Battle Square The Battle Square , also known as battle arena , or the Colosseum , is a location in the Gold Saucer in " Final Fantasy VII " . The Battle Square is a battle arena where the player selects a single character and fights in a gauntlet - style match , fighting eight enemies in a row for prizes . The Battle Square becomes available after the player acquires the buggy . The player must participate the arena battles once when Dio tells the party he ' ll give them the Keystone if Cloud agrees to " entertain " him . Starting a battle at the Battle Square earns the player the Battle Square achievement in the PC version re - release of " Final Fantasy VII " . Story . During the party ' s first visit to the Gold Saucer , the Battle Square is under renovation . When the party visits it after being joined by Cait Sith they discover that someone has shot a number of people within the area . Dio finds the party and believes they are the criminals . As the party tries to both explain and flee , they are surrounded by security robots who drop them into Corel Prison . Later , the Battle Square is up and running , and the party discovers the gunman haad killed the infantryman , but the two staff who were shot survived . Cloud returns to the Battle Square to find the Keystone in Dio ' s Museum . Dio finds Cloud observing the Keystone and offers it to him if Cloud will entertain him by battling in the arena . Cloud does and Dio gives him the Keystone . When Meteor is summoned two of the staff members at the Battle Square elope , and Cloud may become eligible for a special round at the arena . Location . The Battle Square is one of the eight zones in the Gold Saucer , and the fifth from the left from the Gold Saucer ' s entrance . It is accessible from all the zones . The player enters the Battle Square from its entrance . The Battle Square is divided into various locations . The main attraction is the arena accessed during battles , and the player will otherwise spend their time in the arena lobby . The Battle Square houses Dio ' s museum , a showroom off to the side of the lobby . A secluded area beyond the lobby is a room where prisoners can be trapped and thrown into the Corel Prison . Entrance . The Entrance ( " Battle Square " in the menu ) is the first location of Battle Square and the only way to access it . The entrance to the Square has eight doorways leading to the other areas , each titled above their doors with the Square ' s name in a unique color . A doorway to the Gold Saucer entrance appears on either side . A purple - carpeted stairway leads to the Square ' s attraction . From the outside it appears like a castle , a drape on purple cloth depicting a sword and shield on either side . Beneath the drapes lights shine a ray of yellow and purple into the sky . The door leads into the arena lobby . In the center above the entrance is a shield symbol with two - crossed swords . On the player ' s first visit to the Battle Square a male staff will prevent them from climbing the stairs , citing renovations . When the player returns after recruiting Cait Sith from the Wonder Square they will find a falling guard and Cloud will run on into the lobby . When the player returns later , a man will tell of the curator ' s collection displayed at the arena , but he will no longer be here after the Northern Cave events at the start of Part 2 . A woman standing next to the long stairs can be found here on the player ' s return . After talking to her , if one chooses " That ' s the idea " , and wins a round of eight consecutive battles in Battle Square , she ' ll give the Sprint Shoes item and will stay there . If one chooses " Not interested " , even after winning eight consecutive battles , she ' ll disappear , and the player won ' t get the accessory . Whenever the player enters the entrance their BP will become 0 , meaning every time the player exits the lobby they will lose their accumulated points . Arena Lobby . The Arena Lobby is where the player can sign up for battles and earn rewards . To the left and right of the entrance are machines where the player can spend accumulated BP on prizes . A man standing by the machine on the right will explain the Battle Square to the player , but only once . At the back of the room in the corners are two help desks whose staff allow players to sign - up for matches . In the center at the back and up some stairs is a door into the arena . Above the door is a sign with a skull and the word " CHALLENGER " . On the left and right are blue drapes with the symbol of the sword and shield like the ones at the entrance . A purple carpet runs down the middle of the room . On the right hand side of the room is a doorway with the sign " DIOs SHOW ROOM " leading to Dio ' s Museum . The first time the player is here a number of gunned - down Shinra infantrymen will lie on the floor , and Dio and security apprehend the player party . The party will then run on into the arena . Dio ' s Museum . Dio ' s Museum , also known as Dio ' s Show Room , can be entered from the arena lobby . The area is bordered with Dio ' s prized possessions . At the back of the room is a portrait of Dio , while the center - piece remains empty for a portion of the game , otherwise containing the Keystone . The player must enter this area after obtaining the Tiny Bronco to take the Keystone . Dio asks the player to enter the arena , but the player earns the Keystone regardless if they escape , are defeated , or if they succeed in all eight battles . The player earns no BP from the battles , but if they win all eight , Dio awards the player with a Protect Vest and a Choco Feather . Arena . The Arena is an area visited only briefly . In the center of the location is where the fights occur . The arena is down a flight of stairs , and has a walkway around it . The arena has a moat of purple water . In the center a phrase is written on the circle surrounding the arena : " The brave do not fear the grave . " At the back of the arena is an entrance to the Gateway to Heaven room . The arena is entered when the player chooses to fight a battle at the Battle Square , and starts with the player running into the arena and preparing for battle before the actual battle begins . The player is chased into the area during the story where they are surrounded by security robots that