The Cloud of Darkness is one of the villains fighting for the side of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. She is an entity that appears when the balance between light and darkness is disturbed, and tries to pull the world into the Void. She hovers like a cloud, and attacks with the tentacles wrapped around her body. Cloud of Darkness allies herself with Kefka, Exdeath, and Kuja in her attempts to destroy everything and return the world to darkness. Her rival is the young Onion Knight, whose wish to protect his friends piques her interest.
While the Onion Knight was her rival in the original Dissidia, her main rival in the 012 storyline was Laguna.
Cloud of Darkness's appearance is based on her Amano artwork, depicting her with pale skin and a red and black cloak attached to her wrists. Black and red coverings adorn her body, including her breasts and hips, and two mouthed tentacles extend from her back.
Cloud of Darkness's first alternate outfit, "Dark Robe," recolors her cape blue. Her EX Mode in this outfit is changed to a bright orange and yellow form with blue markings along her legs, reflecting her NES sprite while invincible.
Cloud of Darkness's second alternate outfit, "Lucent Robe," has an overall lighter appearance. Her cape is white, and her tentacles are a more pale yellow and lack faces. Her body coverings also change to black, white and various shades of purple, and she has several loops of beads along her legs. In this outfit her EX Mode colors her body coverings gold and different shades of white, and gives her red markings on her skin.
Her manikin version, Counterfeit Wraith, is green.
Battle[]
In battle, Cloud of Darkness' fighting style is Bane of Life, as she uses a wide array of powerful energy beam attacks to drain the opponent's HP, and has the most HP attacks of any character. Her Bravery attacks are limited to attacks of her tentacles, which can attack in one of three ways according to when the circle button is pressed a second time while attacking. Though limited, her Bravery attacks are still very formidable. Her HP attacks cover a wide variety of tactical options and can hit across multiple ranges and altitudes. A drawback is that she moves a bit slowly, and her reliance on HP attacks can leave her vulnerable to counterattacks before she can recover her Brave
Brave Attacks
Name
Type
Description
Tentacle of Pain
Ground
Cloud of Darkness uses her tentacles to attack. Depending on the timing (timing can be determined by a "whipping" sound effect) that the player presses the O button, she can follow up with one of three different attacks:
Immediate: Lash out to strike opponent multiple times. Can start a chase
2 Whips: Strike opponent with tentacles to knock them away.
3 Whips: Conjure several dark energy bolts above opponent.
Tentacle of Spite
Ground
Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses O (timing can be determined by a "whipping" sound effect), effect changes:
Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent twice.
2 Whips: Strike opponent and knock them back. Can Wall Rush for extra damage
3 Whips: Conjure several dark energy orbs that spread out and fire at opponent.
Tentacle of Scorn
Aerial
Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses O (timing can be determined by a "whipping" sound effect), effect changes:
Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent once. Can Wall Rush
2 Whips: Infuse tentacles with dark energy and spin then horizontally over a wide area.
3 Whips: Fire a large orb of dark energy that stuns opponent. Staggers if blocked
Tentacle of Suffering
Aerial
Cloud of Darkness uses her tentacles to attack. Depending on the timing (timing can be determined by a "whipping" sound effect) that the player presses O she can follow up with one of three different attacks:
Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent. Can start chase mode
2 Whips: Whirl tentacles through in a sphere, striking multiple times.
3 Whips: Fire two orbs of dark energy at opponent.
HP Attacks
Name
Type
Description
[Anti-Air] Particle Beam
Ground
Summon four energy orbs around you that fire beams of energy into the air.
[Long-Range] Particle Beam
Ground
Sends out a line of energy beams that pursue the opponent.
[Wide-Angle] Particle Beam
Ground
Sends out a wall of energy to attack the opponent. Can Wall Rush for extra damage
[Feint] Particle Beam
Ground
Disappears underground and then pops up to fire a blast of energy. Cannot be damaged while underground
[Wrath] Particle Beam
Ground/ Aerial
Guard and summon an energy orb below opponent that fires a beam of energy upwards. Can block some attacks.
Aura Ball
Aerial
Sends out a large orb of energy, can send out up to five by holding down the square button. Release to make the orbs explode
[Fusillade] Particle Beam
Aerial
Sends balls of energy out to bombard the opponent from multiple directions
[0-Form] Particle Beam
Aerial
Uses a large, short ranged, beam of energy to attack. Can Wall Rush for extra damage
EX Mode - Flood of Darkness
Name
Type
Description
Regen
EX Ability
Recovers HP over time during EX Mode.
Critical Boost
EX Ability
Doubles Critical Hit Rate while in EX Mode
Null Particle Beam
EX Ability
Reduces the cooldown from her attacks when attacking with HP attacks
Ultra Particle Beam
EX Burst
Requires the player to hold down O to charge a bar up to 120% in order to damage the enemy severely with her signature attack, Particle Beam. Releasing the button too late will result in the bar dropping to 80% and a weaker attack.
Equipment[]
Cloud of Darkness can equip Rods, Staves, Thrown Weapons, Poles, Whips, Scythes, Bangles, Rings, Hats, Hairpins, Clothing, Robes, and Female Exclusive Equipment.
