Episode Intermission for Final Fantasy 7 Remake expands the updated version of Midgar with new characters, missions and mini-games. Fort Condor is the main mini-game from the DLC, putting you in control of a small battlefield to take on various opponents around the slums of Sector 7. In order to beat them all and earn the Grandmaster Board, you’ll need to know how to play Fort Condor.
From gameplay basics and weapon triangles to advanced tips and strategies, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Fort Condor and how to play it. Plus, we have tips on how to beat the Grandmaster and unlock each map.
It’s just starting Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade? Be sure to read our guides on how to upgrade to the PS5 version and how to find all six Happy Turtle flyers.
Contents
How to play Fort Condor
Fort Condor is a mini-game in Final Fantasy 7 remake Episode Intermission DLC. After arriving in the slums of Sector 7, you will be directed to the Avalanche base with the task of speaking with several members of the Avalanche. One of them will tell you about Fort Condor and give you the Mastering Fort Condor quest. To complete the quest, you must defeat all seven enemies in the slums of Sector 7.
The basics
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Fort Condor is a real-time strategy mini-game where you spend ATB points to deploy units on a small battlefield. Both you and your opponent have a headquarters and two outposts. Two outposts protect the headquarters, and the first player to destroy the opponent’s headquarters wins. Most games will come down to time though. At the end of the round, whoever has more outposts wins. If both players have their outposts and headquarters, the game goes to sudden death.
You can deploy as many units as you want if you have enough ATB. Each unit takes up a slot on your board, and your board determines the health of your outpost/HQ, your ATB charge rate, your starting ATB, and the number of units you can have in your deck. Be sure to consider the ATB cost of units in your deck, balancing cards with cheap and expensive ATB costs.
Also, consider the number of units you can have on your board. If you have a lot of units, they should have a low ATB cost, and if you have few units, they should have a high ATB cost. You only have access to a limited number of units at a time, so you don’t want to be caught with expensive units while waiting for your ATB to fill up.
In addition, your board determines the Materia you can use in battle. Your Materia is disposable, so use it wisely. A well-placed attacking Materia or buff can turn the tide of battle in your favor, so it’s a good idea to learn what Materia you have before battle and have a plan for when to deploy them.
Triangle weapon
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The key to understanding how to play Fort Condor is learning the triangle of weapons. Each unit has a class: Ranged, Vanguard or Defense. The class is represented above the unit and shows what the unit is strong against and what it is weak against. Similar to Fire Emblem, strengths and weaknesses go into a triangle, which you can see at the top of the screen during any battle for Fort Condor. To make sure there is no confusion, here is what the triangle looks like:
- Defensive (blue) units are strong against Vanguard (red) units.
- Vanguard (red) units are strong against distant (green) units.
- Ranged (green) units are strong against defensive (blue) units.
Knowing the triangle, you can win most battles. The key is to allow the opponent to deploy the first unit and counter it with a unit they are weak against. As long as you maintain this throughout the battle, you can take on the first few opponents with starting cards.
How to build a Fort Condor deck
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You’ll want to set up your board and deck before starting a match of Fort Condor. We have described above how to choose your board. For your deck, a good place to start is with the triangle of weapons. You can see your opponent’s deck before battle, so look at their unit balance and build your deck accordingly. If they have four Vanguard (red) units, for example, you should bring a lot of Vanguard (blue) units.
Outside of unit class, look at what each of your units can target. This is represented by the three icons at the bottom of the unit before the match starts. A tower means the unit can attack structures like outposts and headquarters, a boot means the unit can attack ground units, and a wing means the unit can attack flying units. Ideally, all of your units will be able to attack all three, but this is usually not possible.
The weapon triangle takes priority, so build your deck with it in mind first. After that, exchange any units that cannot attack on all three fronts for another unit of the same class. You will quickly find that most defensive (blue) units cannot attack flying units. That’s fine, but you’ll need to make sure your other units can fill the gaps.
Otherwise, pay attention to ATB cost, ATB recharge rate, and your max ATB. You want expensive and cheap units in your deck, but you want more expensive units if you have less unit slots and more cheap units if you have more unit slots.
Advanced tips and strategies
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The shortcut to victory in every game of Fort Condor is to supply units in barracks/facilities. These units do not attack. Instead, they throw out a steady stream of cheap units for free. It’s a great idea to open with a cheap unit that counters everything your opponent plays and then follow that up with a barracks or facility. After that, keep building one of these stations near your outposts to keep units coming.
The problem with these units is that they take a while to start, so you don’t want to field one if you’re behind (it’ll probably get destroyed before you get more value). A great way to solve this problem is with your Materia. A well-timed Materia blast on your opponent’s first unit — especially if it’s a powerful unit — can buy you time to get your barracks and facilities ready.
Otherwise, it’s important to remember that Fort Condor is a defensive game. You have to destroy at least one outpost, but once you do, all you have to do is defend yourself and wait for time to run out.
This means you don’t have to overpower your opponent. You can, but it usually leads to a loss. Instead, match up with opposing units while using your barracks and facilities to keep the pressure on. Having extra ATB is a good thing — it just means you’ll have more to spend when a high-cost card is in your hand.
The only exception is if you enter sudden death. At that point you want to pump out as many units as fast as you can. The goal after you roll the sudden death is to push the lane back towards the opposing outposts so you can take one down first.
How to unlock Fort Condor Grandmaster Board
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You can unlock the Fort Condor Grandmaster Board by defeating all seven enemies in Sector 7 Slums. You can find opponents marked on the map with an icon indicating their level. There are four levels and you will unlock the next level by defeating all the enemies in the previous level. It should go without saying, but enemies get harder as they level up.
Here are all the enemies you need to defeat:
Level 1
- Kyrie
- Shinra middle manager
- Johnny
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Chadley is a grandmaster and is excited to meet an opponent who can handle him. After defeating Chadley, he’ll give you a Grandmaster Board, 10,000 Gil, and an AP Up Materia.
The Grandmaster board is the best board in the game. It comes with a maximum of five ATB, but recharges faster than any other board and starts fully charged. Getting the board is a nice reward, but you won’t be able to use it. After defeating Chadley, you have defeated all the enemies in Fort Condor.
How to unlock every Fort Condor card and board
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You will unlock most of Fort Condor’s maps just by playing the minigame. Each opponent rewards you with more cards, and you can buy even more cards from Old Snapper by spending the Condor Coins you earn. If you buy all the cards from Old Snapper and defeat all the opponents, you will have all but two Fort Condor cards.
The first one is easy to find and can be grabbed after entering the slums of Sector 7. Head to the abandoned Talagger factory and progress until you reach the final room. Behind some breakable crates you’ll find a chest containing a Monodrive card.
Later in the story, you will reach Ward 3 inside the factory. Progress through the factory until you can slide down another pillar (you’ll slide down the pillar before this area, too). Search the second chest to pick up the Sweeper Card and complete your collection.
Just like the maps, you can unlock all of Fort Condor’s panels by defeating each opponent and buying all of the panels from Old Snapper. There is one board, Assassin Board III, that is only accessible through a chest. On the upper level of the warehouse, go to Ward 2. You’ll see a chest right before the set of stairs in the corner, which contains the last panel.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn