Cloud Strife had already cleared Battle Intel Report 20, so he assumed Bahamut was waiting in Chadley’s simulator. He was wrong. In the 1.007 current-gen build, Bahamut requires all 20 Battle Intel Reports and victories over the first 3 VR summons. That detail matters because FF7 Remake Intergrade contains 10 summon Materia, yet only 4 come from Chadley’s main-game VR ladder. Cloud’s party can route those unlocks by chapter now, or spend a wasteful Chapter Select cleanup run later. The smarter path is to separate automatic story rewards, the Chapter 6 missable, VR gates, INTERmission content, and DLC claims before leaving each relevant chapter.

The Ten Summons at a Glance

Cloud’s checklist is not a single ladder. Ramuh belongs to Yuffie’s separate Episode INTERmission progression, not Cloud’s Battle Intel path. The DLC summons arrive through gift claims, and one main-game summon hides behind a timed ventilation-room encounter. The table below is the cleanest way to see the whole inventory before chapter routing begins.

Chadley’s Ladder: Reports Open the Door, Battles Turn the Key

Cloud meets Chadley in Sector 5, again around Wall Market, and later in the Chapter 14 hubs. A common mistake is treating a Battle Intel Report unlock as an automatic summon award. It is not. Chadley must be spoken to, and his simulation must be cleared. Shiva opens at Report 5 after Reports 1–4, Fat Chocobo at Report 10 after Reports 6–9, and Leviathan at Report 15 after Reports 11–14. Bahamut appears at Report 20 only after all prior 19 reports and wins against Shiva, Fat Chocobo, and Leviathan.

Each VR boss should be pressured with its elemental weakness where applicable. Cloud and his allies should also reserve ATB for healing instead of spending every bar on offense. These clears double as practice for the tighter Materia setups of Hard Mode, where careless ATB use punishes the party far more quickly.

Chapter 3, Chapter 6, and the Ventilation-Room Clock

In Chapter 3, Jessie gives Ifrit automatically after the main mission. There is no detour, no hidden chest, and no combat gate. Cloud simply receives the Materia through story progress. Chapter 6: Light the Way is the dangerous one. During that chapter, the party must disable 2 extra fans, enter the ventilation room behind them, and beat the Maintenance encounter within 60 seconds to collect Chocobo & Moogle. This is the major easy-to-miss summon. If the timer route was skipped, Chapter Select becomes the rescue plan, but it is a cleanup run that good routing should avoid.

Meanwhile, Yuffie’s Episode INTERmission has its own summon detour. Near Avalanche HQ in the Sector 7 Slums during INTERmission Chapter 1, Chadley offers Ramuh’s VR battle. Yuffie should exploit Ramuh’s Wind/Aero weakness with Windstorm tools, Wind Materia on her weapon, and Yuffie–Sonon Synergy pressure. Building ATB before Ramuh’s heavier attacks makes the fight safer than trying to heal after both characters are already pressured.

Bahamut Prep and DLC Claims for 2026 Players

Before Report 20, Cloud should aim for approximately Level 50, equip Revive on multiple party members, and bring Tifa to raise the Stagger percentage quickly. Bahamut has no elemental weakness to exploit, so raw pressure, survivability, and Stagger acceleration matter more than matching a damage type. The party should also claim Chocobo Chick, Cactuar, and Carbuncle through System > DLC or the Gift Box. The free Item Gift Pack includes Chocobo Chick, while newer free claims can include Revival Earrings and the Survival Set.

PC players should check the Steam Store Page before selecting an edition, especially when confirming Digital Deluxe summon bonuses or the Item Gift Pack. For sale timing, consult FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE price history: PS5 and PC versions have frequently reached $19.99, while the newer Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 releases are listed at $39.99 during their 2026 launch cycle. Cloud’s route, however, remains the same: claim every summon early, clear Chadley’s reports as they appear, and never leave a chapter without checking the missable timer route.