On the way back to Aerith’s house, once you play bodyguard for her after falling into the church, you’ll run into Rude, a Turk with a chinstrap and a pair of dodgy sunglasses.
Whilst he looks unassuming and completely incapable of dealing with Cloud’s far superior weaponry, he actually poses quite a challenge and is one of the trickiest boss battles in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
With a brutal command over hand-to-hand combat and some cheap tricks, Rude can cause problems for even the most seasoned of players, so here’s our guide on how to smash those sunglasses and get past Rude in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
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How to weaken Rude in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Rude is weak to Wind! So make sure you’ve got a Wind Materia equipped on Aerith’s staff and another Wind Materia equipped on Cloud’s sword. This will allow you to use Aero or Aerora to knock Rude off of his feet and increase his stagger gauge.
Beyond the initial Wind Materia, you should also attune an Elemental Materia in a paired slot on Cloud’s sword so you can deal Wind damage with every attack.
How to beat Rude in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Now that you’ve figured out his key weakness, you just need to figure out his choreographed attacks to unravel Rude’s combat style. He’s lightning quick and extremely dangerous up close, so keep your distance at first. Unfortunately, he also boasts a move called the Spinning Axe Kick, where Rude will launch into the air and come down hard on your person. We found out the hard way that you cant dodge away from this one - you have to block it or face the full force.
Once he lands, Rude will send shock waves towards the player. These track to your location, so be prepared to run (don’t dodge) away from this attack. Similarly, Rude’s Spirit Geyser attack will send jolts into the ground at Cloud’s feet. You can dodge this one with great timing!
Watch out for Rude’s ‘Seize’ attack, a grapple where he’ll immobilise Cloud or Aerith with a pinch to the back of the neck. Dodge and run far away after you see the notification. If you get in too close, he’ll grab Cloud or Aerith and spin them, throwing them into the other active player. If you can manage it, quickly dodge it.
As if he couldn’t be any more annoying, he also randomly throws sleep bombs at you from afar to shake things up. Use items to nullify the effects if the other player is able, and quickly negate the effects so both players can keep wailing on Rude from afar. Cussed thrusts are great for increasing Rude’s stagger gauge and are even more devastating if used in tandem with some Wind Materia from Aerith.
