Starter Guide (Dissidia 012)

Introduction - What is Dissidia 012?

Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy is an action rpg style 1-on-1 fighting game that was released for PlayStation Portable in 2011.

The game features role-playing game elements such as stats and customization, along with a distinct bravery system that's used to build up damage and inflict it on the opponent's character.

What do you need to play online?

Console

• PlayStation Portable with wi-fi functionality (1000, 2000, 3000, Go and PS Vita models all work.)
• PlayStation 3 with an ethernet connection and Ad-Hoc Party application installed

Emulation

• PC with an ethernet connection
• PPSSPP emulator
• VPN (Hamachi, Radmin etc.)

For more details on setting up emulator online, local play and Android support, refer to this page.

How to play?

The goal in any Dissidia 012 fight is to deplete the opposing character's health to 0. This is achieved by controlling a character in 3D space and attacking them with bravery and HP attacks.

Controls (Battle)

Move: Left analog stick.

Camera: Directional buttons

Jump: Cross

Bravery attack: Circle

HP attack: Square

Quickmove: Triangle (When near a wall, rail etc.)

Change target: L button

Block: R button

Dash: + R + Triangle

Dodge: + R + Cross

EX Mode: + R + Square (When EX gauge is full)

EX Revenge: + R + Square (When EX gauge is full and you are in a damaged state)

Assist attack (bravery): + L + Circle (When 1 assist gauge is full)

Assist attack (HP): + L + Square (When 2 assist gauges are full)

Assist Change (LV1): + L + Circle (When 1 assist gauge is full and you are in a damaged state)

Assist Change (LV2): + L + Square (When 2 assist gauges are full and you are in a damaged state)

Pause: Start

Reset camera angle: Select

Mechanics (Battle)

Dissidia 012 has several gameplay mechanics. This section will briefly cover essentials to get you started.

HP

Health points. A character's health must be depleted to 0 for a fight to end. This is achieved with HP attacks, which is explained further below.

Movement

Use analog stick () to move a character in one of eight (inter)cardinal directions. Works on the ground and midair.

Jump with Cross () to become airborne, traverse terrain and avoid some grounded attacks. Every character also have at least one (1) midair jump by default.

Dash with R () + Triangle () in a direction. This is usually a homing dash towards the opponent with ground and midair versions, but the behavior is ultimately decided by which basic abilities the player equips. Dash is an important mechanic for offense and defense alike. For more info, please refer to the dash page.

Dodge with R () + Cross () to perform a quick evasive maneuver and avoid incoming attacks. Much like dash, basic abilities must be equipped to do this, but players can move in a specific direction with . Dodge is a very powerful defensive mechanic in this game. For more info, please refer to the dodge page.

Quickmove is a context dependent movement option that can be performed with Triangle () when near a certain stage element. These are indicated by yellow arrows. This ranges from wall running to grinding on rails and leaping across a stage. For more info, please refer to the quickmove page.

Bravery

A game defining offensive mechanic. Press Circle () to attack with a move that raises Bravery on hit. This is the number that is above the player character's health bar. It dictates how much damage an HP attack will do. Characters can raise this number by hitting the opponent with bravery attacks that players equip during customization. The higher the number gets, the better. Conversely, getting hit by a bravery attack lowers this number.

Bravery attacks alone cannot end a match, but they are often strong by design. Fast startup, low recovery, varying amount of tracking, damage and utility.

If a character's bravery is depleted below 0, that character will suffer a bravery break and the attacker will receive additional bravery indicated by the number between health bars. This will make HP attacks deplete even more health, so keep this in mind. The higher the number, the better.

For more info, please refer to the bravery page.

HP Attack

The other game defining offensive mechanic. Press to perform a slow, but powerful attack that inflicts HP damage to the opponent on hit. The amount of damage depends on the attacker's bravery, but this is the only way to end a match.

HP attacks are designed in contrast to bravery attacks. HP attacks are often more telegraphed, slower to come out and they have longer recovery. But they can also break through blocks, functioning as a secondary option that requires a different defensive technique. Each character's HP attacks have various traits and quirks that make them unique, but they all adhere to this fundamental rule.

For more info, please refer to the HP page or each character's page.

Block

Block () is a defensive mechanic that's used to defend against incoming bravery attacks. Projectiles will be reflected and melee attacks (sword swings etc.) that are blocked will stagger the attacker, after which the defender has a brief opening to attack freely. e.g. Cloud blocks > Sephiroth does Sudden Cruelty > Sephiroth is staggered > Cloud can attack.

