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, 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:

Camera:

Jump:

Bravery attack:

HP attack:

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

Change target:

Block:

Dash: +

Dodge: +

EX Mode: + (When EX gauge is full)

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

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

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

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

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

Start: Pause

Select: Reset camera position

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

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

Dash with + 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 + 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 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. 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, 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 and 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.

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 (both missing and hitting work).

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

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.

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.

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.

Bravery Attacks: Attacks (BRV and HP): Dodge.