Tifa Lockhart (Dissidia 012)

This page is for anyone new or upcoming player that want a basic understanding how to make a working build for online play. Contents of this page are currently based on the Beginner's Guide to Customisation found on Dissidia Community forums and are subject to further modification later.

About Accessories

Accessories are a category of equipment that can be worn by all characters in the game. Each accessory comes with an effect that either scales with booster-type accessories or has a fixed value. A maximum of 10 accessory slots can be utilised. Accessories often define key characteristics of a build, and as such are always important in online battles.

There are three (3) types of accessories.

Basic Accessories

Effected by the multiplied number (x) your booster accessories currently have.

For example: You have Hyper Ring (5% increased damage) and 3 boosters that give you 2.5x multiplier, basic math is 5 x 2.5 = 12.5 > rounded down to 12, so you get a 12% increased damage.

Booster Accessories

Your multiplier, the higher X you have the higher your basic while having no boosters equipped.

There are a few different mulitplier numbers

• 1.2x - Average
• 1.3x - Good
• 1.4x - Really good
• 1.5x - The best
• 2.5x - This is only one accessory and the 2.5x only lasts 15 seconds and drop to 0.5x after that which halves your booster multiplier.
• 5.0x - Also just one accessory that works only when you take damage longer then 4 seconds.

Also note that the boosters are different in how and when they are activated.

Example: You have two 1.2x, one 1.4x and lastly a 1.5x equipped: 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.4 x 1.5 = 3.024 rounded down to 3x which means your max booster is 3x.

Special Accessories

Pre-set effects that do not work with booster accessories. However, this does not render them useless and in many cases at least one of them will be equipped to define the style of a build.

If you see accessories with the note "Breakables" do not use them online.

Creating a build

When planning a PvP build it is often necessary to include meter depletion on both assist and EX. These can be included either via Judgment of Lufenia or Seal of Lufenia equipment sets (fixed percentage value) and / or Battle Hammer and Dismay Shock basic accessories. Meter depletion has a few key benefits, such as shifting momentum in generating crucial resources (Assist and EX) and bypassing EX Revenge situations where a player could have otherwise suffered a huge setback through bravery break or lose a match outright.

Despite that, a player may opt out of meter depletion in exchange for other attributes if they so desire.

After that, an ideal PvP build usually goes for one of the following:

• Damage (bravery)
• Damage (high base bravery)
• Side by Side
• EX
• EX Core
• Bravery boost on dodge / block
• Hybrid (a mix of everything)

Good reliable accessory boosters include Summon Unused (and the opponent variant), Pre-EX Mode, Pre-EX Revenge, Aerial and Large Gap in HP. These are known to work regardless of build style, and will be commonly recommended.

Build styles

Adamant Chains

Recommended characters: Garland, The Emperor, Cloud, Squall, Ultimecia, Tidus, Yuna, Prishe, Vaan, Gabranth

Example build: Squall

Stats
HP	9972
CP	450
BRV	877 (1052 with First to Victory)
ATK	178
DEF	185
LUK	--
Max Booster	x3.5

Special Effect: Adamant Chains

Equipment
Assist	Kuja
Weapon	Earthbreaker (CP Glitch)
Hand	Adamant Shield
Head	Adamant Helm
Body	Adamant Vest
Accessory 1	Muscle Belt
Accessory 2	Dismay Shock
Accessory 3	Battle Hammer
Accessory 4	Summon Unused
Accessory 5	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 6	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 7	Aerial
Accessory 8	Tenacious Attacker
Accessory 9	First to Victory
Accessory 10	Back-Breaking Straw
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Increased air dodge distance through the "Adamant Chains" set bonus. Primarily used to make air dodges safer to perform and difficult to punish by the opponent. Characters with average fall speed and weaker post-dodge defensive options can benefit a lot from it, such as Cloud, Squall and Yuna. Vaan can also use it for dodge cancel combos.

However, characters with fast fall speed such as Tidus and Prishe also benefit from the added distance; It makes their air dodges even more difficult to punish. An extra layer of security, if you will.

Adamant Chains improves defensive play, but it also comes at the expense of other traits. High base bravery is limited to one equipment slot (usually Piggy's Katana weapon) and it, along with damage and meter drain may require heavier investment via accessories to reach similiar heights.

