cover

[Materio]

Cover Materia was awesome, it allowed you to choose who to build their Limit Break levels first, if you wanted. Also, using it saves a lot of MP. For example -

Without Cover, all three characters are attacked frequently, so, once you've used Cure-All (if you have it), you have to use up MP to cast 3 x Cure.

With Cover, one character takes the majority of damage. Only one Cure spell necessary, as only one character takes noticeable damage.
So...
Cover - Saves MP and allows you to concentrate Limit Break levelling on a specific character of your choice.

 

[poker king46]

while i see your point(materio) later in the game bosses ca ntotally ko your cover toting charcter. thus youi spend time using a pheniox down/revive and wind up using rughly the same mp as you would without the cover materia

 

[Daviduzz0]

I just used it for the story element. Cloud was hired as Aeris' bodyguard so he may as well act like it.

 

[The_Bard]

I just used it for the story element. Cloud was hired as Aeris' bodyguard so he may as well act like it.

Haha, I do that too when I first get it. It's a useful materia indeed, nice when combined with counter

 

[Davey Gaga]

Let's not allow ourselves to end up posting one-liners, guys - we discourage that, here.

 

[Daenerys]

I've never actually used the Cover Materia. I don't think it's necessary at all, and I dislike the thought of one character taking the majority of the damage, I like to be able to build up all three party members limit breaks, instead of focusing on getting just one party members limit breaks more frequently.

 

[Mitsuki]

I didn't like the Cover materia, but on my 2nd playthrough I used it a lot more often due to building up limit breaks. Cloud and Cait Sith (don't ask why) were my main ones that equipped this materia and they would only cover the girls. But yeah, I only used it for training and on the world map where I can save whenever I want just in case something goes wrong.

 

[Marshy]

I never used Cover materia much but i know that in other ff's it was very useful too. I did use it at the start when you first get it. It was very useful to have one guy take most the hits, but it was tough sometimes because if he got hit too quickly you might not have time to cure him. Thats why i like them attacking multiple ones.

 

[Stella]

I used it by accident actually xD I equipped Cloud with it early on in the game, but then I completely forgot that I had done so. I kept wondering why my other two characters HP was always almost full and his was always low, and then I put two and two together. By the time I figured it out, it was leveled up quite abit.

The main reason I kept using it though was for limit breaks. As others have already mentioned, it made getting them a lot easier.

 

[Psychomaze]

My favorite trick to get all the limit breaks by the time the story dictates that you must enter The Ancient Temple.

Cover Materia + Hyper (item - causes 'Fury' status)

The more the character gets hit, the faster their limit gauges build up. Just use them as soon as you get them, since that sums up how to learn more. Forget the fact that they can't hit monsters worth a damn... just concentrate on how many times they get hit and the limit gauge races through the roof (so you will need SEVERAL hypers, but since it's a cheap item... it's easy. -- I managed to get Cloud, Tifa, and Barret to master all limits except LVL 4 since that's an unique item before entering Junion)

 

[rrutter81]

1 cover + a zillion counters junctioned with whatever made for getting hit once and countering X times your counters.

eg if you had 6 counters and a cover each time you are hit you have a chance for 6 counters.

 

[rrutter81]

Ooooh! I like that idea

let me know if matching counter with slice 4x will work...lol

 

[Bambi]

Ooooh! I like that idea

let me know if matching counter with slice 4x will work...lol

Lets try to put more effort in our posts please, there has already been a warning in this thread. Thanks

 

[Donald Trump]

Yes I used cover materia.
I gave it to Aerith and then she got attacked and she did her limit break thing, the one that heals everyone, White Wind is what I think it is called. After Aerith died I gave it to Vincent or Barret, someone who attacked from the back row so they took less damage when they were covering for the people in the front row. This was a very effective strategy.

 

[Saints&Storms]

does anyone ever actually use the cover materia other than to master it for the sake of mastering all materia?i know i don't,i jsut don't see the point of having one character take the fall for another.

I did, it was useful to keep on someone when fighting the Weapons, because it gave the power house on you team time to revive others, but that probably just me who did that.

Other than that I never used it after Aerith died

 

[LeaT]

It's handy for building up Limit Breaks, give someone a Hyper and cover Materia and you will be knocking out limit breaks like they are going out of fashion. Great for getting to that evel 4 limit break as soon as possible

Other than that, I don't really use it

What Snape said. Give it to Cloud early and watch the fun. Also, as pointed out, it creates healing efficiency. This is something you learn painfully well if you play any MMO like WoW, as healing one person who takes most of the damage is always better than casting a lot of spells on everyone. Less mana, less actions spent on healing and more on attacking (this things go down faster).

I am kind of fond of the "tank" idea Cover adds, I guess. Too WoW damaged. I would later replace it with something that adds more damage though, but others already mentioned those kind of combinations.

 

[soldier first class]

It's handy for building up Limit Breaks, give someone a Hyper and cover Materia and you will be knocking out limit breaks like they are going out of fashion. Great for getting to that evel 4 limit break as soon as possible

Other than that, I don't really use it

That's exactly what I use it for.

 

[Six]

I always use cover. I've recently started replaying Final Fantasy VII, and I'm right passed the point of the flashback in Kalm, so needless to say I have the Cover materia. I always have it on Tifa.

Usually I give her a Hyper as well so her limit break goes up even fast just to gain level 4 for her, then I'll stop using the Hypers but I leave cover on her, it's just an awesome way to get all her limit break slots.

 

[Ethics]

I always use cover. I've recently started replaying Final Fantasy VII, and I'm right passed the point of the flashback in Kalm, so needless to say I have the Cover materia. I always have it on Tifa.

Usually I give her a Hyper as well so her limit break goes up even fast just to gain level 4 for her, then I'll stop using the Hypers but I leave cover on her, it's just an awesome way to get all her limit break slots.

This. I've spent roughly half the money I've earned thus far on hypers to raise their limits faster. I hand cover around from person to person each time someone gains a new limit breaker, though.

After that, depending on how much trouble I'm having I'll either give cover to Tifa or Barret.

 

[HighwindPilot]

I am kind of fond of the "tank" idea Cover adds, I guess. Too WoW damaged. I would later replace it with something that adds more damage though, but others already mentioned those kind of combinations.

This, only Aika (an F2P MMO) is what got me intrigued by the notion of a tank character.

The materia system is criticized for homogenizing the characters in battle, but in my experience I tend to customize the characters so that their materia and stats complimented one another; it's about playing to their strengths.

I'd take a character like Cid, who naturally possesses high vitality (second only to Barret), buff him with Vitality and Spirit Sources, and equip his materia slots with things like "Cover", "HP Plus", and various Counters to make him something of a Counter-Puncher. It works out great.