You’ve been playing Tifa all wrong in Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Tifa is a core part of your Final Fantasy 7 Remake party, but you might be confused as to what to do with her. Other characters like Barret and Aerith have obvious roles to play, but Tifa isn’t exactly a tank, a healer, or a DPS. Rather, Tifa’s role in your party is flexible and should fill in any glaring gaps. Don’t assume that Tifa is extraneous or — we shudder to think — useless. Rather, she’s a key party member that will boost your group’s efficiency, but only if you equip her correctly.

Tifa and Cloud are very similar in that they hit hard, but can also be fairly adept with magic if need be. Coordinate between your Cloud and Tifa builds. If Cloud uses magic heavily, make Tifa all melee and vice versa. Our recommendation is that Tifa should be something of a half-mage, half-fighter monk while Cloud hones in on physical attacks.

Tifa will start out with leather gloves, which are, like Tifa, pretty versatile. Until she is able to pick up more suitable gloves for her role as mage/fighter, focus on attacks that will helpfully stagger enemies. Later on in Chapter 7, you’ll find the Sonic Strikers in a chest. These give Tifa a big boost and tons of buffs when it comes to casting, so Tifa and Aerith can team up as your party’s main casters at this point in the game. With the Sonic Strikers, Elemental Materia damage gets at 10% boost, so be sure to keep an eye out for those weaknesses.

Even though she’ll be more powerful at this stage, keep in mind that Tifa’s role should be staggering enemies so that her friends can swoop in for the kill. That shouldn’t be a problem for Tifa, especially after perusing Way of the Fist Vol. 1 from the Moogle Emporium in Chapter 8. This will boost her skill points and, presumably, keep her entertained.