Button Combinations (Dissidia 012)

Button combinations refer to 2 or more buttons being pressed at the same time. For example, R + Triangle + is a button combination input. Dissidia 012 has multiple functions tied to these inputs. This page delves into what button combinations are possible in the game, and their related quirks.

General

If one button is held, pressing the other button will perform the button combination. This means the two buttons never need to be hit at the exact same time. The input order does not matter in most cases. Players familiar with the Tekken games can think of this as the button buffering technique found in those games.

Please note, that Dissidia 012 does not generally have input buffer. That means if a button combination is pressed, it will be executed if possible. If it is pressed too early at any point, nothing will happen. Players can use moments where they don't work to prepare themselves by holding one button in advance. For example, perform an attack, hold R and then start pressing Triangle once the character is actionable. This makes it possible to do a dash without risking an accidental block input.

Assist

This applies to both Assist inputs, L + Circle ( + ) & L + Square ( + ).

If both Circle and Square are held, pressing L results in bravery assist or LV1 Assist Change (when staggered / being hit).

If an HP attack is held with Square (e.g. The Emperor's Starfall), this trick allows characters to use level 1 assist without interrupting the HP attack.

Assist cannot be called during Chase prompt or EX Burst prompt

Cancel EX Burst prompt with Circle before using assist.

Press Assist, and release L button without a filled Assist Gauge

If Assist is pressed while Assist Gauge is not filled, Lock On target change will not occur. This applies to both BRV and HP assists.

Holding L button prevents the use of bravery or HP attacks.

Only assist functions can happen with Circle or Square. If a player has to use Assist Change on a short notice and cannot look at assist gauge, quickly tapping Square and then Circle can cover most of their options. This trick is useful in case native assist gauge decay took effect, and the player did not expect it in the moment.

Block

This applies to Block and its button combinations, Dash and Dodge. Block is R (), dash is R + Cross ( + ), dodge is R + Triangle ( + )

Block starts guarding attacks instantly on frame 1. However, it can be cancelled into a dash or dodge on frames 2 & 3 (30 FPS). Even if a blocking sound effect plays when dodging on frame 3 (e.g. Cecil Dark Knight), it does not actually block attacks.

That means characters can block up to 2 frames (30 FPS) before dashing or dodging. This is enables the dash feint and blodge techniques.

Press Cross (), then press R ()

This allows dodging without doing a block by accident. It is a safe method for dodge cancelling a Chase prompt soon as possible. Holding Cross before the prompt does not perform Chase.

Hold R to block, then press Triangle within the next 2 frames to activate a dash.

This is the dash feint technique, when done repeatedly.

Hold R to block, then press Cross within the next 2 frames to activate a dodge.

This is the blodge technique.

Dash

This applies to dash inputs involving R + Triangle ( + ).

• Ground Dash & Omni Ground Dashes' recovery cannot be cancelled into another (Omni) Ground Dash natively.
• Free Air Dash can be cancelled into another Free Air Dash after ~3/4 of a second by default. Basically, it can be done shortly after the dash pose ends.
• After the first dash, hold R and then press Triangle repeatedly to get subsequent dashes reliably.
• Holding R prevents the use of Quickmove if no dash is equipped.
• Holding R and pressing Triangle during Omni Ground Dash and Omni Air Dash can perform a Quickmove. Same for their + versions.
• Holding R and pressing Triangle during Ground Dash, Reverse Ground Dash, Free Air Dash & Reverse Free Air Dash CANNOT perform a Quickmove.

Press Triangle (), then press R ()

• This allows dashing without doing a block by accident. Watch out for Quickmoves, because those activate with Triangle.
• Doing this input repeatedly and quickly with a dash can result in a block, as their cancel timings are different.

EX

EX Mode & EX Revenge are done with R + Square ( + ).

• EX mechanics can be activated in most situations when EX gauge is full.
• EX mechanics cannot be used when initiating chase, during a chase attack or during subsequent chase dashes.
• EX Revenge only activates if a character is in hit stun. That is, during hit animations and tumble animations. Getting hit by a chase attack counts.
• EX Revenge does not activate if a character is in a stagger animation, e.g. after their attack was blocked.
• EX Revenge activation puts the opponent in a stagger animation. e.g Cloud gets hit and activates EX Revenge, which staggers Sephiroth.
• If a character is staggered, R + Square performs EX Mode instead. This means blocking, mid priority moves and assist gauge can exploit this to bypass EX Revenge activation.

Hold R to block, then press Square within the next 2 frames to activate EX Mode.

Activating EX Mode during block frames 2 and 3 will cancel the block. This is similar to blodge and dash feint. When done successfully, characters can act however they want, but it opens very few new combos.

• Hold L + R and press Square to activate EX Mode and HP Assist at the same time, if able. If being hit, EX Revenge activates instead and HP assist comes out immediately afterwards.

Character Specific

Lightning's Paradigm Shift (L + R + )

• Hold L and then press R. Doing it the other way does not work.
• Paradigm Shift can be done whenever Lightning is not attacking (moving, dodging).
• If Paradigm Shift is done even once, releasing L won't perform a Lock On target change afterwards. This is regardless of how long L is held after a Paradigm Shift.
• If Reverse Paradigm Shift extra ability is equipped, Lightning swaps between all 3 roles even if they don't have bravery attacks equipped.

Kain's command dash (Triangle )

• Comes out after melee bravery attack's last hit connects. Same cancel timing as with dodges.
• Comes out after using Lancet at all. Same cancel timing as with dodges.
• If Triangle is held, the dash will come out as soon as possible. This is similar to input buffer that is commonly found in video games. It is rare in Dissidia 012, but it lets Kain apply pressure and fill assist gauge with Assist Gauge Up Dash ability.

EX Mode abilities (R + Square + )

It is possible to do this by holding Square, then pressing R. Works for Cecil, Kain, Golbez, Bartz, Sephiroth, Ultimecia and Vaan.

Cancelling Attacks

Certain attacks can be cancelled into an attack, block or dodge. This section covers the following: Onion Knight's Strength & Magic Booster, Squall's Thunder Barret, Zidane's Booster 8, Exdeath's Reverse Polarity, Sephiroth's Shadow Flare and Shantotto's Stun.

• After a certain point in animation, these attacks can be cancelled into block, dodge or different attacks. Some only on hit, some even on whiff. Some attacks can do both, with minute differences.
• If cancelled into a block, the block cannot be cancelled into a dash. So no dash feints.
• If cancelled into a block, the block can be cancelled into dodge. So blodge technique is ok.
• If cancelled into a block, the block can be cancelled into EX Mode. As mentioned in the EX section, characters can act however they want after this. It enables repositioning and few new combo routes.
• After activating EX Mode in this way, inputting attacks specifically does not appear to be possible for 2 frames.
• Hold R and then press Triangle for best chance at earliest dash without a block.

Cancel OK on whiff

Onion Knight Strength Booster & Magic Booster (ground and midair versions OK)

Cecil Dark Cannon

Exdeath Reverse Polarity (ground and midair versions OK)

Sephiroth Shadow Flare (ground and midair versions OK)

Squall Thunder Barret (later than on hit)

Cancel OK on hit

Exdeath Reverse Polarity (cannot cancel into another Reverse Polarity)

Squall Thunder Barret (earlier than on whiff)

Zidane Booster 8 (blodge ok)

Shantotto Stun (ground and midair versions OK)