Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: How to knock down the tower in Temple of the Ancients

The Temple of the Ancients involves critical thinking, especially during the fight against Ironclad, where you must knock down the tower. This guide will detail how to knock down the tower in the Temple of the Ancients in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

FF7 Rebirth: Knocking down the tower in Temple of the Ancients

When you arrive about midway through the Temple of the Ancients in Chapter 13 of FF7 Rebirth, you are tasked with knocking down a tower so you can make it across safely. This is when the boss Ironclad comes down, and your teammates mention that you should use him to destroy the tower.

At first glance, you may think all you need to do is defeat Ironclad in the boss fight. However, what you’re supposed to do is stagger him. Once you stagger Ironclad, he will fall into the tower and knock it down for you to cross.

Staggering Ironclad is challenging, as there is a good chance you will kill him before filling the pressure bar. If you kill Ironclad before staggering him, you must redo the boss fight again. There is a trick to this fight, which we detail in the next section.

How to stagger Ironclad in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Now that you know you must stagger Ironclad instead of beating him, it’s important to understand how to pressure him without inflicting too much damage. Remember, if you inflict too much damage, you risk killing him.

The only time you can pressure Ironclad is when he sharpens his blade. You will know this is happening when his blade glows red and makes a sharpening sound.

When Ironclad sharpens, attack him to fill the pressure bar. When Pressure disappears, retreat and wait until he begins the sharpening move again.

Striking enough times during Ironclad’s sharpening skill will fill the pressure gauge enough for a stagger. Once you inflict a stagger, Ironclad will fall on the Tower, completing the objective. Now, finish him off with all that you have.

Ironclad boss fight strategy

Since this fight is so late in the game, it can be tricky not to go in guns blazing and focus on killing the boss like all other battles you’ve encountered. Trust me, I know; this boss took me four tries until I finally realized how to complete it.

My strategy was as follows: I used Cloud’s dodge attack skill, doing minimal damage (to fill up the ATB gauge for abilities), and then when Ironclad began sharpening, I lunged in to apply pressure. I continued to attack as much as possible during the pressure phase to build up the stagger bar. Use your abilities only when Ironclad is pressured.

When the words “pressure” disappeared, I retreated and returned to using Cloud’s dodge attack skill to fill up the ATB gauge again. Rinse and repeat the process. This is the best way to stagger Ironclad without draining its health bar.

After you defeat Ironclad, you are approaching the end of the game. Check out our best Cloud build guide to prepare you for the challenging boss fights that lie ahead.