How to get more material
When you start playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cloud and Barret will each have only one Materia equipped, Fire and Thunder respectively. It is not until the beginning of Chapter 2 that Jessie gives you your Healing Materia that you are shown how to equip the Materia in the game. This is only the first Materia you can get, as there are many other methods, including some in the story.
One of the first methods of obtaining Materia is through play, which involves finding the orbs of Materia lying around on the ground. Instead of finding these chests inside, they will be in the open like in the image above. In fact, the first one you should come across is the Deadly Dodge Materia right after your first encounter with Aerith. They will continue to be found throughout the game, so always keep an eye out.
The next method of obtaining Materia is from the Potions Dispensers found throughout the game. These are always displayed right next to a halt and contain a variety of items that you can. This also includes the Materia that you can acquire, although the Materia available in these is rarely much different from what you already have after the first part of the game.
Similar to Potions Vending Machines, there are also a few Materia Stores found in the game. Whenever you're in a town, look for the Materia Store, which can be found on the map as a small, unique orb icon. . The Materia seller will have a few options for you to choose from, although there aren't as many additional options after purchasing them in the first half of the game either.
The key to getting more exclusive Materia throughout the game comes from Chadley, who hires you to complete the Battle Intel missions he gives you. To carry out these missions, he will offer to sell you exclusive Materia that you will not be able to obtain elsewhere. Additionally, you can unlock VR simulations for summons that you can face. For defeating these summons in the simulation, you will also receive the corresponding summon materia. If you don't know where Chadley is, look for the icon similar to the Materia store which is an orb, but it also has a small square icon with horizontal lines next to the orb.
You can also get some special orbs, such as the Exp Up Materia that you get from the Battle Simulator or the AP Up Materia that you get by walking 5 steps with the Materia Pedometer.
