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Dissidia Final Fantasy: Zidane Tribal FAQ
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Contents
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*Version History
*Legal Information
*Why Choose Zidane?
--Pros and Cons
*About Zidane
*Attack analysis
--Before you start reading
--Brave Attacks
--Health Attacks
*Build and side strategies
--Equipment
--Accessories
--Abilities
--Chase Mode
--EX Mode
*BP HP control
*Specific Strategies
--The ZDA
--The Vortex combos
--Zidane's infinite
--Rumble Rush combos
--The Art of Dodge Canceling
*Character Strategies
--Warrior of Light
--Frioniel
--Onion Knight
--Cecil Harvey
--Bartz Klauser
--Tina Branford
--Cloud Strife
--Squall Leonhart
--Zidane Tribal
--Tidus
--Shantotto
--Garland
--Emperor
--Cloud of Darkness
--Golbeza
--Exdeath
--Kefka Palazzo
--Sephiroth
--Ultimecia
--Kuja
--Jecht
--Gabranth
*Arena Strategies
--Chaos Shrine
--Pandaemonium
--World of Darkness
--The Moon
--Dimension Fortress
--Tower Ruins
--Northern Crater
--Ultimecia Tower
--Crystal World
--Dream Zanarkand
--Cosmos Shrine
--Chaos Throne
*Special Thanks
*Contact Me
*********************
Version History/Goals
*********************
v.80 2/27/09 submitted to www.gamefaqs.com
v.85 3/1/09 Added to EX Mode section, added certain comments to BRV/HP
attacks. All attacks have 'proper' names.
v1.0 3/21/09 Added Infinite Combo and Vortex Combos
v1.10 3/27/09 Full revision and slight expansion on all areas.
v1.11 4/11/09 Rumble Rush combo, added to Build and Side strategies section.
v1.21 6/15/09 More combos added. Re-did the 'About Zidane section,' it is now
spoiler free! Revised attack descriptions.
v1.41 9/14/09 A North American revision has been included under areas where
necessary, explaining what changes have been made and how it can
affect the player. New combo's have been added to both the
Japanese version and North American version (by xffixbmlx).
xffixbmlx is now my new Co-Author for the addition of the North
American changes and the perfection of this guide.
V1.51 10/1/09 xffixbmlx has added more combo�s, including links as
demonstrations and evidence, revised some text in most North
American changes, created a new sub-section in the �Specific
Strategies� called, �The Art of Dodge Cancelling,� and a
thorough grammar/spell check. I�ve added new accessory strategy
which is perfect for Blackjack course.
*****************
Legal Information
*****************
This document Copyright Michi Aoki 2009
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
Sites allowed to host this FAQ.
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.supercheats.com
If you see this FAQ anywhere else, please tell me about it.
*****************
About us/this FAQ
*****************
This is my very first FAQ that I have written, a lot of work has gone into
this, so enjoy. Dissidia is a game that I imported and it just inspired me
to write about it, it was that great. There have been changes from the
Japanese version to the North American version (movesets have changed),
which are included where necessary. In this FAQ you will find strategies to
do with attacks, strategies to do with arenas, combos that Zidane can pull
off and information about how to build Zidane with equipment. I aimed to have
something in here for everyone. Those new to Zidane may find the attack
analysis most useful, more experienced players may be more interested in the
combos section. Anyway, let�s get started.
About xffixbmlx�
Hello! Please call me Ehx. This is my second FAQ that I�ve written, and am
proud to be Mitsumasa�s Co-Author. I used to run a Zidane FAQ in the Final
Fantasy IX FAQ Board back in 2001. Final Fantasy IX has to be my favorite
out of the FF series, with Zidane being my favorite protagonist. FFIX
fanboys/fangirls are a special breed, and have been overwhelmed by FFVII
fanboys/fangirls in the past few years. Until�Dissidia was released�
Dissidia Final Fantasy is currently my favorite game of all time. I was one
of those people who patiently wait day-by-day until the import releases. I
studied carefully on Zidane�s mechanics � competitive play is my thing.
In this FAQ, you will find significant alterations from the Japanese version
to the North American version, it�s descriptions, and pros and cons of each.
For further need of instruction, please consider my homepage, where I
demonstrate tutorials on many of Zidane�s capabilities. You can find my
homepage here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/xffixbmlx
Please contact me if you have any questions on any of the contribution that
I have added to this FAQ.
******************
Why Choose Zidane?
******************
I chose Zidane to main, after I'd first mained Terra, Tidus, then Jecht.
To me Dissidia has been a 'flux game' one that constantly changes and sways,
depending on what mood you�re in. Right now, I'm in a obnoxious mood, so I'll
main Zidane. And that is what Zidane does best. He annoys. He's fast, he's
agile; he's... he's... he's like a mosquito with 2 swords and blonde hair. Not
to mention the fact that Zidane is not bad in the power department. If I attack
from behind, or guard and attack (which you should be doing anyway) I can break
my opponent in two attacks, more or less (this is based on an enemy around the
same level as Zidane). Zidane is incredibly agile and can move through maps so
fast that only Tidus and Onion Knight can compete with him in the speed
department. With the ability Speed Up, Zidane becomes so quick that I can
simply RUN out of the way of an attack, rather than dodging. So if you want to
play a character that is incredibly quick and can break opponents in 2
well-placed hits, main Zidane.
_________________________
-Pros and Cons of Zidane-
Pro's
-Incredibly fast
-SOME attacks difficult to guard
(Vortex, Swift Attack)
-Tempest makes him a dodge attacker, like Tidus
(See 'Special Strategies' section)
-Most of Zidanes BRV attacks link to HP attacks (Which in the NA version of
Dissidia, is a very valuable thing)
Con's
-Some attacks easily blocked on reflex
-Zidane has trouble attacking without guarding first
ie. A plain attack with no critical bonuses will do little damage and some of
the attacks will be easy to guard.
*********************
About Zidane and FFIX
*********************
Bright and cheerful, Zidane looks upon the world with hope and happiness, his
creed being "You don't need a reason to help people," as shown in the FMV
intro. Zidane consistently and unashamedly flirts with the women of FFIX and
is a notorious skirt chaser. Raised by a man known as Baku, Zidane Tribal is
a thief and a critical part of the group known as Tantalus. Zidane is involved
in a kidnapping plot, but this simple event quickly snowballs into an
adventure that would take him through worlds.
Final Fantasy IX (from here on in: FFIX), released for the Playstation in
November 200 (NA) was the last numbered Final Fantasy game to be released for
that console. Although it is usually overshadowed by its other PSX Final
Fantasy counterparts, FFIX has always had a special place in the collections of
Final Fantasy lovers. Its storyline is inspired by the roots of Final Fantasy
and moves away from the futuristic scenario set in FFVI-FFVIII to one of magic
and monsters. I consider the FFIX storyline one of the best out of the series
and the characters are so likeable. The soundtrack, composed by Nobuo Uematsu,
reflects the game's idea of 'going back to its roots.' Uematsu considers the
FFIX soundtrack to be his favorite out of the Final Fantasy games that he has
composed for. This soundtrack has been the backing to some of the most
memorable scenes in the Final Fantasy series, one notably being the famous
'You're Not Alone' scene.
***************
Attack Analysis
***************
__________________________
-Before you start reading-
In my FAQ, I talk about combos, chains and links.
A chain or a link is a move that is 'officially' in the game. Rumble Rush to
Free Energy A is a link for example. Storm Impulse to Meotwister A is a
link/chain. Pretty much, anything the AI can do is described as a link/chain.
A combo is something that the AI is not programmed to do, pretty much. Rumble
Rush -> Tempest is a combo. Tempest -> Storm Impulse is described as a combo.
