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Kamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehamehameha!
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Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Comprehensive Combat Guide
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by Sean Langhi ("Fishbulbhead") Copyright 2007 Sean Langhi
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Version 1.02. Date 5/1/07.
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Table of Contents
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I. Introduction and Overview
II. Fighting Basics
1. Melee & Ki fighting
2. Blast Attacks
3. Fun with MAX POWER mode
4. Miscellaneous topics
III. Advanced Knowledge, Tips, Applications, & Strategies
IV. Z-items and Evolution Z
V. Contact, Copyrights, & Other Information
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I. Introduction and Overview
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Hello to all you readers. This is an apparently much-needed guide to the
incredibly deep fighting system of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2. While
this FAQ is written using the default controls for the Wii version (that's the
Wii-Mote and Nunchuk), the strategies and tips apply to the PS2 version as well
(I think).
A few notes:
- I'm assuming you people know how to hold the Wii Remote, plug in the Nunchuk,
and the like. I won't waste your time telling you how to do that sort of
thing.
- This FAQ is written to help people learn the ins and outs of the fighting
system. I'm not going to provide a walkthrough of the story mode or any kind
of character list.
- While I won't list all of the Z-items (some of you know them as Potaras), I
will occasionally reference the effect of certain items in battle. In these
cases, I will cite the Z-item referenced.
What to expect from this guide:
As you read this, you'll find that my writing doesn't comply with most FAQ
conventions. That's not to say that the information in this document isn't
organized, but I've done away with things like a separate controls section.
The flow of the guide is such that I'll introduce a technique in the Basics
section and tell you the controls and timing for it in addition to anything else
you may need to know. The Advanced section tells you more details as well as
how
to apply all these techniques.
I present a LOT of information for what may be a relatively simple technique.
This is because many hours (probably too many hours) of experience have taught
me intricacies of the fighting system that will make you, the reader, a better
fighter more quickly if I spare you the time needed to discover them for
yourself.
But enough talk - on with the guide.
One more note: If you're already proficient in the game but want to know how
to get better, or are just looking for knowledge that will give you the upper
hand, read the Basics section anyway. You might learn something useful that you
didn't already know.
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II. Fighting Basics / Terminology
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Format (vaguely):
Term/move: definition.
Controls and timing.
How it works/additional information.
Subtopics (always indented).
I'll start with the first things a beginner should know and move on to the hard
stuff later. I assume no prior knowledge. I'd also like to make it known that
this whole guide is meant to be read from top to bottom at least once, but you
can
later reference it like an encyclopedia of combat. Also, if you see any topic
or
idea I mention that I haven't already explained, rest assured it will soon be
covered in detail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melee & Ki fighting
Lock-on: You start the battle without a Lock-on. This means that you have
free, eight-direction movement with limited automatic camera control and no way
to
monitor the other fighter. This is bad if you want to actually do damage to
your opponent and not get pummeled. To do so, you must (gasp!) LOCK ON to
them. Having a Lock-on keeps the camera to the side of your character and
pointed towards the enemy.
To perform a Lock-on, press and hold Up on the Wii-mote's D-pad.
While you are holding Up on the D-pad, your character will look around and try
to find the opponent. The longer you hold Up, the farther and wider your
search area expands. You can't lock on before the battle has started (the
announcer will say "Fight").
Factors of Lock-on: How successful you are varies depending on a number of
factors. It takes much longer to lock on if the enemy is farther away. Also,
if
the other character is not directly in front of you, you must wait for your
searching area/field of view to expand to the full 360 degrees or to whatever
their relative angle is. If the two fighters get close enough to enter close-
range combat mode (Close-combat mode), both will lock on automatically, but
maybe
with some delay if one snuck up on the other.
Lock-on types: The most significant factor when locking on is your
particular fighter's Lock-on type. There are three types of Lock-ons: Z-type,
Scouter, and Android. Z-type cannot search through cover, so if you're
against anyone with a Z-type lock and you run behind a building or rock, jump
off a cliff, etc. (basically, if you leave the area their game camera can see),
then they won't be able to lock on until they stop trying and move where they
can see you. However, fighters with Z-type Lock-on can sense their opponent's
energy and track them on the radar. Scouter type Lock-on is a trait of anyone
with a scouter. For those of you unfamiliar with Dragon Ball lore, a scouter is
that funny visor thing that Frieza's soldiers (either minions or soldier
Saiyans)
wear. It lets you search THROUGH cover and works significantly faster than Z-
type. However, scouters can actually be broken in the heat of battle as the
fighters show more and more levels of dynamic damage. After they're broken, the
Lock-on becomes even slower than Z-type. Finally, Andriod type Lock-on is fast,
sees through cover, and cannot be broken. In addition, none of the androids
appear on radar (discussed later). Only androids and robots have Android type
Lock-on.
Confirmation: Once you lock on, the camera will center on the opposing
fighter and the words "Lock on!" will briefly appear below your fighter's
health and Ki bar.
Breaking a Lock-on: Lock-ons can be broken one of six ways, all discussed
later.
1. Being hit by the final B blow of an Aerial Combo.
2. Being hit by an Ultimate Blast (certain techniques only).
3. Being hit by a Body Strike parry (certain characters only).
4. Being hit by a Kiai Cannon blast (certain characters only).
5. Being hit by a Hyper Smash (certain characters only).
6. Voluntarily canceling your own Lock-on by pressing Analog-Down + D-pad-Up.
Pointer Radar/Enemy Radar: The Pointer Radar is the funny display with green
circles and boxes that appears to the lower right of your screen. It shows the
position of the Wii pointer as well as the remote's measurable distance from
the screen (the size of the circle on the left). If you are too close to the
screen, the circle will be small with no visible space between its four
segments. If you are too far away, it will be zoomed out all the way and the
game will ask you to "please position yourself closer to your television". If
the pointer is off-screen in a direction except off the top, the circle will not
appear unless you are in Blast Input mode (discussed later). (If you are, then
everything will be yellow.) If the pointer IS off the top and you are not in
Blast Input mode, it will appear blue and you will guard (discussed soon). The
boxes indicate what steps of your Blast 2 or Ultimate Blast you've performed
(discussed later). They fill in with yellow as you correctly perform each
motion.
Don't worry if it all sounds really complicated. The display is simple in
practice.
If you press the minus (-) button on the Wii-mote, you can toggle the display
from Pointer Radar to Enemy Radar. This is the actual radar that shows your
position, your field of view (you can watch it expand if you're locking on),
and your enemy's "blip" if you're not locked on (and they're not an android) or
a purple arrow if you are locked on. You can also see the "blips" of any items
that may appear on the map as you wreak havoc on the environment.
Movement:
Regular movement: To move relatively slowly but with some degree of
precision, simply tilt any direction on the analog stick. If you tilt the
stick less, you go slowly. Controls are free, but camera relative, meaning you
can move in any direction based on the way the screen is looking. If you have
a Lock-on, the game will always be looking towards the opponent. In Close-
combat
mode, your character will always be facing the enemy, so you circle directly
around them.
Dash: A dash is a much faster but less precise method of getting around.
The in-game tutorial says, "This technique is very important; please remember
it". It has a good point, since if you can't dash, it will take you several
minutes just to cross the stage, much less react quickly to your enemy's
movements. To dash, snap the Nunchuk down (or up) with your wrist. Your
character will fly at blinding speed in whatever direction you specify with the
analog stick. Your character will soon stop on their own, but you can also
cease
the movement prematurely by snapping the Nunchuk again.
Close-combat movement: In Close-combat mode, movement is totally centered
around your enemy. You are notably slower and more precise.
Evasive maneuvers: If you try to dash to the left, right, or rear in Close-
combat mode, your character will instead do a sidestep, backflip, or something
similar. This is useful for moving just enough to avoid an attack before it's
launched. If you want to dash out of Close-combat or just circle around the
enemy, use a Dragon Dash (discussed later).
Jumping and flying: You'll find that ninety percent of the time, you've
started
flying by accident - if you dash at an enemy who is in the air, start to attack
an
enemy much taller than you, recover from a blow that sent you airborne, or get
picked up and thrown, most every fighter will just stay in the air. To fly
voluntarily, use the C button on the Nunchuk in conjunction with tilting the
extension controller at certain angles. If you have the Nunchuk flat and mostly
parallel to the floor when holding C, your character descends. If you have it
tilted at about a 60-degree angle upwards, you jump (and then land). If you are
on the ground or already jumping and tilt it at about 80 degrees, you fly
straight up and remain airborne. You must actually touch the ground if you wish
to jump again instead of just ascending. Note that you can either hold C and
then move the Nunchuk to control your movements or move the Nunchuk and then
press and release the button.
If you try to fly in Close-combat Mode, you'll do an evasive jump either
above or below your opponent. (If your feet are planted firmly on the ground,
you'll do a regular jump.) While this can be detrimental if you think
you're doing a Ki combo (mentioned later), it's actually useful as a more
reliable and effective evasive technique.
Inability to fly: Some fighters are weak or inexperienced and can't fly.
They tend to flail around to stay airborne but sink slowly anyway, can't charge
Ki
in midair, have trouble guarding when off the ground, and can't descend (they
just
drop straight down if you try). If you stay in the air for any length of time,
you plummet to the ground like a rock. This is bad, since you can't safely
attack
your enemy in the air. However, even these people can fly like normal when
underwater.
A partial list of non-fliers: The flight-challenged characters are usually
the "normal" ones who don't seem like they should be fighting alongside the Z-
fighters. I'm talking about Master Roshi, Hercule, General Tao, Kid Goku, and
Grandpa Gohan, among others.
