Oh boy, you're in for a treat if you want to play on hard mode, as this difficulty will test all of your abilities and game knowledge. You'll need to have every build optimized for hard mode, and you can't take risks as a simple mistake can ruin your whole playthrough. 

You unlock this difficulty when you complete the game once. In this mode, enemies will hit harder and have more HP, and some enemies and all bosses will have new deadly abilities. It is highly recommended that you max out your characters to level 50 and all of your materias. Run away from fights that aren't mandatory. 

Use “Chakra” and "Prayer” to restore your character's HP without using MP. Additionally, you must focus on the weaknesses of enemies more than ever if you want to succeed. Now that you understand what hard mode is about, let's get into the builds!

6. Sonon Hard Mode Build

Can’t reach me because of my staff :P. 

Let's start this article with the DLC character known as Sonon. The main role of Sonon is to give support to Yuffie and be the frontline tank. He can make enemies target him specifically. He is also great at synergizing attacks with Yuffie. The main weapon for this build is the “Indurate Staff,” as it gives 105 physical attack damage and increases his HP. 

For the armor, go for the “Firebird Armlet'' as for the accessory, go for the “Kindred Cord.” The way that you build materia on him is by having healing and spells that remove debuffs or give buffs to Yuffie. For others, make sure to equip some fighting materias as they will constantly be on the frontlines.

What Sonon Hard Mode Build Excels In:

• Being on the frontlines.
• Supporting Yuffie.
• Taunting enemies, so they attack him.
• Synergizing attacks with Yuffie 
• Healing Yuffie in battle 
• Protecting Yuffie from damage.

Sonon Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Indurate Staff - Attack Power - 105, Magic Power - 50, Materia Slots - 6.
• Armor: Firebird Armlet - 46 Physical Defenses, 46 Magical Defenses, 3 Materia Slots. 
• Accessory: Kindred Cord - Reduces the ATB cost of synergized abilities.
• Firebird Armlet Materia: Healing, ATB Stagger, Ninja Cannonball.
• Indurate Staff Materia: Time + Magnify, Steadfast Block, First Strike, HP Up X2.

5. Yuffie Hard Mode Build

Show me the way to the materia!

Yuffie, unlike Sonon, is quite squishy, but she is agile and deals a ton of damage. Due to her using a shuriken as her main weapon, she can also deal some nasty damage from afar. So the best weapon for her in hard mode is the “Steel Reaper,'' which improves her physical and magical damage immensely. 

As for the armor, it's the “Chthonian Armlet,” as it gives 47 physical defenses and 47 magical defenses. It also comes with 4 materia slots. As for the accessory, the best one is the “Gozu Drive,” which increases the amount of damage she deals depending on the amount of HP she has. The materia you'll mainly use will consist of improving her attacks, HP, and a healing spell.

What Yuffie Hard Mode Build Excels In:

• Dealing damage from afar.
• Buffing her defensive stats.
• Improving on her damage.
• Giving her more physical and magical damage.
• Having some spells that can be healing or offensive spells.

Yuffie Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Steel Reaper - Attack Power - 94, Magic Power - 70, Materia Slots 6.
• Armor: Chthonian Armlet - 42 Physical Defenses, 42 Magical Defenses, 4 Materia Slots.
• Accessory: Gozu Drive - Increases the damage dealt proportional to the character’s current HP.
• Chthonian Armlet Materia: Healing+Magnify, ATB Stagger, MP Up.
• Steel Reaper Materia: Fire+Elemental, Revival, First Strike, HP Up X2.

4. Barret Hard Mode Build

Why is this difficulty so hard?

Barret is the tank of the group and has the best defensive stats and the highest amount of HP, so you should also build him that way. He's good at making enemies target and focus on him. He can also deal with flying enemies and be in the back line, as he uses a gun arm. 

The weapon in question is the “Big Bertha.” As for the armor, Barret uses a “Cog Bangle.” As for the accessory, go for the “Survival Vest,” as it gives him +10% vitality. Barret is best suited for the support role, to tank damage and heal his party members. 

What Barret Hard Mode Excels In:

• Supporting his teammates.
• Dealing with flying enemies.
• Being in the backline.
• Drawing the attention of enemies onto himself.
• Healing his party members.
• Being a tank for the party.

Barret Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Big Bertha - Attack Power - 93, Magic Power - 62, Materia Slots 6.
• Armor: Cog Bangle - 39 Physical Defenses, 39 Magical Defenses, 3 Materia Slots.
• Accessory: Survival Vest - Increases vitality by 10%.
• Cog Bangle Materia: MP Up, Magic Up X2.
• Light Machine Gun Materia: Healing + Magnify, Prayer, Revival, HP Up, MP Up.
• Summon: Leviathan

3. Aerith Hard Mode Build 

We can do this people!

The best build that works for Aerith in hard difficulty is for her to be in the back row away from damage and harm. Healing party members, buffing them, and removing debuffs from them. You can also apply a few offensive spells on her so that she can deal damage. 

