Northern Cave (Final Fantasy VII)

The Northern Cave, also called the Great Cavity is a location and the final dungeon of Final Fantasy VII. It is situated at the bottom of the North Crater that takes up much of the northern continent of the planet. Within it is a large cave system connected to the Planet's Core where Sephiroth waits, and is fought as the game's final boss.
== History ==
=== Before Final Fantasy VII ===
The Northern Cave was created with the North Crater when the asteroid containing Jenova crashed into the planet over 2,000 years before Final Fantasy VII. 
In October 0002, when Sephiroth was defeated at the Nibel Reactor during the Nibelheim Incident, he traveled through the lifestream to the Northern Cave to recuperate. Years later, Sephiroth led the Sephiroth-clones to the cave.
=== Final Fantasy VII ===
thumb|right|The party in the Northern Cave shown in a flashback in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete.
In "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches" in Final Fantasy VII, taking place December 0007, Cloud Strife and his party reached Sephiroth in the Northern Cave, bringing the Black Materia, which is used to summon Meteor. Sephiroth then taunted Cloud, telling him he was another drone like all the other mindless Sephiroth-clones, causing Cloud to break down. Sephiroth then tricked the party into giving him the Black Materia. The Weapons awoke, sensing the cataclysm from Sephiroth summoning Meteor, and Sephiroth sealed the crater's entry with a force-field, preparing for his ascension to godhood.
In "Mako Cannon Rampage", the Shinra Electric Power Company used the Sister Ray cannon to blast through Sephiroth's shield. With the defense down, and after defeating Shinra, in "The Planet's Judgment", Cloud Strife and his party stormed into the Northern Cave to defeat Sephiroth and release the trapped Holy summoned by Aerith Gainsborough before her death. Cloud defeated Sephiroth, and Holy was released in a massive burst. The party escaped on the Highwind before being caught in the uproar of magical energy.
=== Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children ===
Though Sephiroth and Jenova were defeated, Jenova's remains lingered within the Northern Cave. The Turks stole them before the Remnants of Sephiroth could get a hold of them to resurrect their master, but Elena and Tseng were captured during the ensuing battle, rescued by Vincent Valentine.
== Geography ==
The Northern Cave is located amidst the North Crater. It is entered through an opening on the side of the cave. Because the North Crater was a wound in the planet, and because the Northern Cave descends deeper into the planet itself, the lifestream is prominent throughout the entire cave, giving it a green aura. The cave descends all the way to the planet's core.
In the upper parts of the Northern Cave, it mostly resembles a typical cave network, with a rocky descent. Further into the cave, it appears less and less natural, as the cave becomes more hollow, the spaces between rocky plateaus decrease, and the lifestream becomes more and more prominent.
Further down, the cave forks into two paths, and then forks again. One of these forked paths leads down a spiral path around an immense stalactite to a hollow rocky floor, where the bones of a creature (resembling a deceased Weapon) can be found. The other forked path itself forks into two. The upper of the forked path is a more organic, fungal area underground, with a fungal pass over a lake of an unknown translucent fluid. The lower path of these comprises disparate rocky platforms over a hollow area with a mako stream (resembling a waterfall of mako) behind it.
At the very bottom is a small cave around a hole that leads into the planet's core. Within it is a hollow area surrounded entirely by lifestream, but with some floating platforms within it. At the very core is a red object with a blue glue, resembling a heart.
Highwind above northern crater.png|Entrance to Northern Cave.
NorthernCave-ffvii-fmv-pod.png|Sephiroth's pod in Northern Cave FMV.
Northern Crater5.png|Right descent.
Northern Crater12.png|Down descent.
Northern Crater8.png|Up descent.
== Gameplay ==
The Northern Cave is seen very briefly in "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches" at the end of the quest for a story sequence.
The cave serves as the final battle of the game in "The Planet's Judgment", and can only be visited after "Mako Cannon Rampage", when the cave's seal is destroyed and the Highwind can be used to descend. After a descension through the dungeon is a fork in the road, where the left path forks once again. The player can send certain party members down each of these forks for them to obtain items when reconvening at the end of the dungeon.
Like other final dungeons, the cave is home to rare items and powerful enemies. This makes it generally useful for level grinding. In particular, taking the fork left and up leads to an area to grind AP in the form of the Magic Pots and Movers. This can be useful both for preparing to battle Ruby and Emerald Weapon (or to grind for the Missing Score).
At the very bottom is a series of normal battles followed by a final boss battle gauntlet. First, Jenova∙SYNTHESIS is fought with the party the player used to descend to the core, Bizarro∙Sephiroth fought by one, two, or three parties, and Safer∙Sephiroth fought by the player's chosen party.