Back to the Wall

Low health, but heightened stats / accessory boosters. Revolves around the special accessory "Back to the Wall" that causes the player to start the fight with 90 % of health already depleted. A "glass cannon", loosely speaking.

Balanced / Hybrid

Recommended characters: Any

A balanced build, with access to both EX and Assist. This is all about picking a good balance between damage, meter and other attributes. Maybe some added ex force absorption with more wall rush damage? Or perhaps you really want that early assist meter boost with Together as One but still desire to benefit from EX cores?

This kind of build is usually a "jack of all trades, master of none". Characters who do not rely on Side by Side such as Exdeath, Kuja and Lightning have an easier time fighting effectively with this build style than those who do. Even so, having access to both major resources can pay off in longer matches.

Naturally, specialised builds can see more success within their niche. But balanced builds are serviceable all the same.

Below is an example build for Cloud.

Stats
HP	10299
CP	450
BRV	1035
ATK	177
DEF	185
LUK	60
Max Booster	x3.5

Special Effect: Judgment of Lufenia

Equipment
Assist	Kuja
Weapon	Heaven's Cloud
Hand	Lufenian Shield
Head	Lufenian Helm
Body	Lufenian Armor
Accessory 1	Hyper Ring
Accessory 2	Zephyr Cloak
Accessory 3	Dismay Shock
Accessory 4	Summon Unused
Accessory 5	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 6	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 7	Aerial
Accessory 8	Tenacious Attacker
Accessory 9	Great Gospel
Accessory 10	First to Victory
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

At the end of the day you can mix and match concepts in your build. If high base bravery and wall rush damage is your thing but you still want to benefit ex, that is fine. It's not wrong to think that with good boosters you can enjoy the benefits of bravery boost on dodge as well as meter drain.

For boosters you will want something consistent, something that activates when it's most optimal for you and can be relied on through the course of a single match. And of course, any special accessories that you feel are necessary to your gameplan or playstyle. Just try to avoid equipping Center of the World or most of the set damage / defense rings.

Bravery Boost on Block / Dodge

Recommended match-ups: The Emperor, Sephiroth, Ultimecia

Gain bravery with each successful block / dodge. Commonly paired with Adamant Chains when using bravery boost on dodge.

This build style is strong against frequent projectile users, namely The Emperor, Ultimecia or Sephiroth. With proper investment, a single dodge can accumulate 100-200 bravery when used against a projectile. That can discourage the aforementioned characters from playing as actively and encourage adjusting playstyle altogether. If no adjustment is made, the user of this build can seek to benefit greatly from a single HP attack in due time.

Example build for Tidus

Stats
HP	9972
CP	450
BRV	917
ATK	180
DEF	184
LUK	60
Max Booster	x13.9

Special Effect: Adamant Chains

Equipment
Assist	Aerith
Weapon	World Champion
Hand	Adamant Shield
Head	Adamant Helm
Body	Adamant Vest
Accessory 1	Zephyr Cloak
Accessory 2	BRV > Base Value
Accessory 3	Large Gap in BRV
Accessory 4	Summon Unused
Accessory 5	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 6	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 7	Aerial
Accessory 8	After 30 Seconds
Accessory 9	Opponent Empty EX Gauge
Accessory 10	Opponent Summon Unused
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Bravery Boost on Stage Destruction / Mindbreak

Recommended stage: World of Darkness

Gain bravery when destroying stage elements such as World of Darkness pillars. Revolves around the "Mindbreak" basic accessory.

Known to be practical in World of Darkness with Cloud of Darkness, but all other aspects of the build may be compromised.

Damage (bravery)

Recommended characters: Garland, Kain, Cloud, Sephiroth, Ultimecia, Kuja, Vaan, Prishe

Increased damage output through high ATK stat, bravery attacks, wall rush damage and higher critical hit rate,

Not everyone can reach the same heights of bravery damage, usually due to low damage multipliers on one's moves and lower base attack stat. These characters usually circumvent this shortcoming with wall rushes or the help of high base bravery in conjunction with assists.

For equipment, always seek out a weapon with 69 ATK stat unless your character's exclusive weapons provides 70 ATK (Garland's Gigant Axe for example). If your armor set is for Seal of Lufenia's 5 % EX depletion, Lufenian Dirk (hand, Parrying gear) is a great choice as it provides +1 attack as well as good 72 defense.

