PS5 players are looking forward to diving into more adventures with Cloud Strife and his merry band of misfits, but despite its platform exclusivity, Xbox owners can also get a taste of what Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is all about – kind of. The forthcoming Apex Legends Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth event brings these two fantastical worlds together, in one of the most unexpected collaborations we’ve seen yet in the battle royale game landscape.
In a franchise first for Apex Legends, one of the best battle royale games around, Electronic Arts confirms that this exciting crossover is due to begin on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. This isn’t going to be a case of just bringing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth themed skins into the game, though. According to a recent statement from EA and Respawn Entertainment, players can expect to “defy destiny with the Buster Sword R2R5, with new abilities and a devastating Limit Break.” You’ll also have the chance to acquire Materia Hop-Ups that emit effects like lightning.
Of course, there will be skins as aforementioned, which will be available for legends such as Wraith, Crypto, Wattson, and more as the event progresses. Moreover, this is an amazing chance to get your hands on an extremely cool melee skin: “Collect 36 Event items including a new Death Box and the Mythic Buster Sword R5 Melee cosmetic—equippable by any Legend, in any mode. Unlike a Collection Event, there’s a chance to get the Buster Sword R5 in every Event pack you open.”
However, you won’t get abilities to demolish foes with the R5 variant equipped. Respawn explains that “the Buster Sword R5 (unlike the Takeover’s Buster Sword R2R5) is a Universal Mythic Melee Cosmetic that has no gameplay abilities and can be equipped in place of your heirloom or fists.”
Additionally, you will never be able to get this in the game’s Mythic Shop once the event concludes on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. Essentially, it’s an earnable heirloom that can be applied to any legend in the roster, which is certainly an interesting premise that we’d love to see explored further in future content. For a more detailed look at how Materia Hop-Ups will affect your weaponry decisions, Respawn details how each of them works in the heat of battle:
- Blue Materia – Damage enemies to heal yourself
- Green Materia – Reload an empty weapon to emit a shock nova, damaging and slowing nearby enemies
- Purple Materia – Random critical hits provide extra damage
- Red Materia – Summon a Nessie companion to attack your foes
- Yellow Materia – Damage enemies to see their remaining health
Outside this thrilling event, PS5 players can use this crossover to ride the hype train before the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date. The third entry in Square Enix’s ongoing remake phase for the franchise, development began back in November 2019 on this PS5 exclusive. Now, the wait for one of many new PS5 games in 2024 is almost over.