Close-combat mode: Once the two characters get close enough to each other,
they enter Close-combat mode. This affects movement and enables grabs
(discussed later).
Rush: A rush is your most basic form of attack: a sequence of fast, weak
punches and/or kicks. All characters can perform a rush. (Not to be confused
with a dash.)
To carry out a rush, tap the A button up to five times. Most characters
strike
one blow per button press, but other faster or more powerful fighters strike
several times with each tap.
Once you've caught the opponent in a rush, they are briefly stunned from each
strike and will be unable to move, block, or strike back. Opponents will not be
"caught" if they are Body Striking, charging any attack, under the influence of
Blast 1 charges like Saiyan Soul, or are a Giant (all discussed later).
Rushes are not effective attacks on their own; rather, they are used,
possibly in conjunction with a Step In, to inflict damage and start a combo
before transitioning to a sequenced attack, grab, smash, etc. (all discussed
later).
Matching blows: If two combatants are hitting each other's blows with their
own
of the same type (both rushing at the same time, etc.), the attacks will cancel
out and nobody will sustain any damage.
Smash: You can hold the A button down to charge a powerful attack that will
send the enemy flying away from you with crushing force (if you charge it
enough).
You can aim this attack by inputting a direction on the analog stick before
holding A. You can also replace any hit in a rush with a smash, ending the rush
sequence with style and power.
Guard: Guarding will be your primary method of defense. To guard, move the
cursor off of the top side of the screen or hold Down on the D-pad. I
personally
prefer the D-pad because it's much more reliable and easier to reach.
A guard can be held in conjunction with any of the four cardinal analog
directions to aim your guard in different directions. Most attacks can only be
blocked with a guard if you aim the defense correctly.
A quick reference of how to guard most melee techniques (many discussed
later):
Rushes can be guarded with any direction.
Heavy Finish will shatter any guard.
Flying Kick must be guarded to the top.
Kiai Cannon, when fully charged, is unblockable.
Dash attacks can be guarded in any direction.
Rolling Hammer must be guarded from the left or right, whichever way it
comes. A neutral guard will be shattered, and an incorrect guard will be
ignored.
Smashes must be guarded from whichever direction they come. A neutral guard
will be shattered by a non-neutral smash, a non-neutral guard will be shattered
by
a neutral smash, and a completely incorrect guard (example: blocking left while
an
attack comes from the right) will have no defensive effect.
Dragon Dash Smashes are like smashes.
Hyper Smashes are unblockable.
Lift Strikes and Ground Slashes must be guarded to the bottom. Incorrect
or neutral guards will be broken or ineffective depending on how much the attack
was charged.
If you successfully guard a fully charged Lift Strike, Rolling Hammer, or
smash in the right direction, the opponent will actually bounce off of you and
must recover from the recoil of their own attack. Other blows will simply
inflict
no damage when guarded, but this still leaves the assailant open to attack.
If you're guarding the wrong way, but input the correct direction just
before
the attack hits, your guard will work but won't throw the attacker back (just
like
a normal blow).
Giants' melee attacks cause characters who attempt guard them to become semi-
stunned through their defense and unable to let go of their guard for a moment,
and inflict minor damage through even a successful guard.
If your guard is shattered, you lose a bunch of Ki and need to tap the A
button
a few times to recover. If you end up losing all your Ki, you are stunned and
part of your Ki bar (anywhere from one to three sections, depending on the
character) turns red. You have to mash A to refill the segments before you can
move again.
Power Guard: To do a Power Guard, hold the B button during a regular guard.
This slowly drains Ki, but blocks twice as much damage as normal defense AND can
stop and throw back opponents who charge you head-on with a Rush Blast
(discussed
later). In the case of the latter, your guard will be broken, but the penalty
is
minor.
Reflect Ki: You can guard against Ki blasts normally to reduce some of the
damage, but it's much cooler to actually deflect or even reflect them. To do so
against a stream of weak shots, tap guard right before the first shot reaches
you,
then keep tapping to deflect the rest. Charged shots require more precise
timing,
but you can actually reflect them (send them back) instead of deflect them (swat
them away) if your timing is good enough. You can deflect any shot with no
regards to timing by tapping guard once when dashing (your character goes
through
a whole swat animation), but it leaves you slightly open if you get to the
opponent too soon (they will still be stuck in that darn animation while they're
getting smacked in the face). If an Android tries to reflect Ki from a
standstill, they will actually absorb the Ki blasts instead of reflect them,
adding to their own energy supply.
Blast Attacks, Ki blasts, and some characters' melee attacks inflict a
decreased
amount of damage through guards. While your health can be reduced to 1 with the
"overlap" damage, you can never actually be killed through a guard that hasn't
been broken or penetrated.
Body Strike: If you suddenly press and hold your guard in the middle of a
rush with no analog input, your character will assume a (potentially funny-
looking) stance and your controller will vibrate. This means that they are
poised
an ready to counterattack. Should the opponent try to hit you with a basic
rush,
you will parry their blow and either attempt a grab or strike them with a blow
that will send them flying, possibly breaking their Lock-on.
Important points to note: Some characters who parry with a high-flying
strike may break their enemy's Lock-on. This never happens with characters who
grab after a parry. Additionally, a select few fighters' Body Strikes parry
grabs, not rushes. You can check all this in the Skill List, accessed from the
pause menu.
To recover from a Lift Strike, press Up+Guard to assume a Body Strike stance
that can parry Aerial Combos beginning with the A strike (but not the B heavy).
High-Speed Movement: This is a very difficult, much more advanced form of
defense. You have to guard JUST before an attack reaches you, be it a Blast
1/2/U
or a non-rush physical blow. If your timing is absolutely perfect, your
character will actually teleport out of the way of the attack completely
unharmed. If your enemy ends up swinging or shooting at empty space, you'll be
able to counterattack after you get out of the way. You can use any analog
direction to control where you'll end up; you can stay where you are (analog-
Up), dodge to the side (analog-Side), move a small distance back (analog-Down),
or circle around to your opponent's rear (analog-Side; Close-combat only).
Level 3 computer players (the highest difficulty of AI in the game) seem to love
this technique, so be prepared to connect with an incredibly small percentage of
your attacks if you fight one of them.
You can also teleport to the sides or rear at any time during the middle of a
rush with analog-Guard. Teleporting voluntarily for offensive purposes costs
about one Ki bar. If you're short on Ki, you'll fail to teleport and will be
left
wide open, so be careful.
A few notes about this: The timing is more lenient if you're dashing.
Dragon Dash timing isn't easier like regular dashes, but teleportation is still
possible. You can also teleport while using evasive maneuvers in Close-combat
Mode. Beam-based Blast Attacks are significantly easier to dodge. Rush Blasts
can actually be evaded this way, but timing varies between every single attack,
and it's next to impossible anyway. Particle-based Blast Attacks like Full
Power
Energy Wave Volley and Trap Shooter require you to guard just as the particles
begin to converge directly on your character (it's a little earlier than you
might
think). You may have to teleport twice in sequence to dodge all of the particle
shots. If you've been hit by the first blow(s) of a sequenced attack, you can
still dodge the next/final blow if you focus hard and time it right. An example
of this is if your enemy connects with a Dash Smash, you can teleport out of the
way of the Sonic Impact combo if your timing is exact. With certain Z-items,
you
will be able to do this even if you're stunned, down, or otherwise "out of it".
In MAX POWER mode, certain characters, generally the powerful or energy-based
ones, are able to teleport at will by holding an analog direction and pressing
guard.
Rush attacks/stems/"Signature Attacks": If you press the A button five times
in a rush, your opponent is knocked back a small distance. You have the option
to press the B button in place of any one of the A strikes, possibly with an
analog direction, to launch a special technique sometime in the middle of said
rush. This is the most versatile and interesting part of the melee combat
system,
as the resulting melee attacks, which are powerful and usually the beginning of
a
special combo, may be either fully executed for damage and show or partially
executed and strung together to create expert combos with upwards of thirty
hits.
Every character who can actually perform the "common" techniques (Lift Strike,
Ground Slash, and sometimes Rolling Hammer) has the same button assignments
(Up+B,
Down+B, and sometimes Side+B) for those attacks, but because the other abilities
are sensitive to how many times you pressed the A button for the rush before you
hit the B button, the results of pressing AB, AAB, AAAB, and AAAAB are different
for everyone. To check what your character can do with each input combination,
pause and select the "Check Skill List" option, then scroll down to the
"Signature
Techniques" section. Your character's signature attacks are the first things
listed in that section. Sequenced attack combos are listed lower down.
Heavy Finish: This B attack ends your rush with a heavy punch/kick to the
stomach. Ouch. It leaves your opponent stunned and mashing the A button to
recover. Heavy Finish usually does a lot more damage than the standard rush
hit, especially if it's charged to full power (you can charge this attack). (As
a
note: All attacks charge faster based on the number in the combo hit counter.
If
you've done a longer rush first, the attack will charge significantly faster
than
if you did it almost immediately.) From here, you can either rush again with A
or
execute the Heavy Finish combo.
Heavy Crush: This is the Heavy Finish combo I just mentioned. After
connecting with a Heavy Finish attack, press B for a second heavy blow, B again
for another, and finally A for a crushing attack that sends your opponent
flying away in a low arc. This does a decent amount of damage depending
on the character.
Kiai Cannon: Hold B to charge a wave of solid kinetic energy, then release
the force at your enemy to send them flying away. Some characters who
specialize in Ki or telekinesis, like Tien, can break the recipient's Lock-on
this way.
