Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion follows Zack Fair on his journey to become a hero. Sadly, the game's opening doesn't give him much to work with, so players will need to upgrade Zack's Materia and accessories if they hope to help him achieve his dream.
Though it might not seem like it at first, players can access some seriously powerful gear at the beginning of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, but acquiring them can be quite challenging if they aren't willing to complete the missions Zack gains access to during the first chapter. Those who wish to obtain some extremely beneficial equipment and Materia during the early game, however, will need to complete a few.
6 Mog's Amulet Accessory
Though the Mog's Amulet Accessory doesn't grant Zack any physical or magical buffs, it's one of those accessories that should be equipped the moment it's acquired. When equipped, it guarantees that each enemy Zack defeats will drop a rare item, which can be extremely helpful considering how overpowered certain drops can be. It also guarantees successful rare steals, so players should be sure to make use of it against the game's more challenging foes if they wish to acquire their loot.
The Mog's Amulet can be obtained during Chapter 2 by completing the M4-4-3: Infiltration mission. Doing so will grant Zack access to the Sector 7 Shop, from which he can buy the Mog's Amulet for an affordable 10,000 Gil.
5 Cure Materia
Zack will face an overwhelming amount of powerful enemies on his journey to become a hero, so he must acquire the means to outlast them in combat. The best means of restoring his health is to use Curaga or Full Cure, but players won't be able to obtain these Materia until much later in the game.
Though Potions, Hi-Potions, and Elixirs can go a long way, they are finite and are only reliable if Zack has amassed a decent amount of them on his travels. If Zack has the Cure Materia, however, he can heal as often as he wishes, so long as he has the necessary MP to do so. Obtaining the Cure Materia can take some work, but the quickest way to get one is to complete the M8-1-6: Mystery Materia mission, which becomes available after escaping from Hojo's Lab in Chapter 3.
4 Barrier & MBarrier Materia
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is crawling with some of the most dangerous enemies in Final Fantasy history. If Zack fails to complete optional missions as he advances on his journey, the story-based enemies can prove to be quite challenging due to how hard some of them can hit. To lessen the damage they deal out, players should seek out the necessary defensive Magic Materia.
Though the Wall Magic Materia is arguably the best means of defense in all of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, players will come across Barrier and MBarrier much earlier. When Barrier is used, Zack will take less physical damage from his enemies; when MBarrier is used, the damage he receives from magical attacks will be lessened. Barrier can be found inside a chest during the M4-1-5: Stop The Intruders mission during Chapter 2, and MBarrier can be created through Materia Fusion by fusing the SPR Up and Blizzara Materia at the beginning of Chapter 3.
3 HP Up Materia
The HP Up Materia is arguably the best way to increase Zack's HP in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. When equipped, it multiplies Zack's maximum HP by whatever bonus the Materia has applied. The default bonus adds an additional 10%, but this bonus increases the more the Materia is powered up.
The HP Up Materia can then be further improved through Materia Fusion to grant Zack an even higher amount of HP. This can be done by fusing two HP Up Materia to form a HP Up+ Materia. The process can then be repeated to further increase Zack's health. One of the easiest ways to obtain HP Up+ Materia is for Zack to search the chests scattered throughout the M8-4-3: Suspicious Mail 3 mission, which becomes available during Chapter 3.
2 Wizard Bracelet Accessory
The Wizard Bracelet Accessory is one of the best accessories in all of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. When equipped, all Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells cast at Zack will be nullified. As if this wasn't convenient enough, Zack will also absorb the damage from each spell and convert it to HP, restoring his health in the process.
Acquiring the Wizard Bracelet accessory can take some serious work, but those up to the challenge can get one as early as Chapter 2 by completing the M4-4-3: Infiltration mission. Completing said mission will grant Zack access to the Sector 7 Shop, from which the Wizard Bracelet accessory can be purchased for 80,000 Gil. Players may need to farm some Gil in order to afford this handy accessory, but it's more than worth it in the long run.
1 Quake Materia
The Quake Magic Materia is easily one of the most powerful Materia available to Zack in all of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion. When activated, a large portion of the ground surrounding Zack will crumble, damaging all enemies who happen to be standing within the spell's blast radius.
Sadly, the Quake Materia is ineffective against airborne foes, but this won't pose too much of a problem during the early game, as most enemies Zack will face during the first few chapters are all grounded. To obtain the Quake Materia, the player must complete the M4-2-6: The Five Saints of Wutai mission and purchase the Materia from The Wutai Secret Shop. This mission becomes available during Chapter 2, but can only be completed if the previous 29 missions have been beaten. This will take some time, but it's well worth it for how beneficial Quake can be.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.