Understanding Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: World Intel System Demystified

Towards the end of Chapter 2 in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, players will reunite with Chadley. Android and former assistant to Professor Hojo, Chadley is striking out on his own to explore and investigate the world. Much like in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Chadley wants the party's help in conducting his research and offers powerful materia as a reward for their help.

To better fit the open world areas of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Chadley's Research has expanded in scope, encouraging players to explore the world and seek out a variety of landmarks. Powerful fiends also dot the landscape, which players can fight to gather battle data. All of this exploration, in turn, unlocks new materia for purchase from Chadley and new combat simulations to challenge. This guide will explain the different types of objectives Chadley might give to the player as part of the World Intel system.

Remnawave Towers

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Remnawave Tower - Remnawave Towers

The first type of World Intel Task players will learn about is the Remnawave Towers. These towers are the only type of World Intel that is marked on the map initially. To mark the others, players will either need to locate them manually by exploring or activate a nearby Remnawave Tower. Players need to find a control panel on the tower and activate it by interacting with it. This control panel is sometimes found at ground level, but often requires players to climb part of the way up the Tower.

After activating a Remnawave Tower, nearby World Intel tasks will be added to the map. This means that players should always prioritize Remnawave Towers when exploring a new region. Additionally, Remnawave Towers (and the other World Intel Tasks) are great sources of Party XP.

The Combat Simulator

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Combat Simulator - The Combat Simulator

Lifesprings

In Remake, Chadley's Combat Simulator is a returning feature that allows players to tackle different combat challenges to earn new materia. By battling enemies in each region, using the assess materia, and finishing Fiend Intel fights, additional challenges can be unlocked. Completing certain challenges not only unlocks new materia but also grants new abilities for the Enemy Skill Materia. This materia becomes increasingly valuable as more abilities are unlocked through these challenges.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Lifespring Research - Lifesprings

Players can discover Lifesprings in different regions to access the Lifestream and acquire new knowledge. Look out for "Springseeker Owls" near Lifesprings, as they can guide you directly to them. Once you reach a Lifespring, engage in a quick timing minigame by tapping the interact button when the ring aligns with the target area. This will allow you to successfully scan the Lifespring and progress further in the game.

Completing Lifesprings will also reveal some new locations on the map, often including the locations of Transmuter Chips.

Fiend Intel

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Fiend Intel

In order for Chadley to create challenges in the Combat Simulator, he requires data on the different enemies that the party faces. Rare versions of certain creatures can be found scattered throughout the map, and Chadley will assign the party to collect data on them. These challenges are known as "Fiend Intel" tasks, where the Monster Assessment Instrument (MAI) will offer details about a creature along with three challenges to complete during the battle. These challenges are simple combat encounters, with players often needing to focus on pressuring and staggering the target. To start off, players should use the Assess materia to identify the weaknesses of the target.

Divine Intel

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Divine Intel

Chadley is currently collecting data on the summons in each region of the game. To help with this, the party is required to find hidden sanctuaries in each area and examine them. These sanctuaries hold the knowledge of summons and will enhance the summon materia associated with them when investigated. By discovering and studying these sanctuaries, players can also unlock the opportunity to battle a weaker version of that summon in the Combat Simulator, making it easier to obtain that summon materia.

When examining a sanctuary, players will be presented with a sequence of button inputs and must replicate them with the same timing. This is essentially a memory game and is quite forgiving in terms of timing. There are no consequences for failing the minigame as it can be attempted multiple times until successful.

Protorelic Phenomenons

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Becks Badasses - Protorelic Phenomenons

Each region has a special artifact called a "Protorelic" that Chadley is interested in studying. To obtain the Protorelic, players must complete a series of challenges at different locations in the region. In the Grasslands region, for example, players must chase a group of bandits from one hideout to another as they try to escape with the artifact.

Completing each step in the Protorelic Phenomenon challenges will provide Chadley with valuable data that can be traded for new Materia. It is important to collect all Protorelics in order to unlock a powerful summon later in the game. This makes the Protorelic Phenomenons essential World Intel tasks.

Materia Development

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth_Materia Development

Chadley can use the data collected by the Party to create new Materia, which can be purchased using the data points earned from each World Intel activity. The materia available differ from one region to another but are always tremendously useful. Some particularly versatile Materia that are only available through Materia Development are multi-magic materia, like the "Fire & Ice" materia earned from research in the Grasslands. These powerful materia provide multiple types of magic while only taking up a single materia slot, allowing much greater build versatility and also stretching the utility of magnify materia to affect multiple spells if slotted correctly.

Taking advantage of Materia Development whenever possible is crucial to growing the party's strength and will make difficult encounters much more manageable. It's one of the main reasons that players should clear out as many World Intel objectives as possible when they first enter a new region and will make story encounters considerably less difficult.

Editor's P/S:

This comprehensive guide to Chadley's Research in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth provides a thorough overview of the expanded scope of this feature in the upcoming game. The inclusion of open-world exploration elements, such as Remnawave Towers and landmarks, encourages players to engage with the world and seek out new discoveries. The variety of objectives, ranging from combat challenges to the collection of data on rare creatures and ancient artifacts, adds depth and replayability to the game.

The guide also highlights the importance of Materia Development, which allows players to create powerful and versatile materia to enhance their party's abilities. By completing World Intel objectives, players can unlock new materia and combat simulations, giving them a significant advantage in battles. Overall, this article provides valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of Chadley's Research and its role in enhancing the gameplay experience in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.