Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has 36 side-quests littered across the planet’s surface. And once you finish the main story for Square Enix’s massive RPG, you can choose whether to reset these quests or not. The only tricky part, of course, is that Rebirth’s menu options have some confusing language.
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If you’re looking to go back to a previous chapter of the game and are confused about the different side-quest reset options, this guide’s for you. Also, if you’re confused by another menu option, namely the “Retry” battle options, we break that down into easy-to-understand language as well.
Rebirth’s side-quest reset options in plain language
Once you wrap Rebirth’s main story, you’ll be able to warp to any chapter in the story by way of “Chapter Selection” in the game’s “System” options. You’re given three options here. But they make the most sense if we look at the options in reverse order from how they’re listed. So, bottom to top:
Reset All Quest Data
The most self-explanatory of the three options. When you select a previous chapter to warp to, choosing this option will, as it says on the tin, reset all of your progress in every side-quest.
Restore Previously Completed Quest Data
Say you completed 24 out of 36 side-quests and then finished the main story. If you select this option when warping to a previous chapter, you’ll maintain that number—or however many side-quests you have completed. Should you finish all 36 chapters, this option will keep all of those quests in completed status. Choose this option in general when you want to return to your most completed state.
Retain Current Quest Completion Data
This option keeps all completed and uncompleted side-quests where they currently are as you jump around chapters. So let’s say you choose Reset All Quest Data and then complete five side-quests before jumping to another chapter. If you want to keep those five in a completed status, leaving the rest unfinished, then select “Retain…”
Which option is best for going back to mop up leftover quests?
So if you just hit the credits for the first time and are ready to jump back in to finish all the extra activities, you can just select “Retain Current Quest Completion Data.” As the name implies, that will “Retain” your current progress.
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Should you ever reset all of your quest progress and want to revert to the furthest point you went to previously, select “Restore…”
Why should you reset the quest data?
Hey, maybe you really want to get some chickens to follow you back home again? But seriously, some side quests have slightly different outcomes. For example, to get the best ending for “Dreaming of Blue Skies” in Junon, you need to take the bovine meat over the other options at the quest’s end.
Read More: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Wild Ending Explained
Also, if you’ve finished the main story, then you know a certain good boy member of the party changes his voice a little bit. Many of the side-quests reflect this change. So if you play “Of Robed Men and Ransoms,” you’ll hear this certain character’s first voice. But if you play past the Cosmo Canyon chapter of the game and go back to do this quest, this character will have a different voice. I’ve replayed a few of these quests on each side of the voice swap and found the dialogue lines to land a little differently either way. It’s a neat observation if you’re obsessed with Rebirth as much as I am.
