An image showing Tifa and Aerith looking at Red XII in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth as part of an article on if you should help Aerith and Barret or Tifa and Red XIII in Costa del Sol.

Should You Help Aerith & Barret or Tifa & Red XIII in Costa del Sol in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth?

Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth Chapter 6, “Fool’s Paradise,” sees players going to Costa del Sol and trying to relax — only to have to contend with Hojo and Shinra. During the battle that ensues, you’ll be forced to choose between helping Aerith and Barret or Tifa and Red XIII, so here’s how that choice affects FF7 Rebirth.

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Should You Help Aerith & Barret or Tifa & Red XII in FF7 Rebirth?

The battle on the beach of Costa del Sol in FF7 Rebirth will ask Cloud to choose whether he helps Aerith and Barret or Tifa and Red XIII. The good news is that the choice doesn’t have any major implications. My advice is to choose the team you feel the most comfortable with.

What will happen after you choose is that you’ll work with the pair to defeat a group of enemies. You’ll then have them for a boss fight. The boss you’re taking on is weak to Lightning, but due to the nature of the battle — which I won’t spoil here — you should make sure to equip Cloud with Lightning and Healing Materia. Doing so will make the battle a ton easier overall.

Although the choice does slightly affect your relationship with the characters — and the people you help obviously like you more — that only matters in terms of the game deciding who you’ll go on a date with at Gold Saucer. As such, if you’re aiming to date Aerith or Barret, choose them. If you’re looking to go on a date with Tifa or Red XIII, choose them.

Technically speaking, to get the strongest possible bond with a character in FF7 Rebirth, you’re going to have to play through this segment twice to make the choice. Luckily, that doesn’t mean starting a new game from scratch. Once you complete the title, you’ll unlock “Chapter Selection” in the “System” menu, which you can use to go to the start of the chapter and make the choice over again.

If you chose someone, in the “Play Log” area, you’ll see the “Costa del Sol Beach Fight Partner” checked off, letting you know just who you decided to help.

If you’re looking for more, here’s our coverage of a bizarre FF7 Rebirth ad that turns Sephiroth into a fox.


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Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan has been the Managing Editor at The Escapist since August 2023, during which time he's covered Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Starfield, and several other major releases. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.