Hello, and welcome, to one of the many Guilty Gear websites online! This one is meant as a very basic 101 intro to Guilty Gear Strive. For things such as character specific combo's or strategy's, I suggest you look at top players for those characters or their Dustloop
The purpose of this page is to help YOU get better at the game and to make some of the knowledge a bit more digestable, as while the game does have a tutorial mode, it can feel a little lacking, and really only covers Sol Badguy.
Speaking of Sol Badguy this page will also have short covers on each of Strive's characters, which currently is 27 as of A.B.A's release, with new characters already being teased by Arcsys! This won't be super indepth, mostly covering moves, their archtype and a combo or two to get you started.
But enough of a intro, lets get into the first chunk of knowledge, the basics!
Guilty Gear Strive: 101
Controls
Alright, first things first...how do you play? While this can get simple as time goes on, starting out can be a little confusing. So Strive, and Guilty Gear as a whole, has 5 important buttons for attacking. These buttons, which you can switch to whatever specific setup you like, are PUNCH, KICK, SlASH, HEAVY SLASH, and DUST. These are your attacking buttons, and are how you KO your opponent. Using these five, combined with special moves, you will perform devastating combo's. On defense, Strive has standing block and crouching block. Standing block, done simply by holding back (away from your opponent) will protect you against overheads and mids. Crouching block, done by holding down and back (once again away from your opponent), will protect you against lows and mids. Blocking will not protect you against grabbing.
How to understand lingo
Arguably, other then archtypes, learning how people speak about fighting games is a skill that transcends all fighting games. This way of speaking, done in numeric notation of 1-9, is done for both ease of understanding and so that way its the same across all types of controls.
Taking a brief detour to help this lesson make more sense, let's look at Street Fighter's Hadoken. A bread-and-butter part of some character's kits, this simple fireball is done by crouching and rapidly moving the stick to the side and then forward and pressing punch. Now imagine doing that (in your head or physically if that helps), bringing the stick down, moving it forward, and pressing punch. Pretty easy, but describing it how I did can take up a lot of space, so the way you would say it with Fighting NOtation would be 2 (Crouch) 3 (Inbetween state of Crouch and Forward) 6(Forward) P(Punch). Here's a brief list describing what each number means, and a few moves in that notation.
1 - Back-Crouch
2 - Crouch
3 - Forward-Crouch
4 - Back (Away from Opponent)
5 - Neutral (Standing Still)
6 - Forward (Toward's Opponent)
7 - Back-Jump (Back and Up)
8 - Neutral-Jump (Straight Up)
9 - Forward-Jump (Forward and Up)
236P - Hadoken
236P - Gunflame
623S - Volcanic Viper
236K - Bandit Bringer
632146HS - Tyrant Rave
Character Archtypes and You
While archtypes don't affect gameplay, their impact on the characters you pick and will end up liking should be known. Multiple archtypes exist, with each character in Strive slotting into one.
Archtypes and a few example characters, along with a description.
Shoto - Do you want a basic gameplan that involves all of the systems mechanics? Do you want generally all options availiable to you? If so, pick a Shoto. This archtype is often tied towards beginner-friendly characters that have a fireball, DP (name for anti-air), and generally simple combos that focus more on a player's gamesense then the characters strength. Example characters - Ky Kiske, Ryu (Street Fighter)
Rushdown - Rushdown is often called brainless, simple, and idiotic by people who are bad, when in reality, offense often requires just as much brain and skill as defense. Rushdown characters employ a all-or-nothing gameplan, often having lacking defensive features in return for strong offensive features. Example characters - May, I-NO, Chipp Zanuff, Milia Rage.
Zoner - The polar opposite of Rushdown, at least in terms of where you're attacking, zoners focus on keeping their opponents a certain length away, usually screen's length. They are often frail with poor close range options to make up for this. Example characters - Asuka R., Axl Low.
Big Bodies - These characters are big, heavy (fat), can take a hit, and hit like a atomic bomb if given a chance. However, getting that chance can be difficult due to their slow speed. Play these characters if you like sitting and waiting for your chance. Example characters - Goldlewis, Bedman?