However, if a character tries to block against an HP attack, that HP attack will guard break the defender and inflict HP damage regardless. e.g. Cloud blocks > Sephiroth does Octaslash > Sephiroth guard breaks Cloud and follows through with the attack.

The basic idea then is to block fast bravery attacks, but avoid getting crushed by a much slower HP attack. At a very rudimentary level, this dynamic between block, bravery and HP attacks can be likened to a form of "50 / 50" or "strike vs. throw mixup", even though the application is a bit different in practice. These interactions are influenced by the attack priority system and many characters have exceptions to this fundamental concept.

For more info on blocking, please refer to the block page.

EX

This is a secondary resource mechanic that grants access to EX Mode and EX Revenge, which is indicated by the vertical purple gauge at a bottom corner of a screen. Whenever an attack connects on the opponent, floating spheres can appear known as EX Force. Characters can collect these spheres by simply being close to them, which fills the EX gauge. By default, EX Force can only be collected when not attacking or taking damage.

The amount of EX Force produced varies greatly between attacks and should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Character pages have more info on this.

Occasionally, an EX Core spawns somewhere in the stage which provides a minimum amount of EX to the character who first touches it. The core will attract all floating EX into itself and subsequently increase the amount of EX gained from it.

When the EX gauge is full, press R () + Square () to activate EX mode or EX Revenge when getting hit specifically.

For more info on all things EX, please refer to the EX page.

Assist

Assist is a secondary resource introduced in Dissidia 012, that allows characters to combo into their own HP attacks and escape from combos. This is indicated with two horizontal gauges below the health bar and it will have a golden glow when a gauge is filled. The assist gauge is filled by performing attacks, but the amount varies if it misses or hits the opponent. If no attacks are performed after a period of time, the gauge will passively deplete over time.

An assist character must be equipped in customization for this mechanic to function. Once the player has accumulated enough assist gauge, they can press L () + Circle () to perform an attack or escape from a damaged state depending on context. This will use up one assist block.

Assist is an essential mechanic in competitive play and has several facets to it.

For more info, please refer to the assist page.

Summons

Summons are a single-use resource that activates a bravery-altering effect. The condition and effect depend on the summonstone that is equipped prior to the fight, but they are known to be very powerful. Auto versions activate when a condition is met, while manual versions activate by pressing and .

Summons are commonly banned in competitive play, with the exception of countersummons (Rubicante, Scarmiglione, Cagnazzo).

For more info, please refer to the summons page.

Lock On

By default, characters are locked onto the opponent. All attacks will attempt to face the opponent, but basic movement (run, jumps) is always relative to the camera angle when locked on. On the ground, your input direction is also influenced by the camera because of the "toward" and "away" directions.

Chase

Some attacks will send the opponent flying and bring up a button prompt. Taking this prompt will initiate a chase sequence where the two characters take turns in attacking each other. Chase can be used to absorb all floating EX on the stage and add damage.

Examples of attacks with chase: Warrior of Light's Dayflash, Squall's Solid Barrel and Yuna's Sonic Wings.

For more info, please refer to the chase page.

Wall Rush

Some attacks will slam the opponent into a wall (or ground), after which they are stuck for a moment. This inflicts extra bravery damage, but assists can also pick up the opponent for a combo which is very common.

Examples of attacks with wall rush: Warrior of Light's Shield Strike, Garland's Bardiche and Cloud's Slashing Blow.

For more info, please refer to the wall rush page.

Banish Trap

Some stages have areas with no floor, wall or ceiling. Banish Trap is when a character makes contact with that area. It will gradually deplete a portion of that character's bravery and reposition them to the nearest platform if they fail to move out of it within a couple seconds. This will deplete bravery further and add it to the stage bravery pool, but it will also cancel actions.

For more info, please refer to the Banish Trap section.

Who should I play?

If you have a character you are already interested in, try that one first. If not, you can try the following recommendations:

Beginner: Warrior of Light, Cloud, Sephiroth, Squall, Vaan

Easy to play and mechanically well rounded. Good for learning the game with and playing competently at low and mid level.

Advanced: The Emperor, Exdeath, Kefka, Ultimecia, Jecht, Shantotto, Lightning

Medium to high learning curve for playing.

