The short version: what Materia even does
Matteropolis in your pocket: Materia is the little green (and sometimes colorful) orbs that let your party cast spells, summon big friends, and get stat boosts. Slot them into weapons and armor to unlock abilities and bonuses — and yes, the Materia itself gets stronger the more you use it.
How Materia levels up (AP — not angry points)
Materia doesn’t level like Cloud does; it levels with AP (Ability Points). When a piece of Materia is slotted into gear that’s used during combat, it earns AP. Rack up enough AP and the Materia jumps a level, improving its effects until it eventually caps out and becomes “mastered.”
Which Materia to babysit first
Not all Materia are created equal — some take forever to grind, some are absolute game-changers. If you want the most bang for your farming time, focus on utility and multiplier Materia: Revive, HP Up/MP Up, Healing, Elemental, and Magnify are great all-rounders. They’ll make fights easier and your team more flexible as you prep for harder challenges.
AP Up and the Pedometer trick
AP farming gets a major boost from the AP Up effect. Early on you’ll find the Pedometer Materia, which turns into AP Up after you walk 5,000 steps with it equipped — you’ll get a HUD notification when it happens. After you finish the game you also get a global 3x AP bonus via Chapter Select, so serious AP grinding is best saved for post-game when everything multiplies nicely.
Gear and linking: squeeze every AP drop
Look for weapons and armor with lots of Materia slots, and even better, linked slots. Linked slots let Materia interact (like tacking on MP Absorb to magic Materia), and also let AP Up share its bonus across the things you want to level. Some armor pieces like the Chain Bangle (four linked slots) and the Ninja Armlet (three slots, two linked) are especially handy for farming—just remember some gear only reaches its full slot potential later in the game.
Make fights fast and boring (that’s the point)
For efficient AP, you don’t want long, thrilling slogfests — you want short, repeatable fights you can run through like a well-oiled blender. Equip Materia that speeds encounters: First Strike for extra ATB at the start, Magnify to hit multiple enemies when paired with elemental Materia, and Magic Up to boost spell damage so fights finish faster.
Best spots to farm AP
Once you’ve unlocked Chapter Select and collected the right gear and Materia, head to the usual suspects: the Shinra Combat Simulator (Chapter 17 challenges are popular), the Corneo Colosseum fights (available in certain chapters), and the early parts of Chapters 14 and 16. Pick encounters you can clear quickly and then reset or replay — rinse and repeat until your Materia is maxed.
Final tips and a tiny pep talk
Don’t waste marathon grinding before you finish the story — the post-game multipliers make it way less painful. Prioritize Materia that improves survivability and speeds up fights, link AP Up to the targets you want levelled, and pick gear with linked slots. Do that and you’ll breeze into hard mode with an overpowered Materia setup and a smug grin.
