How to use Synergy Abilities in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth & unlock more

Having first been introduced in the INTERmission DLC, Synergy Abilities have taken on a new lease of life in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, with a completely new way to use them in battles and an abundance to unlock in-game.

What's the use of an expanded party, after all, if you can't combine your attacks? Thankfully, some of the best and most powerful moves in the game are achieved with Synergy.

Synergy Abilities become available once the two corresponding party members' Synergy Gauge reaches the required amount. This is typically three bars but can extend beyond this for some Synergy Abilities.

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You can fill up your Synergy Gauge by successfully using abilities that have the 'II' symbol underneath them, some of which include Cloud's Bruiser, Tifa's Divekick, and Barret's Maximum Fury, among many others.

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You can see how full your Synergy Gauge is by looking underneath each character's ATB meter in the bottom right of the screen, as there should be five small rectangles with ones filled in blue corresponding with your current Synergy Gauge level. This can also be seen when looking at Synergy Abilities themselves, with the number of bars needed to pull off the ability indicated with red instead.

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Once you have filled your Synergy Gauge enough for two qualifying party members, the 'Synergy Abilities' option on the Command Menu will start glowing in a rainbow pattern, indicating that there is one available to be used. These do require at least one ATB bar to be used and will deplete your Synergy Gauge once activated.

You will need to unlock Synergy Abilities for your party members in order to use them though, so find out how to do so below.

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Synergy Abilities can be unlocked by expanding your Folio for each character, and require a specific amount of SP to purchase for each party member. 

Each Synergy Ability only needs to be unlocked by one character to be used by both, but they do only work with the specific character combination so you won't be able to use it if the other character is not in your current party.

These nodes within the Folio are denoted by two flexing arms crossing, so make sure to keep your eyes out for them and always pick them up, as they're extremely strong to use - especially against the toughest bosses.

Synergy Abilities combine two of your party members to activate a powerful attack or boost that can turn the tide of a fight in your favour.

These abilities can increase the stagger period and effectiveness of a targeted foe, split the two combining party members' ATB bar into three sections, and even raise your Limit Level, giving you access to additional heightened Limit Break abilities.

While they aren't as effective in standard combat encounters, as you'll often not have enough time to build them up, they can be extremely useful in boss fights and against tougher enemies - so make sure to pay attention and utilise them as much as possible.

One of the biggest appeals of Synergy Abilities for me alongside their combat strength is the fantastic unique cinematics that they produce, which are always a joy to watch. Between TIfa throwing Cait Sith at an enemy and Aerith donning Barret's sunglasses, there's plenty of fun to be had with these.

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You can take advantage of Synergy Skills that you have unlocked for each character by holding L1 and pressing one of the corresponding face buttons to activate the skill.

While not as powerful as Synergy Abilities, these skills can help you pull off useful tricks within a fight, or prepare a counterattack just before an enemy strikes your party.

Synergy Skills don't require ATB to activate, so you can use them at any point during the fight and as many times as you like. This makes them very effective if you add them to your moveset and use them in the right scenarios, and are the key to taking down some of the tougher bosses.

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You can unlock new Synergy Skills through each character's Folio, and it will state what the skill does and which party members you can activate it with.

You'll want to find out when you get Yuffie to unlock her Synergy Abilities too, but you can also see all of our tips and tricks for Rebirth on our Final Fantasy homepage. We'll let you know how to get and use Moogle Medals, where to find Chocobo in every region, and even the best party combinations.