Final Fantasy 7 Remake features a variety of classic Final Fantasy summons, including the likes of Ifrit, Leviathan, and Shiva. Some summoning materia is obtained simply by progressing through the main story, however others must first be defeated in challenging optional fights in order to add them to your arsenal. Beginning in Chapter 8, Chadley will provide Cloud and friends with the opportunity to partake in VR combat simulations against powerful foes. Shiva is the first of these optional VR fights, and she’s definitely a step above the enemies you’ve encountered until this point. Defeating Shiva is well worth the effort, though, as you’ll be rewarded with Shiva summoning materia if you manage to take her down.
How to Beat Shiva in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The fight against Shiva in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a tough one. She has several incredibly strong ice attacks at her disposal, but her overreliance on ice is also her greatest weakness. As you might have guessed, Shiva possesses a crippling weakness to fire. Repeatedly pelt her with Fire and Fira to quickly fill up her stagger gauge and deal tons of damage in the process. When the fight first becomes available in Chapter 8, you’ll only be able to use Cloud and Aerith. If neither of them have fire materia equipped, go into your menu and check if Tifa or Barrett have any slotted into their gear. They won’t be needing them at the moment. Also, make sure you have the Ifrit summoning materia you got earlier in the game equipped. Ifrit’s barrage of fiery attacks will deal immense damage to Shiva and sway the odds in your favor.
Outside of spamming fire attacks, utilize Aerith’s Arcane Ward ability, which places a ward on the ground that allows any spell to be cast twice for the price of one ATB bar. That means you can essentially double your damage output as long as you cast a spell inside the ward’s radius. It also applies to Cloud, too, not just Aerith. Don’t hunker down in one spot for the entire fight, though. Shiva’s toughest attacks require you to be on the move constantly to evade them, and they can easily down one of your characters if you’re not careful. Just play defensively when you see her winding up for a big attack and let loose with fire spells and summons when the opportunity presents itself. After a lengthy battle, Shiva will eventually go down and you’ll be rewarded with her summon.
