FFVII’s Aerith is a pretty iconic videogame character, and is a powerful magic wielder if used right. Well, in this guide, we go into detail on her weapons, stats, limit breaks, and which materia is worth equipping her with. In a game that’s full of likable characters, Final Fantasy VII’s Aerith tends to stay with you, so it’s worth knowing how to get the best out of her in combat.
Should you find this guide helpful, you might want to check out our FFVII Tifa, FFVII Sephiroth, FFVII characters, and FFVII Cloud guides too. Combine those two heroes with Aerith, and you will have the enemy cowering in fear. Or, if you’re thinking of diving into Final Fantasy X, make sure you check out our FFX Auron and FFX Lulu guides to prepare them for battle. We also have a list of the best mobile RPGs if you’re not feeling the fantasy.
Right, let’s dive into everything you need to know about Aerith Gainsborough.
FFVII Aerith’s weapons
Aerith’s weapon of choice is staves, which is pretty typical of a magic user, and trust us when we say there are plenty of these objects to choose from, and frankly, selecting the right one for your playstyle is vital.
Unlike other characters, Aerith has several weapon choices that offer a range of bonuses. Such options include the striking staff, guard stick, umbrella, and the princess guard. All of them provide an increase to vitality, spirit, magic, or critical chance. However, the princess guard is also capable of doubling – or even tripling – Aerith’s damage based on how many allies have been defeated.
Since Aerith relies heavily on magic, it’s crucial that you select a stave that has plenty of materia slots available to make the most out of her casting offense and defense if given the correct orbs.
| Weapon | Attack value | Magic | Where to get it | Bonuses |
| Guard stick | 12 | 2 | This is Aerith’s starting weapon |
Plus one vitality Plus one magic Plus four spirit Element: hit |
| Mythril rod | 16 | 3 | Wall market | Element: hit |
| Full metal staff | 22 | 4 | Kalm, Junon | Element: hit |
| Striking staff | 32 | 7 | Gongaga, Junon |
Plus four magic Plus two critical Element: hit |
| Prism staff | 40 | 10 | Cosmo canyon | Element: hit |
| Aurora rod | 51 | 14 | Wutai village | Element: hit |
| Wizard staff | 28 | 6 | Junon | Element: hit |
| Wizer staff | 33 | 7 | Junon | Element: hit |
| Fairy tale | 37 | 8 | Junon | Element: hit |
| Umbrella | 58 | 10 | Gold saucer |
Plus 20 vitality Plus five critical Element: hit |
| Princess guard | 52 | 22 | Temple of the Ancients |
Plus 12 vitality Plus 20 spirit If one ally is down, Aerith’s damage output is doubled. The effect is tripled if two allies are dead |
FFVII Aerith’s Stats
It would be fair to say that Aerith isn’t the most physically gifted character in Final Fantasy VII. However, what she lacks in brawn, she more than makes up for with her magic capabilities. So if you’re after a party member who can bring the pain through spells, you need look no further than Aerith.
The below chart details the maximum stats available for each of Aerith’s attributes.
| Level | HP | MP | Dexterity | Strength | Vitality | Spirit | Luck | Magic |
| 1 | 177 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| 10 | 331 | 86 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 28 | 20 | 28 |
| 20 | 721 | 168 | 25 | 32 | 33 | 41 | 21 | 44 |
| 30 | 1393 | 268 | 33 | 43 | 45 | 53 | 22 | 60 |
| 40 | 2322 | 381 | 40 | 53 | 56 | 68 | 24 | 72 |
| 50 | 3468 | 505 | 47 | 61 | 65 | 80 | 25 | 84 |
| 60 | 4715 | 625 | 51 | 66 | 71 | 91 | 26 | 91 |
| 70 | 5849 | 732 | 54 | 70 | 75 | 96 | 26 | 97 |
| 80 | 6969 | 837 | 55 | 73 | 78 | 100 | 27 | 100 |
| 90 | 7972 | 921 | 57 | 76 | 81 | 100 | 28 | 100 |
| 99 | 8809 | 994 | 58 | 78 | 83 | 100 | 28 | 100 |
FFVII Aerith’s Limit breaks
Just like every other party member, Aerith has a list of special moves known as limit breaks, and they happen to benefit the entire party. A lot of these moves involve Aerith healing the team. So, as long as she’s around and has the abilities unlocked, you have a bit of freedom to be more reckless and aggressive with other characters.
| Limit break name | How to obtain it | Effect |
| Healing wind | Aerith starts with this ability | Heals the entire party with half their HP bar |
| Sea evil | Use healing wind eight times | Inflicts stop and silence on all foes that are not immune |
| Breath of the earth | Defeat 80 enemies | Cures all ailments affecting the team such as poison, sleep, alow, petrify, and confusion |
| Fury brand | Use breath of the earth six times | Two allies get their limit break meters filled to the max |
| Planet protector | Defeat 80 opponents after collecting breath of the earth | All party members become invincible for a short time |
| Pulse of life | Use planet protector five times | All negative status effects are cured, as well as fully restoring HP and MP |
| Great gospel | Read the great gospel manual after acquiring all of Aerith’s limit breaks | All HP and MP is restored for every party member, as well as making Aerith and her allies invincible for a short time |
The best materia for FFVII’s Aerith
As we have stated multiple times, Aerith is a bit of a wiz when it comes to magic – we expect her to get a letter from Hogwarts any day now – so the logical thing to do is give her a healthy dose of magic-based materia. We suggest giving her materia that increases her offensive capabilities, given her limit breaks offer plenty of opportunities to heal herself. However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t consider materia with healing properties later in the game.
When it comes to which spells you should equip, that’s down to you. If there’s an element you favor, give Aerith the corresponding materia as soon as you can to ensure she holds her own in combat. You might want to consider equipping her with a summon materia as well.
And that’s all you need to know about Final Fantasy 7’s Aerith. If you want to see more of her, check out our Crisis Core characters guide. Who knows, you might see another one or two familiar faces. We also have a Crisis Core materia guide, so you know how to get the most powerful materia in the game.