Battle Square
From Final Fantasy Wiki
The Battle Square is a location in the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII. In the Battle Square, the player selects a single character and fights in a gauntlet-style match, fighting eight enemies in a row for prizes.
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[edit] Rules
The player pays 10 GP to participate. They must first select which party member to fight with, and is then sent into the arena. They fight a battle, after which they see how many Battle Points they've currently won, and are allowed to choose to continue: either "Off [sic] course!!" or "No way". If they continue on, a slot reel appears and spins, giving the player a certain handicap based on the result. The player continues fighting until they either quit, win all eight matches or are defeated.
If the player quits or loses, they receive a worthless consolation prize. If they win, they receive Battle Points, or BP. BPs can be exchanged for rare items (see below) at the Battle Square, including Cloud Strife's ultimate Limit Break, Omnislash.
[edit] Enemy Formations
The monsters which appear in the Battle Square are largely random and change depending on which point in the game the player is. Some of the enemies that appear are highly rare and dangerous, including Stilva, Malboro, Blue Dragons, Tonberries, Ghost Ships, Serpents and Ho-chu. In particular, the Tonberry and Ho-chu are enemies exclusive to the Battle Square.
[edit] Prizes
As mentioned, the player wins Battle Points every time they win all 8 matches. These Battle Points can be redeemed for items at the terminals at the front of the Battle Square. However, if at any time the player leaves the Battle Square, their Battle Points reset to zero. Also, even if they can afford it, the player can only buy 1 each of Omnislash and W-Summon.
[edit] Disc 1 Before Acquiring Tiny Bronco
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[edit] Disc 1 After Acquiring Tiny Bronco
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[edit] Disc 2/3 After Acquiring Highwind
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[edit] Handicaps
After each battle, the player will be forced to spin a slot reel. Depending on what they stop the reel on, they receive a certain handicap. However, some handicaps can be avoided or their effects otherwise minimized (see Strategy). It is important to note that the player receives more BP the worse handicaps they have - if they receive the "All Broken" handicap for example, they will surely win over 10000 BP. So while taking larger handicaps on purpose is risky, it can be highly rewarding. The player can also slow the reels slightly by tapping 
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| Handicap | Symbol | Effect |
| Poison |  | Inflicts Poison on the player |
| Frog |  | Inflicts Frog on the player |
| Mini |  | Inflicts Size on the player |
| Half-Speed |  | Halves the player's speed |
| Item Seal |  | The player can no longer use items |
| Accessory Broken |  | The player's Accessory breaks, negating whatever effects it had on them |
| Weapon Broken |  | The player's attack power sharply decreases. The player is still able to use any Materia that is equipped on their weapon. |
| Armor Broken |  | The player's defenses sharply decrease. The player is still able to use any Materia that is equipped on their armor. |
| Summon Broken |  | The player is no longer able to use Summon Materia. Any stat changes caused by equipped Summon Materia are negated. |
| Command Broken |  | The player is no longer able to use Command Materia. Any stat changes caused by equipped Command Materia are negated. |
| Magic Broken |  | The player is no longer able to use Magic Materia. Any stat changes caused by equipped Magic Materia are negated. |
| Independent Broken |  | The player's Independent Materia breaks. Any stat changes caused by equipped Independent Materia are negated. |
| Support Broken |  | The player's Support Materia breaks. Any stat changes caused by equipped Support Materia are negated. |
| All Broken |  | The worst handicap to receive, all of the player's Materia breaks and cannot be used. Any stat changes caused by equipped Materia are negated. |
| Timex30 |  | The player receives damage equivalent to how long they have been fighting - the longer they've been fighting, the more damage they take. |
| HP 1/2 |  | The player's max HP is halved. This does not affect their current HP, unless their current HP is higher than half of their max HP, in which case it is lowered. |
| MP 1/2 |  | The player's max MP is halved. This does not affect their current MP, unless their current MP is higher than half of their max MP, in which case it is lowered. |
| HP/MP 1/2 |  | The player's max HP and max MP are both halved, as told above. |
| MP Zero |  | The player's MP is reduced to zero. They may still recover it with items, however. |
| Down 5 Levels |  | The player's level decreases by 5, reducing their stats slightly. |
| Down 10 Levels |  | The player's level decreases by 10, reducing their stats more. |
| Cure |  | The player's HP is restored, but not to full. |
| Lucky 7 |  | The player receives no handicap. |
[edit] Strategy
It is highly recommended the player come equipped with their character's strongest weapon, a powerful armor piece, and a Ribbon. The Ribbon prevents status ailments, giving the player a handful of "safe" handicaps, as Mini, Frog and Poison won't affect them if they come up on the reel. The player should also have an Enemy Skill Materia, as Big Guard and Magic Hammer help greatly. HP and MP Plus Materia are also useful, and the player should have several powerful Summons. A Mastered Restore Materia is practically required to win. If the player's Materia breaks, they should have several useful items to compensate.
It should be noted that however you enter the Battle Square, is how you leave the Battle Square. An example would be if you were to go in with a full Limit Break bar, you would leave the Battle Square with a Full Limit Break bar, regardless of whether you used a Limit in the battle. As well as all Status Effects that you went into the Battle Square with would still be intact such as Fury or Sadness.
[edit] Special Match
Once the player has bought Omnislash and W-Summon, they can enter a special match that only Cloud Strife can participate in. The special match is harder than the normal battles, and the prize is the Final Attack Materia. The enemy line-up is as follows.
| Round | Enemy |
| 1 | Sea Worm |
| 2 | Ho-chu |
| 3 | Unknown 3 |
| 4 | Serpent |
| 5 | Wolfmeister |
| 6 | Behemoth |
| 7 | Maximum Kimaira |
| 8 | Proud Clod |
[edit] Trivia
- In the arena of the Battle Square, a phrase is written on the circle surrounding the arena: "The brave do not fear the grave".