Earthbreaker, Cleaver and Rhongomiant (for King of Tragedy EX Revenge builds) are good weapons possessing 69 attack stat that anyone can wield with the help of a CP glitch.

For accessories it comes as no surprise that Hyper Ring, Muscle Belt / Earring are viable choices here. Bundle Hyper Ring + Muscle Belt or Earring (depending on the character) with boosters such as BRV > Base Value, Pre-EX Mode, Pre-EX Revenge, Summon Unused and Aerial / Grounded for even higher damage output.

Extra abilities that raise critical hit rate are great picks. First Strike and Counterattack have the most consistent uptime, followed by Sneak Attack, Back to the Wall and Riposte. A damage build commonly uses 1-2 of those abilities, but they're good to have regardless of build, as your opponent can only disable one of them.

Assist Critical Boost is also good for assists that have good damage multipliers, such as Kuja, Sephiroth and Ultimecia.

Even characters with subpar bravery damage can do respectable damage with the double damage from critical hits, so they're worth the investment.

Damage (high base bravery)

Recommended characters: Warrior of Light, Firion, Onion Knight, Golbez, Exdeath, Cloud, Zidane, Jecht, Lightning

Increased default bravery for higher damage output without relying on bravery damage. For equipment, Piggy's Stick, Royal Crown and any LV100 piece that adds bravery are a good starting point. Investing in wall rush (Sniper Eye basic acc) and bravery recovery (Bravery Orb, Great Gospel accs) is also recommended. Commonly used with the special accessory Side by Side.

Defense

High DEF stat and reduced wall rush / physical / magic / chase brv damage.

Over the course of a match this will require the opponent to hit more times than what would be normally required. Equipment such as Hero's Shield, Grand Helm, Maximillian or accessories such as Block Ring, Decoy or Amulet may be used.

Depletion

Recommended characters: Any, Squall

Enhanced meter depletion through accessories Battle Hammer (assist meter) and / or Dismay Shock (EX meter). Great for offsetting the opponent's meter lead or shifting momentum. May be used in conjunction with Judgment / Seal of Lufenia equipment set bonus for even greater boosts.

Meter depletion is one of Squall's prominent strengths and can utilise it to devastating effect with Yuna assist.

EX

EX builds prioritise EX absorption either through added intake range or increased value per ex absorbed into oneself, but even so they never sacrifice assist (they're that important).

Weapon department provides Heaven's Cloud for +3M EX intake range, but with a measly 67 attack. Addded intake range is good as you can accumulate more ex in one place more quickly and if your character does not deal big bravery damage like Lightning, the 67 attack is not that big of a deal. Yuna has an exclusive weapon that is essentially an upgraded version of this weapon.

Another weapon is once again Cleaver. 69 attack with +10 % ex force absorption. Garland, Kuja, Ultimecia and Gilgamesh have exclusive weapons with +10 % ex force absorption, but Garland's is undisputed best among them. 70 attack and +10 % ex force absorption is something other characters can only dream of.

Special accessories is where most of the magic happens. White Drop and White Gem add a fixed boost to ex force absorption by 5 % and 10 % respectively and you can equip up to three White Drops for a total of 25 % boost to your ex absorption rate. These accessories come with a downside of reduced assist gauge duration, meaning your assist bar will begin to decay sooner. With well placed whiffs it won't get you killed. Not often, anyway.

The other two accessories influence when you can acquire EX. Tenacious Attacker and Glutton allow you to absorb ex even when attacking or taking damage. Tenacious Attacker is a standard in EX builds as it allows you to whiff for meter and reap the rewards as you deal damage. Both work great in conjunction with Heaven's Cloud's added intake range as you will in most cases get a part of the ex either you or your opponent generated. Glutton is particularly a noteworthy choice against characters who can generate a lot of EX in a combo such as Shantotto. The opponent will have to invest a lot in EX meter depletion to properly combat this accessory which is powerful for a single special accessory.

Seal of Lufenia is a good anti-EX equipment set that any character can use. However, a basic accessory "EX Breaker" is particularly potent with Ultimecia. The accessory has a chance of depleting the opponent's entire EX gauge in one bravery hit and since it's a basic accessory, it can scale with your booster accessories. Other characters don't get mileage out of it as easily due to how one attack = one chance at triggering the EX Iai effect of the accessory, you don't get a new chance with every bravery hit you land except with Ultimecia. Don't ask why.