Puppet - Ok these characters are hard. They're a very commitment heavy choice due to the fact that you have to control 2 characters at once. There is one puppet character to Strive's name, the ellusive head of the Assassin Orginazation and revenenat, ZATO-1, with his good pal Eddie as his puppet. Example Characters - ZATO-1
Grapplers - While every can grab, grapplers have grabs that give them the most reward. These are often close to Big Bodies, but can sometimes be known as 'Pixie Grapplers', a grappler that is small and quick. Example Characters - Potemkin
These are just a few archtypes, primarily the ones actually in Strive, but knowing these archtypes can often help you get in a player's gameplan or a character's weakpoints. As well, don't take these as some ironclad law for what characters you should and shouldn't play. Even if you're a beginner you can play ZATO-1, even if you like Rushdown you may end up liking a Big Body, always try out a character if they interest you.
Roman Cancels
Imagine this, you are hitting your opponent, but you can't chain it into a full combo. If only you could...good news! Roman Cancels exist! Roman Cancels are done by hitting either the Roman Cancel keybind on your controller of choice or 3 attack buttons at once (Slash, Punch, Heavy Slash). Now, there are three types of Roman Cancel, and I'm going to briefly describe them.
Yello Roman Cancel - The defensive option, this Roman Cancel is used when you activate Roman Cancel as a opponent is hitting you and you're blocking. This will push the opponent away and give you a chance to breathe.
Blue Roman Cancel - The neutral option, Blue Roman Cancel doesn't have anything special tied to it, but you can still do everything you can do in Red Roman Cancel in it.
Red Roman Cancel - The aggressive option, Red Roman Cancel is all about turning your stray hits into full on combos. This roman cancel blasts out a shockwave (similar to YRC) that knocks up the opponent, allowing you to hit them with a full combo. However, this combo will have higher scaling, basically meaning you won't hit them as hard as opposed to a normal combo.
Now all Roman Cancels cost 50% of your Tension meter, which can be found on the lower left & right side of the screen, depending on what side you are on.
Burst, and the art of not dying
So, the opponet has you in a combo and they've been hitting you for a very, very long time. Whaddya do? Simple! You burst. Now burst will cause your character to become completely invincible and unleash a shockwave that will knock your opponent away and back into neutral. There is a second type of burst, called Gold Burst, that you can do in neutral and not being hit, with Blue Burst being the one that happens when you're hit. Gold Burst gives you meter, while Blue Burst gives you safety.
Burst Meter N U
Now, as of season 3, there are more options for you to do with your burst meter. This is important to know, as it gives you more offensive and defensive options. These two options are WIld Assault (WA) and Deflect Shield (DS). Wild Assault, done with 236D/Quarter Circle Forward Dust (remember Lingo) with their being 3 different colors that have their own properties. Deflect Shield is the defensive option and is done with 214D or quarter circle back dust. I will be putting each characters Wild Assault type in their overview, but right now I will describe them as such.
White Wild Assault - Grants you strike invicibility from Frame 9 (don't worry about that) onwards. Knocks the opponent away, and inflicts guard crush on block.
Orange WIld Assault - Fast start up, makes it nice for combos, and knocks the opponent away if you charge it (Hold D)
Blue Wild Assault - Inflicts stagger on a uncharged ground hit and guard crush on block, giving you some nice situations eitherway.
Tension Gauge, or how you got your overdrive back
As you play a match of Strive, over time you are going to build Tension Gauge. THis guage is found on the lwoer left if you're Player 1, and lower right if you're Player 2. This gauge has 2 pips, one at 50% and one at 100%. This guage lets you Roman Cancel and do your character's strongest move, Overdrive. These moves cost 50% meter, or in some cases 100%, and do a lot of damage or put you in a advantageous state. I'm going to be mentioning a character's Overdrive in their section.
