time. If done this way, make sure to utilize other party members like Cloud and Barret.

If this was your last Intel Report, you should be ready to face the secret 20th intel report, Bahamut. For assistance on beating Bahamut, check out our guide for the boss battle.