Getting better weapons in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is crucial to taking on some of the later boss fights, but how FF7 Rebirth handles its weapons is entirely different from any JRPG before.
Better weapons not only make things easier for you in the long run but are also essential if you are playing on higher difficulties to defeat certain bosses. They also help you grind XP to level up your party faster for the challenges up ahead.
Even though it might feel like you don’t need every weapon, sometimes throughout FF7 Rebirth, scripted sequences force you to change your party of three for a long time, so making sure every character is well-equipped is vital for taking on some later story missions.
FF7 Rebirth: Better Weapon Locations
Unlike other RPGs, better weapons can be found in specific chests scattered around the world.
Instead, you are looking for is special Treasure Chests which appear in set locations. These all have a purple glowing light around them to distinguish them from other chests you can open, and they can all be found during the Min Scenario story path. You can also find some weapons during side quests, mini-games, and more.
If you fail to find a weapon during the main scenario in chests, you can purchase them at Weapon Vendors after potentially missing the chest during a scripted sequence. Some weapons might only be sellable at specific vendors, but at least for me, I have always been able to buy missed weapons at the first Weapons Vendor in Kalm. From there, you can also upgrade your weapons as needed.
Be on the lookout for these chests during main scenarios to save yourself a lot of Gil down the line, and don’t rush to purchase every weapon when a better one might come across your path eventually.