Firion (Dissidia 012)

Info
Name	Firion (フリオニール)
Original game	Final Fantasy II
Weapon	All normal weapons, Parrying Weapons, Guns, Poles
Armor	Bangles, Chestplates, Clothing, Hats, Headbands, Helms, Light Armor, Shields
Base ATK (LV100)	111 (High)
Base DEF (LV100)	112 (High)
Run Speed	8 (Below Average)
Dash Speed	81 (Below Average)
Fall Speed	81 (Average)
Fall Speed Ratio After Dodge	38 (Average)
Exclusive weapons	Rebellion Army, Longinus, Wild Rose

Strengths

Weaknesses

Defensive ground combat - Specialised in fighting on the ground, Firion can stand toe-to-toe in close-range combat with a variety of attacks, such as quick poke Swordslash BRV and Shield Bash HP for post-dodge defense. Damage - High base ATK stat, good damage multipliers and consistent wall rushes off of HP links and other HP attacks ensure Firion can establish a good health lead. Ranged combat - Air braveries and more notably the Straightarrow HP can force opponents to disengage and move as well as punish mistimed dodges. Anti-Zoning - Shield Bash represents a threat to most characters who operate with low priority projectiles from a distance. Side by Side - Firion synergises very well with this, raising the threat of HP attacks and reward off of HP links. EX Mode's Blood Weapon - While not a top priority for Firion, regenerating health equal to HP damage dealt is amazing at creating comebacks.

Air combat - While Firion has tools for point-blank and long range, his floaty air dodges, low combo conversion potential, lack of effective post-dodge defense and quick approaching close-range attacks can create a lot of risk for him midair. Enforcing defenders in his effective range - Firion's arsenal is not designed to easily enforce opponents hanging at a large stage's ceiling to engage with him. These situations often involve long-term strategies and build investment. Punishable HP links - As a frequent HP link user, Double Trouble's long HP attack animation leave him vulnerable to counter attacks after Assist Change.

Overview

Firion is a defensive ground-oriented fighter who can engage at almost any range. Armed with quick pokes, mid range attacks, a command block, HP links and the notoriously strong Straightarrow HP, Firion is capable of setting the pace of a match on a moment's notice.

Ground is where Firion applies his melee attacks up close and at mid range. Poking and building assist meter with Swordslash, whiff punishing with Rope Knife, calling out defensive options with Lord of Arms and protecting himself from dodge punishment and projectiles with Shield Bash are all part of his winning strategies. Contesting him can be difficult and dangerous, as Firion can capitalise on his strong HP attacks and HP links to wall rush and generate a lot of meter.

What completes his melee combat however, is his ranged arsenal. The Magic Arts aerial braveries can discourage projectile usage, force the opponent to move and setup more damaging combos and his threatening Shield Bash counter projectiles. But most importantly, his Straightarrow HP can greatly restrict the opponent's offense, their ability to whiff safely and punish misplaced dodges with it's great aim, reach, delayable timing and projectile speed. With all of this combined, Firion can interact from a myriad of different ranges and angles while making it harder for opponents to approach him.

When it comes to builds, Firion is a well known user of the Side by Side accessory thanks to his strong HPs across the board. A single Straightarrow or Shield Bash can greatly shift assist meter momentum in his favor, while his wall rush HP links and Lord of Arms HP ensure that the following asist combo hits like a truck. As a result, high base bravery and Side by Side are most likely to produce results in competitive play. His high base stats, grounded playstyle and great EX Mode perk provide incentives for other build styles as well. Few attacks produce good EX such as his Towards bravery followup and long range Shield Bash counter, but because they're not Firion's top priority moves in combos, his EX generation on hit tends to fall behind. EX Cores are a decent alternative, as Firion spends a lot of time on the ground where they typically spawn. And if the match goes on long enough for Firion to get a full EX meter, a single HP hit with the Blood Weapon HP regeneration can offset any health deficits or cement a health lead.

Firion's weaknesses become more apparent once he has to engage in the air. His dash speed is below average and the only melee bravery Swordslash has very short reach. While that's good for building assist meter, it is far from ideal for attacking, dodge punishment and whiff punishment alike. Firion's air dodges are floaty and can quickly become a sitting duck in the air, removing him from his ideal position. The Magic Arts braveries are all low priority, take a long time to come out and don't protect Firion from his front very well while he's casting. His Magic Arts: Frost has good forward movement but the reward for all Magic Arts on hit is often miniscule without wall rush and / or meter. And while it's true that Straightarrow is great at stopping opponents, fall speed and fast running speed can be used to significantly reduce it's accuracy. Firion cannot quickly adjust his aim behind him, and he can only delay Straightarrow for a set amount of time before he is forced to fire it. This opens up Firion to whiff punishment with assist and at worst, suffer a bravery break and a guaranteed combo afterwards; A fact that extends to his other HP attacks as well.

All that is to say - Firion is good at interrupting opponent's actions, but he can struggle to open up more patient, aerial opponents. Two of his midair moves have downward knockback, but applying them against distant airborne characters such as Kefka and Sephiroth can prove challenging. In these circumstances, Firion's ways to interact and force opponents into his effective range are rather limited, and he may have to rely more on EX Cores to overcome these hardships.

Throughout most of the game's competitive lifespan, Firion has been considered a powerful, consistent high tier character. Thanks to his burst damage, relative ease of use and the ability to control the neutral and convert situations to HP damage, Firion is a distinct powerhouse who can compete with other strong close-range characters such as Zidane, Prishe and Jecht. He cannot discourage all aerial play, fight airborne opponents very effectively at close range or eliminate all risk associated with his strong HP attacks. But despite that, Firion is capable of shutting down much of the opposition.