Character Info
Lovingly Latched-on Homunculus
Intro
The deadly duo of A.B.A and Paracelsus is back, with a new look of course! A.B.A's jealous nature in regards to Paracelsus is shown to it's full extent with her new form, Jealous Rage. She is a brawler-rushdown type character, with the player having to master her Jealous Rage gauge and their ability to actually get in said form if they wish to win, if they can manage this however; explosive damage and speed awaits them.
Specials
214HS - Bonding and Dissolving: A.B.A stabs Paracelsus forward, on block it guard crushes, leaving A.B.A + and setting up pressure. On hit, it switches A.B.A in and out of Jealous Rage.
63214P - Changing and Swayiny: A.B.A switches in and out of Jealous Rage, this move is dangerous to use in neutral, as it puts A.B.A in counterhit, though she can cancel into it from normals.
214K - Haul and Heed: A special dash, Haul and Heed has upper body invincibility, letting her go through highs. This is a pretty useful move, as without it A.B.A is painfully slow. In Jealous Rage the move goes farther and faster.
236K - Intertwine and Tilt: A low-crushing hopkick, A.B.A can use this move in conjuction with Haul and Heed to fake out the opponent. In Jealous Rage it goes from a mid to a overhead. On hit this move can have devastating effects, often leading into a powerful combo.
236S - Menace and Groan: An advancing mid rekka, theres not a lot to note about M&G, though it is a safe blockstring ender due to it's speed. In Jealous Rage it becomes even faster.
6S during Menace and Groan - Restriction and Constraint: The finisher to Menace and Groan, this low-hitting combo ender gives a very nice knockdown on hit. It gives A.B.A so much advantage on hit that you can use Changing and Swaying and still have time to set up a new gameplan. On block the move can be a death sentence due to how disadvantageous it is.
214S - Frenzy and Astonishment: A.B.A braces herself with Paracelsus, allowing her to absorb a hit. If she does so she will gain a meaty chunk of Jealous Rage's gauge. Be careful about using this move again and again, as your opponent can still cancel their move as normal, but you can PRC to cut the recovery and counterattack.
623H - Judgement and Sentiment (referred to as Danzai in the community): ONLY IN JEALOUS RAGE. A.B.A performs a powerful 2 hit swing, gaining armor, guard-crushing, plus on block, and doing insane damage. This move does it all, need a combo-ender? Danzai. Neutral? Danzai. Need a meal? You could probably Danzai something up. Wife left? Danzai.
632146HS - The Law is Key, Key is King: A short-ranged reversal super, TLIK-KIK has its flaws and benefits. In Jealous Rage it can be a gamble of a combo-ender, due to it taking ALL of your Jealous Rage but doing nice damage. Outside of Jealous Rage it builds up your meter and switches you into Jealous Rage. If you whiff the first hit you will die. On wall-splat end with your other super or Bonding and Dissolving.
632146K - Keeper of The Key: A projectile super, A.B.A stabs Paracelsus into the ground and opens a door beneath her opponent's feet. It is guranteed to come out one super flash happens, giving it some use as a long-range reversal I guess. In Jealous Rage is summons additional projectiles.
Wild Assault Color: Blue
Free-form Tricky Spinner
Intro
Specials
236S/H or 214S/H - Stop and Dash: Bridget throws out her yo-yo and depending on if you did 236 or 214, it hits as you send it out or as it comes back. On the ground it's a pretty low reward poke (in regards to 236), setting up the yo-yo for your other specials. In the air 236 is unique as it has a form that travels perfectly horizontal. 214 has a much shorter return time and is used for Okizeme (knockdown pressure).
214K - Rolling Movement: When Bridget's yo-yo is out she can do this move to fly towards it. This is more of an experiment type of tool rather then on I can just tell you how to use it, due to it's potential to mix-up, fill combo's, or make Bridget incredibly hard to nail down.
623P - Starship: Bridget's DP (Dragon Punch), like all DP's that are worth something it is invincible on startup, but can be thrown. It has nice forward momentum but short range. If all hits connect it is Bridget's highest damage move, but doesn't offer much in terms of Okizeme and pressure.
