Black and Gold

Learn how to breed Black and Gold Chocobos in Final Fantasy VII. This guide covers racing, breeding mechanics, and obtaining the Knights of the Round Materia.

Once you have a Green or Blue Chocobo, you’ll want to start looking towards the next color, an amalgamation of the two; the Black Chocobo. To get this critter, however, you’ll have to race. Head over to the Gold Saucer and talk to Ester in the Chocobo Square to race. Pick your mount and course, then win the race. To win, switch from Automatic to Manual control, speed up as fast as you can, and hold down the R1 + L1 buttons (Page Up + Target on PC) to regenerate stamina. Sprint near the end of the race if necessary.

Every time you win a race, you’ll earn rank-specific prizes, which can be redeemed for GP. There are four ranks: C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank. Every time you win three races, your Chocobo’s rank will increase. Green and Blue Chocobos might reach S-Rank. For this venture, you only need to get your Blue and Green Chocobos to A-Rank.

Once you have A-Rank or S-Rank Green and Blue Chocobos, return to the farm and breed them, feeding them a Carob Nut. With any luck, you should get a Black Chocobo, capable of crossing rivers, shallow water, and mountains. This will allow you to cross a river to the north-west of Costa del Sol to find the barren plains that house the cave containing the HP MP Materia.

To get a Gold Chocobo, you’ll need to acquire a Zeio Nut and capture a Wonderful Chocobo. Fly to Goblin Island in the north-eastern corner of the world map and enter the woods to encounter Goblins. Steal a Zeio Nut from them. Then, make your way to the snowy western half of the northern continent to find Chocobo tracks south of Icicle Inn. Here you can find the Wonderful Chocobo, who keeps company with “Jumping” enemies. Kill the bunny bodyguards and catch a Wonderful Chocobo of the opposite gender of your Black Chocobo. Feed them Sylkis Greens, then race them until they’re A-Rank or S-Rank.

Return to the Chocobo Ranch and breed your Black Chocobo and Wonderful Chocobo, using the Zeio Nut. With any luck, you’ll get a Gold Chocobo, which can cross any terrain on the world map. This allows you to reach Round Island, an unmarked island along the north-eastern edge of the map, where you’ll find the Knights of the Round Materia.