Kiai Smash: Certain characters can follow up on a full-power Kiai Cannon
by pressing B to teleport right next to the enemy and spike them at a sharp
downward angle. The strength of this attack varies, but it's usually
considerably
powerful.
Note: After the Kiai Smash, if the opponent hits the ground while the
two of you are still within Close-combat range, they will regain their Lock-on
automatically.
Blaster Wave: Sort of like Kiai Cannon, but usually flings the target in a
weak
upward arc and generally deals more damage. Rarely followed up by Kiai Smash,
but
there are exception characters.
Flying Kick: A series of anywhere from two to six fast kicks (it varies
depending on the character) that can hit through a neutral guard, since the
attack
must be guarded in the Up direction instead. Useful if the enemy has guarded
the
rest of your prior rush and is liable to strike back if you don't do something
quick.
- I regard these next few separately from the rest because they are attacks
that are always the same for nearly every fighter, and they can be used
at any time during a rush. In other words, they can be used after any number of
A button taps with almost any character.
Ground Slash: A sweeping blow, usually a kick, aimed at the ankles. If it
connects, your opponent will be knocked off their feet and will slowly fall to
the ground. This is good when trying to string together long combos. To do a
Ground Slash, press Down+B. It can be charged to make it stronger, but the
extra delay usually gives intelligent opponents ample time to guard. This
attack is defended by means of a guard to the Down direction.
Dragon Tornado: This is my personal favorite of all the B-attack combos.
Immediately after connecting with a Ground Slash, press the B button to throw a
strong punch that will send your enemy flipping through the air, moving away
from
you. Press B again before they reach the ground to teleport below them and
throw
a brutal uppercut that propels them in an upward arc. Finally, a quick tap of A
transports you above them and spikes them down, volleyball-style. The sequence
goes: Ground Slash (A...down+B), B, B, A. This is usually a considerably
strong
combo depending on the fighter you're using.
Lift Strike: A sharp kick/knee/punch from below that sends your opponent
flying into the air in a high, short arc. Not too powerful on its own, but
WATCH OUT for the combo. Performed by pressing Up+B during a rush. Must be
guarded to the bottom.
Aerial Combo: Very powerful and equally difficult to execute. Immediately
after connecting with a Lift Strike, snap the Nunchuk as you would to dash and
you will leap into the air and follow your enemy's arc. This is called a
Homing Jump. Before I explain the next part, I will tell you how to recover
from a Lift Strike. If you're fast enough, you can regain control by pressing
Guard. Pressing Up+Guard has a slight delay, but you'll assume your Body
Strike stance. Down+Guard uses Ki, but lets you get up a smaller delay. With
that out of the way, I can tell you how to follow up on your Homing Jump. You
perform an extremely powerful sort of rush in midair. For the first blow, you
can either strike an Aerial Heavy with B and then punch with A, or immediately
start your rush with A. The heavy blow is stronger and will ignore any parry
stance your enemy might have taken by now, but it requires good timing that
varies between all characters. The A-button blow is lighter and is susceptible
to counter strikes, but you can strike with it anytime as long as you're within
punching reach of your target. You can either finish your rush by continuing
to press A until the opponent falls away, or you can end it with B anytime to
spike your target downward. Ending the Aerial Combo with B will always break
your
opponent's Lock-on. This is the only method of breaking Lock-ons that is common
to every character in the game. So, your options for the midair strikes are:
AAAAA, AAAAB, BAAAAA, BAAAAB. Notice that the initial Aerial Heavy does not
count
as one of the five rush strikes, so you can extend the number of attacks to six.
The last combo I have listed is the most powerful. The complete control
sequence
for the most powerful Lift Strike combo possible is:
A...Up+B, snap Nunchuk, B, AAAAB.
It's by no means easy, but even the most average of characters can take away a
ton
health if done right, AND it breaks any Lock-on.
Note: The spike resulting from the final B blow has a sharp downward
angle. If the opponent smashes into the ground or a solid wall while the two of
you are still within Close-combat range, they will regain their Lock-on.
Rolling Hammer: This is a useful technique that is shared by Giants,
brawlers, and the most elite fighters. Rolling Hammer is a hook punch (or kick)
from either side that deals a medium amount of damage (somewhere between a rush
and a Heavy Finish) and turns your opponent around 180 degrees upon impact.
This
means that they are facing away from you and cannot guard your attacks. If
they are already facing away from you when you connect, they will be turned
back around towards you. It's important to note that Rolling Hammer has a
short recovery time that will break your Rush combo (the counter will reset to
zero). The only exception to this that I know of is Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, who
is so fast that he can use this to actually extend the rush. To perform a
Rolling Hammer, hit Side+B in the middle of a rush. It can be charged for a
more powerful blow.
I should mention that you can never hit your opponent twice with the same
attack
in any one combo. If you're fighting as someone whose AAAAB attack is Heavy
Finish, and you rush AAAABAAAAB, the second B strike will send them flipping a
short distance away from you.
* Dash Smash: This technically should be listed under Dash, but it makes more
sense here in the attacks section. While dashing, hold A to charge an attack.
It's usually easily guarded, but some characters can hit a downed opponent this
way to force them back up. This is a good tactic for when you want to continue
a
relentless assault on the enemy after they've been knocked away from you.
Sonic Impact: I listed Dash Smash here because of its combo. After you
connect with a dash smash, press B and then A to throw two more consecutive
blows. The opponent ends up flat on the ground after this, with their ankles
facing you if you're on the ground next to them (so convenient for Giant
Throw).
Giant Throw: If the opponent is down with their ankles or ankle-type
appendages (hey... some of these characters are really weird) facing you, some
characters can press Up+B to grab those the enemy and hurl them in a really long
aerial arc. It doesn't do damage by itself, but this is really great since the
opponent takes a while to recover and you can follow them and continue a combo
from there. Also, they remain in a straight trajectory for a good amount of
time,
leaving them completely open to beam-based Blast Attacks.
Jumping techniques: Jumping is one of the most versatile and useful maneuvers
in
the game, since it can branch into any of a variety of offensive or defensive
tactics. While jumping, you can do any of the following:
Downward strike: Hold the A button to charge a downward midair attack. While
you hold A, your jump will carry you down and a good distance forward. You can
strike enemies near the ground without warning this way.
Shoot Ki: Tap B repeatedly (or tap twice & hold the second time) to shoot as
many Ki shots as you can in rapid sequence. They are aimed diagonally downward
and in front of you, but can curve to follow an enemy. Some characters shoot a
dozen or more blasts, but you pay the cost in energy of only one normal shot.
This is very useful for shearing off the last dregs of an opponent's health or
really confusing an enemy who is trying to approach you.
Deflect Ki: Press guard in a jump to swipe your hands, pushing away any Ki
shots that may reach you during your jump cycle. You don't need to worry about
timing.
Teleport: High-Speed Movement is possible while jumping. If you get the
timing
right, pressing guard will cause you to teleport rather than deflect Ki.
Illusion Slash: Immediately after your feet are on the ground again, hold the
B
button to charge an attack called an Illusion Slash that is identical to a
Ground
Slash. If you hit the opponent while they're not dashing, you can use this to
transition into a Dragon Tornado.
Grabs: When in Close-combat mode, hold analog-Up and shake the Nunchuk
forward and your character will reach out and try to grab. Some characters
like Piccolo and Buu have stretchy arms that can grab across the entire range
of Close-combat mode. You're vulnerable while you try to grab, but if you
connect, you execute an elaborate grab combo, dealing some amount of damage to
the
enemy and manipulating their position (either keeping them close, throwing them
to
the ground, or knocking them away). It all varies depending on who you're
using.
Ki: Ki is your energy, the yellow bar below your health display. It's used to
attack, defend, and do everything in between.
The Ki bar: The yellow bar fills as you gain Ki and empties as you use it.
Each of the five segments of the bar represents one Ki Gauge. As you charge to
MAX POWER, the already-full bar will fill once more with blue.
Charging Ki: Hold Z on the Nunchuk to focus your energy and refill the Ki
bar. Charge speed varies between characters. Your fighter remains still while
charging. You can charge above your Ki limit to MAX POWER mode (more details
much later), but only if you have at least one Blast Stock.
Ki blast: This is the most basic use of Ki. Tap the B button repeatedly to
fire a bunch of little energy bullets at the enemy. Every character's shots
differ in color, movement pattern/speed, strength, and number (how many you can
fire consecutively). They can be guarded to greatly reduce damage. To defend
against them, either neutralize them with shots of your own OR tap guard when
they're about to reach you to smack them away from you in random directions.
Smash Ki blast: Hold B to charge a more powerful blast. The nature of each
character's (already unique) blast varies slightly based on how long you charge
it. These blasts are usually considerably larger than regular ones. Also,
your opponent's small blasts are completely erased by your own large blast, but
your blast keeps going. This is a good defensive strategy. However, two large
blasts will cancel. For characters who have multiple energy shots when they do
a smash Ki blast, each one neutralizes one of the opponent's charged shots. An
example of this is: Piccolo releases three spinning spheres when he charges.
Goku releases one large sphere. Goku's blast neutralizes one of Piccolo's, but
Piccolo's other two continue on their way. Unlike their uncharged
counterparts, smash Ki blasts will home back in on the other fighter when
reflected if powerful enough. Because of this, it's common to have reflection
volleys with human
opponents (computers are usually too dumb). You can only have one fully charged
smash Ki blast out at one time. Until it goes away, you can't charge and
release
another, unless you're one of a select group of characters (Chiaotzu comes to
mind).