_______________
-BRAVE ATTACKS-
Rumble Rush (G)
Your basic ground attack, links into Free Energy A. Be careful with this
attack, if your opponent is slightly off the ground, there is the chance you
will go straight underneath your opponent, missing them completely. And if you
do miss them, Rumble Rush leaves you very open to a counter, as once a Rumble
Rush starts, it takes a while to stop. This attack is very easy to guard on
reflex and I suggest only using this as a counter attack. Rumble Rush does
more BRV damage than Swift Attack however. Rumble Rush is also the start of a
four move combo (see combos section) and definitely recommended to have in
your arsenal.
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Rumble Rush can now chain into Meo Twister. Also, it
has lost some tracking, and could cause you to go under your opponent if not
spaced right. For example, if your opponent is not completely on the ground
and even slightly above the ground, there's a chance that you could swing and
miss right under his nose. A good change to Rumble Rush, however, is the fact
that it is now no longer confined to the ground. If you are on a platform and
start Rumble Rush, it can move forward off the platform into mid-air.
Scoop Out (G)
Fires three 'bullets' in fairly quick succession with average homing. Useful if
you want to Interrupt an attack without fear of repercussion, but deals small
damage. An advantage of this is that you don't have to use an air attack slot
for the same three bullets. The downside of this is that the bullets come out
far too slowly for my liking and aren't likely to hit your opponent if they
have basic knowledge of how to use the R trigger. I've come to the point of
getting rid of all ranged based attacks in my repertoire as they are very
average attacks with large cool down. Besides, who needs ranged attacks when
Zidane is so fast you could probably beat the bullet to your opponent?
Swift Attack (G)
A dummed down version of Rumble Rush. It is a much shorter attack (in time) and
deals far less damage. Chains into Free Energy B. The advantage of Swift
Attack is that, even if you miss your opponent, Swift attack stops very
quickly, giving you a lot of time to dodge away or guard a counter attack.
Unlike Rumble Rush, Swift Attack isn't completely landlocked and can track
vertically. Therefore if you guard an opponent�s air BRV attack, and counter
with this there is no chance of going underneath your opponent. Swift Attack
deals less damage than Rumble Rush, and does not combo to anything
unfortunately. If you had to choose between Swift Attack and Rumble Rush, I'd
recommend Rumble Rush for its possible combos.
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Swift Attack (G) can now be chained into Meo Twister.
Storm Impulse (A)
A pretty decent attack, far too easy to block on reflex but it homes in like
crazy and does pretty good damage. Be really careful about the using Meotwister
A, the move Storm Impulse chains into. Storm Impulse's knockback is huge,
making it very likely for your opponent to hit the wall which is not always
good. You see the smashing into the wall animation makes your opponent
impervious to damage. Which means that Meotwister can miss if they hit the
wall. You can try to 'aim' them in a direction with no walls, but on some
levels (Pandemonium), this is impossible. How to make Meotwister hit if they
hit the wall? The answer is to delay pressing the square button. If you delay
the chain, The hitting the wall animation will have finished while you are
half way through Meotwister, ensuring that you will hit your opponent. A
delay of around a half a second should be sufficient. Storm Impulse is a
great attack, and finishes off a lot of combos. Well worth having this in
your moveset.
Here is a video about how time Meotwister chains:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mitsumasa8#play/uploads/5/tGCOKkSz77A
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Storm Impulse does not chain into Meo Twister anymore. Also, its range and
tracking has been nerfed.
*About the new Meo Twister chain: this new implementation for the North
American version has fixed previous issues, as far as the wall crashing goes.
Now, you won't have to time your Meo Twister, as it can be chained much more
effectively with less effort.
Vortex (A)
Chains into Meotwister B. Vortex is a great move. It's like a vertical Storm
Impulse. Vortex is a key part to a few combos, and should not be dicounted
because of its awful tracking. The way to use this attack effectively is to
dash toward your opponent and immediately launch this attack. That's the only
way I'd recommend you use this attack. Of course you can use it in certain
situations where the enemy is above you, but I've personally never been in one
of those situations. Besides by dashing toward your opponent, you are
essentially creating that situation for yourself.
Ehx says�
An important note: in some circumstances, Votex is unguardable, As long as
Zidane is about torso level or lower from your opponent. Check the Vortex
combos section in "Specific Strategies."
North American Changes:
Vortex does not chain into Meo Twister anymore. Also, it has a larger hit box
and slightly better tracking. While it does not chain into Meotwister anymore,
Vortex combos into many other attacks such as Swift Attack or Tempest and thus
is a worthy addition to your move pool.
Tempest (A)
I love this attack. This attack essentially turns Zidane into a dodge fighter
like Tidus, plus it chains into Free Energy A. Tempest is VERY important for
many of the combos listed in the combos section. An infinite can be chained off
Tempest, but its not the easiest infinite to pull off. There's really not much
else to say about Tempest. You'll probably find that you will be using this
mainly for the combos and ZDA.
If you want to know more about Zidane being a dodge fighter, check out ZDA
under the 'Specific Strategies' section.
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Tempest can now chain into Meo Twister. Also, the attack itself has lost some
tracking. However, a different change in Tempest has made the Tempest infinite
easier to pull off than ever, and has made it work far easier in the air. The
change is that Tempest now pulls the opponent up after it has finished its
initial hits. By pulling the opponent up, it makes it far easier to hit with
the next Tempest.
Scoop out (A)
See Scoop Out (G). And, if you must use a Scoop Out, use the ground one. You
have enough air attacks to deal with without trying to juggle this in.
Solution 9 (A)
Does decent damage, but is less likely to hit than Scoop Out, even though Sol 9
bullets travel faster. I chose Scoop Out (G) over this because my air attack
quota was already filled by Storm Impulse, Vortex and Tempest so I could do all
Zidane's combos. Besides, Sol 9 takes a while to start up, getting out of range
of the bullets seems far too easy for your opponent. Like I said earlier, I've
long given up on Zidane's ranged attacks. He's fast enough that he can go
without them.
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Solution 9 has greater range and tracking. In fact Solution 9�s tracking has
gotten so much better that at least 1 hit is guaranteed. This is compared to
the JPN version of the game, where 1 hit was incredibly lucky.
Swift Attack (A)
Same as ground swift attack, but in the air. Meh. The ground version of Swift
Attack has mild vertical tracking anyway, so if you guard on the ground, the
ground Swift Attack will hit. Swift Attack does not combo into any other moves
and only links to Free Energy B. You can get away with just using the ground
one of this if you really want to play mind games with this. I highly recommend
you skip this attack in favor of the attacks that can combo, such as Storm
Impulse, Vortex and Tempest.
Ehx says�
North American Changes: Swift Attack (A) can now be chained into Meo Twister.
In the NA version of the game, this will be one of your staple attacks purely
because of the chain to Meo Twister. With the regional changes, BRV to HP
attacks have become seldom, and thus more valuable. For those playing the NA
version of Dissidia, it is wise to replace Storm Impulse with Swift Attack.
________________
-HEALTH ATTACKS-
Tidal flame (G)
Meh. You can do better. Only effects one axis, and the homing is bad. All it
will take to dodge this is one jump and you're home free. This attack has too
long of a start up for what is ends up being. It has a small hit zone and bad
tracking on top of that. Why use this when you've got multitudes of BP to HP
attacks to choose from? Personally, I think the best use for Tidal Flame is
this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywsYXLWHmCI
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Tidal Flame now stalls for a few seconds after its launched, then quickly
attacks the opponent. Its speed and tracking has been improved. However, if
you consider the other HP attacks Zidane has access to (Stellar Circle 5, Meo
Twister, Free Energy) Tidal Flame becomes a waste of CP. While it�s good for
mind games, it�s simply not worth the CP.
