Games
Get ready to clash weapons with the fiercest warriors in the land.
A hero desires a sword, a sword desires truth, and new players desire the means to wield the sword. It has been six years since we were last graced with a numbered instalment to the Soulcalibur series and a lot has changed since then.
There are new mechanics, new warriors and new foes to fight online and off. It might be your first time dipping your toe in the waters of Soulcalibur, or you may be a returning player looking to brush up on your knowledge before returning. No matter which you are, we’ve got you sorted with these handy tips.
Explore the cast
Soulcalibur VI has an extensive and diverse cast that spans the entire series. Each character offers unique abilities and mechanics that fit their playstyle. While it’s possible to play any of the cast in any way you feel like, it’s important to note that each individual fighter has their own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Maxi is an absolute monster up close and his perpetually flickering nunchucks allow for some tricky mix ups and an oppressive offence. Conversely, characters like Kilik dominate the mid-range with slower and further reaching attacks. It might take some time to find the perfect fit, but when you do there’ll be no stopping you.
Learn from the annals of history with Combat Lessons
When you’ve finally landed on a character that you enjoy, you’ll want to find out more about their capabilities and how best to use them. This is where the combat lessons come in. Within Soulcalibur VI’s Museum you can find Combat Lessons that will give you a breakdown of your characters for beginners all the way up to masters. As Soulcalibur VI lacks anything in the way of individual character tutorials, these will be a godsend for people trying to find out more about their character.
Learn the basics and develop your abilities
No matter what character you choose, there are some options that are widely available to a majority of the cast and the understanding that lies beneath is always the same. Using your quick horizontal string (AA) will always challenge an opponent trying to walk around you and usually work as your fastest move to test if an opponent’s attacks are unsafe when blocked. You can stop opponents from walking backwards and trying to create space with your vertical strings (BB). Then you have the kick moves, while they aren’t quite as popular for some characters there are a few that make great use of these moves to jump over lows or duck under highs. And finally there are break attacks and unblockable attacks. Both of these attacks will blow through your opponent’s attempts to guard impact or reversal edge. Their inputs may vary across the cast, although every character has a generic break attack performed by pressing horizontal and vertical at the same time (A+B), but their striking fire/lightning visual effects are unmistakable. As you develop your abilities, you’ll find the perfect timing to use these moves and start to limit your opponent’s options and scare them into risky playstyles that will cost them dearly.
Freedom of movement is important, especially online
Unlike Namco Bandai’s other 3D fighter, Tekken, Soulcalibur VI players have the ability to move in eight directions. That means you can move towards and to the right of a fighter, back and to the left, and just backwards. There are plenty of directions that you can step and run in that will open up the fight. With these added movement options also comes a complex set of notation when you dig a little deeper online. That means when you go to check online there might be a distinct lack of arrows. Instead you’ll be greeted with a series of numbers that are based on the notation of a computer’s number pad, i.e. five would mean that there is no directional input as that number corresponds with the centre of a number pad.
Take it to the training room
Like all good fighters, Soulcalibur VI has an in-depth training room for you to test your ideas. Within the training room you can set your opponents to react to your attacks when blocked or when they hit. It’s also a good opportunity to look at your move list to find and play around with the example combos. From there you can start to build your own combos and set-ups while checking just how much damage is possible.
Guard Impact can be crucial
One of the most unique mechanics within Soulcalibur is Guard Impact (GI). Players have the ability to deflect incoming attacks by pressing forward and the guard button. Some moves even have the ability to parry attacks incoming that are signified by a green flash. When you have successfully Guard Impacted an opponent they have the opportunity to Guard Impact you back, it’s called a Reverse Impact. With all these options, you’ll find that there is a complex series of mind games that revolve around baiting your opponent to try and GI you back and then punishing them for doing so. On top of that there are also three different varieties of Guard Impact that depend on the attack you GI that allow for different follow ups.
Be wary of ring outs
One thing that Soulcalibur VI is renowned for is its ring outs. With tight encroaching ledges, you’re always on the precipice of defeat, no matter how much health you have. So you’ll always have to be aware of your positioning and you opponent’s moves. Characters like Zasalamel have attacks that can instantly ring you out. Even something as simple as a back grab can prove lethal. So, when your opponent is against the wall you might want to hedge your bets on always escaping the back grab by pressing back and any button, even if it means you’ll eat the front grab time after time, as well as being mindful of what attacks your opponent might be looking to hit you with.
Keep an eye out for precise inputs
Every so often you’ll see you or your opponent flash white. This signifies that something has been performed with precise timing. For characters attacking, it means that the properties of their attack has changed due to very precise inputs and will change how you should respond if blocked or will add a load of damage to a combo if you are Nightmare, Maxi, Kilik, Zasalamel, or the rest of the cast. These moves are often noted on the move list with “precise timing”, but not all moves will tell you – resulting in some secret just frame moves. Conversely, if you are blocking and your character flashes white, that means you have performed a Perfect Guard (PG). Perfect guarding reduces the damage to your block gauge and increase the amount of meter gain you get when blocking an attack. While performing a PG can prove tricky at first, it will soon prove integral to netting that extra bit of damage and ensuring that you take the minimal amount of guard damage.
Learn how to use your meter
All fighting games that rely on meter have some sort of meter management as part of its meta and Soulcalibur VI is no different. The whole cast can use meter to perform Critical Edges, the Soulcalibur VI equivalent of an ultimate attack, for extra damage or to enter a Soul Charged state to unlock their potential. A few characters, like Yoshimitsu, can even use their meter to enhance their attacks, similar to the Brave Edge mechanic from Soulcalibur V. Finding the right time to use these attacks is a key factor in high level play. Stuff like breaking up your opponent’s attack pattern by Soul Charging in the middle is a great way to reset the situation and give yourself some breathing room, as an additional bonus you even get a free Critical Edge when Soul Charged. Alternatively you can use your Critical Edge to stack on additional damage to your combos or to punish a missed attack. There’s a lot of diversity in meter use and knowing that you’ll get an extra bar of meter when your opponent is one round away from victory will all play a massive part in how you use your resources.
Predict your opponent’s move with Reversal Edge
One of the most interesting additions to Soulcalibur VI next to Soul Charge is Reversal Edge. A well timed Reversal Edge will absorb any incoming attacks and instigate a cinematic clash. Within this clash you’ll be able to input a plethora of different options. Each option has its own benefits with A beating sidesteps, B beating opponents stepping back, inputting forward ducking under A, and so on. If you and your opponent input the same attack you will be tossed in to a second round, doing so again will favour the instigator of the Reversal Edge. Thankfully Reversal Edges are very linear and slow, meaning that if you catch one with a quick attack you can still walk around it on reaction. Learning the best approach to utilise Reversal Edges will come down to your opponent, and with so many options at your disposal there will never be an entirely wrong answer if you get hit. It’s all about predicting your opponent.
Break your opponent’s guard
Just like we’ve broken down the absolute basics of Soulcalibur, you can also break down guards. Bit by bit you’ll notice your opponent’s health gauge start to change colour, building towards a flashing red state. With every missed Guard Impact and Reversal Edge, you’ll notice that the gauge will grow weaker. When the gauge is at its weakest you’ll be able to press the offence and break your opponent’s guard with a quick series of attacks or one of your many break attacks, from there you can get a massive combo.
And there you have it. It won’t be long before you're climbing the ranks and giving your friends a run for their money. You can even use these tips to blow through the Libra of Souls mode with your very own character and unlock the many endings of Soulcalibur VI’s story. Get fightin’.
Soulcalibur VI is hitting PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 19.