When dashing, you can press guard to deflect Ki of all types with no regards
to timing. You are left slightly vulnerable if you reach the enemy early.
Ki is lost or drained when firing Ki blasts, using Blast 2 or Ultimate Blast
techniques, suffering guard breaks, Power Guarding, or Dragon Dashing.
Ki is steadily regained when charging Ki, hitting the opponent with rush
attacks, or connecting with special hits or combos like Heavy Finish/Crush.
When
idling, your Ki will refill slowly, but only to a certain point depending on the
energetic strength of your fighter.
Fun with Ki (combos): These are cool. Pay attention to them.
Jumping Ki combo: This is an awesome combo that is very hard to pull off
with total success but is really demoralizing to the enemy. First, jump into
the air, but don't hover. Anytime during your midair jump cycle, you have the
ability to dispel Ki. You can either hold B to fire a charged shot, or you can
tap B repeatedly to fire off several shots. This causes you to pause in your
falling descent, but doesn't make you fly. Some fighters, like Majin Vegeta,
are absolutely psychotic and shoot off a dozen or more blasts in less than two
seconds. Oddly enough, this consumes far, far less energy than firing the same
number of blasts from a standstill. After you're done shooting, you drop
back to the ground. The instant your feet hit the landing surface, hold B to
charge a special Ground Slash known as an Illusion Slash. With a lot of luck,
you can hit your enemy and follow up with a Dragon Tornado. The circumstances
will rarely favor you when trying to pull this off, but when you do, it's
really flashy and cool.
Dashing Ki combo: Tap B a bunch of times when dashing to shoot a bunch of
Ki towards the enemy while dashing. This works with a dash in any direction.
If you are dashing sideways around the other fighter, you can hit them from all
directions and they won't be able to block very well because they're so
confused. If you do this while dashing straight at them, all they see is a
cloudy
mass of energy, and you somewhere in it, dashing straight at them, and they
lose track of you when all your Ki blasts explode in front of their face and
completely block their view and by the time everything has cleared, you're
already
there punching them in the face. Sure, they can guard, but instead of
punching you can just grab them or try to shatter their guard.
Dragon Dash: While holding Z, snap the Nunchuk down as you would to dash and
your fighter will perform a Dragon Dash. This is similar to a Dash, but it
drains Ki at a rate that varies between fighters (sometimes slowly, sometimes
quickly) and is much more difficult for the opponent to mess up with attacks.
Unlike a dash, a Dragon Dash will not stop until you snap the Nunchuk again,
run
out of Ki, or reach the opponent. You can Dragon Dash even when in Close-combat
mode. To stop your enemy's Dragon Dash from a distance, launch a charged Ki
blast
at them.
When Dragon Dashing, you can raise or lower altitude as you would in flight
(with the C button and Nunchuk tilt).
Directional variations: By inputting an analog direction before snapping the
Nunchuk, you can change the movement pattern of a Dragon Dash.
Neutral - You dash straight towards your enemy, assuming you have a Lock-
on.
Up - You dash forwards at your current altitude. If you pass the enemy,
you just keep going.
Side - You circle around your opponent at hyper speed. This is REALLY
annoying for the other fighter when in close proximity.
Down - You dash in a straight line away from the enemy.
Diagonal - Varies, and usually gets really messed up when you go past the
enemy. No consistent circling pattern.
Dragon Dash Smash: While Dragon Dashing, hold the A button to charge a
special
smash that will send your opponent flying just like a regular smash. You can
also
aim the attack with analog input. Even if your target guards, they will still
be
knocked a good distance back from a fully charged blow.
Vertical Dragon Dash: You can dash straight up or down by first holding Z,
then slowly (so as not to activate a regular Dragon Dash) tilting the Nunchuk
into the up or down flight positions, then pressing the C button. You can't
attack while doing this, but it's good for dodging or confusing the enemy as
well as breaking certain obstacles like the floating ice in the Glacier region.
Smash sequence / Dragon Homing & Vanish Attack: This is a really powerful
sequenced attack that is also very difficult to dodge. It takes quite a bit of
practice to get it down right, so I'll break it down into steps.
Step 1 - Hit the enemy with a fully charged smash. They must not crash into
the
ground or an unbreakable wall. Breakable objects are fine. The attack must be
fully charged, or they won't fly away from you so hard.
Step 2 - After a very brief pause, the length of which varies between
characters, snap the Nunchuk as if to dash. You will follow the opponent with
an automatic Dragon Dash. This is called Dragon Homing.
Step 3 - Hold the A button to charge a Homing Smash. This is identical to a
Dragon Dash Smash. You can aim this attack in any direction with the analog
stick. If you reach the opponent and you're not already charging your attack,
you
will stop and the combo will be broken. To prevent this, always charge with the
A
button as soon as you can.
Step 4 - After connecting with the Homing Smash, press the B button to launch
a Vanish Attack. You will teleport in front of your opponent and smash them
at full power. This is usually more powerful than a Homing Smash, but it
varies depending on your fighter. You can aim this attack with analog input,
but by default, you'll spike your target face-first into the ground.
Alternatively, though arguably less desirably, you can change the sequence:
1-Smash, 2-Vanish Attack, 3-Dragon Homing, 4-Homing Attack.
The plain controls for the first sequence are: (underscore _ means hold for
charge)
(A...)A_, snap Nunchuk, A_, B.
This combo is extremely effective for manipulating your opponent's position,
since you can aim their trajectory with every attack you launch. Just remember
that the directions are reversed for when you teleport behind them.
Step In: This is the one technique that sets apart newbies from experts, as
well as adds a lot of complexity to the game's melee combat. If you are in
Close-combat mode and snap the Nunchuk without any analog input, your fighter
will shift forward and end up right next to the target. This is called a Step
In, and while your character is doing this, he or she will be rendered
untouchable. Your enemy's blows won't even make contact. Obviously, this is a
major defensive technique. The duration isn't long enough to effectively dodge
energy-based Blast Attacks, but there are rumors of fighting masters who have
actually dodged Rush Blasts this way, then pounded the enemy into oblivion.
The invincibility granted is an exciting prospect, but the true depth of
Stepping In lies in the ability to immediately carry out a wide variety of
techniques. Any button input whatsoever during a Step In will result in one of
lots of different maneuvers. For example, you can Step In right past an enemy's
smash attack and bring out a rush by tapping the A button. From this rush, you
can immediately produce a combo of your own. However, you can also do Signature
Techniques without ever bothering to rush. This is the major value of Step In
attacks. I will list all of them below:
Step In, A...: Rush
Step In, A_: Smash
Step In, B: Either Heavy Finish, Kiai Cannon, or Flying Kick. Varies
between characters. You can check this in the Skill List.
Step In, Down+B: Ground Slash
Step In, Up+B: Lift Strike
Step In, Guard: Either Sway or Feint Sway, which puts you in Body Strike
stance. You can check this in the skill list. (Sways are explained next.)
*You cannot perform a Rolling Hammer from a Step In.
Depending on the character, any of these attacks may be combined with a Sway.
A Sway is a backwards feint that extends the "untouchable" period of the Step
In. Some characters can voluntarily perform an isolated Sway after Step In, as
listed above. Others have Sway attached to one of the moves. An example of
this:
[Snap Nunchuk, B] may either bring out Step In Heavy or Sway Heavy,
depending on the character. Step In Heavy is a Step In followed by a Heavy
Finish. Sway Heavy is a Step In followed by a Sway that transitions back into a
Heavy Finish. You can check your fighter's unique techniques in the Skill List.
~~This is one of the most important pieces of information in the whole guide, so
pay attention to it.
You may have noticed how, after a five-hit Rush, your enemy is knocked back a
small distance away from you, still standing. You may immediately Step In to
close this distance and continue the combo with another rush. And with a
second
Rush comes another round of Signature Attacks. This means that you probably now
have an instant 27-hit combo at your disposal. I will elaborate:
The most common AAAAB technique is, by a wide margin, Heavy Finish. If
this is the case with your current character, you can perform the following
combo. This is because the Step In lets you piece together everything you have
learned in one continuous hit count. The combo is...
Full rush, Step In, rush ending with Heavy Finish, rush ending with Ground
Slash, rush ending with Lift Strike, Homing Jump, strongest Aerial Combo.
[AAAAA, snap Nunchuk, AAAAB, AAAADown+B, AAAAUp+B, snap Nunchuk, B, AAAAB.]
That's 26 hits. Your battered target hitting the ground is hit 27. Before
they get up, you can shoot Ki at them for even higher numbers. Some fighters'
AAAAA rushes have more than 5 strikes, leading to combos upwards of 40 hits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~STOP!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you can pull off the combo I listed above on at least 90% of your
attempts, you are ready to move on. If not, keep practicing everything above
this insert.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blast Attacks
Ah, now for the cool part. These are the attacks that are associated with
Dragon Ball. (Can you say Kamehameha?) I didn't mention these before because
people who don't bother to learn the melee combat system and instead spam Blast
2 attacks are in serious trouble when they meet an opponent who's good at
avoiding
Blast Attacks. But since you didn't ignore that warning above and are really a
melee master, you'll be okay.
Blast Input mode: Hold the Z and B buttons to enter Blast Input mode. While
holding those buttons, you can move the remote or cursor in different ways to
perform Blast 2 and Ultimate Blast techniques.
Cursor Out: This refers to moving the cursor corresponding to your Wii Remote
off of one side of the screen. For example, moving your cursor off past the
left of the screen is called a Left Cursor Out.
