So, you got your first summon materia in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but you’re having trouble casting it? Summons in FF7 Remake don’t work like they do in the original. There, you simply cast them like any other magic spell, and you’re good to go. In the remake, there are limitations to when you can use summons, and it can seem almost random as to when the game lets you cast them.
How do you summon in Final Fantasy 7 Remake?
Summoning in FF7 Remake is as easy as exchanging some MP anytime you want for a powerful creature to cast a single attack on your enemies. Instead, summons in this game work a lot like they have in Final Fantasy 12, 13, and 15. Your summoned creature will join you in battle and attack your enemy as a temporary guest party member.
Before you can use a summon, you have to wait for the summon gauge to appear. It can seem completely random when this pops up, and even after completing the game, I haven’t totally figured out all the triggers to make it appear. Summons are pretty powerful, so the game restricts when you have access to them, and you’ll usually only see the gauge pop up under challenging circumstances.
Here are the triggers I’ve found that make the summon gauge appear in FF7 Remake:
- After staggering an enemy in the Coliseum or Shinra Battle Simulator.
- Soon after, the final fight in a Coliseum or Shinra Battle Simulator challenge starts.
- During certain phases of boss fights.
In addition to the above triggers, I’ve had the summon gauge appear during fights with particularly tough regular enemies. However, this behavior has been very inconsistent. So, if you’re trying to use your summons on regular ole Shinra grunts, don’t expect it to happen.