Stellar Circle 5 (G)
This is not bad. Fairly quick to start up and has good vertical/horizontal
range. Not to mention the fact that it has a 'suck in' effect. So, lure enemies
in and attack. BUT, again, why use this when you have got a heap of BRV to HP?
There is only one reason why you should keep this. It has a good area affect.
The 'suck in' will scare people off. And it looks really cool. But seriously,
use a BRV to HP.
Shift Break (A)
This one is not bad. Has a long range, 'sucks in,' and if your opponent hits
any lightning, it doesn't do bad BRV dmg and its a guaranteed HP hit. Use this
for it's range. Do NOT use it for up close attacks. Your opponent will make you
pay.
chocobomog has a good tip for those having a lot of difficulty with tough AI
"For CPU AI (any level, even Inward Chaos) they will somehow want to dodge this
attack many times. This makes it safe to spam for CPU's provided you've got
the safe range. I've beaten Chaos in Inward Chaos last night with just Shift
Break. He never attacked me, he just kept trying to dodge and getting hit."
I tried this technique out on Inward Chaos, and it really works well. After
you hit Chaos with this once, dodge and Shift Break again. This really works
well if you can pin Chaos against the ceiling. In fact you can use this for
any battle in which you find too annoying or hard.
Also, this is a good follow up attack from using a Free Energy chain. The way
to do this is as follows. Normally if you use this after the chain, the AI
will dash toward you straight in between the lightning and attack you. To make
this work is once Free Energy hits, dodge to the right and use this. By dodging
to the right, this will put the lightning in the position so that when the AI
tries to dash toward you, it will get a face full of lightning. Even if they
don't dash, using Shift break will buy you several extra seconds to recover
your BRV.
The reason you might want to follow up a Free Energy with Shift Break is to get
past the BRV recharge stage. When you land a HP attack, your BRV recharges
proportionally to the amount of HP damage you did. So if you do a lot of damage
your BRV can take several seconds to recharge. By using the follow up
technique, you will do very little HP damage (for me, max 600) allowing your
BRV to recharge nearly instantly.
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Shift Break can now be dodged out of slightly quicker, and chocobogmog�s
strategy no longer works unfortunately.
Grand Lethal (A)
Great attack... Guard Crush, brilliant homing. Know that Grand lethal has a
certain range. The best thing is that, anything in that range will get hit, as
long as you are pointed in the right direction. If you accept this as true,
this means that dodging behind Zidane during this attack is near impossible.
The only way to avoid this attack is to dodge backwards. This means that Grand
Lethal is a very difficult attack to punish. This is an EXCELLENT move to use
if your enemy has you boxed into a corner
Ehx says�
North American Changes:
Grand Lethal has lost some range.
Ehx says again�
Other North American Changes:
Free Energy (A)
This move is just absolutely beautiful. You can forget about Grand Lethal and
start using this instead. It has pretty decent range and is A LOT less
predictable than Grand Lethal. It has good tracking and small end-lag. It�s a
good way to dash and attack with this to rack some HP damage, or dash, dodge
behind your opponent, and attack, if you want to add some mind games.
***********************
Build and Side Strategy
***********************
_________________
-Equipment build-
Equipment entirely depends on your play style. Most people (like myself) will
simply go for equipment that will give the highest stats, and if there's a set
involved, that's just gravy. Others may forgo the highest stats possible for
a set which gives them abilitites (Lufenian Ex depletion comes to mind).
This is a choice that entirely revolves around what you prefer - refer to other
resources as to which set/equipment is best for you.
_____________
-Accessories-
Note that the first two accessory builds are based on JPN figures and NOT NA
figures. That is why Pearl Necklace is listed at EX force absorption +50% and
not +30%
In the nature of accessories there are so many routes you can go down. You
can use a EX based accessory build, a defensive one, a aggressive one, a mixed
one. Then you have to mix in multipliers. For Zidane, at least one attack
boosting accessory is recommended otherwise Zidane will not do much BRV damage.
Listed below is a very aggressive, BRV damage oriented set.
Muscle Belt Physical Damage 15%
Muscle Belt Physical Damage 15%
Champion Belt Physical Damage 25%
Gaia Ring Damage 15%
HP = 100% 1.5x
Summon Unused 1.5x
Enemy Summon used 1.5x
Enemy Summon unused 1.5x
LVL 100 1.2x
LVL x5 1.2x
Equipping the Summon Used and Unused accessory as a pair is more efficient than
equipping two lvl accessories. For example:
Summon used 1.5x
Summon unused 1.5x
In this set, only one of the accessories will be on at one time, but it is
guaranteed for one the accessories to be on as long as there is a Summon
equipped. So, the final multiplier is 1.5x.
LVL 100 1.2x
LVL x5 1.2x
In this one, both accessories are going to be active all the time as long as
you are lvl 100. But, the final multiplier is only 1.4x
If you're after an EX based build, there is really only three necessary
accessories. They are:
Close To You EX force absorption during: Attack/Dealing Damage/Summon
Centre Of the World EX force absorption: Range+3m/Amount+20%/Core Amount 20%
Golden Hourglass EX mode duration increased by 20%
The other accessories are really up to you. If you find that you are not
staying in EX mode long enough you want to choose to also equip Silver
Hourglass (EX mode duration increased 10%). Or if you want to get into EX
faster you may want to equip Super Gravity Sphere (EX absorption range + 3m)
and Pearl Necklace (EX force absorption amount + 50%)
Other than that you have quite some freedom. You'll find that you can equip
several attack accessories or multipliers to compliment the 'base' EX build.
For the NA player. A third suggested set I�m calling the �Unbreakable�s� set
came about because the aggressive set listed above was simply not getting me
enough BRV � particularly in Blackjack course where enemy defenses are
enormous. I set about thinking and came up with a way of racking up BRV points
without actually utilizing BRV attacks.
The Unbreakable�s Set:
Gravitorb (Ex Intake range +3m)
Ivory Choker (Ex force absorption +15%)
Ivory Choker (Ex force absorption +15%)
Pearl Necklace (Ex force absorption +30%)
Empty Ex Gauge (Effect: 1.5x)
Summon Unused (Effect: 1.5x)
HP=100% (Effect: 1.5x)
Force Begets Courage (Ex core and Ex force to BRV)
Close to You (Absorb Ex force during attacks/when damaged/after summoning)
Centre of the World (Ex intake range +2m, Ex force/core absorption +15%)
The major point of this build is that all of your BRV comes from Ex Force. BRV
attacks are now not about doing as much damage as possible, but are now about
releasing as much Ex force as possible which you can absorb to earn more BRV.
Why this is such a good build is because you BRV will go up steadily,
regardless of your opponents defence.
Lets say you are fighting a lvl 150 � opponent. Lets say their defence is so
high that you merely do 100 BRV damage with Tempest � even with the aggressive
BRV set. If you switch to �Unbreakable�s� then you may only do 10 damage with
that same Tempest attack, but the attack will release Ex force. When you
absorb this Ex force, your BRV will shoot up around 300 points.
Not to mention that this accessory set makes you really hard to break. Even as
your opponent attacks you, you taking damage releases Ex force, which you
absorb, increasing your BRV. The more they attack, the more your BRV goes up
(within reason).
A quick video demonstrating the �Unbreakable�s� set. Gabranth is lvl 130
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su-Yj2CNXKo
___________
-Abilities-
There are only 2 abilities that are 100% vital. Surprise Attack and Guard
Counter Power. Both of
these increase your chances of getting critical hits if certain conditions
are met. For surprise attack to be in effect, you must attack from behind,
for Guard Counter Power, after a successful block, your attack will have
many more criticals in it. Another useful Ability (but not as vital as the
previous two) is Counter Attack which increases your critical rate if you
attack your enemy while they are attacking, or in the attack animation.
