Aerial Recovery (Dissidia 012)

Aerial Recovery is a universal ability in Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy.

AP Cost: 5
When tumbling through the air, press X to break fall.

Aerial Recovery is used to cancel hit stun (or the damage state) after being hit by an attack. After sustaining an attack the player will suffer a period during which they cannot perform any actions without meter. Once this time period has passed, they are free to perform Aerial Recovery or Recovery Attack whenever or until the tumbling state ends either naturally or via making contact with the ground. If this happens, they are considered "wall rushed" on the ground and are susceptible to attacks from assist characters.

During Aerial Recovery, the player is invincible through frames 1-52. They can cancel it with a dodge or a dash after 47 frames or with an attack or a block after 49 frames. Aerial Recovery state ends after 64 frames.

Controlled Recovery

AP Cost: 5
Can move while breaking fall. Aerial Recovery must be enabled.

This allows maneuvering in any non-vertical direction while performing Aerial Recovery. Commonly equipped in builds, this allows the player to position out of incoming harm's way more safely without immediately forcing an aerial dodge for the same effect.

Recovery Attack

AP Cost: 10
Press Circle or Square to attack while flying through air. Must enable Aerial Recovery.

This is essentially Aerial Recovery, except the player immediately retaliates with an attack of their choice, forgoing all invincibility in favor of a counter attack. The timing for performing a recovery attack is the same as aerial recovery, but it's applications are a bit more nuanced.

It is possible to stay in a tumbling state and attempt to catch an approaching opponent off guard by playing possum and then utilising Recovery Attack. This can also backfire as the engaging opponent can still opt to act in any way they desire.

However, Recovery Attack's most common use is in punishing an opponent for not performing an action during their Chase sequence. If the opponent initiates Chase but does not follow up with an attack (also known as "empty Chase"), the opponent is considered in a tumbling state, same as after suffering knockback from a conventional move. While the initiator is recovering from the dashing state that Chase puts them into, the opponent can freely attack them.

Recovery Attack can also make some moves with very low hit stun punishable even on hit, such as level 1 Jecht Stream's innate punch ender. On the other hand, Garland and Yuna can both initiate Chase with a move that has so much hit stun that the opponent does not recover fast enough for Recovery Attack to enable a counter attack. These cases are outliers instead of the standard, but being aware of them is important when playing as these characters or against them.