Bravery Attacks

Ground

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
8, 12 (20+)	19F	Physical	Melee Low	15	Chase, Wall Rush, Absorb	30 (15)

[Close] Quick upward swing with lance. Slightly draws foe near.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
20	9F	Physical	Melee Low	60	Chase	30 (15)

[Close] Quick sword slash. Short reach, but quick strike.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2 x 10 (20+)	23F	Physical	Melee Low	30	Chase, Wall Rush, Absorb	30 (15)

[Mid] Throw lightning knife. Good versus any height, long duration.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
10, 10 (20+)	47F	Physical	Ranged High	15	Chase, Wall Rush, Absorb	30 (15)

[Long] Throw axe straight ahead at high speed.

Followups

Rope Knife, Lance Combo and Reel Axe can be followed up with one of the three followups. Since damage multipliers are identical with the bravery starters, the total damage multiplier in parenthesis reflects damage added by the followup itself.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
+25 (45)	?	Physical	Melee Low	0	Wall Rush	-

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
+5, 5 (30)	?	Physical	Melee Low (slash), Ranged Low (arrow)	75	Chase	-

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
+ 1 x 5, 3 (28)	11F	Physical	Melee Mid	15	Wall Rush	-

Aerial

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each (10)	25F	Magical	Ranged Low	0	--	30 (15)

Magic combo starting with Fire. Can swap spell from second shot.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each (12)	25F	Magical	Ranged Low	0	Chase, Wall Rush	30 (15)

Magic combo starting w/Blizzard. Can swap spell from second shot.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
each 4, 4, 7 (15)	53F	Magical	Ranged Low	0	Chase, Wall Rush	30 (15)

Magic combo starting w/Thunder. Can swap spell from second shot.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
20	9F	Physical	Melee Low	0	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Close] Slash in midair. Short reach, but quick strike.

Startup improved from 11F in the original to 9F in Duodecim.

HP Attacks

Ground

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
Close: 4 x 4 (16) / Far: 3, 7 (10)	Block frame 1F~26F, end 49F	Physical (close) / Magical (far)	Block Mid, Melee High (close) / Ranged High (far)	96 (close) / 60 (far)	Block	30 (15)

[Block] Create shield of light. HP attack on successful block.

The far version's last projectile can hit multiple times, generating 60 EX and depleting meter as many times as it registers as a hit.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
-	61F	-	Ranged High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Long] Fire arrow of light. Charge to adjust timiing.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
4 x 5 (20)	33F (above Firion), 49F (1st), 99F (2nd)	Physical	Melee High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Mid] Use all weapons. Extremely accurate.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2, 1 x 6, 2 (+ 10 = 30)	??	Physical	Melee High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Branching from Lance Combo. [Combo] Multi-weapon attack.

HP link.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2, 1 x 6, 2 (+ 10 = 30)	?	Physical	Melee High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Branching from Rope Knife. [Combo] Multi-weapon attack.

Identical with Double Trouble A.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2, 1 x 6, 2 (+ 10 = 30)	??	Physical	Melee High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

Branching from Reel Axe. [Combo] Multi-weapon attack.

Identical with Double Trouble A.

Aerial

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
-	61F	-	Ranged High	30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Long] Fire arrow of light. Charge to adjust timing.

Damage multiplier	Startup frame	Type	Priority	EX Force	Effects	CP (Mastered)
2 x 11 (22)	53F	Physical	Melee High	~30	Wall Rush	30 (15)

[Mid] Use all weapons. Steals bravery, then HP attack.

EX Mode: Blood Weapon equipped!

Effects:

• Regen
• Critical Boost
• Blood Weapon

Blood Weapon

[Activates when HP attack hits] Absorbs HP equivalent to damage dealt.

EX Burst: Fervid Blazer

A chain of attacks releasing the power of his weapons. Damage dealt adds to his own HP. Enter the commands that display before the attack.

Damage multiplier (initial)	Damage multiplier (rest)	Type
3 x 3 (9)	4 x 3, 5 x 2, 13, 6 x 2, 12, 4 x 8 (100 total)	Physical

Builds

Builds here.

Stats
HP
CP
BRV
ATK
DEF
LUK
Max Booster

Special Effect:

Equipment
Assist
Weapon
Hand
Head
Body
Accessory 1
Accessory 2
Accessory 3
Accessory 4
Accessory 5
Accessory 6
Accessory 7
Accessory 8
Accessory 9
Accessory 10
Summon

Stats
HP
CP
BRV
ATK
DEF
LUK
Max Booster

Special Effect:

Equipment
Assist
Weapon
Hand
Head
Body
Accessory 1
Accessory 2
Accessory 3
Accessory 4
Accessory 5
Accessory 6
Accessory 7
Accessory 8
Accessory 9
Accessory 10
Summon

Assist

Firion's assist data.

Type	Attack	Startup	Position	Spawn	Damage multiplier	Effects
BRV	Rope Knife	23F	Ground	Opponent	2 x 10, 25 (45)	Wall Rush
BRV	Magic Arts: Flame	25F	Air	Opponent	10 each (up to 30)	-
HP	Straightarrow	61F	Ground	Opponent	-	Wall Rush
HP	Weaponmaster	52F	Air	Opponent	2 x 11 (22)	Wall Rush

Firion works with a limited number of assists, but can also use The Emperor. Kuja