Blast Stock: A unit of energy that takes a more subtle form than Ki. The
little number with a bar next to it that resides next to your Ki display tells
you how many Blast Stocks you have. Every time the bar fills, it resets and
the number increases by one. Blast Stocks are used for Blast 1 attacks and to
charge to MAX POWER. The bar fills gradually on its own over time, but I think
it increases a bit faster during rushes and while charging Ki. This is
unconfirmed.
Common abbreviations: B1 = Blast 1.
B2 = Blast 2.
UB = Ultimate Blast.
Skill List: In case you've forgotten, that's the list of absolutely
everything your fighter can do. Anything beyond single button presses (rush,
Ki blast, guard...) that does not appear on this list is not something that
your character knows how to do. You can access this list from the Pause Menu,
which is in turn accessed by pressing the + button on the Wii-mote. You may
have to try a couple of times before it works.
Unblockable attacks: Some attacks, like Special Beam Cannon and Spirit Bomb,
are
marked as "Unblockable Attack" in the Skill List. This means that they
completely
penetrate (ignore) guards and Power Guards. They can still be dodged with High-
Speed Movement.
Reload time: The short time after an attempted Blast 2 or Ultimate Blast of
any type, successful or failed, during which the game will recognize your input
but won't launch another B2/UB attack because your character needs to refocus
their energy. You just have to wait it out. Some Z-items reduce the duration
of
this time (The Turtle Stone, Vicious Desire).
There are three types of Blast Attacks:
Blast 1: These are minor techniques that are not usually used for direct
offense; rather, they provide support for your fighter in some way. Instead of
consuming Ki like B2 and UB attacks, Blast 1 attacks use Blast Stocks. Every
character has two Blast 1 attacks. The first is performed by pressing Z+Guard.
The second is executed with Z+analog-Up+Guard. Inexperienced players perform
these by accident because they haven't learned to avoid doing Up Cursor Outs
inadvertently (remember, they count as guarding). All Blast 1 attacks fall
into one of the following categories.
Barrier type: Attacks in this category include Explosive Wave, Psycho
Barrier, and Android Barrier. These attacks instantly create a barrier of
energy around your fighter. If the other character touches you, they will be
knocked back and will take minor damage. Anything they were doing will be
canceled. Additionally, these barriers block some energy-based attacks
depending on the technique used; Explosive Wave can only take Ki shots, but
Android Barrier will resist Ultimate Blasts. These attacks are incredibly
useful because they usually cost just one Blast Stock (unless your character is
large) and will stop Rush Blasts, Ki barrages, dash attacks, and maybe even
Blast Attacks. You can even stop the enemy while they're hitting you in the
middle of a rush.
Paralysis type: Examples include Kaikosen and Telekinesis, among others.
These attacks fire a mass of confuse-o-ray energy for a short distance, usually
in the direction of your target (if you've locked on.). Should your target get
caught up in the blast, they will be frozen in place, twitching. This stops
them in their tracks and leaves them totally open to attack. Paralysis attacks
usually don't do much damage, but there are exceptions (like a developed blast
from Piccolo's Kaikosen). They usually eat up about two Blast Stocks. They're
useful in Close-combat because they're so difficult to dodge if you don't see
them coming. Be warned, though - your fighter pauses takes a short moment to
prepare the attack, so if you're hit, you won't shoot but you will still pay
the price in Blast Stocks.
Pump Up / MAX POWER type: These aren't attacks, they're power-ups. When you
use them your fighter is restricted to one spot for a moment, but if they
finish their little dance and/or taunt, they'll get temporary augments to
certain stats. Also, some of these techniques put you in MAX POWER mode right
away. Still others do both. However, if you use instant MAX POWER-ups, when
the charged energy runs out you'll charge Ki like a Level 8 snail. Such boosts
are best used for fancy Ultimate Blast finishers with an extra kick. If you do
use a Blast Attack, you usually lose all your stat boosts, so you can only apply
the extra strength to one super attack. This category comprises the majority of
Blast 1 techniques.
Afterimage type: Nothing happens when you use these except a loss of Blast
Stock. Nothing, that is, until an attack comes your way. You automatically
teleport out of harm's way, no input required. The attack called Wild Sense
will automatically strike back with a powerful counterattack if you're in Close-
combat range. If not, it acts just like Afterimage and Afterimage Strike, which
just move you out of the way. Afterimage Strike works several times with a
convenient one-time cost and no down payments or interest, providing a
considerable layer of defense. The cost can vary from 1 to 3 Blast Stocks
between fighters for all of the techniques.
Other: Give me your energy! is Goku's first Blast 1 technique in his first
form. Using this technique causes him to stand still while he charges energy
for
a Spirit Bomb.
Blast 2: Powerful attacks so potent that they eat up several bars of Ki.
These do a lot of damage and are staples of the game's combat. To perform Blast
2 attacks, get into Blast Input mode (hold Z and B) and move the Wii-mote in
different patterns. These patterns may be Cursor Outs in any of the four
directions, a pull back / push forward motion similar to the way the characters
do Kamehameha, or a double-snap of the Nunchuk followed by a forward thrust of
the Wii-mote. As you correctly perform each step of these motion sequences,
one of the sets of yellow boxes on your Pointer Radar will fill in. It is
imperative that you keep control over your cursor. Make sure you only put it
off-
screen if you need to. If you execute the motion sequence for a move, your in-
game fighter will launch the corresponding attack. This can happen in one of
two
ways. The first will fade the background to a partial black, do a pseudo-time-
freeze camera cut to a shot of your fighter preparing the attack, then
immediately
launch the technique. The second way is for other attacks that allow you to
hold
the B button to delay the actual energy release in favor of charging up a more
powerful blast. If you finish the controller input in Close-combat range,
you'll
automatically step back and then launch the assault. Every character has two
Blast 2 techniques. To check what attacks your fighter has, as well as the
motion
input and cost in Ki bars for each one, look at the Skill List. Like Blast 1
attacks, there are several varieties of Blast 2 attacks.
Wave type: These are what are most commonly associated with Dragon Ball -
large shots of energy propelled by equally large beams. These are none too
subtle, so you can easily see them coming and take proper evasive action at any
distance. Attacks like these are usually charged, but sometimes use the
cinematic
camera cut. Techniques that come to mind are Kamehameha, Masenko, and Full
Power
Energy Wave.
Beam type: Thin, concentrated shots of energy. Beam type attacks usually
move quickly and penetrate guards. They are sometimes charged, but are more
commonly instant with cinematic camera cut effect. Examples are Dodon Ray,
Death
Beam, and Special Beam Cannon.
Particle type: Many shots of comparatively weak energy that converge on and
overwhelm the target. Almost always cinematic, non-charged launches. These
are really, really hard to dodge from a distance, since they move quickly and
converge on you with tricky timing. Dashes or Dragon Dashes have been known to
work with daredevil timing in some cases, but Power Guards are your most
reliable
option here unless you're some kind of master at teleporting. Be warned that
computers are inhumanly good at avoiding these. These are the ones people tend
to
spam or abuse because they require very little skill. Be a responsible player
and
don't spam. Attacks that come to mind (albeit painfully) are Trap Shooter and
Super Energy Wave Volley.
Shot type: Solid, usually vaguely spherical blasts of energy that aren't
propelled by a wave. They're usually relatively large and fast, so watch out
for
them. Sometimes charged, sometimes cinematic. Examples are Light Grenade,
Shoot
Blaster, and Full Power Energy Ball.
Super Explosive Wave type: It's a truly super Explosive Wave that launches a
wave of deadly energy in a wide radius around the user. These are very hard to
dodge once you're in range, and are typically powerful as well.
Burst type: Charges a small area of explosive blast energy at the target's
exact location, then lets loose a really damaging blast. If you move, the
charged
area won't, so to properly avoid these you should just dash away. However, the
range of the explosion is considerably larger than the visible charge, so you
need
to be quick.
Disc type: Launches anywhere from one to six disk-shaped energy blasts at the
target. Like their smash Ki counterparts, these are always unblockable. Dodge
them by Dragon Dashing out of the way of the attack or dashing to the side and
then teleporting as they curve to follow your lateral motion once they reach the
spot where you just were.
Surround type: A bunch of medium-size blasts (or one concentrated mass)
first surround your enemy in pseudo-frozen time, then (split up and) rain down
after time is unfrozen. These never charge and are always cinematic. I don't
know whether to say they're difficult to dodge because most of the shots usually
miss. The most notable examples are Hellzone Grenade and Expanding Energy
Blast.
These attacks aren't too common.
Rush Blast: These ARE too common. Once you do these (which always execute
cinematically), you'll charge straight at your enemy in a would-be Dragon Dash
that can often be directed with analog input. The distance for which you zoom
towards the target of your attack varies between all attacks, but it's usually a
good portion of the map. Once you reach your enemy, you trap them in a really
cool and brutal specialized attack sequence that does a ton of damage. However,
if you reach a target who's down flat on the ground, you'll just stop (and not
attack). The most basic form of defense against Rush Blasts is a Power Guard,
which is broken upon impact but throws back the offender as well. Rush Blasts
are
very common and may seem cheap or imbalanced in design, but there are many ways
to
defend against them, most of which are discussed in the Advanced section.
Other: Hyper Tornado is one of Pikkon's attacks that in which he charges
forward at the enemy like a missile. You can steer him with the analog stick.
A
few character have attacks in which a long string of explosions is set off near
the target. Dodge these by dashing (but you must have already been dashing
before), teleporting to the left (very difficult) or guarding (your best option,
but you will take some damage).
