Final Predictions for part 3 before the reveal (full spoilers for all of remake/rebirth and original)
Just throwing my own predictions because why not as we’re close to the reveal anyway
• New permanent party members: Zack, Edge of Creation Sephiroth, Cid, and Vincent.
• Northern Crater diverges completely from the original timeline. Cloud still hands over the black materia, but it weakens Sephiroth instead of summoning Meteor.
• Edge of Creation Sephiroth joins the party to help defeat “mad Sephiroth.” Jenova becomes the true central antagonist afterward. Edge of creation Sephirot becomes a permanent party member at this point
• The Northern Crater shield still happens and Cloud still disappears afterward.
• Junon plays similarly to the original, except Sapphire Weapon survives the Sister Ray and becomes a full boss fight.
• The Huge Materia arc becomes three separate playable storylines:
Tifa stays with Cloud in Mideel, Cid/Vincent/EoC Sephiroth head toward Rocket Town, and Barret/Yuffie/Cait Sith head toward an expanded Wutai.
• The rocket is launched directly at Jenova in the Northern Crater instead of Meteor.
• Zack eventually crosses fully into the main timeline and helps Tifa repair Cloud’s fractured mind in the Lifestream sequence, joining the party permanently
• Aerith appears only briefly during Cloud’s recovery sequence, visible only to him.
• Sonon returns in Wutai and is mercy-killed by Yuffie.
• Ruby Weapon appears near Wutai after Scarlet draws it there using Huge Materia.
• Emerald Weapon attacks near Costa del Sol and becomes tied to the submarine arc.
• Vincent is revealed to be Sephiroth’s biological father, not Hojo.
• Glenn becomes a Jenova puppet during the Midgar return and is revealed to be Cloud’s father.
• Hojo empowers Jenova with the Sister Ray instead of damaging the Northern Crater barrier.
• Cloud and Tifa’s Highwind scene still happens largely unchanged.
• Ultimate Weapon crashes into the Highwind before the final Northern Crater descent.
• Aerith is physically alive (Cloud did block the sword back in Rebirth). She and Edge of Creation Sephiroth manipulated Cloud and Sephiroth’s perceptions to make both believe she died in Rebirth.
• Holy is used to destroy the Northern Crater barrier instead of stopping Meteor.
• Minerva appears during the ending and becomes tied directly to the corrupted Lifestream and Jenova.
• Ending montage predictions:
Cloud/Tifa rebuilding Seventh Heaven, Zack/Aerith running a flower cart in Sector 5, Sephiroth/Vincent wandering together, Cid planning a new rocket program, Barrett visiting Cloud and Tifa alongside Marlene, Yuffie visiting Sonon’s grave, and a restored Midgar existing alongside nature instead of consuming it during the Red XIII scene