First of all, don't be surprised that the Summon Materia system has undergone a radical rework in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Now, Summons work more akin to Espers in Final Fantasy XII or Eidolons in Final Fantasy XIII, with a difference — party members other than the summoner will not disappear like in XII and XIII; instead the Summon joins as an extra party member.
How Summon Materia Works
- Each character may only be equipped with one Summon Materia.
- Summons will only be available during the bigger battles, such as bosses.
- After a certain amount of time has elapsed in the battle, the Summon Gauge will appear on the right of the screen and begin to fill up.
- Once this is full, a character can call upon their equipped Summon. Simply select Summon from the command menu.
- The Summon will now join the party. It will attack automatically.
- You can expend ATB charges to have the Summon perform its unique attacks.
- Once a certain amount of time has passed, the Summon will depart — but not before casting its signature Final Attack as a parting gift.
Summon Materia — Tips
- Don't be hasty trigger your Summon as soon as it's ready — analyze the situation carefully, and call upon it when you're sure you can maximize damage output (such as just before an opponent is Staggered).
- Always be mindful of elemental affinity, and call upon the Summon that is a weakness of your enemy.
- Try to have two ATB charges stored on a character before summoning, so that you can launch powerful attacks right away. This is especially useful when you know a boss is about to be Staggered.
Now that you know how Summons work, check out our detailed guide to all the Summon Materia you can get in Final Fantasy VII Remake!