Surprise attack is essential for one particular strategy which I will explain
a little later.
The rest of the abilities are at your discretion, but i will recommend Air
Dash, any variant of Speed Up, Aerial Dodge up, Aerial recovery Movement,
Dodge Performance Up and Concentration and variants. Personally, I like to also
include Auto Ex Command and Auto Ex Defense, but, that's just because I'm lazy
and don't want to mash O. (It's very undignified, especially on a train).
For North American Players, try this moveset:
Offensive Abilities: Rumble Rush with no Meo Twister equipped, Tempest with no
Meo Twister equipped, Swift Attack with Meo Twister equipped, and Vortex.
Basic Abilities
Action: Ground Evasion, Midair Evasion, Ground Block, Midair Block, Aerial
Recovery, Free Air Dash, Speed Boost ++, Jump Boost ++, Jump Times Boost ++,
Controlled Recovery, and Midair Evasion Boost. Support: Always Target
Indicator, EX Core Lock On, and Evasion Time Boost. Extra: Snooze and Lose,
Counterattack, Sneak Attack, Riposte, EXP to EX Force, and Clothing Adept.
____________
-Chase Mode-
Basically, all characters are the same in Chase mode. Zidane has no advantages
or disadvantages. Chase mode is 100% skill. So be sure to practice it.
There is also a certain skill in choosing whether to engage in Chase mode or
not and also a skill in choosing for it to continue if you are already in it.
Reasons for going ahead with Chase.
-If you can easily psych out your opponent (ie. you can win easily)
-Easy way to smack enemies away from you (If you need a moment to gather your
thoughts)
-Easy way to knock enemies away from EX cores
-Smack your opponent around, into corners.
Reasons for not pursuing Chase mode
-You're Zidane. Zidane has the choice of Chasing or chaining to HP attack. So
you may choose to do this.
-Your opponent is better at chase mode than you.
-If it's a small map. You may get assaulted with a really akward camera angle.
The most important thing about chase mode, is that, as Zidane, you choose to
either chain a BP attack to HP damage or to start chasing. Personally I go for
HP 9 times out of 10.
_________
-EX Mode-
Very Important: ONLY USE EX MODE TO GUARD ANOTHER HP ATTACK. NEVER, IN ANY
CIRCUMSTANCE USE EX MODE BECAUSE YOU THINK IT WILL LOOK COOL. PROMISE? OKAY.
So, If you know your opponent is going to LAND a HP attack that will
kill/cripple you, use an EX Mode. That is why EX mode is very important. It
Guards a previously unguardable HP attack and a well timed EX Burst can change
the course of a battle.
From the start of the battle, start collecting EX orbs and EX Cores. Think of
EX Mode as Dissidia's 'Get out of Jail Free' card. Even after your EX bar is
full, keep collecting EX Cores and Orbs for no other reason than to stop your
opponent from getting them.
Now what can Zidane actually DO in EX Mode? He gets 10 jumps. I know, I know,
that doesn't seem like much, and it's really not, compared other characters
EX Modes, but it DOES have its uses. Since you're Zidane, you're going to be
spending a majority of your time in the air. You CAN get to the top of a map
by dodge jumping up, but it is very slow and what if your opponent attacks
you in between a dodge jump? You can't dodge jump immediately after a dodge
jump. In fact there are few things you can do after a dodge jump. So, just
plain old jumping is a lot better. From a plain jump you can dodge, dash or
attack extremely quickly. Because Zidane can jump so high, Zidane can even
dodge an attack merely by jumping. From there he can attack, dodge or dash
with the swiftness not possible after a simple dodge. With Just Jump and
good timing you can stay up really high for many minutes without attacking
or dodging.
Now, what if your opponent has just gone into EX mode? What if they are about
to do an EX Burst? There is an answer, but it requires a summon, so it won't
work in tourneys, sorry. Anyway the summon you need is Shiva, either manual
or Auto, preferably manual. How this works is: If you know that they are going
to perform an EX Burst, cast Shiva, which locks their BRV. That way, even if
they perform a perfect EX Burst, You won't recieve any more damage than you
would have received when you locked their BRV (duh right?). Not only that,
even if your opponent breaks you during a EX Burst, it doesn't matter, because
their BRV is locked.
With the above technique, if performed perfectly, you can lock your opponents
BRV at 0. This means, even after an EX Burst, they will still do 0 dmg. A 0
damage EX Burst. How awesome is that?
***************
BP + HP Control
***************
I think that all characters in Dissidia have 'points.' Certain things that
they are good at and certain things that you, as a player, should naturally
gravitate toward doing. The point of Squall, for example, is to take a whole
lot of BRV and do one HP attack. The point of Exdeath is to guard and
retaliate...
The whole point of Zidane is to HP attack a maximum of 10 times. Because so
many of Zidane's BRV attacks chain into Hp attacks, you�re going to be using
them a lot. This is compared to other characters who's point is to stock up
on BRV and attack once (Squall). It is usually inadvisable to HP attack
constantly, since that tends to keep your BRV low and makes you very vulnerable
but with Zidane, I find it is necessary and reasonable.
Firstly, most of Zidane's BRV attacks that chain into HP attacks fling the
opponent to the other side of the map, so it is SAFE to chain. In this context
I am thinking of the chains of Rumble Rush and Tempest where you don't move at
all to have to chain.
The inverse is true for the chain of Storm Impulse. In this, you essentially
follow your opponent for the purpose of draining your BRV. Really not
advisable. Along that line of thinking, I try only to use the chains of the
aforementioned attacks: Rumble Rush and Tempest.
With an attack like Tempest, it means, because your opponent is on the other
side of the map, that by the time your opponent has come back to you, you're
at full brave again. So you can use Tempest again. Rinse and Repeat.
Bottom line: Unless in extraordinary circumstances, you're going to be HP
chaining after every attack. The extraordinary circumstances include:
-You know your opponent is going to hit a wall 2 meters away ie. not going to
be on the other side of the map.
-You want to build up BRV for whatever reason.
*******************
Specific Strategies
*******************
Wanna know if I practice what I preach?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn28jbzeOGo
This is a quick video of me versus Kuja in quick battle. Kuja is at level 100,
behavior of 9 and difficulty of 9. The video is annotated and I exhibit
several of the strategies outlined below. I get really lucky with the BRV
pot I pick up when I break him, leading to a quick victory. The only
techniques I do not show are the infinite and the Rumble Rush combo.
I wish I could upload a Chaos video...
Quick note before you start reading: The ability that makes you Dodge further
can really stuff up combos to the point that they are impossible. If a combo
is not working, try taking Dodge Performance Up off.
______________________________
-ZDA, the ZIDANE DODGE ATTACK-
This involves Tempest, Surprise Attack and Counter Attack
When you see your opponent launching an attack WoL's Shield of Light for
example, dodge over their heads and use Tempest as fast as you can. This will
dodge the attack effectively and let you attack from behind giving you the
Surprise Attack Critical Bonus. The best part is, if pulled off nicely, there
is no chance of this being blocked. This is going to be your best friend.
After looking at some topics on the GameFAQs forum, I realize that some people
are a little unclear on what I'm trying to say. So I'm going to make a
timeline to further illustrate my point. (Yes, yes I'm fully aware this could
be overkill...) I'll use WoL's Shield of Light as my example again.