take the party into the Gateway to Heaven . Although the player can never control the character in this room , exits are still programmed . This is evidence that the Gateway to Heaven room is behind the arena , which is otherwise only transitioned do by fading to black from the arena . Gateway to Heaven . The Gateway to Heaven is a goo - covered stone room behind the arena . In the center is a circular trapdoor with the text " GATEWAY TO HEAVEN " around it . The door is operated by a machine in the corner . This gate is use to bring monsters for battle . The chains on the wall are used to restrain the monster until the battle . The area is visited when Cloud and his active party are arrested by Dio . The security robots grab prisoners and jump down the gate and into Corel Prison . Arena minigame . Rules . The player pays 10 GP to participate . The player must first select which party member to fight with , who is then sent into the arena . They fight a battle , after which they see how many Battle Points they have currently accumulated , and are allowed to choose to continue or quit at this stage . If they continue on , a slot reel appears and spins , giving the player a certain handicap based on the result . The player continues fighting until they either quit , win all eight matches , or are defeated . If the player loses , they receive a worthless consolation prize . If they quit or win , they receive Battle Points , or BP . BP can be exchanged for rare items ( see below ) at the Battle Square , including Cloud ' s ultimate Limit Break manual , Omnislash . BP is reset when the player leaves the Battle Square , so players should attempt to expend all points for prizes before exiting . However the player enters the Battle Square , is how they leave the Battle Square . HP and MP return to the values as before entering , and if one were to go in with a full Limit Break bar , one would leave the Battle Square with a full Limit Break bar , regardless of whether they used a Limit in the battle . Status effects that one enters the Battle Square with remain intact , such as Fury or Sadness . Because no Battle Results are shown even after winning all battles , the player will not earn Experience Points or Ability Points from the battles , and the enemies killed in Battle Square do not count toward learning new Limit Breaks . Because the player ' s status returns to moment they were in before entering Battle Square battles , the player cannot learn Enemy Skills from the monsters there ; even if it appears the skill was learned , it will be gone from the Materia when the player is returned to the field . Any used items , however , will be lost from the player ' s inventory , and the player is still able to morph opponents into items and steal from them . Enemies . The monsters in the Battle Square change depending on which point in the game the player is . There are two " pools " of enemies where the encounters are drawn at random , and the chances of ending with Group A or Group B are equal . The enemies in both pools include same enemies , and the enemies in the final rounds are always the same in both pools . Some of the enemies encountered in the Battle Square are highly rare and dangerous , including the Stilva , Malboro , Blue Dragon , Ghost Ship , and the Serpent . All arena enemies have twice as many hit points as they normally do , and their Attack and Magic Attack receive a 25 % boost , making them stronger than regular encounters . Two enemies , the Ho - chu and Tonberry , are fought exclusively in the Battle Square . Both enemies were originally intended to be fought elsewhere , however , the formations cannot be fought by ordinary means in the final game . Ho - chu was planned to be an inescapable encounter in the Ancient Forest , and Tonberry an encounter in the Whirlwind Maze . Its counterpart , the Master Tonberry , can still be found within the final dungeon areas of the Northern Cave . Battle Points and prizes . The player always starts with 10 points and goes on to win more Battle Points for the second and successive matches , i . e . every time they take a handicap . The handicap determines the amount of points awarded and worse handicaps give better BP , but this is only noticeable for the final rounds . If the player wins all matches , or if they choose to quit between battles , they get to take away the BP they had accumulated during their battles ; no points are awarded if the player is killed in battle . BP are awarded even if the player uses Escape magic or Smoke Bombs , but not if the player uses the Escape battle menu command . The maximum BP one can obtain in one run is 12 , 576 . The Battle Points can be redeemed for items at the terminals , but if at any time the player leaves the Battle Square , their Battle Points reset to zero . Multiples of other prizes may be purchased , but the player can never purchase more than one Omnislash manual and one W - Summon Materia . Handicaps . After each battle , the player must spin a slot reel ; depending on what they stop the reel on , they receive a certain handicap . Some handicaps can be avoided or their effects minimized with equipment . The player receives more BP the worse handicaps they have and the later the round they have fought to — if they receive the " All Materia is broken " handicap on the eighth fight they will win over 10 , 000 BP . So while taking larger handicaps on purpose is risky , it can be rewarding . The player can slow the reels slightly by tapping . Another trick is to hold , which would stop spinning the reel ; however , it also hides the graphics of the reel . The player will want to stop the reel at the handicap before the one they want shows up . Once the reel is stopped , one must quickly let go of and tap . With some practice on the timing , the player should be able to stop the reel at the desired handicap . The results on the first reel determine the results on all subsequent reels , as getting all the same handicaps on the first reel will cause all subsequent reels to roll the same handicap , with a different handicap each time up until around match 6 . If the player gets this unfortunate pattern the reels will never spin a handicap the player would be immune to . The player may also get a pattern where they find a positive handicap in every reel . Another common