Ultimate Blast: Blast 2, meet steroids. Steroids, meet Blast 2. If you want
to do an Ultimate Blast attack, you need to be in MAX POWER mode first (with at
least one Blast Stock, charge Ki past full until the bar is filled with blue).
Everyone has just one of these, and it's their signature attack. Ultimate
Blasts leave you with very little Ki afterwards. They're done just like Blast
2 attacks, but the result is very, very different. Some characters' UB attacks
are B2 attacks for other fighters, but the two are by no means the same. An
example: Kamehameha is one of Goku's Blast 2 attacks, but it's also listed as
Cell Junior's UB. Goku needs to charge the attack. On release, if it hits, it
does some damage. Cell Junior, on the other hand, executes the attack
immediately/"cinematically" with more power than a fully charged technique, does
a
lot more damage, has a tendency to penetrate guards, and actually breaks the
enemy's Lock-on. Enough said.
Suicide type: Deceptively benign Blast 2 tactics like Super Explosive Wave
can
become so powerful in Ultimate Blast form that they actually kill the user, as
in
the case of Final Explosion and several others. Well, they at least bring you
down to exactly one point of health. The upside is that they're much stronger
than your average Ultimate Blast, and if you're at less than a half-bar of
health,
you really haven't got a lot to lose. The key to identifying these is to look
for
certain keywords in the names, like "Final", "Farewell", "Suicide", and "Bomb"
or
"Bomber". (Final Explosion / Farewell, Mr. Tien / Saibamen Bomb / Suicide
Bomber)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fun with MAX POWER mode
I'll say it outright - the full MAX POWER combo is the most awesome of the
awesome, bar none. And by awesome, I mean freaking insane. My personal record
is over 70 hits and upwards of 5 bars of damage (with level 160 Super Saiyan 4
Gogeta).
I should warn you, dear readers, that this combination is probably the hardest
and most advanced challenge thus far in your fighting game career. And yes, I
know all about Ivy's whip attack in Soul Caliber 2. I know what I'm saying.
Don't believe me? See for yourself:
[AAAAAA...Z+A snap A_ snap A_ B B B snap B_ AAAAAAAAAA... B Z+B(_)]
...Yeah.
This whole section is devoted to breaking that down for you, piece by piece, as
well as covering the rest of the MAX POWER move set.
But first, a quick crash course on MAX POWER mode:
- It is a kind of "super" state that any fighter can enter.
- There is a whole extra move set that is possible only in MAX POWER.
- To get to MAX POWER, you need one Blast Stock and some spare time to charge.
- Charge your Ki bar to full. Keep charging and watch it fill with blue.
- If you stop charging before it fills completely, it will slowly drain.
- The extra charge resets completely if you use Ki.
- Once the blue part fills the whole bar, you'll release a shockwave of sorts.
- You are now at MAX POWER.
- The shockwave throws back your opponent if they're near you.
- The blue in the Ki bar, which now looks electrified, steadily drains.
- It always drains at the same rate, even if you use Ki.
- This means you have an unlimited supply of Ki for generic uses (no Blasts).
- Once the blue bar empties or you use a Blast 2/U, you are no longer "MAX'd."
- Using a Dragon Heavy depletes your charge instantly if you miss or they guard.
The MAX POWER move set: Diverse, super, powerful, diversely super-powerful,
and all-around awesome. Note that not every technique applies to every
character, and you can look it all up in the Skill List, blah, blah, blah...
Violent Rush: Remember how, when you rush, your opponent flies away from you
the fifth time you press A? Not anymore. You can break the hit counter at 99
with Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta.
Super Dash: During a regular dash, press A. You teleport for a short
distance, then let loose with the MAX POWER equivalent of a fully charged
generic Dash Smash. This lets you get past anything coming your way and is
disorienting to your target.
Super Movement: This is one of my favorite things to do in the whole game.
It's voluntary teleportation with analog+Guard. It works anytime, anywhere,
which
is especially irritating for your enemy (but hilarious for you) when you keep
vanishing and circling around them in Close-combat mode. It also makes dodging
Blast attacks fun, easy, and convenient at the low, low price of NO Ki.
Superman: There's no actual name or listing for this, but some people are
untouchable in MAX POWER mode - at least, untouchable where Ki is concerned.
The
Ki shots literally bounce off their chests.
Hyper Smash: Press the Z and A buttons at the same time. You do a
"cinematic" Smash, just like those Blast attacks that don't charge up. It also
happens to be unblockable (but the target can still teleport if they're really
lucky). This does lots more damage than a regular Smash. It can also break
Lock-
ons for some characters.
Number of Pursuits: You can actually do Dragon Homing and Vanish Attacks
multiple times sequentially in one long, brutal, pinball-esque combo. The
maximum
number of each attack varies between fighters. This is usually the best way to
follow up on a Hyper Smash if you're looking to do solid damage in a combo.
Timing for consecutive Dragon Homing varies widely and is usually pretty picky,
so
watch out.
Ultimate Blast: You can, of course, always perform your Ultimate Blast when
you're in MAX POWER. In fact, you should try to squeeze out every last point of
damage you have time to inflict because you can use your technique even if you
only have a sliver of blue left in your Ki bar. Some Ultimate Blasts break
Lock-
ons.
Dragon Heavy: A special Heavy Finish-type attack that is a linking item in
the MAX POWER combo. Do it while Dragon Dashing or in Dragon Homing by
pressing the B button. You can hold it down for a delay if you want, but the
attack won't charge. If you miss with this, all of your MAX POWER charge
instantly vanishes.
The MAX POWER combo: Here's where I break it down for you step by step. It's
actually not as complex as it seems, but the timing can get pretty picky. I'll
list the control again...
[AAAAAA...Z+A snap A_ snap A_ B B B snap B_ AAAAAAAAAA... B Z+B(_)]
The first part, "[AAAAAA...", is Violent Rush. Depending on how long your
particular character can stay in MAX POWER mode, you can do this for a while
to confuse, disorient, and demoralize your target. Be sure to leave ample time
for the next steps.
The second part, "Z+A", is a Hyper Smash to end the Violent Rush. You can
add analog input to 'aim' your enemy.
The third part, "snap A_" mixed with "B", represents the multiple Dragon
Homing / Homing Smashes and Vanish Attacks that come after the Hyper Smash.
Do as many as you can or want, but remember to save a Dragon Homing for the
next step. Remember to watch your timing with consecutive dashes, as they can
be
tricky. You can organize the attacks in any order, but you have to keep your
opponent from hitting the blue stage-boundary wall, or your combo will end.
Steer
them away from the wall by adding analog input to any of these attacks.
The fourth part, "snap B_", is your last Dragon Homing, which you will end
with a Dragon Heavy. Be sure to get the timing right; if you fail to connect
with this attack for any reason, you lose all your charge.
The fifth part, "AAAAAAAAAA...", happens after the Dragon Heavy. Immediately
after hitting with the attack, mash the A button as quickly as humanly possible
to throw inhumanly rapid blows. I like to call this a Dragon Rush. It really
has
to be seen to be believed. Also, your blue bar drains at double speed, so watch
to make sure you don't run out of charge.
The sixth part, "B Z+B", uses the B button to smash the enemy away from you
after the Dragon Rush (I call this a Dragon Smash), then finally ends the MAX
POWER combo by firing your primary Blast 2 attack with Z+B (the key combination
for Blast Input Mode). It will prefer Wave type over Beam or Shot type, Beam or
Shot type over Particle type. If you don't have any of those types of attacks,
you won't be able to do anything after the Dragon Smash. Note that you can just
hit B, then Z+B, and your screen display takes care of the rest. In other
words,
don't wait until you see the smash animation to input the "fire Blast Attack"
command, because it's probably too late. You can hold Z+B to charge or delay
the
attack.
So, the control in English is,
[Violent Rush, Hyper Smash, Dragon Homing, Homing Smash, Dragon Homing, Homing
Smash, Vanish Attack, Vanish Attack, Vanish Attack, Dragon Homing, Dragon Heavy,
Dragon Rush, Dragon Smash, Blast 2 finisher]
Alternate strategies: There are several other ways you can take advantage of
all
your MAX POWER abilities. I'll detail some of my favorites below.
Ultimate Blast combo: You can use up all your Dragon Homing and Vanish
Attacks,
then launch your Ultimate Blast instead of attempting the Dragon Heavy. I
recommend this if you are running out of blue charge or if you simply want to
use
your special attack.
Violent Rush: Sometimes, you may feel like using up all your MAX POWER time
doing nothing but mashing A and laughing maniacally. Heh heh heh. This is
actually a pretty effective strategy, since defense and evasion are very
difficult. It may seem less effective than the Dragon Heavy rush, but with
Violent Rush your Ki bar will not drain at double speed and your attacks aren't
all that much slower. I've never broken the hit counter with the full MAX POWER
combo, but I have with Violent Rush.
No restrictions on Ki: Some characters like the giants, highest Super
Saiyans,
and Mecha Frieza have very powerful Ki shots. In MAX POWER, mashing B at a
standstill won't make your bar drain any faster, so you can just keep shooting
and
shooting, potentially dealing lots of damage.
MAX POWER - the anti-defense: Is your opponent guarding against all your
attacks? Use Super Movement to teleport around them, then Hyper Smash them in
the
back before they know what's happening. Also, approaching them with constant
Super Movement will really mess them up.
A piece of advice: You should charge to MAX POWER if you want to go on a high-
damage rampage with "the combo", use your Ultimate Blast, or gain access to the
move set. Make sure you have time to charge up, and make sure that you haven't
left yourself vulnerable with the shockwave delay. It's good to break the
enemy's
Lock-on with an Aerial Combo or Body Strike, then hide to buy some time.
