Cloud Strife is just starting his mercenary career in the Final Fantasy VII remake, and as is long-standing RPG tradition, one of his first jobs involves killing a bunch of rats.
The rats in question, however, are some of the tougher enemies you can face this early in the game. Here’s how to succeed at the “Rat Problem” side quest in FF7R.
Completing Chadley’s Report in the Final Fantasy VII Remake
After you speak to Wymer about picking up odd jobs around the neighborhood, you’re free to roam throughout the slums. The first two jobs you can pick up are “Rat Problem” and “Nuisance in the Factory,” which are best done side by side if you’re going to do them at all.
For “Rat Problem,” return to the item shop that Tifa showed you earlier and speak with its owner. He’ll send you to a small yard on the outskirts of town, where both wererats and larger Doomrats are making a nest.
When you first arrive there, you’ll end up in a fight with a few wererats. You already had to fight a few of these with Tifa on Scrap Boulevard, and they haven’t gotten any tougher since then. You can just wade into their midst with Cloud and chop them up with little resistance.
As the item shop owner mentions, however, the only way to draw out the Doomrats is if the weaker rats call them for help. Go back to town after you defeat the wererats and do something else, such as the nearby “Nuisance at the Factory” side quest, for a while.
The next time you visit the outskirts, three Doomrats will be waiting for you. These are bigger and tougher, naturally, and can inflict a large amount of damage in a hurry if you let them surround you. They can also land a grab attack that incapacitates one of your party members while they gnaw on that character’s ribcage, so that’s fun. Switch characters and pummel the rat to remove it.
The good news is that Doomrats, like wererats, are vulnerable to ice magic. You can buy Ice Materia from the item shop owner while you’re talking to him, equip it in Cloud’s gear, and bring a Doomrat down with a few casts of Blizzard.
They’re also pretty easy to drive into the Stagger state if you land a few good shots with Tifa. Depending on how good you’ve gotten with the combat system, this can be bloody, but you should be able to pull it off.
When you return to the item shop owner, he’ll reward you with five Hi-Potions, as well as making limited supplies of both Hi-Potions and Cleansing Materia available for purchase. I think he probably made money on this deal.
If you’re playing on Hard Mode, you’ll also receive the Art of Swordplay Vol. V Manuscript as a reward for beating the Doomrats. This justifies taking on the side quest in Hard Mode by itself, as it’s worth 10 free SP for Cloud.
We’ve got a lot of other guides for the FF7 remake available on our website, ranging from where to find collectibles to how to unlock the tougher trophies. Some examples include:
- Where to find the three secret bosses, and why
- Speaking of Manuscripts, here’s where to find the rest of them
- How to collect all the discs to unlock the Disc Jockey Trophy
You have to appreciate what’s become a genre staple at this point. For all its technical advancements, the Final Fantasy VII remake still has us hunting giant rats at the start of the game, and frankly, it’s a classic trope for a reason. Share your rat-hunting tips with us via Twitter @PrimaGames.
