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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, as you know, introduces a bunch of new characters to the series from the original like Cait Sith and Elena. However, we’ve also encountered familiar faces from Remake like Johnny and Chadley. And yes, that includesa lot of Kyrie.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: How to Complete the “Trouble in Paradise” Mission
Kyrie sends you on quite the journey but, luckily, we’ve got your itinerary.
Yet, there was one person, new toRemake, who many fans wanted to get an update on: Leslie, the white-haired ex-lackey of Don Corneo who helped us escape Midgar. Luckily, the side mission, “Sands & Circuses” brings back the vengeful henchman and asks us to help him with his plan.
Still searching for his fiancée, Merle, we find Leslie in Under Junon a little worse for wear. Beaten up and bruised, he confides in Cloud and the gang that Solemn Gus has a tournament going on, with the prize being a human woman. Leslie suspects that it might be Merle but, being not adept at combat, he was unable to win. However, he asks us to win it for him so he can see if his search for Merle is over or not.
Head down to the Beast Battleground via the large hole beside Leslie. If you competed in the Sylkis Cup forSylkis Greensduring “Gearing Up For The Race”, you’ll be familiar with the tournament. The attendant will ask if you’d “like to join the party”, to which you’ll say yes.
There are a total of five Combat Challenges. Interestingly enough, each member of your party (excluding Red XIII and Cait Sith) fights in their own Challenge. Luckily, you’ll only be doing one round, so the enemies on screen are your only foes. You’ll fight in this order: Yuffie, Aerith, Barret, Tifa, and Cloud.
1. Gus’s Party: The Ninja vs. Winged Ones (Yuffie vs. Valrons)
This match can prove to be a breeze if you come prepared. Valrons are pretty strong, especially with their gravity-based attacks. Plus, they are airborne, so it can take a miracle to land a ground-based hit on them. Luckily, Yuffie can adapt with her trusty Shuriken.
Valrons are weak to Ice, so use Ice Ninjutsu to cover your Shuriken with ice and damage them from afar. You don’t necessarily have to have Blizzard or any ice-based abilities, but it may help stagger and take them down more easily. Hitting the Valrons' weaknesses will pressure them, so keep at it and utilize extra ATB to conjure a Doppelgänger or land some magic-based blows on them.
2. Gus’s Party: The Flower Seller vs. Fireballs (Aerith vs. Bombs)
I’ll be honest, this one is a hard one, especially if you don’t play as Aerith much. You, as Aerith, will face two Bombs for the Challenge. What makes this challenging is the Bombs spit Fireballs, which can cause major damage that only grows more powerful when they grow.
The Bombs are weak to Ice, despite it not being mentioned in the description. A specific strategy I used to take the Bombs down was touse Lustrous Shield while your back is to the wall. Since it’ll block all projectiles,you can use your attack from afar and gain enough ATB to conjure Blizzard(though I recommend doing Blizzara and Blizzaga, since they’ll cause more damage). Also, if you want to bump up Ice,link it to a Magic Efficiency Materia. To dampen the blow of the fire,utilize the Elemental Materia(can be earned via Combat Simulations)and link it to Fire Materia within your armor. It’ll halve any damage taken from a linked element, in this case, Fire.
3. Gus’s Party: The Gunner vs. Wind Sages (Barret vs. Zemzeletts)
After Aerith’s match, this’ll be a piece of cake. As Barret, you’ll go against twoZemzeletts. Like Yuffie’s opponents,they are airborne and can be rather powerful. If you’re like me and made Barret a big magic dealer, then you’re in luck, as it’ll come in handy. If not, don’t fret.
Zemzeletts are weak to Blizzard, just like the enemies before it (Valrons and Bombs).Therefore, equip the Ice Materia(and magnify it with Magnify Materia if you have it) and weaken them. However, I also recommendutilizing Bonus Round and Maximum Fury/Focused Shot. You’ll build a ton of ATB by shooting, so, if you run low on MP, use those skills,specifically when Zemzeletts use Wingbeat, as they’re more prone to being pressured.
4. Gus’s Party: The Pugilist vs. The Undertaker (Tifa vs. Modded Sweeper)
If you played Remake, you’ll recognize your opponent very well.The Modded Sweeper,much like the one in Remake, is fierce from a short and long distance. It’s arms, which shoot at you, can rake up a lot of hits if you’re not careful. As Tifa, it’s best tobe quick on your feet. Plan when you’re going to punch and remember to heal if low.
The Modded Sweeper is weak towards Electric, so, if you have any Lightning Materia,strike them whenever you get the chance. Doing so will pressure the Sweeper. Also,aim for the arms for your punches and kicks, as, if destroyed, will stop the Sweeper from doing certain actions, like shooting, until they’re repaired. Still, you should be able to take them out before they can fix themselves.
5. Gus’s Party: The Merc vs. Bloodstained Jester (Cloud vs. Joker)
The last Combat Challenge gets a cool little cutscene to boot. You’ll see Solemn Gus hype the crowd up and reveal his prized fighter: Joker. No, not the Batman villain. No, not the pilot of the Normandy in Mass Effect. And no, not the Persona 5 protagonist either (though you’re able to in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). He may seem very intimidating, given his fancy jester outfit and card-based attacks. However, he can be taken down easily if you exploit his weakness.
Specifically, Joker is weak to Wind, so use Aero/Wind-based attacks on them. On occasion,Joker will use Soul Sucker, which can drain your health.If you evade it, it’ll go into a pressured state, so use that to your advantage. Towards the end of the fight,Joker will go berserkand unleash some heavy attacks. Do your best toevade or block themand keep laying hits on them.Joker, at the end, will remain pressured, souse Focused Thrust to stagger themand laugh as you mow the clown down.
Beating the Challenges + Rewards
Once you’ve completed all five challenges, Solemn Gus will congratulate (and scold) you for your victory against his pawns. Being the sleazeball Gus is, he offers Cloud a place in his tournament, as they would make a great team. Cloud declines, which upsets Gus a teeny bit (well, a lot but he won’t show it), and asks for the prize. Tifa cuts in and hits Gus deservingly for using humans as prizes. Hopefully, it knocked him down a peg, but who knows? You’ll earn the Loveliest of Ladies as a reward for completing the challenges. Note that there is no physical item for it, as it’s just a name for the woman captive.
After that, you’ll meet up with Leslie for his big reunion with Merle. Unfortunately, it turns out the woman wasn’t Merle, but a tourist from the Gold Saucer. Leslie, being the kind person he is, ensures her safety back to the casino. He vows to still keep looking for Merle, now more than ever. Here’s hoping his reunion is sweeter than some.
As a reward for our efforts, you’ll earn10 Party EXP, Way of the Fist vol. VI (10 SP for Tifa), player EXP (for me, it was 5,000), and an improved relationship with Tifa.