236K - Kickstart My Heart: Bridget zoom's forward, using her yo-yo's as rollerblades. Kickstart My Heart is a combination of approach and oki-setup, and has a P and K startup, with P sending out a fast-moving projectile, and K sending Bridget flying forward.
j.236K - Roger Dive: While in the air Bridget slam's down with Roger the Bear, her trusty companion. Due to Bridget still having control and carrying her horizontal momentum she can make anti-airing this move incredibly difficult. It's pretty safe on block unless you drop the bear on their head, but a ready opponent can make swift work of this move.
63214P - Rock The Baby: Slow command grab, used in pressure. Pretty simple, can be special cancelled into,
632146S - Loop The Loop: Combo ending overdrive, if you roman cancel this move Roger will continue his own attack, giving you some interesting oppurtunities to mixup.
632146HS - Return of The Kiling Machine: Anti-zoning and whiff punishing, has incredibly high projectile prio, hard knockdown on hit. Use this to polietly tell a zoner to rope.
Wild Assault Color: Blue
Sweet Daydream Bullet Train
Intro
Specials
236S or 236H - Miss Charlotte - A standard weak projectile with a strong homing effect. The S version is faster while the H version is stronger, granting you more advantage on hit.
214K - Miss Charlotte(Out for Repair) - Bolt forwrd with extreme speed, stronger the farther away you are. Can be used as a command dash if you want. Can go as high as +3 if spaced out correectly, or as low as -8.
214H - Bomb-Bomb Chocolat: Okizeme tool, pressure reset, and a callout tool. Sets up some of Elphelt's best pressure but I wouldn't reccomend pulling it out on block.
214S - Here I Go!: Begins or resets Chain Lollipop, Elphelt's rekka state, also known as blender hell by your opponent.
P During Chain Lollipop - Up High!: Overhead mixup and frametrap tool during Chain Lollipop, if the opponent crouch blocks it creates a small enough gap to frametrap and put your opponent back in blender hell. If used as a finisher (if done two times in a row or used after Down Low!) launches the opponent on final hit.
K During Chain Lollipop - Down Low!: Low mixup and combo tool, finisher version (If canceled into from Up High! or Down Low!) launches the opponent.
H During Chain Lollipop - Nailed It!: Pressure ender and corner knockdown confirm during Chain Lollipop,, Up High! and Down Low! are pretty unsafe, so using Nailed It! is going to be your most common pick, as well it's damage and knock down is pretty nice in the corner.
632146H - Juganto da parfeo: Slow but-long ranged invulnerable reversal super AND combo ender. Pretty nice to have.
236236K - Bomb-Bombnnière: Command grab super, sets up a boosted mixup or can be used as a combo confirm, if you got that fucking dog in you. If you're just a bit kooky or something. It explodes after 81frames (a little over a second), even if Elphelt is hit.
Wild Assault Color: Blue
Almight All-rounder
Intro
Specials
236S - Stunedge: A basic fireball. Does what it says on the tin, puts the opponent in Shock State, a effect that gives Ky's specials varying effects.
236H - Charged Stunedge: Ky's oki tool after a knockdown, Charged Stunedge (CSE) is a huge multi-hitting projectile that gives a ton of advantage on hit. This allows Ky to further pressure and mixup his opponent.
j.236S or j.236H - Aerial Stunedge: Aerial version of Stunedge that is used to call out an aerial opponent or keep an opponent on the ground.
236K - Stun Dipper: A fast sliding attack that knocks the opponent down, due to Ky's height during the attack it can low-profile most highs. Does a bit more damage in Shock State with better frame data.
214K - Foudre Arc: A slow flying kick with a nice arc, a great combo tool due to it's carry potential and knockdown, if you're goated you can use it to call out jumps, and a way to reset pressure with Shock State. Don't use it recklessly, as a opponent with eyes can counterhit you very easily.
623S or 623H - Vapor Thrust: Ky's DP, a rising slash that hits very hard. Does most DP things, like invicibility to strikes and weak to throws.
214S - Dire Eclat: Ky's main combo ender, this knocks the opponent down and puts them in Shock State so it's pretty friggin good.
