At one point or another, everyone who plays FF7 wants this rare, golden bird to call their own. The problem is that the game is very stingy on explaining precisely how to do that until the end credits are about to roll. That’s where this guide comes into play (which is a heavily modified version of the source credited at the conclusion of the article). These are the steps I followed to procure my Goldy - pretty original name, I know

Before I begin, there are a couple of things that need pointing out. First of all, obtaining the gold chocobo is completely unnecessary for finishing the game. Its only real purpose is to allow access to the ultimate summon materia, Knights of the Round – which is so ridiculously overpowered that you can kill the final boss with just one summon.

Secondly, my method requires a lot of time and patience. You have to become a near millionaire, which translates into hours upon hours of grinding. However, the added benefits are two-fold: not only will your characters level up and become unstoppable killing machines, but you’ll easily get the gold chocobo before the final Midgar romp at the end of disc 2.

If you’re still interested in undertaking this arduous task, and you’re a dedicated individual, then let’s begin.



Starting a Family
Before you embark upon hunting wild yellow birdies, you’re going to need a place to keep them. Save up 60,000 gil and buy all six stalls from the chocobo farmer near the swamp. I’d also recommend maxing out a Chocobo Lure materia since it’ll drastically raise the chocobo encounter rate.

Finding Chocobos
The birds you need - plus their track locations - are as follows:

• 1) One Great Female
• Near Mideel.
• 2) One Good Male
• Southeast of Gold Saucer. This one tends be very elusive. Don’t get discouraged, though, they do exist!
• 3) One Wonderful Male
• Near Icicle Inn on the North Continent.

The maximum number of chocobos you can keep outside the stable is four. So after you capture four chocobos, head back to the farm and move them all inside. Then check the rank of each bird, release the undesirables, and head back out to gather whatever you missed.

I’d also advise naming your birds according to their type and gender (GrtMale = Great Male, etc.), just to avoid confusion once the breeding begins.

Chocobo Racing
The trick to obtaining good offspring is to race each soon-to-be parent from C class to S class. To accomplish this goal, feed your future chocobo champion at least 25 Sylkis Greens before starting a race (you can choose either the long or short course, but the short is generally the easiest). Don’t be surprised if you still lose a few times, it happens. However, if you’re really struggling try a different course and/or feed your chocobo more greens.

*Tip*: during a race, hold down L1, L2, R1, and R2. Not only will this refill your stamina while running, but it’ll also slow down the draining process while sprinting.

Purchasing Greens
Time for the dreaded grind. It’s really not too bad if you spread the process out over a few days or weeks. The goal is to have enough gil to purchase 150 Sylkis Greens from the Chocobo Sage. That’s 750,000 gil in case you were wondering.

The best method I found was to fight in the Sunken Gelnika. This area can only be accessed after you get the submarine, which is about 80% of the way through disc 2. It’s a tough place, so if you find yourself getting demolished, start with the area around Mideel (destroyed). Good luck, and don’t give up!

Nut Gathering
In order to receive non-yellow offspring, you have to use a nut when mating chocobos. Eventually there will be a total of four distinct “babies”, so you’ll need an equal amount of nuts.

• 1) 3 Carob Nuts
• Can be purchased from the Chocobo Sage or stolen from Vlakorados via using a Steal materia. These red-dinosaur creatures are randomly found in the grassy region bordering Bone Village on the North Continent.
• 2) 1 Zeio Nut
• Swipe from Goblins by utilizing a Steal materia. These creatures are located on a small, forested island around the northeast corner of the map.

Breeding Walkthrough
The heart and soul of the whole process! Simply combine the following outline with the above information and you’ll have your golden beauty in no time.
*Note: To actually make the chocobos mate, talk to Chocobo Billy inside the stable and he’ll get the ball rolling, so to speak.

• 1) Great Female and Good Male
• Feed 25 Sylkis greens to your yellow birds and race them up to S Class. Head back the farm, save, and use a Carob Nut. Congrats! You are now the proud owner of a Green or Blue chocobo. If not, reload the game.
• 2) Great Female and Good Male, part 2
• Feed 25 Sylkis greens to your new chocobo and race it up to S Class. Head back to the ranch and save. The parents of Green/Blue will be ready to mate again so let them do their thing with another Carob Nut. The new baby should be the opposite color and gender of the firstborn. If not, reload and try, try again.
• 3) Green Male/Female and Blue Female/Male
• Feed 25 Sylkis greens to the second born and race it up to S Class. Return to the ranch and save. Now it’s time to mate the Green and Blue chocobos. Couple them with the last Carob Nut and you should get a Black female. If not, reload and keep trying until you do.
• 4) Black Female and Wonderful Male
• This is it, the magic pairing! You know the drill, feed them both 25 Sylkis greens and race them up to S Class. Return to the farm and save. We need some room for the new baby, so say goodbye to one of your superstart racers and clear out a stall (you might be able to store it aboard the airship instead of releasing it, but I’m not sure if that’ll work). Feed the soon-to-be parents a Zeio Nut and wait for the glorious Gold chocobo to appear! If you don’t get it on the first attempt, reload and keep trying until it happens. Congrats on a job well done, you’ve earned it!

Have fun with your new shiny mode of transport

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Sources:
Chocobo Manifesto by NAdams