How to get Quetzalcoatl Talon in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Including how to beat Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl Talon is required to make the Windmill Gear in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as part of the 'Where the Wind Blows' side quest in the Grasslands.
It's also needed to make other items in the Transmuter later on in the game, so to help you with your crafting needs and to clear this side quest to deepen your friendship with Red XIII, we've detailed exactly how to get Quetzalcoatl Talon in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth below.
We've also explained Quetzalcoatl's location and how to beat Quetzalcoatl, so you can get back to exploring Gaia as soon as possible.
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How to get Quetzalcoatl Talon in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
You need to find four Lifesprings in the Grasslands area to get Quetzalcoatl Talon in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as Quetzalcoatl's location is only added to your map by Chadley after you've visited and interacted with these Lifesprings. Once you know where Quetzalcoatl is, you can then go to the area and hold down Triangle to summon and fight it. Once defeated, you'll then get one Quetzalcoatl Talon, which is required to make the Windmill Gear with the Item Transmuter.
You can also repeat the Quetzalcoatl fight by returning to the same location if you ever need to get Quetzalcoatl Talon for other crafting recipes.
As for the other Materials required to make Windmill Gear, Iron Ore and Lea Titanium are easy enough to find if you pick up everything on the ground, but you have to defeat enemies like Elphadunks to get Beast Bones. Specifically, we found a few groups of Elphadunks around the eastern area of the Grasslands. You can also buy these Materials from the merchant at the Chocobo Farm in Junon once you get there.
If you haven't come across them yet, Lifesprings are the orange symbols on the map with an oval-shaped bottom and dotted vertical lines above the oval. The sites themselves are marked by springseeker owls when you get close enough to them. Follow the owl to find a small area filled with resources and a lump of crystals. Examine the crystals to mark off this Lifespring.
To find Lifesprings quickly, we recommend activating the Grasslands Remnawave Towers, as these show more World Intel locations when you activate their red switches.
Quetzalcoatl location in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Quetzalcoatl is located in the large quarry area on the western side of the Grasslands, east of a Remnawave Tower and Lifespring, and south of Kalm. It will be marked on your map as 'Classified Intel: Winged Lacertilian of Yore'.
Remember, you need to visit and complete four Lifespring locations before you can press Triangle to summon Quetzalcoatl to this quarry. Once summoned, you can't flee from the battle, but you can retry or give up and come back later. You can also repeat the Quetzalcoatl fight at the same location if you ever need Quetzalcoatl Talon for anything else.
How to beat Quetzalcoatl in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Quetzalcoatl is Level 22, so we recommend only taking it on when you're around this level too, as on normal difficulty it has 20,223 HP.
You should use Ice Materia and the Shiva Summon to beat Quetzalcoatl in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as Quetzalcoatl is weak to ice-type attacks and abilities. We also recommend you equip Healing Materia on at least one character, and ideally link it with the Auto-Cast Materia so your party can be healed passively while you're not using them.
Using ice moves will fill Quetzalcoatl's Pressure bar, and when the bar is full, Quetzalcoatl will be Staggered - this is the moment to use your most powerful attacks like Limit Breaks, more ice abilities, Synergy Abilities, and regular character abilities like Cloud's Braver, Barret's Overcharge, and Tifa's Unbridled Strength with Omnistrike.
If Quetzalcoatl is still proving a bit too hard, you can come back later after levelling up characters and weapons. Remember to equip unique weapon upgrades in the Materia menu for each character, and spend all the SP you can at Rest Spots or book shops to unlock abilities, or improve existing ones. You get access to more abilities the higher your Party Level is.
Once you beat Quetzalcoatl and have the other resources, you can make the Windmill Gear from your Item Transmuter menu, then head back to Mildred at the Windmill Settlement and hand over the gear. Pick up the Cleansing Materia that drops from the windmill, then go back to Broden at Kalm Inn to complete the quest and deepen your friendship with Red XIII.
You'll also get the Whistlewind Scarf accessory, which slightly fills the ATB gauge at the start of battle.
Good luck taking on Quetzalcoatl!