1. WoL starts Shield of Light.
2. Zidane starts in the path of Shield of Light but...
3. Zidane dodges OVER WoL's head, well out of Shield of Lights path and now
facing Wol's back
4. Zidane launches Tempest as quickly as possible
5. You get Counter Attack and Surprise Attack critical bonuses
___________________
-The Vortex combos-
This involves Vortex, Storm Impulse, Tempest and works even better if you use
Surprise Attack.
Discovered by Romulo Azevedo, he uploaded a great video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7siGhw3PgU&fmt=18
The mechanics of it are:
Dash toward -> Vortex -> Dodge up -> Storm Impulse -> Meotwister
But with Zidane, you can also...
Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge behind enemy -> Tempest -> Free Energy
Finally:
Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge -> Swift Attack -> Free Energy
The advantage of the second way is that you enact Surprise Attack, increasing
the damage you will do. Though difficult to pull off at first, it is really
effective once mastered. By the way, there are occasions where this chain
ignores a enemies guard at the Storm Impulse/Tempest stage. This is pointed
out in Azevedo's video at 0:52. So this is a really good chain.
Just be careful that if you have Dodge Movement Up equipped, dodging behind
may take you too far away from your opponent to effectively use Tempest. Also,
the extra distance you travel in a dodge will take more time, again decreasing
your window to launch Tempest.
Know that if you do decide to go with the Tempest chain, that you must dodge
exactly behind your opponent to give the Tempest part of the chain the greatest
success of hitting. I find that if the camera is directly centered behind me
dodging exactly behind my opponent us easier. When the camera is directly
behind me I can simply press forward on the analog nub to dodge exactly behind
my opponent. If the camera is askew, then it is sometimes difficult to judge
which direction to press if you want to dodge exactly behind your opponent.
Ehx says�
Hey! Having issues countering with Vortex after a successful guard? I got the
solution you�re looking for! Please refer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojZgcE6MbCg
For North American players:
Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge -> Storm Impulse
Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge behind enemy -> Tempest -> Meo Twister
Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge -> Swift Attack -> Meo Twister
Finally: Dash -> Vortex -> Dodge behind enemy -> Tempest -> Return Dodge ->
Swift Attack -> Meo Twister
_________________________
-Zidane's infinite combo-
This involves Tempest, and good timing.
You remember Vortex to Tempest combo? Yeah this infinite is pretty much this.
Tempest (only do the part where Zidane throws his sword down, don't do the part
where he hits the enemy 'normally')
Tempest -> Dodge (without pressing a direction) -> Tempest -> Dodge -> Tempest
And so forth. Just be aware that having Dodge Performance Up equipped may move
Zidane to far away to do Tempest effectively.
Romulo Azevedo (They guy from above) uploaded a video of this too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8YtYxUCrxk
Just to confirm, the CPU IS lvl 9.
Ehx says�
Vortex Infinite: This combo's accuracy is greater than the Tempest infinite,
although Vortex inflicts less hits. All you need to do is position Zidane
slightly below the staggering opponent, and then re-launch Vortex and repeat
this process.
For North American players:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zhlKi4gTPw&feature=channel_page
Take a gander at my video there. You will notice a "Semi-Infinite" that
involves Rumble Rush, but it's "Semi" because the combo stops �linking� until
your opponent is pinned to the invisible wall. Also, a Tempest and Vortex
Infinite is included. Tempest has not changed in this combo, and Vortex has
only improved; you can now Vortex > DC > Vortex > DC > Infinite, rather than
Vortex > FDC > Vortex > FDC > Infinite from the Japanese version.
*DC and FDC: Please refer to �The Art of Dodge Cancelling.�
____________________
-Rumble Rush combos-
These ones need Rumble Rush, Tempest, Storm Impulse, Vortex.
First, this was discovered.
Rumble Rush -> Dodge -> Tempest
Then came this video which shows an amazingly long combo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUvQTwmnFqY
Rumble Rush -> Tempest -> Dodge* -> Storm Impulse -> Vortex -> Storm Impulse
I personally don't think this works on anyone besides Exdeath, or an AI on a
particularly low level. I thought I'd put it here anyway, as all the rest of
these combos were derived from this. Plus, it may work on your friends.
* Refer to �The Art of Dodge Cancelling� for more information about this
particular dodge
This is my video trying out the combo above. And also showing some other
possible combos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=271dFyF5trc
Rumble Rush -> Dodge -> Tempest -> Dodge* -> Storm Impulse
You can even:
Rumble Rush -> Dodge -> Tempest -> Dodge* -> Vortex -> Dodge -> Storm Impulse
Ehx says�
I am providing a combo video demonstrating all possible known combos that not
even humans may escape out of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXclkJAyLwg
Please pay close attention to my unique combo, the "Ehx Combo," is what I call
it, since I haven�t seen anyone else publish this discovery.
It's simply (mitsumasa's note: Simply? Bah!):
Rumble Rush > Return Dodge > Tempest > Return Dodge > Vortex > Return Dodge >
Tempest Return Dodge > Swift Attack > Meo Twister.
The hardest part about this combo is timing the
Tempest > Return Dodge > Vortex
because each character has a certain "hit and box" and stun rate due to their
awkward shape and size. Some characters may require more acceleration of
Vortex than some others. Another difficult scenario of this combo is getting
the Vortex > Return Dodge > Tempest down because you have to be absolutely
sure that Zidane's "blades" will hit; this is BECAUSE his daggers swirl at
your enemy's feet rather than their entire body, so you must time effectively.
The sooner you get that down, the easier this will be. Trust me, it�s worth
the practice, and completely tournament-legal for all you competitive players
out there.
The Art of Dodge Canceling
By xffixbmlx
The Secret of Dodging: Dodging gives you the ability to evade an enemy's
attack, moving in any direction, in any pattern as your please for about a
half of a second. Each direction of a dodge has some sort of consequence added
to it. Dodging left/right, in midair, takes your character slightly upwards,
dodging backwards takes your character completely straight (does not sink, nor
rise), and dodging up takes you...upwards, haha (ever notice why he dodges
"over" someone when you up dodge on the ground?). With that said, you can take
advantage of these features in all sorts of ways so you can pull of powerful,
effective combo�s accordingly!
Dodge Cancel (DC): This term derives from the ability to �cancel� an attack
phase to follow-up with another attack. This makes such attacks an incomplete
attack.
* Phases are parts of attacks using O. For example, Rumble Rush has two phases:
the beginning part, where he slice & dices until he kicks the enemy in the
air, and the ending part, where he continues to damage his enemy in the air
until his finisher (the kick) launches the enemy (three phases, if you
count Meo Twister).
* To execute Dodge Cancel, simply dodge (R+X) after any phase of an attack.
* Return Dodge Cancel (RDC): Derives from the ability to dodge backwards, and
then quickly moving forward towards back to your opponent, leveling
himself/herself at the same position as your staggering, yet falling,
opponent, as if your character were to "return" itself to your opponent at
the same level.
* To execute Return Dodge Cancel, dodge out of an attack and �flick� your
analog stick back, then quickly forward.
* Turn Dodge Cancel (TDC): Derives from the ability to cancel an attack phase
and �twirl� behind your enemy if your character (Zidane, in this case)
happens to be in front of him/her. This is typically used for Sneak Attack.
* To execute Turn Dodge Cancel, dodge out of an attack, �flick� your analog
stick back, and, instead of going back forward, attempt to go around and
behind your enemy. Refer to my video for a more detailed explanation.
* Forward Dodge Cancel (FDC): Derives from the ability to cancel an attack
phase and �fight or flight� behind your enemy in midair. This is typically
used to follow-up with combos and Sneak Attack.
