I am taking down that midgar zolem

[Cuchulainn]

Dude, I hate how the midgar zolem only gives you 400 exp and 40ap, it sucks, I thought he would give you way more than that,

It does, it gives you 'Beta' ES, get it early enough & you'll own all for a long time.

[Skyblade]

I'm not sure if people are still looking for the Enemy Skill materia, but they are found:
After the boss fight in Midgar where Red XIII first joins you.
In the Intermediate training room in Junon.
In the City of the Ancients.
And from the green chocobo in the Chocobo Sage's house.
If you're trying to master all of the Enemy Skill materia, make sure you collect all four before defeating Godo in the Pagoda of the five mighty gods, as he is the only enemy who uses Trine that you can fight once you have all four materia. Also, be sure to have all four equipped when you face your first Dragon Zombie in the Crater, as that is the only way to learn the elusive Pandora's Box Enemy Skill.

As to the Zolom:
This guy is actually not that difficult, once you learn his tactics. Prepare your team with the ability to negate or absorb Fire damage. Start out by poisoning him, and use Demi or the Enemy Skill Laser to lower his HP without killing him. When he stands up (after losing about half his health) stop attacking him. Have a character not equipped with the Enemy Skill materia that you wish to learn Beta attack the Zolom, but make sure the attack doesn't kill it. That character will then be flicked out of combat. Then continue your barrage of Demi or Laser, and when his HP gets low enough, he will perform Beta. Since Beta is a Fire elemental move, if you took my advice at the beginning, you will have no problem surviving it. Ta da! You've learned a really pimp looking Enemy Skill. I've found this skill useful throughout the entire game. When you face large groups of Parasites in the Crater, Beta can wipe out an entire group with one hit. This move is extremely powerful, but it has one major problem. It costs a lot of MP to use. Trine is cheaper, and overall more useful. But, make sure you know the enemy's elemental weaknesses and resistances. Trine is Lightning, Beta is Fire, Aqualung (another cool attack all opponents Enemy Skill) is Water, Magic Breath is Fire, Ice, and Lightning, Matra Magic is non-elemental (and while really cool when you first get it, not that powerful by the end of the game), and Pandora's Box is non Elemental, and it ignores the enemy's defense.

[sephiroth9006]

Here's a devestaing way to lower enemy HP i'll tell you firstly when you have ultima weapon and are at max level using all the str sources you can get on cloud have 2 mastered 2x's materias yeah it takes awhie but it's damn worth it and 1 mastered counter materia now on a joined solt have the mastered 2x's cut paired with counter attack and have a normal mastered 2x's cut anyhwere you see fit now then cloud is attacked he'll counter with the 4x's cut dealing 9,999 per hit by the time he's finished you should be able to enter commands again then have him attack normally with 4x's cut that's a total of 8 hits in a row doing 9,999 on all hits that's devestaing and when cloud dies a special bonus a mastered final attack paired with pheonix mastered but the 8 hits in a row you'll nearly be doing as much as 99,999 it's good but does take time and it makes emerald weapon the easiest boss ever fought and midgar zolem dies in a hit at that point.
here's a good tip be greviously overlevelled when your there as in level 35 i was and kicked the crap out of everything that crossed me but if you have a life then don't do that it took me close to 30hrs so there you have it.

[Swordicanus]

did anyone 1 ever just run across the marsh with the snake without a chocobo

[Cuchulainn]

I do it all the time now, i refuse to pay 4000 Gil for something u get free later. You stand at the farthest tip of grass (kinda in the centre) and wait until the Zolom headbangs in the left corner over & over then run. You beat it....JUST.

[Swordicanus]

weirdly enough i got ff7 on its day of realease all them years ago and ive allways just ran across the marsh with the snake even 2 this day i havnt bothered using a chocobo 2 do it

[viet-cong111]

Who was the person talking about selling the materia. OH MY GOD i have already sold one i think it was but i should be able to buy it again oh yeah i just thought of that. :shoot:

[viet-cong111]

I alway use a chcobo its like a thing i just always do!

[Sepho]

If one is uncapable of making it across the marsh without running into the Zolom, one has only to save in the middle of the marsh, and reload one's game. At this point, there should be plenty of space between the Zolom and one's position once one's game is reloaded.

[Rinen]

For me, Midgar Zolem does me only three uses. A challenge very early in the game, Beta E.Skill, and slightly the X-Potion if you want to spend the time morphing it.

I always fought the Midgar Zolem when I first get there, usually I'd end up saving Meteorain before hand (yeah, I spend the time to get almost all character's limits to their lvl 3s), so the zolem was always easy for me, plus, if Meteorain didn't kill him, it was iminent that he'd end up casting Beta on my party, since I knew what to do, not a single character died.

[zpforter]

i never really cared to much about that thing. i mean it did prove difficult, but there were so many other things in that game that i was more concerned about. so i basically leveled beyond belief...i think i might have had climhazzard or meteorain for that fight. it's been such a long time since i've been to that part of the game. i can't believe i would do it, but i may have even gone with the chocobo. i don't remember....i was just after the story.


and as for the Materia selling....oh man. you disgrace the name of FF gamers everywhere. i am so sad now.

[sayen]

THREE WEEKS!?

I just used the save trick, where you run across the swamp when the zolem is on the other side, then you hit triangle and save your game just before he reaches you. Then you restart your game, and the zolem will be back where he spawn on the other side of the marsh, run some more, then save again before he reaches you. Reload the game and run to the other side.

i heard you can just flat run and make it, but this is alot less trouble, not to mention easier. Three saves should do it, although you may be able to do it in two. Ten shillings to the man with the cajones to do it with one flat out run.

i get accross on foot first time everytime lol

[Seto Fett]

This is of little revelance to the topic, but someone said you can only get the Trine enemy skill from Godo. That's not true, you can also get it from the Materia Keeper in Mt. Nibel. (The big scorpion you fight before leaving Mt. Nibel)

[Mercen-X]

I just used the save trick, where you run across the swamp when the zolem is on the other side, then you hit triangle and save your game just before he reaches you. Then you restart your game, and the zolem will be back where he spawn on the other side of the marsh, run some more, then save again before he reaches you. Reload the game and run to the other side.

i heard you can just flat run and make it, but this is alot less trouble, not to mention easier. Three saves should do it, although you may be able to do it in two. Ten shillings to the man with the cajones to do it with one flat out run.

My first time through, I had to use the save trick.
Two more playthroughs, I mastered the ancient of art of outmaneuvering the ugly thing (without the saves, that is).
On my fourth playthrough, I got caught and managed to beat the Zolom with my LL party. I think I must've stun it with the Cho/Mo mat. By the end, one of my characters had been thrown out, one of them was KO'd, and I believe Cloud had like 3HP left. I couldn't make it to the other side of the marsh 'cause the Zolom caught me again. Needless to say, I didn't survive again.