EX (Center of the World)

Recommended characters: Cloud, Jecht, Feral Chaos

Example build: Jecht

Stats
HP	11299 (with Master Guardsman)
CP	450
BRV	956
ATK	181
DEF	184
LUK	--
Max Booster	x2.7

Special Effect: Soul of Yamato

Equipment
Assist	Cannot use.
Weapon	Cleaver
Hand	Genji Shield
Head	Genji Helm
Body	Genji Armor
Accessory 1	Pearl Necklace
Accessory 2	Dragonfly Orb
Accessory 3	Silver Hourglass
Accessory 4	Pendant
Accessory 5	Battle Hammer
Accessory 6	Empty Assist Gauge
Accessory 7	Pre-EX Revenge
Accessory 8	Pre-Assist
Accessory 9	Close to You
Accessory 10	Center of the World
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Abbreviated as "CotW". EX only, no assist. Greatly enhanced EX gain for earlier EX mode access and depending on the build, longer EX mode duration.

Generally speaking a niche build style. Assist is a far more important resource for all characters, so forgoing it in favor of an earlier EX gauge often skews the risk / reward in the opponent's favor. Characters who can land HP attacks without assist, such as Cloud and Jecht can function with this build with adequate player skill. However, it does not function as a crutch in their unfavorable match-ups.

EX Core

A derivative of an EX-centric build, this is often a match-up specific build. The priority here is the amount of EX you get from a single EX core. This often means you play a grounded game or you are prepared for EX core races. Against characters who tend to hug the ceiling (Ultimecia and Exdeath) this can be an easy way to acquire a great amount of EX every time an EX core shows up. It is also viable in matchups where a character can outrun another character in a lot of situations e.g. Onion Knight vs. Cloud of Darkness, or characters who play grounded against primarly airborne opponents.

For equipment, Loki's Lute weapon provides +20 % boost to EX core absorption, although it does only have 67 attack. Squall and Vaan can equip their exclusive weapons for a 30 % boost with 68 attack.

The Soul of Yamato equipment set (Genji parts) provide an EX Core appearence boost, but is usually preferable only on Gabranth as the set complements more of his EX mode gameplan than others.

For accessories, Dragonfly Orb is often the go-to basic accessory for EX core builds. The assist gauge duration nerf is hardly relevant, it decays from two bars a bit faster, but if you can maintain your assist meter consistently it's not really a big problem.

Aside from the aforementioned good boosters, EX Core Present adds a good 1.5x bonus to each of your cores. Aerial can be a good choice as not all stages plant their ex cores to the ground (see World of Darkness).

EX Revenge (King of Tragedy)

Recommended characters: Garland, Gabranth

Example build: Garland

Stats
HP	9644
CP	450
BRV	957 (1148 initial)
ATK	180
DEF	185
LUK	60
Max Booster	x2.7

Special Effect: King of Tragedy

Equipment
Assist	Kuja
Weapon	Rhongomiant
Hand	Prytwen
Head	Dragon Sallet
Body	Wygar
Accessory 1	Muscle Belt
Accessory 2	Booster
Accessory 3	Dismay Shock
Accessory 4	Large Gap in BRV
Accessory 5	EX Revenge
Accessory 6	Summon Unused
Accessory 7	Spider Web
Accessory 8	Spider's Bane
Accessory 9	Avenger
Accessory 10	First to Victory
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

This utilises the entire King of Tragedy equipment set unlocked in the Labyrinth mode. Extended EX Revenge duration for longer EX Charge time with Gabranth or higher damage output during EX Revenge (additional Bardiches for Garland).

First Strike

Abnormally high initial damage. Based on the Extra Ability "First Strike" that guarantees critical hits for the first connected attack.

Level Gap

Lowered character level in exchange for incredibly strong accessory booster multipliers. A type of glass cannon with Iai Strike, seemingly immortal with Last Chance...?!

Level + Level Gap accessories are banned by the in-game "Official" ruleset which has been community standard for years, however.

Machines

Increased bravery damage + HP wall rush damage at the cost of max health.