* To execute Forward Dodge Cancel, hold the analog stick up after a midair
Dodge Cancel. Refer to my video for a more detailed explanation.
Here�s a video of myself performing all Dodge Canceling techniques:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYq1tmGVypU
********************
Character Strategies
********************
Note: If you have better/different strategies to the ones listed below, please
send them in via e-mail listed below.
General:
Keep moving. Zidane's speed is one of his advantages. Use it. Run circles
around your opponent. Don't stand still. Not only does it make you a duck,
it sends a very straightforward message to your opponent:
"I only ever move when I attack"
That will mean they will know exactly when to guard. Not to mention, if you
don't run circles around your opponent you cannot get behind them to activate
Surprise Attack. Also, stay close. Zidane is a melee attacker. Stay within
easy range but GIVE YOURSELF OPTIONS. Give yourself the option of disengaging
the opponent, the option of simply running away from your opponent if need be.
If you do get cornered, Grand Lethal can be used to great effect to get out.
One last thing, EVERY attack is punishable by some means. I have not
encountered an attack that I could not punish in some way.
__________________
-Warrior Of Light-
The ZDA works nicely here, but watch out for his shield attacks (Bounce Buckler
etc) where he uses it as a weapon. When the shield swings over his head it can
sometimes hit you. WoL is my personal punching bag. Most of his attacks are
easy to block, enabling Guard Counter Power. WoL's range is more or less the
same as Zidane (Zidane has a little more with Storm Impulse). There is nothing
in particular to watch out for. WoL is the ultimate all rounder so if he hits
you he's not going to do an awe inspiring amount of damage (y'know, if you
have more or less the same level of equipment). If you have been watching my
videos, then you will know that I use WoL as my punching bag to test out combos
and such. Just keep a level head, guard, combo, and before you know it, you'll
see Victory.
__________
-Frioniel-
Be careful of Frioniel's Flash Lance attack. The issue with this attack
is that it can sometimes interrupt ZDA. With Frioniel, you want to keep at a
mid distance. This way, if he chooses to launch an arrow at you, you can rush
in and easily punish him (Also, they can be guarded against). If he throws his
axe at you, you can rush in and punish him. Just don't get too close, he will
use Flash Lance attack. This attack is very difficult to block on reflex. Try
and stay in such a range to make Frioniel use the easily blockable Seize Knife.
With Frioniel, there is no such thing as getting 'too far away.' Frioniel's
ranged game is fairly poor and avoiding his magic is as simple as walking out
of the way. If you can make him take to the air, brilliant. Frioniel has no
effective air BRV moves. Be really careful of Frioniel if he is in his Ex Mode.
He gets blood weapons meaning all HP damage he does to you gets added back to
his own health. Nasty.
______________
-Onion Knight-
OK is just as fast as you, possibly faster, so be careful. Although OK has
fast, hard to block sword attacks, the attacks aren't overly powerful and are
quite directional; they have bad homing. By running in circles, OK can very
easily miss you. Do not get too far away, OK will start using magic. You can
respond with Scoop Out/Solution 9, but OK outclasses you in the ranged
department. If he does choose to use his Blizzard attack, you can easily use a
ZDA. However, be very careful if he chooses to use Thunder. Dodging as soon as
it is cast will not work, as there is a delay between casting and it homing in
on you. And it homes in fast. You will only get one dodge at that.
______________
-Cecil Harvey-
Dark Knight: Run circles around him, just out of his range. Wait for him to use
any attack then rush in. Be careful of his dark orb attacks, the reason your in
close is to block those back at him before he can cool down. Also be careful of
Dark Knights Dark Shot. It is very tricky in the way that you can think that
you have dodged it but it is coming from behind. Remember that Dark Shot chains
into all ground HP and BRV attacks.
Paladin: Stay away. Seriously. Get away from him. Paladin has a huge range and
really good tracking. Wait for Paladin to attack. When he falls short (Cos your
staying so far away, right?) jump in and attack. You can get close if you trust
your blocking, but I don't trust mine as Paladin's attacks are hard to see.
Try and use the terrain to hide behind when he uses Searchlight. Searchlight
chains into a lot of Paladins attacks.
_______________
-Bartz Klauser-
Easy. Every time Bartz attacks, there is a SWOOSH noise as he summons a weapon.
Therefore, you have a visual AND audile cue to block. Can't ask for anything
more than that. Stay within range. Wait for the SWOOSH. Guard. Punish. Stay at
a mid-range so Bartz uses his melee attacks. Just be careful that if you hit
Bartz with a HP attack he will usually respond with Holy and if that Holy hits
you, it's an instant Break. If Bartz uses Flood, try dodging toward him so
that you have the opportunity to attack him when all the Floods are finished
and he is cooling down. With Holy, if you find yourself faced with the white
orbs, and must guard, make sure you hit 'R' multiple times. You see, a guard
will only negate ONE of the Holy bullets. Since there are multiple bullets,
it is necessary to guard multiple times.
________________
-Terra Branford-
Stay close. Terra is a long range player with a large cool down of her attacks.
Any Terra player will be really annoyed if you're standing right next to them.
Oh Tornado, the apparent reason not to get close to her. You can deal with
that. As soon as you see her starting a tornado, attack with anything melee.
You will hit her before the tornado actually starts thus negating tornado, and
giving you a free hit. This doesn't work all the time though, you have to be
really close to her to pull this off. Be careful of Meltdown though. Hide
behind a wall when you notice Terra starting one up. Last thing: Be aware of
Blizzara Combo, it does more damage than you'd expect and is not easy to guard
on reflex. If Terra starts using Meteor and you are close to her, simply attack
to negate her Meteors. If you are far away and she starts using Meteor, you
have a situational problem. You can either try and get close to Terra, or you
can try and get a wall in between you can Terra so that if you get hit, she at
least won't be able to follow it up with a Holy combo. Note that the second
option is a half measure as she can simply keep using Meteor on you. Try and
stay close to Terra. Pretty much the reason to stay close to Terra is to
dissuade her from using Meteor. It combos from Meteor to Holy to Ultima and
that HURTS. Especially if she is in Ex Mode and has dualcast.
______________
-Cloud Strife-
My other favorite punching bag. Stay at a medium range. Most of his attacks are
really easy to block on reflex. Just be careful of his HP attacks. They have
greater range than his BRV attacks and all Guard Crush. However, they are all
easily dodgable after a bit of practice. (For Meteor HP attack, dodge
backwards; that's a fairly guaranteeable safe way). Be careful of his EX Mode
as well. When Cloud is in EX mode, use the strategy of staying away and
attacking when his attacks fall short. In EX mode all of Clouds attacks gain
Guard Crush. Out of EX mode, you can feel free to stay in range and use a
guard punish technique. If you can get him to use and variant of the Fire
spell, great. You can dash through those and get a free hit.
_________________
-Squall Leonhart-
Be really careful of Squall. Stay away from him. Most of his BRV attacks start
instantaneously, so stay well out of range. Run around Squall, when he attacks
and (hopefully) falls short, attack. Squall will try and get really close to
you. Another thing. When Squall dashes toward you, GUARD. I've found that a
Dash signifies an attack. Even if Squall isn't going to attack, Dashes are
guardable. Try and stay off the ground. Squall has few options in the air and
2 BRV attacks, one of which is overly easy to guard. Be careful of Squall in
Ex Mode, when he is glowing Blue, his Solid Barrel (G) attack is unguardable.
_______________
-Zidane Tribal-
Ah the unthinkable... Well, you're Zidane, you know your range. You know your
strengths. You know your attacks, so hopefully you will recognize them when
they are used against you. If you are bored and want to go offensive, go for
a vortex combo. If you are playing defensively, Storm Impulse is the easiest
to guard. Remember that if you are playing another human, they may use a
Vortex combo against you. Therefore it is really important to try and block
whenever they dash toward you. Dashes are guardable, remember.
