As an avid Crisis Core player with over 200 hours logged, I‘ve stolen my fair share of materia over the years. Today, I‘m bringing you the ultimate guide to the Steal materia – where to find it, what you can steal, and how to leverage those precious orbs to build a SOLDIER destroyer.
What is Crisis Core?
For those unfamiliar, Crisis Core is a landmark 2007 action RPG set in the sprawling Final Fantasy VII universe. Players assume control of Zack Fair as he works his way up the ranks of Shinra‘s elite SOLDIER program. Materia – colored orbs which grant magic powers and bonuses – are integral to growth in power.
With up to six slots available spread across weapons and armor, materia combinations make or break your fighting capabilities. That Fira spell might pack more punch when paired with an Elemental materia tuned to an enemy‘s weakness. Support abilities like HP Absorb leech health from foes to keep you alive. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Unfortunately, many advanced materia must be earned through long hours of dedicated monster hunting. But what if you could speed up the process by stealing orbs directly from enemies? Enter our unsung hero – the Steal materia.
Obtaining the Steal Materia
Unlike basic magic, Steal doesn‘t just appear in shops. You‘ll need to clear missions 8-1 through 8-3 first. Once Mission 8-3-6 (Hell in the Caverns) is unlocked, head inside and grab Steal from a chest along the southern route, marked below.
Equipping Steal allows Zack to attempt materia theft during battle, mugging enemies to snatch their precious orbs. Success rate scales based on Steal‘s level – starting around 30% at Level 1 and reaching 100% by Level 5 after accruing 2400 AP.
AP is earned from defeating enemies, essentially serving as experience points for materia itself. On average, a Level 1 Steal succeeds around every 1 in 3 attempts, with rates improving gradually as more enemies fall before you.
In addition to materia, items and gil can also be stolen. But for now, we‘ll focus solely on identifying prime materia targets.
Types of Materia
Before listing what can be stolen, let‘s briefly review materia types:
Magic – Grants magical abilities like Fire, Ice, and Cure
Command – New battle commands like Steal itself
Support – Enhances other paired materia
Independent – Standalone bonuses to stats, elements
Now let‘s reveal what arcane secrets those enemies are hiding!
Stealable Materia List
| Name | Type | Source Enemy | AP To Level | Why You Need It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Magic | Foulander | 28000 | Basic fire magic that upgrades to Fira then Firaga |
| Ultima | Magic | Tycoon | 72800 | One of the strongest magic spells in the game |
| Ribbon | Independent | Tonberry King | N/A | Full immunity to negative status effects |
…and over a dozen more high-tier options. While basic spells offer early gains, you really want to set your sights on the rare, powerful materia towards the endgame. These can be challenging to obtain normally, but a master Steal wielder can amass quite a collection.
For example, Ribbon protects against everything from silencing webs to venomous bites via permanent immunity buffs. Paired with HP Absorb, you‘re nearly invincible. And good luck defeating enemies when hit with devastating Ultima waves.
Similar top prizes to chase include Quadra Magic (for extremely fast spell combos), Flare (massive damage), and Darkness (inflict instant death). Just make sure you‘ve leveled Steal high enough first to maximize odds on those rare grabs.
Steal Chance By Level
| Steal Level | Success Rate | AP Required |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 30% | 0 |
| Level 2 | 40% | 600 |
| Level 3 | 50% | 1800 |
| Level 4 | 80% | 4200 |
| Level 5 | 100% | 2400 |
As noted, higher Steal levels massively stack the deck in your favor. You‘ll want to grind that baby out ASAP.
Notable Steal Items
While materia make up the bulk of vital loot, useful accessories can also be stolen:
| Item | Effect | Enemy |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum Ring | Immune to paralysis | Security Hound RE |
| Supersoft | +25% HP | Super Grenade |
Those are just a sample of the incredibly useful bonuses you can pilfer. And don‘t forget cash – up to 50,000 gil gets snatched with the help of Gil Plus support materia. But next we move to the crux of optimized stealing: perfect builds.
Advanced Materia Tactics
Once steal mastery is obtained, luck influences success more than level. Adopt these advanced tactics to push the odds in your favor:
– Equip Luck Plus materia for better steal rates
– Use Goblin Punch before stealing for bonus luck rolls
– Cast Haste on Zack to double steal attempt
– Pair with Gil Plus to mug cash alongside materia
But the real wizardry comes from mixing your ill-gotten materia treasures together to create game-breaking combos.
Here‘s an example build I call the Vampire Spellblade:
- HP Absorb + Fire + Magic Attack Up
- Restorative + Warding + Magic Def Up
- Darkness Blade + Deathblow
HP Absorb sustains you while dishing burning damage, boosted further by attack support materia. Defensive materia provides protection, while Death spells wipe enemies in a single blow.
This build carried me through the game‘s toughest superbosses thanks to Steal providing the vital absorb and deathblow orbs. Similar unique recipe combinations can give you an unbeatable edge against Shinra!
Prioritizing Materia Targets
With so much loot potential, you‘ll need to identify and hunt down the best targets. Here is how I categorize materia power when choosing to steal:
S Tier – Ribbon, Quadra Magic, Ultima, Final Attack Pair
A Tier – Death spells, HP/MP Absorb, high tier elemental magic like Firaga
B Tier – Useful support like Libra, Throw, Catch, Transform
C Tier – Basic starting spells like Fire, Blizzard
Don‘t waste steal attempts on weak finds like Thunder. Instead target humanoid enemies granting the best support materia, or dragons/malboros for unique skills. Saving before battles allows resetting if the target materia doesn‘t drop.
Certain missions also spawn enemies with specific materia types. So maximize steal chances by understanding spawn conditions and replaying until desired loads appear.
For example, Mission 9-4-2‘s reactor area is populated by Security Hounds carrying Poison and Silence blades. Perfect for disabling or damaging groups. Just warp out and repeat if they don‘t surrender the materia immediately!
Steal vs Mug Differences
Veteran players may point out that Mug is also capable of yoinking enemy items and gil. So when is it better to Steal instead?
In practice, Steal edges out Mug in most materia hunts due to higher success odds after leveling. Mug‘s better cash rewards also rarely outweigh materia value.
However, Mug can still pull off lucky one-off wins even at low levels, while Steal requires grinding AP to improve rates first. This makes Mug an acceptable backup if you need cash or got unlucky on rolls during a key steal attempt.
Certain abilities like Goblin Punch make stealing even more viable than Mug alternatives. Just analyze enemy type, desired rewards, and build capabilities to optimize between the two pickpocket paths!
Pulling It All Together
After reading this guide, you should have master thief levels of insights on snatching precious materia orbs. Let‘s review the key takeaways:
Soon those glowing orbs will overflow from Zack‘s pockets with these methods. Then the real fun begins – slotting favorites into personalized powerhouse builds to crush Shinra‘s best!
The whole Crisis Core landscape becomes a materia all-you-can-eat buffet with a bit of stealthy snatching. Now get out there and start stealing – the arrays of destruction await!
Let me know what awesome materia you grab from enemies in the comments below. And feel free to ask any questions that pop up on your thieving travels. Happy hunting!
