Summon Board Passive selections:
Odin choose 3 / 6 / 7
Bahamut choose 4 / 6 / 7
Usuals:
Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Brothers 4 / 5 / 7
Leviathan, Pandemonium, Diabolos, Alexander 4 / 5 / 6
For more details and help with summons, check Summon Hub!
Additional Weapons
Crimson Edge: Dispels 1 buff from enemy when dealing a critical hit
Acquire through Item Exchange > Power Token Exchange
Manikin Weapon: Adds S1 40% BRV gain & S2 BRV DMG +10%
Acquire by finishing Act 2, Chapter 5 and going to Chapter 5.8
Acquire through Item Exchange > Power Token Exchange
Dissidia NT Weapon: S1 & S2 BRV DMG +10%
Acquire through Item Exchange > Power Token Exchange
A Sphere - Focus on boosting his ATK and/or BRV DMG. Those are his big key stats, there are plenty of choices, so click the A sphere link to find which are possible for you. Certainly his own is absolutely premium for himself, but you may want to use it on a faster speed damage dealer.
D Sphere - Focus boosting party ATK, don’t worry about anything else. Any ATK sphere outside of Wakka is great. If you really don’t have any, you can opt for someone like Ramza, boosting mBRV & iBRV.
E Sphere - These are tricky. Avoid any 3T debuffing spheres. Seymour’s is absolutely the best choice, or you can opt for any 6T debuffing spheres if you want. Fujin’s is good on him, but generally it belongs on someone else perhaps. Avoid debuff inflicting spheres as you may inadvertently push off paralysis accidentally in certain team comps.
Cloud’s kit is loaded with utility, be sure to buy Crimson Edge from the Weapon Shop and MLB it so he can also dispel for some added utility!
Cross Slash+ (S1) is great for paralysis and should always be active thanks to his LD extension.
Finishing Touch (S2) is your bread & butter high damage + launch, excellent with a post-turn battery for his burst phase.
Meteorain (EX) is up after just 1 skill use thanks to Cloud’s slow speed, it's solid damage and can help take advantage of his Cross Slash splash leaving other enemies open to launch in his burst phase. In Burst phase, use it on the other enemy that wasn't targeted by Finishing touch to add some launching spice!
Use Blade Beam (LD) for clutch AoE shaving as well as a big delay. There’s no buff or debuff attached to it, so use it whenever you need it, but plan to spend your next turn using Finishing Touch for the free skill.
Omnislash (BT) skill order should alternate free S2 uses to maximize launches. If you use S2 on target A, aim your next attack at target B to launch & repeat. Feel free to use LD before phase for the free skill use!
S2 -> S1 -> LD -> S2 -> S2 -> EX -> Finisher
Saintly Fervor (FR) delays enemies and launches the target because cool guys don't look at explosions. A very strong starting FR as it asks for:
Critical BRV DMG on turn: +45% (Attacking a broken target is always a crit)
Attacking a stunned enemy on turn: +30% (his S1+ paralyze, but others work)
On top of a 50% HP DMG & Limit boost when dealing critical hits.
If you push off Cloud’s buffs, just make sure they’re being replaced with better ones or that the team has premium auras (ATK +100% / Imperil + Enchant, etc)
Cloud can actually pair up will with Dorgann and Iris/Sephiroth as his skills are mainly Single Target and he launches often meaning he can consistently trigger 2 Image Slashes per turn.
Otherwise, other units that support launches or like them pair well with him including Quistis to ensure that enemies are pushed back enough for both allies to join in launches at all times.
BRV Attack+ Up (from character board)
HP Attack+ Up (from character board)
Jarring Blow
Note, those listed below aren’t bad, just not as useful, remove them if you still need more CP space
Mako Might (make sure to keep this equipped to your friend unit, and also to your own Cloud if you are using him as a call!)
DEF passives
Smash Attack Up
Cross-Slash Attack Up