FFVII: Crisis Core - Minerva Guide

Minerva is the strongest boss in Crisis Core, but I assure you that you will find the battle rather easy if you follow this guide.

Minerva's Stats

Mission: 9-6-6

Level: 100
HP: 10,000,000 / 20,000,000
MP: 999999
Strength: 255
Vitality: 255
Magic: 255
Spirit: 255
Luck: 255
Note: Halves all elements and immune to all status ailments

EXP: 0
Gil: 0
SP: 40000

Steal: Phoenix Down x99
Reward: Divine Slayer

Preparations

Before fighting Minerva, you must make sure that you have the right gear equipped. If not, Minerva will finish you off in a few seconds without letting you even touch her.

Accessories:
For this battle you will need the Genji set which consists of 4 pieces ie Genji Shield, Genji Armor, Genji Helm and Genji Glove. These will make you nearly invincible in normal battles, but since Minerva is strong, they are a must to defeat her.

Materia:
In order to deal the maximum damage possible, you will have to equip Costly Punch which deals 99,999 damage when your HP is at or below the limit. I also suggest Full Cure, since you will have to keep your HP above 40,000. The SP Master materia reduces damage at the cost of SP. I highly recommend this materia but make sure you collect millions of SP before the battle because Minerva will drain most of it in a few minutes.

Stats:
If you want to survive till the end, raise you Vitality and Spirit to 255 by enhancing your materia. Having your max HP at 99,999 is also important, else you will have problems with Costly Punch.

Strategy

Prior to your battle, steal 99 Phoenix Down with Brigand's Gloves equipped. This will ensure that if you die during your batlle, you won't have to start all over again.

The first thing to do, once you enter the arena, is to use Phoenix Down on yourself. Now switch to Costly Punch, and start hurting Minerva. Every time you die or get hit by Judgement Arrow, reuse a Phoenix Down. Use Full Cure to keep your HP above 40,000 because if Judement Arrow kills you, it's "mission over".

It shouldn't take too long to kill her. It surely takes less than the "Defeat 1000 soldiers" mission. And I've got one last thing to say, "GOOD LUCK!".