FF7 Rebirth Dynamic Difficulty: Full breakdown of all difficulty modes

Full breakdown of every difficulty mode in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, what they do, and how to unlock them
FF7 Rebirth Dynamic Difficulty: Full breakdown of all difficulty modes
FF7 Rebirth Dynamic Difficulty: Full breakdown of all difficulty modes /

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a lot to offer both dedicated RPG fans, and hardcore action game enthusiasts. Minor adjustments to the combat from the original Final Fantasy 7 Remake have made Rebirth feel far more expressive, with perfect blocks negating damage, and new combos for the entire roster.

But if you’re not an action game nut and you just want the story, that’s fine too, and FF7 Rebirth has a difficulty mode for you. Heck, there’s even an extra difficulty mode only unlock after you’ve completed the game. For details on all of that and more, just take a look at our full breakdown of all difficulty modes in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

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How to change difficulty modes – FF7 Rebirth

You can change between the base three difficulty modes at any time.
You can change between the base three difficulty modes at any time / Square Enix

Luckily you aren’t locked-in to the difficulty mode that you select when you start the game. Whenever the main menu is available, you can scroll down to Options > Gameplay and then adjust the difficulty between Easy, Normal, and Dynamic.

Hard Mode won’t be available on your first playthrough, and also can’t be adjusted mid-chapter.

Easy Difficulty mode breakdown – FF7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Nibelheim
Nice and easy, just for the story / Square Enix

The easiest difficulty mode available in FF7 Rebirth is, naturally, titled Easy. The in-game description reads: “Select this if you want to enjoy the story without worrying about battles.”

It does as it says on the tin – it dramatically decreases how difficult in-game battles are, making it much easier to access all of the story content there is to see in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. If that’s what you want, Easy might be for you.

Normal Difficulty mode breakdown – FF7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Good cutscenes, good battles / Square Enix

What you probably expect from your first Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth experience is found in Normal Mode. The in-game description says: “Standard difficulty. Select this if you want to fully experience battles as well as the story.”

I’ve played mostly in Normal Mode, and while I rarely found myself dying in battle, I have had a few decent challenges that caught me off-guard. If you’re leveling up regularly after completing quests and World Intel, then Normal Mode should be simple enough to conquer.

Dynamic Difficulty mode breakdown – FF7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 screenshot featuring Barret, Cloud, Tifa, and Cid.
You will never feel overpowered - for those experimenting with combat :: Square Enix / GLHF

Dynamic Difficulty is the new mode introduced in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and it actually solves one of the problems I had with Final Fantasy 16. The in-game description says: “Difficulty adjusts automatically based on your skill level. Select this if you love the thrill of the fight.”

Again, this is self-explanatory, but when playing in Dynamic Mode you should find that fights are rarely over quickly. This means that if you like to grind, upgrade, and min-max your characters, Dynamic Mode will ensure you don’t wipe through enemies too quickly.

FF16’s fights were often over before you could flex your combos, and if you ever have this issue in FF7 Rebirth, Dynamic Mode is for you.

Hard Difficulty mode breakdown – FF7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth, sporting a pair of fox ears, standing in front of a massive fire
Fox Ears Sephiroth awaits at the end of Hard Mode (not really) :: Square Enix/Nissin

This mode is only available after completing the main story at least once in any of the above modes. Hard Mode is intended for masters that are carrying their progress into a new game, and those instances where Dynamic Mode just isn’t enough.

When playing on Hard Mode, items cannot be used and rest spots only recover HP. That’s tough!

Since you need to finish the game once to unlock Hard Mode, you’ll know if this difficulty is for you when you get there. The main thing to keep in mind is that Hard Mode isn’t available while mid-chapter, you can only access it when starting a chapter from scratch in a menu that’s unlocked once finished.

On top of all that, select items, like manuscripts, can only be found in Hard Mode. If you really want to finish that Hard Mode playthrough, you’ll have to work for it.

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Dave Aubrey
DAVE AUBREY

Dave Aubrey is an award-nominated (losing) video games journalist based in the UK with more than ten years of experience in the industry. A bald man known for obnoxious takes, Dave is correct more often than people would like, and will rap on command.