_______
-Tidus-
After a while, Tidus will likely start throwing Blitzballs at you. Just keep
your head and block them. If he gets into a rhythm of throwing Blitzballs,
when you see him starting to throw another one, dash toward him (which will
guard the Blitzball) and use the Vortex to Storm Impulse combo. That was how
I beat the Tidus password ghost. With Tidus you can also stay within range of
his melee attacks so you can guard them (most should be easy to guard, as
most start with a dodge, giving you a lot of warning). There is just one
attack to watch out for, Sonic Buster which does some great damage. To guard
this keep your ear open for a audible 'click!' that signifies the time to
block.
___________
-Shantotto-
Be careful of Shantotto's HP attacks (especially if she's in EX mode) they're
nasty and varied. However, learn to dodge them and you can pretty much walk to
attack Shantotto, her cool down is so long. Her BRV attacks aren't spectacular,
they are more of a nuisance than anything. Although, do watch out for the combo
of Slow plus a HP attack. If Shantotto is in EX mode, run. if she has more than
4500 BRV in EX mode and hits you with a HP attack, it�s a one hit knock out
(because she will do an EX Burst). Just stay out of her range. Her BRV attacks
are just an annoyance, really, nothing more. However, if you are hit with Bio,
hold back on the HP attacks, as Bio will drain your HP over time, which can
lead to a one hit break if you do a HP attack and Bio saps you.
_________
-Garland-
Be careful of two attacks. Round Edge, difficult to dodge on reflex, and has
good range. And Chain Bump. The problem with this attack is that he jumps into
your blind spot, making it difficult to guard. Just be aware that if Garland
hits you it's going to be painful. Luckily, Garland has no BRV -> HP attacks.
In Ex Mode, Garland cannot be knocked down by one of your attacks which means
he can quickly retaliate if you hit him.
_____________
-The Emperor-
Nothing special to say really. Watch out for his HP attack, Flare. Be careful
this ball doesn't hit you in the back of the head while you're in the middle
of an attack. The Emperors strategy is based on the opponent walking into
traps, so I don't recommend doing that. Most of The Emperor's traps are ground
based, so it's a good idea to stick to the air. If you can lure The Emperor
into the air, do so. Remember that most of the Emperor's traps can be dashed
through. So as intimidating as a minefield looks, you can simple dash on
through. If you do hit a mine though, the resulting explosion from the mine
will launch you in the direction of another trap, which can lead to a chain of
hitting traps.
___________________
-Cloud of Darkness-
Cloud of Darkness has many options when it comes to BRV attacks, in both the
air and ground. Keep on your toes, keep flexible. You never know if the next
attack is going to be melee or ranged. Keep your options open. Also, be careful
of one particular HP attack, Wave Cannon Pursuit. It is very difficult to
dodge as the missiles travel out of sight and come in at you from the side.
Very annoying. The only way to doge this attack is to dodge forwards, after a
certain time has elapsed. I know, dodging based on timing is not always
reliable, but as you cannot see the attack... Just practice the timing, and as
you can dodge forward that means you are in a great place to counterattack.
_________
-Golbeza-
You're going to have to be very flexible with Golbeza. His long range attacks
don't make him stumble if you guard them and his close range attacks start up
really quite fast making them difficult to guard. It makes setting an optimal
distance away from Golbeza hard to define. Use your speed to your advantage.
Run in between ranges. Golbeza has a great range of BRV -> HP attacks not to
mention combos if you are playing against a human. Try and save your Ex for
when you are trapped in one of Golbeza's (seemingly endless) combos.
_________
-ExDeath-
Against an AI:
Joke. Joke jokety joke joke. You've heard of the Exdeath Exploit right? When
Exdeath uses his HP attack Delta Attack that's a perfect opportunity for ZDA.
When he uses the HP attack that envelopes him in a dark sphere, just attack.
It'll interrupt his attack.
Against a HUMAN, be really careful. Since it's a human player try and psyche
them out. Perhaps try a partial ZDA, the dodge over the head, and only
complete it once every four times or so. Trick your opponent into guarding
when it's not necessary and not when it's needed. ExDeath's straight BRV
attacks are ordinary to say the least, but an ExDeath guard counter... scary.
Use extreme caution. It's unlikely that a human controlled Ex Death is going
to go on the offensive, so a ZDA over a Delta Attack is unlikely and attacking
through the dark sphere is a situation that is rarely going to come up. For the
fight to go anywhere, you need to go on the offensive, but when you do, be
smart about it. Use a dash Vortex chain. It's fast, and if you are hanging
around Ex Death at a very close range, it will be very hard to see coming.
_______________
-Kefca Palazzo-
He's a prankster. Like all pranksters, they are virtually harmless in the end.
His BRV attacks are random, even when they hit, they don't do any awe inspiring
damage. His HP attacks aren't too bad, but still, nothing exemplary. Kefca is
after all, a mage. Stick in his back pocket and stay there. The one BRV attack
to watch out for is his Shatter Blizzaga attack. That one hurts a bit and
Kefka can get into a rhythm of blizzards if your not careful. Such a rhythm
can take alot of your BRV away from you. There are a few of Kefka's attacks
that only would affect you if you were on the ground, so staying in the air
is a good bet.
___________
-Sephiroth-
Careful. He is going to take ALL of your BRV if you�re not careful. If you can't
block then dodging is just as good. Sephiroths attacks have a large cool down
time so then is the time to attack. The good news with playing against
Sephiroth is that you have a much stronger ranged game. So, make use of Scoop
Out, Solution 9. Then you can try and follow those up with a Vortex -> Storm
Impulse combo. Sephiroth's air and ground BRV attacks are fairly even so there
is no real advantage to stay in the air or ground. If Sephiroth is in Ex Mode,
you can run away, making your opponent (human) think there is enough time to
cast Heartless Angel (takes your BRV to 1) and then dash in as fast as you can
to get a free hit.
___________
-Ultimecia-
Feel free to go offensive against Ultimecia. When she uses her basic needle
attack, just attack. A dash WILL deflect her needles effectively, so stay
close to her. She cannot punish you for staying too close. Even if she guards
you, all of her attacks will blow you away, and, because her needles have a
limited range, her attack will blow you out of range. She is not going to do
a ridiculous amount of damage. Ultimecia does not have great vertical attack
options, so Tempest works well, and this extends to the ZDA. If you are in the
position that you have to guard Ultimecia's bullets, know that you need to
guard (an 'R' press) for every needle. This can lead to an annoying mash of the
'R' button. The greatest danger with Ultimecia is if she pins you to a wall. If
that happens ALL of her needles will hit you and that kind of damage is not fun
especially since you will probably be at your base BRV. If you find yourself
in such a situation, use Grand Lethal to get you out.
______
-Kuja-
Ah Kuja, Zidane's arch nemesis. Kuja is unpredictable, quick and, because he
levitates so much, Rumble Rush can go straight under him. Energy Burst is
Kuja's ace in the hole. It is nearly invisible, and 100% unguardable. For Kuja
to cast this he will have to be close to you. Very close. So if Kuja comes up
nice and close to you, be on the lookout for Energy Burst so you can DODGE this
attack. If Kuja uses Holy Rings, that is great for you, you can dash right
through them to give you a free hit.