pattern is for the reels to contain a specific handicap once on each reel , usually a status . This may still occur when a player has an immunity to that status , so a player can potentially get the same result for every reel and have no effect ; however , the status handicaps do not offer significant BP . The seventh and eighth matches earn much more BP than the earlier rounds ; the amount awarded for taking handicaps is multiplied by successively higher numbers as the matches progress , with the last two being markedly higher . Strategy . It is recommended the player comes equipped with their character ' s strongest weapon and a powerful armor , and a Ribbon . The Ribbon prevents status ailments , giving the player a handful of " safe " handicaps , as Mini , Frog , and Poison will not affect them if they come up on the reel . The player can also pair an Added Effect Materia with a Hades Materia to protect against many status effects . The status effect Resist doesn ' t protect against statuses gained from the handicap reels , which can lead to a serious handicap , as once applied , the Resist status will prevent the player from removing the status with normal Esuna spells and healing items . The player can make use of a Enemy Skill Materia with Big Guard ( for Haste , Barrier and MBarrier ) , Magic Hammer ( for replenishing MP ) and Dragon Force ( for boosted defense ) learned . HP Plus , MP Plus and Luck Plus ( for higher critical hit chance ) Materia are also useful , as is a high - leveled Restore Materia . If the player ' s Materia breaks , or they lose all their MP due to a handicap , they should have several useful items to compensate . In endgame Elixirs and X - Potions can be easily obtained through the W - Item duplication bug or stolen / dropped from enemies in the Northern Cave . For a more physical - aggressive strategy , the use Double Cut or Slash - All is recommended . If Slash - All is upgraded to Flash , the player can instantly dispatch most enemies in a single turn . In battle arena the battles won ' t reward the player with EXP , AP or item drops , so it is good to prioritize defense against the number of Materia slots when choosing armor ; e . g . the Gigas Armlet ( stolen from Gigas ) , Adaman Bangle ( stolen from Adamantaimai ) , or even Ziedrich ( stolen from ) are good for Battle Square because of high defense , despite having few Materia slots . One of the best possible armor to use is the Mystile ( found in Midgar during the Part 2 visit and in the Northern Cave ) , as its defense and magic defense evade rates are high . It is also useful to place the fighter in the back row to take less damage and use the Long Range Materia ( or a character with a long range weapon ) . Most status effects , both positive and negative , carry on to consecutive battles , so if the player casts Haste or Big Guard in the first battle , Haste will carry through the entire match . Regen is a useful way to keep HP up without having to repeatedly heal . Death - sentence does not carry through to subsequent battles ( even though fellow countdown status Slow - numb does ) . If the player comes up against a Tonberry , one can easily become invulnerable by casting Death Force from the Enemy Skill Materia , which makes Tonberry ' s Instant Death move miss . If the player ends up breaking their weapon , they can use Goblin Punch from the Enemy Skill Materia to bypass the effect , although it will do only 75 % of the normal attack ( however it can cause critical hits ) and the player must be wary of not getting the All Break handicap , at least not in the early stages . Since the handicap timing that earns the most BP is at the seventh and eighth matches , and the handicap types that earn the most BP are " Magic Materia Breaks " and " All Materia Breaks " , the highest BP combination cannot be won with Escape magic , only Smoke Bomb items . A sensible strategy to being successful in the Gold Saucer is to go in with a full LIMIT gauge and the Mime command . The player can mimic their Limit Break through every round so long as the Command Materia does not break and a counter is not set - up . Another effective method of completing the Battle Square is to equip the following Materia and combinations : Magic Counter linked with Odin . Since enemies can attack first so often , the Magic Counter - Odin combination allows the player to eliminate entire rounds of enemies without taking an action . The Independent Counter Attack Materia as well as the Support Counter Materia can also be used for great effect . After obtaining the " Highwind " in Part 2 , there is a quarter chance of facing the Ghost Ship enemy in the final round , who can use the Goannai ability . Should he use it before being dispatched , the player will be eject ed from battle . Using L4 Suicide or throwing healing items at it can easily dispatch Ghost Ship . Special match . If the player has bought Omnislash and W - Summon , had Cloud learn Omnislash , and they have acquired Cloud ' s Ultima Weapon , they can enter a special match only Cloud can participate in . The special match is harder than the normal battles , and the prize is the Final Attack Materia . This can be won only once . If the player participates and wins multiple special battles they will win worthless trophy items , such as books written by Dio , Dio ' s autograph and the Masamune Blade ( not actually a weapon , just a trophy item ) . After winning the special battles for ten times the prize will be a Ribbon , but there are easier ways to obtain one at this point . Also , a woman outside the Arena will hand over a Sprint Shoes after winning the special battle for the first time . The enemy line - up is as follows : Other appearances . " Final Fantasy VII " demo . The Battle Square has appeared in a demo version of the PC port of " Final Fantasy VII " . The player must battle monsters as Cloud to win . The enemies fought on the rounds is an assortment of the same enemies that are fought in the full game after obtaining " Highwind " . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . The Battle Square was the focal point for the Challenge Event The Battle Arena . Musical themes . Like in the rest of the Gold Saucer , the eponymous theme " Gold Saucer " plays in the Battle Square . However , during the battles , " Hurry Up ! " is played .