However,
if you don't have a purpose for going to MAX POWER, it's better to save your
Blast
Stock. Summarily speaking, don't hesitate to charge to MAX POWER, but only if
you
have a reason to do so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous topics
Here are the items that don't fit anywhere else. They are still important, so
pay
attention to them, especially since some of them (like Clashing) are really
cool.
Appeal, or Taunt: Once you've locked on, simultaneously press Up on both the
analog stick and D-pad (analog-Up+D-pad-Up). If you do it right, you'll taunt
the
enemy. You're extremely vulnerable to attack, but this is really demoralizing
to
humans and computers alike.
Special Taunts: A few characters have taunts so demoralizing that when they
use them in Close-combat range, the other guy actually loses some Ki charge.
Certain Z-items add lots of crazy bonuses for taunting, but the developers
decided to disguise the technique description under the indecipherable
euphemism of "appeal".
Dizzy recovery: When you suffer a powerful attack, you'll very often find
yourself dizzy, immobilized, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated. If this
happens
to you, you can almost always recover faster and regain control by mashing the A
button. In some situations, you need to get up off the ground by pressing
Guard.
Cursor management: The most important component in ensuring that you have
total
control over your in-game actions is to KEEP THE CURSOR ON SCREEN AT ALL TIMES
UNLESS GUARDING OR USING A BLAST ATTACK. I can't stress it enough - it's really
easy to mess up a perfectly good Blast Attack or Rush Combo by doing something
weird with your cursor.
Tips for good cursor control: Sit or stand at a MEDIUM distance from the
television, make sure your hands rest comfortably at the same elevation as the
TV
set, avoid playing in direct sunlight or around halogen lighting, avoid mirrors,
and hold your hands steady.
Fall damage and breaking falls: If you're smashed or spiked hard enough
into/through the ground or another surface, you'll take a small amount of damage
from the impact. You can prevent this damage and recover instantly with some
carefully timed controller input. Right before you hit something, press Analog-
Up+guard to use some Ki and spring up with a Dragon Dash, or press Analog-
Down+guard to recover with a backflip (like the Close-combat evasive maneuver).
You can only do this if you've recovered enough from the attack by mashing A.
Clashing: The craziest, most intense climactic sequences in the Dragon Ball
anime usually involve energy attacks colliding or warriors matching each other
blow for blow in super-speed. Both of these situations happen often in this
game.
Clash of Blast Attacks / "Blast Battle": If two Wave-type Blast Attacks or
two
Beam-type techniques collide somewhere between the fighters who launched them, a
Ki battle ensues. The background fades to dark and the camera cuts between each
character as they struggle to overpower the other. To win the duel, you have to
move the analog stick around more than your enemy (apply more power by rotating
faster). If an Ultimate Blast meets a Blast 2, the UB attack will have an
advantage. Also, an attack that is fully charged will have an extra edge over
the
same attack uncharged. If you have any extra Ki left over after launching the
attack, you can apply some of it to complement your analog stick motions. This
gives you a HUGE advantage, but if you use up all your Ki you'll be dizzy when
the
clash is over. The loser of the duel is thrown back by the shock of the blast
and
suffers more damage than their attack would have caused.
Exchange of blows / "Fighting Battle": If two Dragon Dashes meet head-on, the
combatants will exchange an absurd number of blows in the space of about three
seconds. At the end of that time, whoever scored more hits by rotating the
analog
stick faster will finally land an attack and smash the enemy away. Every
segment
(1/8 of the whole analog stick) that you rotate counts as one hit. Most Level-3
computers score around sixty hits. This type of clash uses the actual hit
counter, so the winner gets credit for a sixty-plus hit combo. Damage suffered
by
the loser varies based on how many hits each character scored. It's usually
around a third of a health bar. This is one of the most important things to
know
in the game, since the best way to defend against a Rush Blast is to meet the
attacker's forward charge with a Dragon Dash of your own and clash against them.
Even if you lose, you still suffer less damage than you would have from the
Blast,
but you are open to attack afterwards.
Giants: These are the characters who are super-sized and super-strong. They
typically don't flinch from regular fighters' rush attacks, are incredibly slow,
lack techniques other than Heavy Finish and Rolling Hammer (and maybe Lift
Strike), can't reflect Ki, have short and powerful Ki volleys, charge Ki slowly,
lose Ki quickly, and deal tons and tons of damage. Very powerful non-Giants
(Super Saiyan 3 and the like) can cause the Giants to flinch. The best way to
battle a Giant is with smashes and smash Ki blasts between Blast 2 attacks, with
the occasional Dragon Rush when you have time. Most Giants are simply
transformations of certain normal characters.
Water: If you go under water, you move more slowly, charge Ki at dramatically
decreased speeds, and have trouble locking on. However, your enemy has all the
same impairments, so it might be useful to take the fight into a body of water
if
you want to force a change in strategies. Also, you will not fall down in
water,
so if knocked off your feet you will simply flip back upright (or sink slowly if
you're not fast about pressing the A button). Non-fliers CAN move freely
underwater, so Herculeophiles (if there are any) should try to play in areas
like
the glacial region.
Destructible environment: Some parts of the stages, like trees, rocks, and
small
hills, can be easily destroyed with Dragon Dashes, several Ki shots, or living
projectiles (smash your enemy into something). That last one adds damage to
your
combo. In the story mode, sometimes Dragon Balls will fall out of things. In
dueling, sometimes items fall out if you've turned them on.
Items (Dueling): If you have the option turned on, items will sometimes show
up
in Dueling battles when you break things. They are spheres much like Dragon
Balls
that come in three varieties. Yellow items instantly give you a full charge of
Ki. Green items replenish one bar of health. Blue items instantly put you in
MAX
POWER mode with no Ki charge speed penalty afterwards. You can see all of these
items on the radar (the color of the blips indicate the type of item).
Chasing attack: If you're too slow with your rush combos, which may not be
your
fault if you're fighting as a heavyweight, sometimes the combo will continue but
the hit counter will reset. If you perform a continuous combo of [full rush,
Step
In, full rush] without the counter breaking, your opponent flips away from you
and
lands flat on the ground. However, if the counter does break because you pause
after the Step In, the last hit of the second rush will send them sliding some
distance away still on their feet, just out of the range of another Step In. At
this point, you can press analog-Up+Guard to teleport after them, provided you
have the necessary Ki. This is called a Chasing Attack, and you can continue
the
combo from there. Since attacks like Rolling Hammer frequently break the combo,
this is really useful for dragging out a devastating combo of [rush ending with
Heavy Finish, rush ending with Ground Slash, rush ending with Rolling Hammer,
full
rush, Chasing attack, rush ending with Heavy Finish, rush ending with Ground
Slash, rush ending with Lift Strike, Aerial Combo ending with heavy strike].
The
hit counter won't register it as continuous, but at this point your human
opponent
will have likely lost their mind (trust me, it's priceless to watch their
reaction).
Transformations: Some characters can transform into more advanced fighters.
You
need at least one Blast Stock to do this, but it can cost up to three (check the
very bottom of the Skill List). You also must have unlocked the transformed
state
from playing the story or fusing items. Press the 1 button on the Wii Remote
and
you'll (hopefully) view a short cutscene where you focus energy and then become
super. You need to have had a second or two of rest beforehand and not be in a
combo, or else it might not do anything when you input the command. If your
character has multiple transformations, you can skip some with the necessary
Blast
Stock numbers by holding directions on the analog stick when you press the 1
button (Analog-Left is the default transformation, Up skips to the second, Right
to the third). To transform back once powered up, hold analog-Down and press 1.
This doesn't cost any Blast Stock. Some fighters cannot transform back, either
for story or technical reasons.
Fusion: This is where two characters who are on the same team in a multi-
character battle either use Potara Earrings or perform the Fusion Dance to
produce
a super-powerful fused fighter. You do this by holding Z, inputting an analog
direction, and then pressing the 1 button. You generally need several Blast
Stock
for this. If the fused character can transform, you can also fuse straight into
the later forms with even more energy. This seems really confusing in writing,
so
check the very bottom of the Skill List to understand it better. Both
characters
must be alive and on the same team, the fusion character must be unlocked, and
you
need to have enough Blast Stock if you want to fuse.
Switch characters: In multi-character battles, press the 2 button to swap out
for the character pictured next to the Switch Gauge (the short purple one). To
choose which character to switch with, press analog-Left or Right while holding
Z.
If you want to switch, you need to have a full Switch Gauge. Much like Blast
Stock, the gauge fills over time.
Scrolling in menus: This might seem out of place in a combat guide, but it's
important that you know how to get around in the Skill List. In all menus, you
can point the cursor at the screen and press A to scroll, highlight options, and
select them, or you can point the cursor OFF the screen (and it has to stay off)
and use the analog stick (Up and Down to scroll, Left and Right for page
up/down).
I strongly recommend the latter because it's faster and much, much easier.
End of the world: The most powerful Ultimate Blasts can actually destroy the
world if you either miss or strike a target too close to the ground. It shows a
really cool cutscene and moves you to one of the two destroyed planet arenas
(Earth or Namek), both of which have lots of flying space. The only downside is
that Ruined Earth has no breakable objects. You can toggle this effect in
Dueling
stage select by pressing Z. The developers called it "Map Effect".
