How to easily beat Scarlet in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (Crimson Mare Mk. II)

Scarlet shows up in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth after overcoming Specimen H1024. After all, she’s the one who dropped it on the party in the first place. However, the original party is overwhelmed due to a number of factors. Since the rest of it stayed back in Gongaga, it’s time for them to return to combat. After re-exploring Gongaga Reactor, the Crimson Mare Mk. II shows up, ready for combat.

As this is an incredibly important part of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we won’t be sharing any spoilers about what happened before or after this. That way, you can enjoy what comes next. We will, however, go over all the details about the boss fight so you’re properly equipped.

Disclaimer: This article features spoilers for the Scarlet fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Some parts are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinion.

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Tips for defeating Scarlet in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

1) Phase 1 of Scarlet battle in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The Assess information for Scarlet (Image via Square Enix)

The Scarlet fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was easily the most frustrating one until this point. It’s much tougher than the Specimen H1024 boss that you just battled. While the party of Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie were fine, they simply could not deal enough damage to the Crimson Mare Mk. II.

It’s weak to lightning and immune to essentially every status ailment in the game. When staggered, it also gains resistance to Fire, Magic, and several weapon types, making Lightning the best choice. If you want to target Scarlet directly in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you need to destroy both of her arms - this also lets you pressure her. The downside is the arms are incredibly tough.

I tried to focus on one of the arms first and found that Tifa was ineffective at fighting most of the time due to the enemy flying. That makes controlling Yuffie or Aerith ideal. Yuffie’s more fun, to be honest.

Beware the quick melee strikes (Image via Square Enix)

Scarlet in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth uses a wealth of fast-slashing melee strikes, including X-ecution. Having Aerith as the main party member can be dangerous for that reason. Yuffie’s faster and has an easier time evading, even while in mid-air. It will also spin across the stage with Spinning Thrust.

Maintain the pressure with Thunder spells and abilities like Static Shock while Scarlet darts around in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Take your time in phase 1, using whatever you can to break one of the arms. I did wind up resetting this fight and targeting the right saber instead, although that doesn’t change anything.

After breaking one weapon, focus on the other in the exact same manner, avoiding attacks. Between Tifa’s Dolphin Blow and plenty of lightning, I quickly broke the next arm to set up Phase 2 of this fight.

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2) Phase 2 of Scarlet in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Phase 2 means new guns (Image via Square Enix)

Here, her mecha is equipped with Makocannon arms. You still need to focus on breaking them, especially now that she can use huge beam shots like Crimson Wave Mk. II. This made the fight significantly tougher, but try to stay mobile as Yuffie and evade these shots.

One use of Bloodbath on Yuffie nearly broke one of them, so these felt weaker than the melee arms. She also has a new rotating attack that hits nearly the full screen: Rotating Rail Laser. I couldn’t find a way to dodge this, so I soaked it and healed afterward.

As this phase goes on, she continues to use these two attacks and close-range rapid-fire lasers that are aimed down at the player. This fight is a lesson on why you need a lot of the same type of Materia in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

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3) Phase 3 of Scarlet fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Phase 3 adds one more new toy to the mix (Image via Square Enix)

At around 40% health, before we could destroy the Right Makocannon, Scarlet brought another arm to the fight in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. She now has drill arms on the Crimson Mare Mk. II.

This means new attacks. Impact Hook is a rapid series of melee strikes, and Impact Drive is a lunging attack for about half the screen. She might do a short version of it after and follow it up with a Hook, so try to avoid the combo. In addition, there’s Impact Eruption, which, after a delay, deals damage in a huge circle around her.

The strategy is the same as before, though - break the arms and increase her stagger, particularly in this phase. If successful, use any Limit Breaks, Synergy Abilities, and your heavier Lightning spells. I used Bloodbath and then Yuffie’s Windstorm to break the arm and deal almost all of her HP in one combo.

When she’s down to one arm, she’ll use Rocket Arms, which fires the remaining arm off the mecha. It will cruise the room, damaging anyone hit by it. She does not introduce any new attacks, so whittle away at what’s left of her HP and claim your rewards:

• 1,875 EXP
• 10 AP
• 50 Party EXP
• 1,500 Gil

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The next cutscene is important, but we won’t ruin your experience by telling you about it. Enjoy what comes next, and get ready for Chapter 10 in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.