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Chapter 13 – Where Angels Fear to Tread is the thirteenth main chapter in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, focusing on the party’s mission to pursue the Shinra helicopter carrying the Keystone. As an integral part of our comprehensive Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth guide, we present a detailed walkthrough for Chapter 13. This walkthrough will provide you with all the essential information and guidance needed to navigate through the challenges and key events of Where Angels Fear to Tread, ensuring you have a clear understanding of what lies ahead in this critical chapter of the game.
At the beginning of Chapter 13, Vincent successfully pinpoints the location of the Shinra helicopter, leaving you to navigate your way there. Take control of the Tiny Bronco and head north out at sea to reach the destination. A cutscene reveals that Shinra arrives at Northwood first, with Cloud and his team following closely behind.
After docking, proceed into the forest, and you’ll soon find yourself at the temple. Enter the temple and defeat all the Shinra soldiers who have set up camp inside. Once cleared, ascend the main staircase and enter the Temple of the Ancients. A cutscene featuring Rufus casts doubt among the main party, but the focus quickly returns to Cloud and his companions as they navigate through the Union Room, leading to the Labyrinth.
Perplexing imagery hints at what lies ahead, and then the action resumes, with a line of Robed Men guiding the way to moving gates and enemies. Upon reaching a dead end with a floating green prism at the center, interact with it to alter the direction of gravity. Continue along the ceiling until you reach what appears to be a dead end after taking a right turn. Look for some greenery on the right that you can climb to access the next ledge.
Next, you’ll need to flip gravity once more to return to the floor, where you’ll find yourself in the Corridor of Vacuity. Follow the linear path to another gravity-shifting prism, which allows you to walk on both the ceiling and the wall. This time, select the wall on the right to climb the foliage and reach a new area.
After defeating the enemies, move the giant cube with a sphere in the middle so that it’s positioned next to the greenery hanging down from the floor above. This grants access to the waterfall, which the soldiers demonstrate as a means of transportation to a new location. At the bottom, follow the path to discover two gravity-changing prisms: one yellow and one purple. The yellow prism leads to an optional area containing an EXP Up Materia, so be sure to collect it before proceeding to the purple prism. Adjust the gravity towards the ceiling using the purple prism to progress further. Defeat the large group of enemies, then utilize the Rest Stop and Shops to prepare for the challenges ahead.
In the next room, you must engage in a battle against the Red Dragon while on the ceiling. Start by targeting its head to quickly pressure the boss and build up the stagger meter. Once the boss reaches approximately one-third of its health, it will take flight. At this point, switch to a ranged character like Barret and focus on either the left or right wing to force it back to the ground. After bringing it down, continue along the path to an elevator that will transport you to a new area. During the cutscene, Aerith, Yuffie, and Red XIII become separated from the rest of the group.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret’s path is straightforward, requiring little guidance. However, be sure to collect the Járngreipr from the purple chest. When the staircase collapses, use the foliage to reach the other side and shimmy along the outside wall. Upon reaching the tunnel with green airwaves coming in from the side, wait for them to weaken and disappear temporarily before crossing, as you’ll sustain damage otherwise. At the last airwave (which never disappears), backtrack to the previous one and wait for the path to clear, then quickly move left and push the giant cube into the final beam’s path to block it, allowing you to safely cross.
After a few sequences and combat encounters, Rude and Reno appear, but instead of a boss fight, they trigger an explosion inside the temple. The game then switches to Aerith’s perspective, who has awakened from the spell she was casting when the party was separated. In the next room, Aerith will learn to harness the Lifestream and enhance the blessings she receives at the start of battles. To improve this feature, you must find more fragments throughout the temple, with the first one being the slab on the other side of the pool.
To progress in the next main area, complete a battle to charge up your Lifestream, then interact with the fragment on the left-hand side to create a new path. In the area below, Pray where possible to charge up the Lifestream meter, then use it on the slabs on both the left and right sides to reveal a third interaction prompt. Charge up the Lifestream meter again using the green orbs on the right-hand side, then use it on the newly revealed third fragment. After doing so, the team decides to rest, and the game switches back to Cloud, Barret, and Tifa.