632146H - Ride The Lighting: Ky becomes a moving ball of death and charges forward, carrying his opponent to the corner and breaking the wall. Can do insane damage when combined with Shock State.
236236P - Sacred Edge: It's a super projectile...thats kinda it. It's big and very advantageous on block.
214214H - DRAGON INSTALL: Ok this makes Ky a cool character straight up. Makes off his moves either multi-hitting or gain special properties. As a trade off this move is only availiable when Ky is at low health and removes his ability to inflict Shock State. Roll the dice and become cool.
Wild Assault Color: Orange
Relentless Girl
Intro
Specials
[4]6S or [4]6H - Mr. Dolphin: Hell. That is what this move is. May's specialality, after a brief charge she charges forward on a dolphin, promising pain and misery to all she hits. You can press P to have May instantly hop off Mr Dolphin and enter recovery or hit K and have her jump off and get air-options the moment she becomes controllable.
[2]8S or [2]8 H - Mr. Dolphin: Hell but vertical. A good anti-air, with the H version working as a combo-extender.
623K - Overhead Kiss: May's command grab. It's a command grab. Nothing to see here.
214P or 214K - Arisugawa Sparkle: May summons her second foul imp, a cute little feller named Mr. Arisugawa, to hit a ball at her opponent. The K and P version have different angles, and is useful as a meaty.
236236S - Great Yamada Attack: A big ass whale, used as a punish, but it can whiff in certain areas so be careful. Will explode anyone with bad guts.
632146H - The Wonderful and Dynamic Goshogawara: This is May's only reversal. You heard that right. It's also pretty useful at forcing a wall-break so ignore it being your only reversal and use it offensively.
Wild Assault Color: Orange
The Noble Vampire Samurai
Intro
Specials
IMPORTANT NOTE: HEY SO NAGO IS A VAMPIRE RIGHT? SO HIS SPECIALS MAKE HIM GET HUNGRY FOR BLOOD. GET TOO HUNGRY AND YOU LOSE. CONTROL YOU RHUENGR BY USING YOUR SLASH AND HEAVY SLASH NORMALS. YOU WILL LOSE IF YOU FILL YOUR BLOOD GAUGE.
236K or 214K - Fukyo: An amazing command dash, Fukyo plays a important part in Nago's kit by giving him movement and combos, along with punishes.
236S - Zarameyuki: Nago spits out a clone that is like the best counter-zoning option in the game due to it's projectile prio. You can also use it to pressure your opponent and make your way in.
214H - Kamuriyuki: LET IT FUCKING RIP. Nago becomes a beyblade and does everything. Legit, pressure, combos, closing space, building a house, special cancelable, it does it all.
623H - Shizuriyuki: Nago's DP, but not really a DP. It's actually a two-hit rekka that is an amazing combo tool and roundstart option.
623P - Bloodsucking Universe: Nago's command grab, and it is literally the best besides the guy who is just a command grab. This grab empties the blood gauge and HEALS Nago. It also deals pretty good damage...I don't know why.
Blood Rage: If you get in this you fucking lose. Gives you access to a special overdrive, but you'll probably be dead eitherway.
632146S - Wasureyuki: Invincible overdrive, takes away some of your blood gauge. If it hits up close it goes into a cinematic, and if you hit with the tip of your blade it just launches your opponent.
632146H - Zansetsu: You know when you shit yourself at Taco Bell and they give you free food as some type of peace offering? That's this move. Nago does a fuck-off baseball bat swing that can be easily blocked and prays to god the opponent doesn't do that and if it all goes well he leaves Blood Rage.
Wild Assault Color: White
A Ending Note
So you've made it to the end. I hope you've enjoyed this little website and learned something to help you on your journey! Below this paragraph you're gonna see two links, one to dustloop, a more extensive and proffessional look at ALL the characters in Guilty Gear, and Guilty Gear's official lore wiki. While this website can help you with the basics, Dustloop will help you truly master you character, with a majority of the info from this site gained from Dustloop.
