The Leviathan in Final Fantasy 7 Remake can be a tough fight if Cloud and his team are going in unprepared and that's what this fight is all about, being prepared. The fight against the Leviathan has two parts that can alternate during the fight and both have their pitfalls. The fight itself can be one that can either go terribly or very easily depending on the strategy and we got the goods on coming out of it with a shiny Leviathan Summon Materia.
To get this fight, the previous 14 Chadley Battle Intel Reports need to be completed. The reason, he has Battle Intel Report 15 which is called Combat Simulation: Leviathan. That's right, Chadley has another VR fight similar to the Fat Chocobo and Shiva to give players an even greater challenge. This is a VR boss that is heavily resistant to every element except for Lightning so bring as much as possible and get ready to kick Leviathan fin.
Leviathan Fight Preparation in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
As mentioned earlier, Lighting magic will be the party's best friend but this fight goes beyond that. In a step by step fashion, here is what the party will need to have to be successful against the Leviathan.
Team: Cloud, Barret, and Tifa
Materia: Revival, Healing, Lighting x3, Barrier (1 or 2), Elemental, Magnify, HP Absorption, ATB Boost, Prayer, HP Up x3, MP up, Magic Up, Item Master, Steadfast Block, Auto-Cure.
Level: 30 is the minimum but highly recommended to be at level 35 at least.
Weapons: Hardedge, Big Bertha, Mythril Claws
Armor: Heavy-Duty Bracer, Magician's Bracelet, and Sorcerer's Armlet
Accessory: Champion Belt x2, Circlet (Optional to have one party member with Revive Materia with the Revival Earrings.)
Summons: Any of the Chocobo summons
These should be the requirements to make it through comfortably by Leviathan, although some Materia might not be tremendously necessary. The Materia list is more of some guidelines to be almost over-prepared although some are definite staples to have. Lighting for each party member is a must and it's recommended to have Barret have it linked with Elemental so when the Leviathan is in the air, he can do good amounts of damage against it. A maxed-out Healing with Magnify is helpful to have on one character and Prayer on the other so keep the heals going. HP up, MP up, and Magic Up are the other big Materia to have as staying alive and doing as much Lighting damage as possible will make this fight easier than it should. The rest of the Materia is only to increase survival chances and can be used whenever possible but not 100% necessary.
First Leviathan Phase in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
At the beginning of the fight, the Leviathan will storm up from the floor and face the party akin to a snake waiting for its prey. Instead of staying back and hitting it with Barret's Big Bertha, take either Cloud or Tifa and charge right at it boosting ATB levels immediately. The Leviathan has a few attacks that hit anyone far enough away but don't hit the party when they're up close. This also has the added advantage that his big attack called Tidal Roar. As long as the party is close, he won't unleash Tidal Roar which will decimate the team to everyone dead or close to. Staying close will make it so the Leviathan won't launch it which is one of the issues we had when attempting him the first few times. No Tidal Roar means Phase One is a ton of face-to-face damage and a ton of Thundaga spells whenever possible. Keep Prayer and Healing with Magnify going as needed in this phase. When targeting the Lightning magic, aim for the Leviathan itself and don't worry about the fins. Doing damage to the Leviathan itself is very effective and the fins are simply distractions in this fight.
Second Leviathan Phase in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Phase Two of the Leviathan fight is a chance to rest and recuperate or it can be a chance to do even more damage. In the air, the Leviathan will have probably gotten hit by a ton of Lightning damage in Phase One. His stagger meter will have gotten a significant portion of the way when he flies up to that a few more hits will drop him down, staggered to the floor. Take the opportunity to get full ATB bars to get ready for his fall from grace and deal lots of crushing blows when he falls. Take control of Barret with his Lightning and Elemental weapon combo to hit him hard with an Overdrive or Maximum Fury all while releasing Thundaga. If there's a repeat of Phase One, it won't be for long with all the Thunder going his way and now time to claim his Summon Materia.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available for Playstation 4