EX Burst Damage Ranking (Dissidia 012)
This page ranks EX Burst damage. Originally documented on the now defunct Dissidia Forums, the content for Version A and Version B rankings are based on work done by Balguna. [1]
Each character's EX Burst have set damage multipliers that scale with stats, but they do not tell the whole story. The damage done when initiating EX Burst plays a big part in the equation, as it cannot be mitigated via EX Defense. Some characters also have fluctuating stats depending on their loadout and in-game state (e.g. Lightning in Commando role).
Version A
All characters were at level 100 and gearless (no equipment) and performed a perfect EX Burst against a level 100 Tidus with EX Defense Omega extra ability, no gear and accessories (at 110 base defense).
Each EX Burst was done in Order's Sanctuary with 1399 stage bravery pool. If the EX Burst inflicted Bravery Break, the bravery was subtracted from the final damage. The opposing Tidus was not allowed to build high bravery in order to avoid critical hit damage multipliers (x2 damage).
| Character | Damage |
|---|---|
| Gilgamesh | 1332 |
| Cloud (Full HP) | 1177 |
| Tifa (Full EX) | 934 |
| Tidus (Full HP) | 884 |
| Terra | 864 |
| Shantotto | 852 |
| Laguna | 847 |
| Lightning (Commando) | 838 |
| Sephiroth | 828 |
| Kain | 807 |
| Garland | 802 |
| Kefka | 793 |
| Lightning (RAV / MED) | 785 |
| Gabranth | 776 |
| Yuna | 772 |
| Golbez | 747 |
| Jecht | 745 |
| Bartz | 744 |
| The Emperor | 740 |
| Ultimecia | 733 |
| Cecil | 729 |
| Exdeath | 726 |
| Firion | 718 |
| Warrior of Light | 716 |
| Feral Chaos | 704 |
| Prishe | 701 |
| Cloud of Darkness | 676 |
| Vaan | 650 |
| Zidane | 645 |
| Kuja | 640 |
| Onion Knight (Sage) | 636 |
| Onion Knight (Ninja) | 625 |
| Squall | 621 |
| Cloud (1 HP) | 578 |
| Tifa (Empty EX) | 495 |
| Tidus (1 HP) | 439 |
Notes
Tidus and Cloud have two sets of data for full HP and 1 HP when their EX Burst is most powerful and weakest respectively. Similiarly, Tifa has two sets for maximum EX gauge (or as close as possible) and when the gauge is empty.
Lightning has two sets of data, one for Ravager / Medic roles and one for Commando where she gains +1 ATK. The damage shown is against an opponent who is already broken; Lightning's EX Burst automatically inflicts Bravery Break if the opponent is under 30 % of their bravery.
Cecil's EX Burst was done without Shadowbringer or Luminous Shard HP attacks equipped. If they were to be equipped, note that due to the higher weightage on the Dark Knight portion of the attack, Shadowbringer will actually buff the overall damage, while Luminous Shard will weaken it. The difference won't be too notable unless you're doing 3 stacks, anyway. Similiarly, equipping the Cimmerian Edge weapon will enhance the Burst even further because of the additional bonus during the Dark Knight attacks.
Feral Chaos' data indicates the minimum damage possible from it, including only the initial transition and the finisher that are done with 
+ 
. It is worth noting, that EX Defense is not applied during the entirety of the EX Burst. And because it is possible to continue fighting during this time, the damage potential is much higher in practice.
Version B
This table shows the absolute strength of EX Bursts assuming every character has the same ATK stat in total. A special accessory that provides 55 ATK was used for all characters, along with an accessory for Tidus that provides 55 DEF.
It should be noted that using these accessories at level 100 nullifies any changes to ATK as a result of EX Mode. So Lightning's damage is the same for all 3 paradigms, Cecil doesn't get bonus damage in Dark Knight and Gabranth as well as Feral Chaos don't get their bonus ATK from EX Mode.
| Character | Damage |
|---|---|
| Gilgamesh (Full HP) | 1330 |
| Cloud (Full HP) | 1266 |
| Tifa (Full EX) | 1210 |
| Tidus (Full HP) | 929 |
| Lightning | 899 |
| Kain | 865 |
| Terra | 864 |
| Laguna | 847 |
| Yuna | 829 |
| Sephiroth | 828 |
| Garland | 822 |
| Onion Knight (Sage) | 799 |
| Prishe | 799 |
| Golbez | 797 |
| Bartz | 796 |
| Onion Knight (Ninja) | 795 |
| Shantotto | 795 |
| Kefka | 793 |
| The Emperor | 790 |
| Zidane | 775 |
| Exdeath | 773 |
| Warrior of Light | 760 |
| Cecil | 758 |
| Cloud of Darkness | 748 |
| Ultimecia | 733 |
| Vaan | 729 |
| Gabranth | 728 |
| Firion | 718 |
| Kuja | 713 |
| Jecht | 702 |
| Squall | 691 |
| Cloud (1 HP) | 632 |
| Tifa (Empty EX) | 601 |
| Feral Chaos | 540 |
| Tidus (1 HP) | 464 |
Notes
Low base ATK contributed to the version A table's results, so now Onion Knight and Zidane got a considerable boost. However Jecht's damage is now lower due to not having high base ATK to rely on, which more comparable to what it was in the previous game.
Similiarly, Gabranth's EX Burst appears to be very weak due to the low initial damage. But in practice the +4 ATK from his EX Mode increases the damage output a lot.
The top of the table seems a little screwy, which leads to the conclusion that strong, few hits are better than multiple weak ones. Laguna has the highest inital attack power of any EX Burst, not counting Gilgamesh and the three variables (Cloud, Tifa, Tidus). But his multiple bursts of weak hits cause him to fall behind Terra and Kain, who rely on few, large chunky hits. This can also actually be seen in the version A table- Onion Knight (Sage) is stronger than Onion Knight (Ninja), despite having the same power in their attacks. This is because the large hit from Holy has a better return than the multiple Shuriken.
References