_______
-Jecht-
Jecht has no ranged attacks so you win there by default. However, a charged
Jecht kick/punch has great range and Jecht block is just plain nasty. Keep your
distance, make Jecht attack. When his attacks fall short, rush in, attack and
hope he can't Jecht Block in time. Jecht thrives on close spaces, so by keeping
your distance, you are instantly putting him at a disadvantage. If Jecht hits
you, it will hurt a lot so go out of your way to prevent that. When playing
Jecht, I try not to block as I can never be sure if the next attack will guard
crush or not. I try to dodge whenever I would guard.
__________
-Gabranth-
Gabranth needs Ex Mode to win any match (duh). So to keep him from getting into
Ex Mode, get all Ex Cores before him, and if he tries to charge up, attack. So
stay close to him. Be ready to guard, however, as that is how you are going to
win this battle. If, by chance, you happen to be quite a distance away from
Gabranth, follow my example and use Scoop Out. If Gabranth is in EX mode, keep
running away. In EX mode, Gabranths BRV attacks are painful and the HP attacks
are worse and the EX Burst is even worse (for you) than that.
****************
Arena strategies
****************
Note: If you have better/different strategies to the ones listed below, please
send them in via e-mail listed below.
______________
-Chaos Shrine-
Try and stay on the roof for this one, there are far too many obstacles below
for Zidane. If the roof gets broken, you can use the huge gap for some
breathing space if you need it. There are still obstacles on the roof, use them
to your advantage. Hide behind them if your enemy launches a ranged attack. But
do try and stay on top. Down below can get cramped, limiting your options. Not
to mention the pillars down below can hinder the camera during chase mode.
In the alternate version, don't bother trying to save up BRV as every few
seconds your BRV will decrease by a set percentage. This can take you from
9999 BRV down to 2000 BRV in about 15 seconds.
______________
-Pandaemonium-
I don't particularly like this arena. This arena is very small, making fighting
very cramped, and also makes Chase very difficult. Be careful about using HP
attacks here, as walls will limit how far your enemy goes. In alternate
Pandemonium, be careful of the spikes, they do a certain percentage of your BRV
which is not so bad if you have a very small number of BRV points. A good thing
you can try to do is to throw your opponent onto the trap side of the map and
spam Solution 9. Barraged by traps and your bullets, your opponent will lose a
fair amount of BRV with minimum risk to you.
___________________
-World Of Darkness-
The base World of Darkness is quite good, fairly open, but with just enough
obstacles so as to hide behind. The relative emptiness means that Chase mode
will not get interrupted by awkward camera angles. The alternate World of
Darkness has three different maps: the main one, A very small, sort of chamber
and a rather large area with numerous platforms. The chamber is not great, very
small, very difficult to effectively do HP chains without repercussion. The
area with the few platforms are very Zidane. It gives you good options. You can
hang back and use ranged attacks or simply fight on one platform and prepare
for guarding or ZDA. But on this area, be aware that the ground is not 'solid'
in the ordinary sense of the word. The platforms do not hinder any ranged
attack and easily allow Bartz' Holy or Terra's Blizzard through.
__________
-The Moon-
Another good level. Nice and open if you want it to be but there are plenty of
walls and crevices to hide behind or use for cover. Try using the rocky
formations to get the higher ground - always an advantage.' Just be aware that
while this level is very wide, it's height is quite small so expect to hit the
ceiling of the level far sooner than you expect.
____________________
-Dimension Fortress-
This level is very very open. You're going to have to rely on dodging or
guarding here, no cover to speak of. The important thing here is to get the
higher ground, on top of the main fortress. This is also a nice central
position to collect EX Cores. Just a note, if there is no cover, a higher
ground the next best option.
_____________
-Tower Ruins-
If you have to play this map, try play it on the upper level, that is where
most of the EX Cores appear (for me at least). Still, it is very closed up. Be
careful when choosing a time for Hp attacks. There are plenty of obstacles here
that will seriously hinder you if you need to approach your enemy fast so be
aware that hanging to far back may come back to haunt you.
_________________
-Northern Crater-
There are few obstacles here, so watch out if your enemy chooses to use ranged
attacks - particularly Bartz and Terra's holy. Even in such a situation the
lack of obstacles means you can close the gap easily. Just like Dimension
Fortress you will have to rely on guarding or dodging, especially in Northern
Craters alternate style.
_________________
-Ultimecia Tower-
There is not much stable ground here so there is no good way to 'hold your
ground.' In fact you�re probably going to spend the entire fight moving all the
way around the map. I try and stay either at the very top of this map, or at
the very bottom where there is some constant ground. I prefer the bottom as
from there you have all the freedom to move up, whereas if you are at the top
2 jumps will take you into a 'portal' that will drain your BRV.
_______________
-Crystal World-
This came from FFIX so it's a fairly safe bet that Zidane plays well here.
First, try to take the high ground, it's always a good defense. Not only that,
but if you are on the highest ground, there is no way your enemy is going to
hit a wall 2 meters away from you. This gives you the greatest freedom in using
BP>HP attacks indiscriminately. In the alternate style, you can use the pillars
as cover against ranged projectiles. I wouldn't try and hold the golden
morphing platforms, yes they are higher up, but they are easily broken and it's
just not worth it.
_________________
-Dream Zanarkand-
Tidus' level. Treat this similar to Crystal World. I like to hold the platform
with the sword sticking out of it, it is a nice central position. Not to
mention the sword gives good cover if need be. This is a nice open level, feel
free to BP>HP and Chase all you want. In fact this is a great level for those
reasons. If you hold the centre platform it gives you easy access to any EX
cores, the sword provides good cover and the map itself has few other obstacles
to make chaining easy.
_______________
-Cosmos Shrine-
Pretty much just your basic arena. No good cover of which to speak of
(excepting maybe the shrine itself, but it is not great). A match in the Cosmos
Shrine is going to become about who is better at blocking, there is no scenery
to use to your advantage. Although, the Cosmos shrine is a nice level to play
on if you are just practicing against a character. In the alternate style of
this map, the amount of BRV in the pool is simply double what your character
has. In other words, if you break your opponent with 2000 BRV, the pot will
give you 2000 BRV. If you break your opponent with 7 BRV, the pot will give
you 7 BRV
______________
-Chaos Throne-
A very small arena, no cover at all. Be really careful about your HP attacks
as it is very easy to counterattack (this goes for you and your opponent).
Chaos Place is very vertical, as Zidane, try and use this to your advantage.
Stay in the air above your enemies head, stay in their blind spot. On this
stage, watch out for characters like Jecht who can do great damage at close
range and you won't be able to get away from him. Also watch out for Kuja who
has great range with Snatch Blow which will make it very easy for him to punish
you after a HP attack if you are unlucky enough.
**************
Special Thanks
**************
Dissipedia For its translations of Dissidia which I have used.
Flacord Reading his Garland FAQ inspired me to do a character FAQ as
well and helped me organise the outline of this FAQ.
chocobomog For his tips on Rumble Rush, Swift attack and Shift Break. Also
for his outline on a specific Zidane EX Mode description.
Romulo Azevedo For discovering Vortex-Storm Impulse, Zidane's infinite and
telling me all about it and indicating a strategy to do with
Storm Impulse.
xffixbmlx For discorvering the Vortex Infinite, Rumble Rush Semi-infinite,
another long, effective combo (the "Ehx Combo"), a name for
the wierd dodges ("Return Dodge Cancel"), and volunteering to
be my Co-Author.
**********
Contact Me
**********
If you see anything that I need to fix, if you have any suggestions/strategies
send 'em in, I'll read them and add them to the FAQ.
You can contact myself or my co-author in three ways.
1. Starting a topic "ATTN: mitsumasa/xffixbmlx" on the www.gamefaqs.com
Dissidia forum.
2. E-mailing me at michia8 @ gmail .com
3. E-mailing my Co-Author, xffixbmlx, at [email protected]
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