How to dominate Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Corneo Colosseum battles

Once you’ve survived the Hell House’s onslaught in Final Fantasy VII Remake Chapter 9, there’s a chance you’ll never want to step into the Colosseum to fight Don Corneo’s minions again. If you return to the Corneo Colosseum, however, you’ll find a series of special challenges and rewards waiting for you. Here’s how to dominate the Corneo Colosseum.

How to access the Corneo Colosseum in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

You gain full access to the Corneo Colosseum after defeating the Hell House in Chapter 9, which means you can partake in optional Battle Challenges in the arena. A second set of optional Battle Challenges will be unlocked in Chapter 14. Each optional challenge is a series of fights consisting of five rounds total that can be completed by a team of your choosing or a specific character. Battle Challenges that require specific characters are identical to ones with the same subtitle. For example, Cloud vs. Wild Animals will have the same enemies in the same order as Aerith vs. Wild Animals.

Different characters will be available depending on when you access the colosseum. Aerith and Cloud will be playable in Chapter 9 immediately after beating the Hell House. When you return in Chapter 14, you can complete the same series with Barret and Tifa. You’ll need to replay Chapter 9 after finishing the game to complete any lingering Battle Challenges that involve Aerith.

How do you win each Battle Challenge?

How to win at the Corneo Colosseum Battle Challenges in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Cloud, Barret, Tifa, or Aerith vs. Wild Animals

• Unlock this Battle Challenge by reaching Chapter 9.

Tips: Before entering this brawl, equip Ice and Wind Materia to your characters. This should prepare you for everything you’ll encounter. In Rounds 2 and 4, focus respectively on defeating the Blugu and Hedgehog Pie first. Both can inflict fairly frustrating ailments to your character

For your efforts, you’ll be rewarded with a Limit Break Level 2 manuscript corresponding with the character you used. If you win with Cloud, you’ll be given his Level 2 Limit Break, Ascension, which prompts him to perform a series of slashes that briefly elevate their target’s body, while leaving a stagger increase. An Aerith victory will get you her Limit Break called Planet’s Protection, activate it to make your party invincible for a short time. Barret will obtain Catastrophe, which is a massive stagger-inducing Limit Break where he leaps into the air and fires a lengthy stagger attack. Finally, Tifa unlocks a stagger-inducing Limit Break of her own called Dolphin Flurry where she performs a series of aquatic-themed kicks, not unlike a Dolphin would.

Two-Person Team vs. Slum Outlaws

• Unlock this Battle Challenge by reaching Chapter 9.

Tips: You’ll be fighting against human foes in this challenge, so take a Fire Materia with you to get through this challenge with ease. Bring along a combo consisting of a close-range fighter (Cloud or Tifa) and a caster (Aerith or Barret) to sweep the match. For additional ease, equip Elemental Materia and Fire to your caster’s weapon.

If you can win, you’ll be rewarded a Clarity Pendant, which completely refills the ATB gauge after using the Refocus Limit Break.

Cloud, Barret, Tifa, or Aerith vs. Shinra Thugs

• Unlock this Battle Challenge by reaching Chapter 14.

Tips: You’ll be fighting against Shinra’s elite hit squad for this Battle Challenge. Luckily, their team is quite uniform in their weaknesses. Your humanoid opponents will be vulnerable to Fire attacks, while your robotic foes can be taken down with Lightning. Focus on defeating the robot sentries first, then target their human cohorts.

You’ll be rewarded with a Manuscript corresponding to the character that you used to overcome the course.

Three-Person Team vs. Shinra Warriors

• Unlock this Battle Challenge by reaching Chapter 14.

Tips: Similar to the previous battle, you should focus on robots using Lightning attacks first and then use Fire against the humanoid enemies. If you’re in a round with both, attack your robotic enemies first, then go for their human cohorts. So be sure to bring Fire Materia for the humans and ghosts, Lightning Materia for the robots, and Ice Materia for the final battle against Queen Grashtrike.

You’ll get the Tarot Cards accessory for winning this battle. The accessory increases the duration of negative offensive status effects like Slow, Poison, and Silence when they’re cast by a character holding this accessory.

Two-Person Team vs. Team Payback

• Unlock this Battle Challenge by reaching Chapter 14.

Tips: You’re going to want to equip Ice and Lighting Materia. Pair Ice with a Magnifiy Materia to eradicate early rounds with ease. Link a Lightning Materia to an Elemental Materia on your weapon. This should save you a ton of MP. If you’re having trouble against the hedgehog pies in Round 1, focus on killing the king first. The Hedgehog Pie King will continuously heal his subjects. Use Lightning attacks on robotic foes and Ice on organic foes.

You’ll obtain a Moogle’s Amulet accessory for coming out on top, which increases your chances of getting a foe to drop an item. (It will probably also make Moggie, the Moogle Emporium’s shopkeeper weap with jealousy.)

Once you’ve finished the Corneo Colosseum, it might be time to take on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s secret boss — but only if you’re ready.