Aerith’s actions unveil a new path for the group, but before proceeding, they must clear the area of enemies. This leads to the Corridor of Catastrophe, where the game tasks you with knocking debris down to create a path across the gap. To do this, push the large cube in the area off the end where the green airwaves are, then cross. When you encounter soldiers discussing an advance team, enter the nearby building to acquire Barret’s Battle Cry, then ascend the next flight of stairs.
In the following area, you’ll need to drop more debris into the green airwaves. Head to the top and use the circular lever to raise the monument. An Ironclad enemy will appear, hinting at how you can use it to topple the monument. Stagger the enemy, and it will automatically fall into the structure, knocking it down. Now, push the huge cube on this level down, and use the fallen monument to cross the gap.
Utilize the Rest Stop and Shops you’ll soon encounter, then you’ll notice Rude and Reno battling enemies on your left. Join forces with them to defeat the monsters, and then engage them in a boss encounter. During the cutscene, the perspective shifts back to Aerith as she ends her rest and continues onward. Exit the Order’s Altar through the doors to return outside, where you must gather more spiritual energy to interact with the fragment. You can obtain it by smashing the green crystals in the area, including those inside the building you just left. Next, defeat the enemies at the bases of the red lasers in this zone. Once both lasers have turned green, return to the original central position and channel the Lifestream once more.
Follow the newly created path to encounter Elena and Tseng, whom you must defeat in another boss fight. After your successful battle, a cutscene will show the party fully reunited. With access to all characters once again, venture deeper into the temple and use the elevator to reach the Hall of Resurrection. Following Sephiroth’s attack on Tseng, approach him, and then interact with the pedestal. It is revealed that all party members, except for Cloud, must face a trial, with Aerith leading the way. Follow the red laser to her corresponding door and enter.
To start, inspect the statue. Red XIII is the first to face his trial, requiring him to scamper along the cave walls and enter the lab where Hojo created him. Next is Tifa’s turn, who is transported back to Nibelheim and sees herself as a young girl. Follow her up the water tower, and the scene will change to the night Sephiroth destroyed the town. Follow the young Cloud and then her father into the reactor to find his lifeless body. Yuffie takes over for her trial, needing to climb the scaffolding and interact with the glowing shurikens. When possible, drop down onto the platform and use the Grappling Hook to swing across to the control room.
Barret’s trial follows, finding himself back home with his right arm restored. Approach Myrna doing the washing until she vanishes, and Barret’s right arm is gone again—search for her next. Finally, you’ll return to playing as Aerith for the last trial, which takes her back to Midgar as a child. Observe the butterflies and interact with them, then walk away from the rail station and ask for help. This concludes the trials, and the game returns to the Hall of Resurrection, revealing a new path.
As you regain control of Cloud, enter the newly opened passage to discover the Corridor of Effigies, where he will face his own trial. Transported back to the Mako reactor he destroyed in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, you’ll encounter Biggs’ body, then the scene cuts to Jessie’s death much later in the game. Returning to the real world, proceed down the corridor and into the Spiral of Rebirth, which ultimately leads to the Mural Chamber on a linear path. Along the way, you’ll experience a cutscene with The Cetra and further dialogue, with a few enemy encounters interspersed throughout.
Next, you’ll face a boss fight against the Demon Gate, which splits into two once you reduce the first one’s health to half. Following the battle, Cloud will have an outburst and reveal the path forward. Take control of Aerith and follow him to the Black Materia. As the temple begins crumbling around the party, Caith Sith arrives to save the day. Vincent will guide you to an exit and out of the temple, which will vanish upon your escape.
The real Sephiroth will then appear and steal the Black Materia, ultimately leading to a confrontation where Cloud attempts to return the orb to him. When Aerith seizes the Black Materia, pursue her until she reaches the end of the branch. The subsequent cutscene brings Chapter 13 – Where Angels Fear to Tread to a close.