Other characters not listed fall under a spectrum of "straightforward, mechanically well rounded or intermediate difficulty". Many protagonists are fairly easy to pick up and play with a bit of practice. For example, Zidane has a very straightforward gameplan / win condition, but isn't as well rounded as Tidus.

Ultimately these are only recommendations - Different characters require different skillsets, and some people may find advanced characters easier to play with due to their own merits as a player.

Where should I start?

Start with playing one character and learn how to convert hits into HP damage (with assist).

Next should be understanding the game overall. At an intermediate level, Dissidia 012 is a relatively easy game to play once the player gets past the initial knowledge barrier. So the most important thing early on is to simply learn more about the game and understand how things work.

Here are a few recommendations to help you get started:

• Learn about the dodge mechanic, it is a core aspect of competitive and casual gameplay alike.
• Want to learn more about competitive build styles? Look no further than the Customization Guide for Online Battles page.
• A character's starter guide page. If a character you're interested in has a fleshed out Starter Guide page, that is a good place to start with bare essentials. They are targeted towards players who know next to nothing about the character and players who want to hit the ground running without asking other people first.

How do I hit the opponent?

Use dash and general movement with to move closer to the opponent. After that, offense typically requires a successful interaction against one of the following:

• Regular block: HP attack or wait a moment before hitting the opponent during block's recovery
• Bravery Attack: Block with to stagger the opponent or move away from the attack's effective range. It is also possible to power through a low priority bravery with higher priority attacks such as Warrior of Light's Shield Thrust or any HP attack.
• HP Attack: Dodge and then attack or hit the opponent before the HP attack can hurt you. Attacking is a bit riskier, but can also reward the player with assist meter via Assist Charge.
• Dash / Quickmove: Block with to stagger the opponent or hit them out of it with an attack.
• Movement (run): If a character is outrunning the player, dashing can catch up to them or otherwise provoke a response. Not guaranteed with every character, but this is where decision making against the opponent plays a big role.
• Dodge: This is more difficult to do for new players and can require character specific solutions. But a common tactic in effective dodge punishment involves the use of Free Air Dash and hitting the opponent before they can act again during the dodge's recovery.
• Spot dashing (dash feint): Attack to hit the opponent during the dash startup. This is easier said than done, because the timing is very brief, it is often accompanied by 1-2 frame blocks and the opponent can dodge or attack after the startup. Try to look for the opponent's tendencies, what they may try to do afterwards.

How do I avoid getting hit?

Just like with offense, a good defense involves interacting properly against a variety of options. Note that defense is not purely about non-offensive options, but they form much of the defensive spectrum in Dissidia 012.

• Bravery Attacks: Block with to stagger the opponent or move away from the attack's effective range.
• HP Attacks: Dodge when the attack is about to hit you or move out of the way with a dash, quickmove or running.
• Attacks (BRV and HP): Dodge, particularly when used with the Evasion Boost basic ability is very effective at avoiding several attacks in the game. Jumping or utilising fast running speed (e.g. with Tidus) can also evade attacks while still having access to dodge and block.
• Dash / Quickmove: Block with to stagger the opponent or hit them out of it with an attack.
• During Chase: Evade an attack with . Press it early to avoid a fast bravery attack or press it later to avoid the slower HP attack.
• During a combo / when staggered: Use Assist Change with + when 1 assist bar is available. EX Revenge also works if the player is in a damaged state.
• EX Revenge: Hit the opponent with an assist attack or land an HP attack while EX depletion is equipped (e.g. Dismay Shock}}. If an opponent is staggered from a block or a higher priority move, they cannot activate EX Revenge during that time. Not all characters have access to single hit HP attacks however, such as Shantotto.
• Assist attacks: Avoid using telegraphed attacks (predictably) when the opponent can call an assist to punish it during recovery.
• After dodging: The opponent may try to approach the player with a Free Air Dash and hit them to punish for attempting to dodge. Some characters have defensive attacks that can be used early out of a dodge, such as Warrior of Light's Shield of Light, Tidus' Cut and Run and Jecht's Jecht Block.

Which assist should I use?

Kuja is a consistent, powerful assist who works with every character in the game to some extent. Whiff punishes, consistent followups, damage and good holding potential. He is one of the best assists in the game and easy to use overall.

Other competitive assists are Jecht, Aerith, Sephiroth, Tidus, Yuna and Onion Knight. You can read more about them on their respective character pages under the Assist section.