== Musical themes ==
The Northern Cave's official background theme is "Judgment Day", a track found in Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack. The theme contains elements of "Aerith's Theme", which is fitting, as the party is attempting to free the Holy spell that she had summoned and avenge her death by defeating Sephiroth. "Reunion" plays in the lake crossing, lake path, and light cavity. "J-E-N-O-V-A" plays in the final descent.
"Judgement Day" is also included in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Compilation Album, called "The Last Day" and in the Final Fantasy XV music player as a default track.
== Other appearances ==
=== Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008) ===
The Northern Cave is the representative arena for Final Fantasy VII under the name Planet's Core . It is here that Cloud battles and defeats Sephiroth at the climax of his storyline.
Shortly after, Terra enters the Planet's Core to look for her ally, the Onion Knight, and Cloud battles her when she loses control of her esper powers to pacify her. The Warrior of Light fights Sephiroth at the Planet's Core to rescue Firion, and Cecil faces off against Exdeath to defend Golbez.
The arena consists of a large circular platform at the bottom of the arena, with floating rocks and square pillars in the air surrounding it, forming a rough path spiraling to the top of the arena. Tendrils of Lifestream connect the platforms and can be slid on using Quickmove. Powerful attacks can destroy the platforms and pillars if a character is knocked into them. In the arena's Ω form, after a period of time has passed, the arena shakes and the platforms and pillars float upwards, reminiscent of what happens after the battle with Jenova∙SYNTHESIS in Final Fantasy VII.
Eventually the stage calms down, but the stone platforms are gone, there are more floating pillars, and more strands of Lifestream have appeared on the stage. EX Cores will teleport if the platform they are on is destroyed, and the Bravery pool will continually rise.
The Materia is the battlegen item obtained through stage destruction in this area.
In Dissidia, if either character uses their EX Burst during the time when the screen flashes as the platforms stop rising in the stage's Ω version, the background for the EX Burst will be much brighter than normal.
==== Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ====
The Planet's Core returns in this prequel to Dissidia. Sephiroth confronts Tifa in this area.
=== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ===
The Northern Cave appears as the FMS for "Judgment Day", and the depths of the planet's core where Safer∙Sephiroth is fought appears as the BMS for "One-Winged Angel".
=== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call ===
The Northern Cave returns in both the FMS and BMS of their respective themes.
Northern Crater TFFCC.png|The Northern Cave.
Planet's_Core.png|The final battle with Sephiroth.
=== Pictlogica Final Fantasy ===
=== Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade ===
FFAB Northern Cave FFVII.png|
FFAB Northern Cave FFVII 2.png|
FFAB Planet's Core (True) DFF.png|Planet's Core (Omega) [D012].
FFAB Inside the Planet FFVII Special.png|Inside the Planet (Special) [FFVII].
FFAB Northern Cave (Omega) DDFF Special.png|Northern Cave (Omega) (Special) [D012].
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
=== Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ===
:See also: Northern Cave in the Super Smash Bros. wiki
The Northern Cave is the setting of at least part of Sephiroth's accompanying stage as a downloadable fighter. His reveal trailer shows off a part of the stage resembling the Core (Upper), and another resembling the background of Bizarro∙Sephiroth's battle area in the lower Core. His Final Smash seems to warp his opponents to the Safer∙Sephiroth version of the lower Core as he transforms. The scene where Cloud hands the Black Materia to Sephiroth's cocoon in Northern Cave was recreated in Sephiroth's Classic Mode congratulations screen, with Sephiroth in his shirtless attire inside a block of ice and Cloud handing him a Black Hole item.
==Behind the scenes==
320px|right|thumb|Secret Cow Level
The 2012 PC release of Final Fantasy VII includes an Easter egg. In one area of Northern Cave, las2_1 (referred to as "Inside Northern Cave" in the menu), if the player uses the Save Crystal in this area, its name in the menu changes to "Secret Cow Level". This is a reference to Diablo. Outside of the area's name change, there is no functional gameplay difference.
A field from the Northern Cave exists that is another version of the area where the party gathers with Shinra and where the Weapon's eye is seen through the crystal. It can be visited only via the Debug Room, via the Field Room and selecting Yuffie's option "TRNAD53". Because this scene is still used during an FMV, it likely was only used as an anchor for character models; the area has no code with walkable paths, it was unlikely intended for gameplay. The background music for the area when accessed from the Debug Room is "Aerith's Theme", which would have been intended to play in the background of the original Japanese exiting of the crater FMV.
== Gallery ==
Sephiroth-hibernation.jpg|Sephiroth being given the Black Materia FMV.
NorthernCave-ffvii-fmv-flood.png|The flooding of the area of the cave FMV.
Planet core concept art.png|Concept art from Dissidia.
== Citations ==
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Caves
Category:Arenas in Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)
Category:Arenas in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Category:Final dungeons