FF7 Rebirth Gold Cup or Bust Quest Guide

If you thought you were done with the Chocobos in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth, think again. The “Gold Cup or Bust” quest will challenge your racing abilities in FF7 Rebirth, but there are some prerequisites to complete first.

“Gold Cup or Bust” is a side quest that unlocks in Chapter 12 of FF7 Rebirth. It is a quest to help Billy, the Chocobo helping hand first met at Bill’s Ranch in Chapter 2. Billy asks Cloud to be his racer and challenges Chocobo Sam for the gold. If Cloud wins, Sam will tell Billy the real story of what happened to his parents. Race against Sam’s racer, Jockey Joe, for the gold and the truth.

How to Unlock Gold Cup or Bust in FF7 Rebirth

Before you can unlock this side quest, you must complete the “Esoteric Secrets of the Elders” side quest introduced in Chapter 11. Players must wrangle one last Chocobo and do some classic fetching of items before moving on to the Chocobo Races. Once “Esoteric Secrets of the Elders” is complete, you will need to reach Chapter 12 of the main storyline. Go to the Costa del Sol Noticeboard to accept the quest then head to the Golden Saucer. Talk to Billy at Chocobo Square to start the quest.

Reaching the Gold Cup

Before you can participate in the Gold Cup, you must earn the Gold Jockey Rank. This may take some time, as you must ascend through the ranks to get that top spot. Below are the requirements for each rank.

Winning the Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is split into three races. The person who first wins two out of the three will win the gold. Players do not have to win all three races, but if you do, you will be rewarded with a slightly different cutscene in the end.

You will need a winning Chocobo and gear combo to have a fighting chance against Joe. The best Chocobo for the job is Piko since it has the most average stats, making it the most versatile of the bunch. Piko’s ability is to temporarily increase your speed and if you maintain that speed long enough, you become invincible and knock rivals out of the way. A good alternative is Fango, which has similar stats. There will be a lot of obstacles in the next three races, so Fango’s ability to jump high into the air to extend flight time to avoid obstacles will come in handy.

The best gear to have will be the Debonair Hat, Debonair Waistcoat, and Debonair Anklets. Both the hat and anklets will increase your speed when you are either near the current first-place holder or the finish line. The waistcoat will decrease the time duration of Moogle rescue when heading off course. There are a lot of tight turns that lead to a cliff in “Gold Cup or Bust”, and that Moogle save time will send you to last place if you’re not careful. Players can get this gear by winning The Behemoth Grand Prix, The Coeurl Championship, and The Ultima Stakes from the Grade III Races.

If you do not get first place, you’re not able to simply redo each individual race. Instead, you will have to attempt the entire Gold Cup again. For the best chance, perform a start dash by holding down the X or R2 button when the “2” appears in the countdown to gain a burst of speed. It will help avoid bumping into the other racers, which will slow you down.

Gold Cup Track One

The first track of the Gold Cup has areas of water that will slow you down, sharp turns, barriers, and bombs. Use the dash ability for the water parts of the track to keep the momentum going. Make sure to anticipate which barrier doors are going to close before you get there. If it seems like a door has been open for a decent amount of time, aim towards the closed door and it should open just as you reach it.

There is one shortcut towards the end of the track, which is a ramp that lets you cut part of the track. Use Piko’s ability just as you hit the ramp to fly farther over the grass and into the red ability balloons, which will increase the duration of the ability.

Gold Cup Track Two

Track two of the Gold Cup ups the ante with moving and spinning rod barriers that require fast reflexes and a lot of weaving. There will be a stretch of the track with pairs of rotating rods followed by a stationary barrier. Aim for the middle of the rods then weave around the barrier to again aim for the middle of the next pair of rods.

After the long straight stretch of the track, there will be two sharp turns. You can use the shortcut to avoid the turns by using boosts to drift through the grass but avoid the rotating rods. Aim for the boxes to avoid the rods and cut the turns.

Gold Cup Track Three

While the rotating rods are gone, the alternating barriers are back. Make sure to avoid having their doors close on you. The main problem with this track is the multiple sharp turns, two of which will lead to you falling off the track if you are not careful. The best way to handle these is to drift through the small patches of grass while using boost abilities to get through them faster.

There are also a few corners where players will have to drift for a significant amount of time. Stay as close to the inside of the turn as possible to get through it the fastest.

Follow those tips, and you should be set to complete the “Gold Cup or Bust” side quest in FF7 Rebirth. The rewards for winning the Gold Cup are EXP, Party EXP, and an increase in favorability with Tifa.

For more Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth tips, find out how to get S rank in the Loveless theatrical during the Golden Saucer date.