In this year’s remake of the brain-meltingly popular Final Fantasy VII, you can gradually acquire a set of Manuscripts. The Manuscripts each come in a specific series that matches each character, and when found, grant that character 10 bonus skill points (SP).
This is the only way to continue to earn SP once a character’s hit the level cap, so it’s well worth your time to track these things down. Here’s how:
How to Use Manuscripts In Final Fantasy VII Remake
Note that a lot of Manuscripts only appear in Hard Mode, which becomes available once you’ve beaten the game at least once. While you’ll have a harder time staying alive in Hard Mode, since you aren’t able to use items in combat, the extra SP from the new Manuscripts does let you level up your weapons a lot faster, and further incentivizes you to track down every single side quest you can find.
There are also four special Manuscripts that don’t actually grant SP. Instead, they unlock each character’s second Limit Break, and all are earned by taking on the solo challenges at Don Corneo’s Colosseum.
| Character | Reward | Source |
| Cloud | Ascension | Cloud vs. Wild Animals |
| Barret | Catastrophe | Barret vs. Wild Animals |
| Tifa | Dolphin Flurry | Tifa vs. Wild Animals |
| Aerith | Planet’s Protection | Aerith vs. Wild Animals |
Note that you can only grab Aerith’s second Limit Break during Chapter 9. She won’t be available when you can revisit the Colosseum in Chapter 14.
To pick up all 14 numbered Manuscripts for each character, consult the following tables:
Cloud’s Manuscript: The Art of Swordplay
| Vol. I | Purchased from Moggie for 5 Moogle Medals. |
| Vol. II | Clear “Cloud vs. Shinra Thugs” at Don Corneo’s Colosseum. |
| Vol. III | Complete the “Corneo’s Secret Stash” side quest. |
| Vol. IV | Defeat the Huntsman on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. V | Take the “Rat Problem” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Doom Rats. |
| Vol. VI | Defeat Roche on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VII | Defeat Reno on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VIII | Take the “Price of Thievery” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat Beck’s Badasses. |
| Vol. IX | Take the “Shears’ Counterattack” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Jury-Rigged Cutter. |
| Vol. X | Take the “Dynamite Bodies” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Bombs. |
| Vol. XI | Take the “Tomboy Bandit” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Beastmaster and Hellhound. |
| Vol. XII | Defeat Specimen HO512 on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIII | Complete “Cloud vs. SOLDIER 3-C Candidates” in the Combat Simulator on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIV | Defeat Rufus and Darkstar on Hard Mode. |
Barret’s Manuscript: Sharpshooter’s Companion
| Vol. I | Purchased from Moggie for 5 Moogle Medals. |
| Vol. II | Clear “Barret vs. Shinra Thugs” in the Corneo Colosseum. |
| Vol. III | Complete “The Power of Music” side quest. |
| Vol. IV | Defeat the Scorpion Sentinel on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. V | Defeat the Crab Warden on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VI | Defeat the Airbuster on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VII | Defeat Reno and Rude on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VIII | Defeat the Failed Experiment on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. IX | Take the “Malicious Goons” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Tonberry. |
| Vol. X | Take the “Subterranean Menace” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Behemoth Type 0. |
| Vol. XI | Take the “Chocobo Search” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Rust Drake. |
| Vol. XII | Defeat the Valkyrie on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIII | Complete “Barret vs. SOLDIER 3-C Candidates” in the Battle Simulator on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIV | Defeat the Whisper Harbinger on Hard Mode. |
Tifa’s Manuscript: Way of the Fist
| Vol. I | Purchased from Moggie for 5 Moogle Medals. |
| Vol. II | Complete “Tifa vs. Shinra Thugs” in the Corneo Colosseum. |
| Vol. III | Complete the “Wavering Hearts” side quest by crushing Andrea in the pull-ups contest. |
| Vol. IV | Take the “On the Prowl” side quest on Hard Mode and defeat the Wrath Hound. |
| Vol. V | Defeat the Enigmatic Specter on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VI | This Manuscript is hidden in Chapter 6, in the same ventilation system where the Chocobo & Moogle Summon Materia was found in Normal Mode. |
| Vol. VII | Defeat Abzu on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. VIII | Defeat Eligor on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. IX | Defeat Abzu and the Abzu Shoats in the sewers on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. X | Take the “Missing Children” side quest on Hard Mode and defeat the Phantoms. |
| Vol. XI | Take the “Chocobo Search” side quest on Hard Mode and defeat the Trypapolises. Trypapoli. Whatever the plural is. |
| Vol. XII | Take the “Corneo’s Secret Stash” side quest on Hard Mode and defeat the Sahagin Prince. |
| Vol. XIII | Complete “Tifa vs. SOLDIER 3-C Candidates” in the Battle Simulator on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIV | Defeat the Jenova Dreamweaver on Hard Mode. |
Aerith’s Manuscript: Telluric Scriptures
| Vol. I | Purchased from Moggie for 5 Moogle Medals. |
| Vol. II | Clear “Aerith vs. Shinra Thugs” during Chapter 9 in the Corneo Colosseum. |
| Vol. III | Complete the “Secret Medicine” side quest. |
| Vol. IV | Defeat Rude on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. V | Take the “Weapons on a Rampage” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Monodrive Mk. II. |
| Vol. VI | Take the “Kids on Patrol” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Hedgehog Pie King. |
| Vol. VII | Take the “Angel of the Slums” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Chromogger. |
| Vol. VIII | Take the “Paying Respects” side quest in Hard Mode and defeat the Venomantis. |
| Vol. IX | Defeat the Hell House on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. X | Defeat the Ghoul on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XI | Complete “Aerith vs. SOLDIER 3-C Candidates” in the Battle Simulator on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XII | Defeat the Swordipede on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIII | Defeat the Arsenal on Hard Mode. |
| Vol. XIV | Defeat Sephiroth on Hard Mode. |
Having this much extra SP lying around should give you a leg up on the challenges of Hard Mode. For a few extra tips, stop by our FF7 game hub for some extra guides, including:
- Taking on the “Secret Medicine” side quest
- How to unlock and use the Gotterdammerung accessory
- How to increase your Luck stat
While the Manuscripts are one of the quieter, less-understood parts of the Final Fantasy VII remake, it’s a useful additional challenge to track them all down. Good luck with Hard Mode, and if you need a hand, drop us a line on Twitter @PrimaGames.
