Talk:Link VS Cloud/@comment-200.28.192.93-20150801153516

Let's not forget the Ultima Weapon, aside the damage boosting it gets from the HP amount, also has five times the offensive power of the Buster Sword (a bit more actually, from 18 to 100). And more importantly 8 materia slots which could be used perhaps not for Offensive Materia, but support ones. Not all materias are for magic casting, Cloud also has many support ones to beef his own stats or grant properties to his attacks (the stat Plus being the most clear examples.)

Also, from what I know it's not the materia use what hurts the planet in FF7, its the extraction of Mako, the process to create a materia what causes the damage, not the materia itself. Though the materia does put a toll on the user, which is perhaps what translates to MP in the game.

Really, I thought it was unfair that for the analysis Cloud was stripped of most materias, the core mechanic in FF7. It was kinda like Link was deprived of his items and allowed to simply use his sword skills or either his assist items or the weapon ones but not both.