Side by Side

Recommended characters: Warrior of Light, Firion, The Emperor, Onion Knight, Golbez, Terra, Kefka, Cloud, Tifa, Squall, Ultimecia, Zidane, Jecht, Feral Chaos

Example build: Onion Knight

Stats
HP	10478
CP	480
BRV	1683
ATK	173
DEF	183
LUK	61
Max Booster

Special Effect: None

Equipment
Assist	Sephiroth
Weapon	Piggy's Stick (CP Glitch)
Hand	Aegis Shield (CP Glitch)
Head	Thornlet
Body	Maximillian
Accessory 1	Dismay Shock
Accessory 2	Battle Hammer
Accessory 3	BRV = 0
Accessory 4	Blue Gem
Accessory 5	Hero's Essence
Accessory 6	First to Victory
Accessory 7	Hero's Seal
Accessory 8	Miracle Shoes
Accessory 9	Together as One
Accessory 10	Side by Side
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

These builds revolve around the special accessory Side by Side that prevents you from acquiring any EX, even from EX cores (you can still grab them). In return it gives you a notable chunk of assist bar (30 %) from landing just one HP attack. Side by Side is very potent with characters who can connect HPs on their own and followup with an assist afterwards or need meter for building momentum.

The goal with a Side by Side build is to deal a lot of damage, which makes this a derivative of the damage build concept. This can be achieved either through high bravery damage output or high base bravery. In both cases wall rush is a big help.

For equipment you can apply a lot from the damage build. 69 attack or 70 if your exclusive weapon has it. Wall rush HP damage is also a good option e.g. Earthbreaker or Cloud's exclusive weapon Fenrir.

For high base bravery, Piggy's Stick is a Katana-type weapon that provides +239 to your base bravery in addition to the head armor, but it comes with -80 % BRV recovery. You have to be able to secure base bravery for each hp for optimal damage, so boosting BRV recovery will become a part of your build. If you focus your meter depletion on accessories, you can opt to equip Royal Crown (head) with 100 % BRV recovery, Borghertz's Hands (hand) and Lufenian Armor (torso) both providing 39 base bravery each. Lufenian sets' meter depletion is still nothing to sneeze at, but considering the potential damage this type of a build can cause, the opponent may feel incentivised to use assist meter to avoid a combo regardless.

For accessories you now have an excellent 1.5x booster at your fingertips, Empty EX Gauge. This is a big booster that will be active for the entirety of the match, and bundled with Pre-EX Mode, Pre-EX Revenge, Aerial and Summon Unused (as well as BRV = 0 if you can secure wall rushes) you have a lot of damage on your hands.

Aforementioned damage rings, as well as Sniper Eye for wall rush HP damage are good picks. If you don't equip Royal Crown, Bravery Orb as well as Great Gospel are worthy candidates too. Bravery Orb scales with boosters, but Great Gospel can easily compensate if used in conjunction with Bravery Orb. If you feel you need a good headstart in the meter race, Together as One is a great pick. Bundle it with Badge of Trust and you pretty much start the match with two assist bars. Characters who may struggle to generate assist meter safely through whiffing such as Kefka and Cecil may find this very helpful.

Example build: [here]

Wall Rush

Recommended characters: Garland, Firion, Cloud, Jecht

Example build: Firion

Stats
HP	9576
CP	450
BRV	1394
ATK	178
DEF	184
LUK	61
Max Booster	x2.9

Special Effect: Judgment of Lufenia

Equipment
Assist	Kuja
Weapon	Lufenian Gun
Hand	Chainsaw (CP Glitch)
Head	Lufenian Cap
Body	Lufenian Armor (CP Glitch)
Accessory 1	Sniper Eye
Accessory 2	Bravery Orb
Accessory 3	Dismay Shock
Accessory 4	Battle Hammer
Accessory 5	BRV = 0
Accessory 6	Empty EX Gauge
Accessory 7	Pre-EX Mode
Accessory 8	Blue Gem
Accessory 9	Miracle Shoes
Accessory 10	Side by Side
Summon	Rubicante

{{{dataBRV}}} {{{dataHP}}}

Bravery attacks
Ground	Aerial
HP attacks
Ground	Aerial

indicates a "Gear" extra ability or the use of CP / Equipment glitch. The total CP cost will assume the glitch is done.

Increased wall rush damage. Commonly paired with other damage build styles, such as Side by Side. Booster and Sniper Eye basic accessories, as well as weapons with additional wall rush damage boosts, such as Earthbreaker are often used.