Fantasy 7 Rebirth Folio explained & best Skill Cores to unlock first
The Folio system in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a new addition to the series, letting players upgrade each party member with new Skill Cores to get new skills, Synergy Abilities, and more.
While you can respec for free at any time, making sure that you know which Skill Cores to unlock first can ensure each character is as strong as possible in the game. Furthermore, you can only expand your Folio at certain points in the game, so understanding when that is possible will mean that you never miss an opportunity.
How to expand the Folio
You'll be able to expand your party's Folio by visiting Magnata Books in any of the towns or interacting with any of the Folio Machines that are found next to benches scattered throughout the game.
Each party member has their own separate Folio, and you'll be able to use SP to unlock new Skill Cores. These Skill Cores are mostly linked and sequential, so you won't be able to unlock them in any order. Furthermore, you'll unlock more Skill Cores as you increase your Weapon Level and Party Level, but these higher-end Cores will in turn cost more SP.
Click to enlargeIf you're looking for SP, that is earned every time you level up your character, and can also be earned in bulk by finding the individual Manuscripts for each individual character.
Best Skill Cores to unlock first
You'll have to progress through the Folio tree for each character to start unlocking the really essential Skill Cores, but here are some that you'll want to prioritise for each party member early on in the game:
Cloud
- Firework Blade (Synergy Ability)
- Ranged Blade (Synergy Skill)
- Max HP Up (Stat Boost)
- Relentless Rush (Synergy Ability)
- Wind Current (Ability)
Aerith
- Divine Punishment (Synergy Skill)
- Synergy Damage Up (Stat Boost)
- Combat Savior (Synergy Skill)
- Bodyguard (Synergy Skill)
- Max MP Up (Stat Boost)
- United Refocus (Synergy Ability)
Click to enlargeTifa
- Synchro Cyclone (Synergy Ability)
- Leaping Strikes (Synergy Skill)
- Combo Damage Up (Stat Boost)
- Enhanced Techniques (Stat Boost)
- United Refocus (Synergy Ability)
Red XIII
- Overfang (Synergy Ability)
- Enhanced Counterspin (Stat Boost)
- Phantom Fang (Synergy Skill)
- Wildfire (Ability)
- Wild Charge (Synergy Skill)
- Max HP Up (Stat Boost)
- Savage Assault (Synergy Skill)
Barret
- United Refocus (Synergy Ability)
- Enhanced Overcharge (Stat Boost)
- Electric Impulse (Ability)
- Mad Dash (Synergy Skill)
- Iron Defense (Synergy Skill)
- Max HP Up (Stat Boost)
You can always refund previous Skill Cores that you unlocked to get to the best ones if you don't find yourself using them, as I found that SP was quite tricky to come by so any additional amount will definitely be appreciated.
Make sure that you've got your Folios set for the best party combination, and you can find out when Yuffie joins the party, every Chocobo location, the hidden Cactuar locations, and plenty more on our dedicated Final Fantasy homepage.
