Final Fantasy 7 - Battle Commands

The following commands, displayed in the command window during battle, change as you proceed throughout the game, depending on the characters in your party and the Materia they are equipped with.

Attack
You will attack with equipped weapons. You can also fight your allies by selecting them as targets. The same applies to the 'Magic' Command.

Limit
The Limit Gauge starts filling up with each enemy attack. When the gauge is full, it blinks, indicating Limit Break status. At that point, the 'Attack' command changes to the 'Limit' command. By selecting the Limit Command, the character will be able to perform his or her own unique attack called a Limit Break. If the battle ends while the Limit gauge is full, you can carry it over to the next battle. In this case, the 'Attack' command will remain as the 'Limit' Command. The more damage you sustain from the enemy, the faster the Limit gauge fills up. As soon as the Limit gauge fills up, that character's Time gauge will automatically fill up.

Magic
When you equip magic Materia on weapons or armor, the 'Magic' command becomes available and is displayed in the window. Select the magic you want, and select who you want to cast it on. For instance, if it is attack magic, select the enemy to attack, and if it is curative magic, select one of your allies. The amount of MP consumed is the same whether it is magic that uses the Materia effect of 'All' on multiple enemies or a single enemy. (Magic effective on all enemies is indicated by a red arrow next to the name of the spell.) If magic cannot be cast due to reasons such as insufficient MP, the name of the magic will be displayed in gray.

Items
Items that affect attacks and recovery can be used in battles. Select an item and decide who will use it or against whom it will be used. If it is an attack item, select an enemy. If it is a recovery item, select one of your allies.

Change
This command will appear if you press the left Directional Button at the left edge of the battle comand window. With this command, you can change the positions of your characters from the front line to the rear. Charactes at the rear will incur less damage from the enemy, but their damage to the enemy will be less. Placed at the front, the effect will be reversed. The changed status will not be carried over to the next battle.

Defend
This command will appear if you press the Right Directional Button at the right edge of the battle command window. If you use this command, damage incurred will be reduced by half until the Time gauge fills up.

Escape
If you hold down the L1 and R1 buttons simultaneously, you may be able to escape from battle. Depending on the enemy and battle formations, it is not always possible to escape. Also, the time in which it will take to escape varies from battle to battle based on your current character's levels.

Other Commands
As you proceed, you will obtain many Materia. Among them are Materia that will add commands that you can use during battle and will be selectable on the command menu during battle. For example, there is the 'Summon' command, the 'Sense' command, and the 'Enemy Skill' command. Only characters equipped with the appropriate Materia can use these commands.