The main weapon you'll want to use is the “Mythril Rod” as it gives the most amount of magic attack damage. Additionally, it improves her HP and defenses a bit. As for the armor go for the “Cog Bangle” and for the accessory go for the “Circlet”. The “Circlet” will give Aerith a +10% max MP and +5% go magic. 

The materia you'll want to have with Aerith are Healing+Magnify, Prayer, Revival, HP Up, MP Up X2, and Magic Up X2. You can also exchange the materias for some spells to target enemy or boss weaknesses if needed. This build works best for supporting your teammates and being in the back line far away from damage.

What Aerith Hard Mode Build Excels In:

• Healing your party members.
• Improving Aerith's mana pool.
• Being far away from danger.
• Reviving fallen teammates in battle.
• Removing debuffs from teammates.
• Improving her magic damage.
• Improving on the spell's effectiveness.

Aerith Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Mythril Rod - Attack Power - 24, Magic Power - 165, Materia Slots - 6.
• Armor: Cog Bangle - 39 Physical and 39 Magical Defenses, 3 Materia Slots.
• Accessory: Circlet - Max MP +10%, Magic +5%.
• Cog Bangle Materia: MP Up, Magic Up X2.
• Mythril Rod Materia: Healing+Magnify, Prayer, Revival, Leviathan, MP Up.
• Summon: Leviathan

2. Tifa Hard Mode Build

Hard mode can’t stop these fists.

Another character who will constantly be on the frontlines and fighting alongside Cloud most of the time is Tifa, so you must build her correctly. She is all about putting pressure on the enemies and filling up the stagger meter on them. 

For the main weapon, you'll want to go with “Purple Pain,'' as these are all about increasing the stagger and critical hit rate. Moreover, it also gives her decent HP. As for the accessory, go for the “Champion Belt'' as that gives her 10% more HP and a 5% increase in strength. For the armor, go for the “Iron Maiden” or “Supreme Bracer.” 

The “Iron Maiden” gives Tifa 124 physical and 24 magical defenses but has no materia slots, while the “Supreme Bracer” has 62 physical and 16 magical defenses but has 3 materia slots. As for the materia, it’s good to have a heal spell, some HP Ups, and materia’s that go in handy with Tifa. Additionally, the summon is Ifrit as many enemies have a weakness to fire.

What Tifa Hard Mode Excels In:

• She has a healing spell if it’s needed.
• Has HP to survive tough fights.
• Deals enough physical damage.
• Great against single-target enemies and raising their stagger meter.
• Improves her critical hit rate.
• Increases the damage output on her limit break abilities.
• Massively increases her physical and magical defenses.

Tifa Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Purple Pain - Attack Power - 82, Magic Power - 66, Materia Slots - 6.
• Armor: Iron Maiden 124 Physical and 24 Magical Defenses, 0 Materia Slots/Supreme Bracer 62 Physical and 16 Magical Defenses, 3 Materia Slots.
• Accessory: Champion’s Belt HP +10%, Strength +5%.
• Supreme Bracer Materia: HP Up, HP Up, Steadfast Block/ATB Assist.
• Purple Pain Materia: ATB Stagger, Ifrit, Cura, Steadfast Block, Barrier, Revival. 
• Summon: Ifrit

1. Cloud Hard Mode Build

Is this the best you got?

Since Cloud is the character you'll be using the most, and he will appear in almost every fight, you must build him correctly. He will be your main damage dealer at the party. You'll want to use the materia on him that's the most flexible for different situations. 

It's important to have the materia “First Strike'' so you have one ATB charge at the start of the battle and you can use “Triple Slash” to end many fights. For the weapon, you'll want to go with the “Hardedge,” as it has an incredible amount of physical damage. As for the armor, go for the “Chain Bangle,” which has 4 materia slots and great armor stats. 

As for the accessory, go for the “Champions Belt,” which gives 10% HP and increases the strength by 5%. For the materias go for the HP Ups, Healing, Steadfast Block, First Strike, Chakra, and ATB Assist. This build excels in dealing damage, having HP, and being able to deal AoE damage.

What Cloud Hard Mode Build Excels In:

• Having HP on Cloud.
• Starting every fight with an ATB charge.
• Having healing materia to heal himself or other party members.
• Dealing the most physical damage due to the weapon “Hardedge”.
• Quickly dealing with smaller enemies with the AoE attacks.

Cloud Hard Mode Build Details:

• Weapon: Hardedge - Attack Power - 137, Magic Power - 46, 6 Materia Slots.
• Armor: Chain Bangle - 50 Physical Defenses, 50 Magical Defenses, 4 Materia Slots.
• Accessory: Champions Belt - +10% HP Increase, +5% Strength Increase.
• Chain Bangle Materia: ATB Assist, Skill Master, First Strike, HP Up.
• Hardedge Materia: Lighting/Fire/Wind/Ice (change elements depending on the fight)+Elemental, Healing, HP Up, Steadfast Block, Bahamut.
• Summon: Bahamut

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