Adjust camera view: To change the relative camera position during a battle,
hold
Left or Right on the D-pad and press analog-Left or Right to switch sides, or
analog-Up or Down to zoom in or out. You can be doing other things (charging Ki
or guarding with the cursor) while switching sides, but you need to be standing
still to zoom the view.
Instant charge: If you shake or wave the Wii-mote while charging a smash, the
charge meter will fill instantly. This is more useful than words can
describe...
It only works with the remote, however, so Classic and Gamecube controllers are
left without the advantage.
Invulnerable charge: When charging a melee attack, you won't flinch from basic
fighting or Ki blows. You will still take damage, however.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
Congratulations!
You've learned every fighting technique there is to know. That's quite an
accomplishment. This game is pretty much in a league of its own in terms of
complexity... If you've truly mastered everything, pat yourself on the back a
couple of times. Then read the next section, which will teach you all the
intricacies and nuances of everything you've learned. If you can really grasp
all
that information, you'll be truly untouchable in battle. That would actually be
really unfortunate, because the developers made the hardest AI a bunch of
pushovers who just teleport a lot and spam Blast Attacks, and no human opponent
would be willing to fight you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
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--
III. Advanced Knowledge, Tips, Applications, & Strategies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
So you've learned how to fight. Now it's time to learn how to fight with flair.
I'll present information in bullet format, and topics will appear in roughly the
same order they were addressed in the Basics section.
- There are a few strategies that you can follow at the start of a battle that
may
give you the upper hand. They are useful against different types of opponents
and
with different types of fighters. The first is to stay at your starting
location.
You can jump or move, but you generally stay where you are. As soon as you have
full control, you lock on to your target and then either try to dash-attack them
or shoot a volley of Ki. You can also try the Illusion Slash combo, since the
conditions are as favorable as they're going to get. Most of the high-
difficulty
computer fighters will either approach you or guard, depending on your actions.
The second strategy involves moving before the battle and hiding out of your
opponent's view, then charging Ki or attacking from a distance. If you've
hidden
well enough, you may even be able to charge to MAX POWER before they find you.
As
your enemy sits around wondering where you went, you can sneak out and lock on
to
them while still avoiding their attention. This is very effective if you can
lock
on through walls, but is just as useless if the opponent has the ability to do
so.
The third strategy is to get as far away from the opponent as possible, then
locking on from a distance. This lets you see any attack coming your way, but
gives the enemy a chance to hide. It's somewhat risky, but rarely a real
disadvantage. The fourth and last strategy is a good one; you move right up to
your opponent (or behind them if they try to guard) and mash the A button right
from the start. If your fighter is slow, you may have to dash for a second and
then cancel it. You'll already have a Lock-on because you're in Close-combat
range. This only works if they stay still at first, but even so, most human
enemies will be smart enough to flee once they know what you're doing. It will
give you the greatest advantage of all these strategies, but only if it works.
- Dashing is usually a good long-distance evasive maneuver. It's the only
standard way to avoid unblockable disc-shaped smash Ki blasts. It can also be
used to dodge Particle-type Blast Attacks, but you have to have really good
timing. You can teleport more easily while dashing, which can really help you
dodge different attacks. You can also try Dragon Dashing, but there is a slight
warm-up delay and you don't get the more forgiving teleportation timing.
- It's all too easy to neglect Close-combat evasive maneuvers, but they're much
more useful than they appear. They work even in the middle of a rush, so you
can
use them as a no-Ki substitute for offensive teleportation. They are also
really,
really good for dodging charged attacks after blocking the preceding rush.
While
the enemy sits there charging an attack aimed at what is now empty space, you
can
pelt them with Ki, launch a Blast Attack, or even Step In, Sway, and attack if
your timing is good enough. The flying jumps executed with the C button are
less
obvious options, but they're more effective because they get you out of the way
faster and put you out of your opponent's line of sight. If they can't see you,
they can't see that Ki blast you're charging up...
- If you want to get your opponent away from you or buy yourself some time, lure
them into the air, then hit them with a double rush with a Step In linking the
two. The last rush hit will send them flipping down to the ground. Until they
impact a surface, they can't get up or fly again. You can use this time to
charge
Ki or move somewhere else.
- Vertical Dragon Dashes (Z+Nunchuk-tilt+C) are a good way to make a sudden
approach or escape and catch your enemy off-guard.
- Watch your Pointer Radar carefully if things aren't working right for you. It
will indicate which way the Sensor Bar thinks you're doing a Cursor Out as well
as
if you're guarding by accident and how close you are to the television.
- If you're playing as someone who can't fly, try to stay on the ground. Even
if
you're hovering just inches above the surface, you'll have trouble guarding or
charging Ki. If you try to voluntarily descend before you plummet to the
ground,
you'll drop all the way down unharmed, even from great heights. This is good as
an evasive tactic, but somewhat limits your movement options. But above all
else,
stay underwater if you can because you'll have full flight control when
submerged.
- Smashes are more versatile than they might seem. You can use them to end
rushes, then do the Dragon Homing and Vanish Attacks. They're good for when
enemies are charging at you, since you can launch a smash just before they reach
you that will (with the right timing) send them flying away before they can do
anything. I find that I use smashes most to shatter the guards of enemies.
Since
you can aim smashes and execute them so rapidly (by instant-charging), your
target
will have little time to react.
- If you are matching your opponent's rush (hitting each other at the same time,
accomplishing nothing), you can do one of two things. Voluntarily teleporting
costs a whole Ki bar, but you can move around to their back and get the upper
hand. However, the rush hits you have already launched will be "subtracted"
from
the combo you start once behind your target. (Example: AAA matches blows with
the enemy, so you teleport behind them and only have AA left in that rush.) You
can negate this effect by waiting for a moment, but they may turn back around
and
hit you. Whenever I teleport to the back in such a situation, I almost always
grab. You can't teleport out of the way of a grab, so because their back is
turned, they will be totally defenseless. The second tactic is to use a Body
Strike. Depending on your character, this will either lead to a teleport, parry
or grab. It costs just one half of a Ki bar and may break their Lock-on, but I
usually don't think to do this instead of teleporting.
- The timing for High-Speed Movement can be deceptive. You need to hit guard a
little earlier than you might think; the idea is to have your guard about to be
active just as an attack is about to REACH you, not CONNECT with you. If you
look
closely, you can see the defending character visibly start to put up a guard
before they zip out of the way.
- If you don't trust your own timing for teleportation and want an easier
alternative (shame on you, it comes with practice), you can try offensive rush
teleportation instead. This only works if you see an attack coming and have
ample
time until it reaches you. Swing away at thin air, then voluntarily teleport to
the sides before it gets to you. You need one Ki bar for this, so watch your
energy before you rely on this kind of thing. I should also note that this is a
very good way to dodge Rush Blasts that are coming from a distance.
- Even if you've been hit by several blows of a sequence of attacks, you can
still
teleport out of the way. For example, if you have taken a Heavy Finish and are
being hit with the Heavy Crush combo, you can teleport out of the way of any of
the Heavy Crush hits. The game designers have made it so that you can't mash
guard to get out of the way; rather, you have to calm down, pick one hit to try
to
dodge, see it coming, and press guard clearly before your attacker actually
swings
at you (it's much earlier than you'd think). In combos like Dragon Tornado, you
can really mess up the enemy if you teleport out of the way of the downward
spike
and strike back before they know what's happened.
- Heavy Finish takes longer to actually deliver a blow than most attacks.
However, it shatters any guard, regardless of direction. Unless your opponent
can
see it coming and avoid it, or teleport out of the way, you can very easily
break
their defense. This is especially useful since most fighters know Heavy Finish.
- You can use Heavy Finish to stun your enemy and keep them in front of you,
setting them up for an easy grab.
- If you are rushing your target and they've guarded against each hit, you can
throw them off with Flying Kick. If they don't change their direction to guard
to
the top, they'll be hit by all of the blows and will fly away or remain in
place,
vulnerable. If they do guard at least one of the kicks, you are free to
continue
your rush from there. At this point, you can swipe at them with a quick, mostly
uncharged Ground Slash, which would require a guard in the opposite direction.
Since they probably won't react in time, you can continue with the Dragon
Tornado,
scoring lots of damage.
- A fully charged Kiai Cannon will completely ignore its recipient's guard. It
usually deals a good amount of damage, especially when coupled with Kiai Smash.
Since about half the characters with Kiai Cannon can use it to break Lock-ons, a
really effective strategy is to rush, then penetrate the guard your target will
put up using Kiai Cannon, then carefully time your Kiai Smash so that they fly
down right where you want them. When applied well, the target will be standing
at
the bottom of a ravine, desperately trying to lock on while you sit somewhere at
the top behind cover, laughing your head off while charging Ki.
- Rolling Hammer is a very useful tool for destroying your enemy's defense. It
will either turn them around and render them unable to guard or break their
guard,
leaving them open to another rush (and another Rolling Hammer). Be sure to
alternate directions (analog-Left or Right) every so often so as not to be
predictable, because if they guard correctly, you'll be the one who's open.
- Dash attacks that lift opponents off the ground are really useful for going
berserk. An example of a "berserk" combo is [short & quick rush ending with
Flying Kick, short rush ending with Heavy Finish, smash, Dragon Homing Smash,
Vanish Attack (down into ground), dash attack, rush ending with Ground Slash,
Dragon Tornado, dash attack, rush ending with Kiai Cannon, Kiai Smash, dash
attack, rush ending with...]. The idea is that many small, aggressive combos
can
be linked together with dash attacks after the enemy is out of your immediate
grasp. This only works if your particular fighter's dash attack hits characters
that are already down. (Hint: Berserk combos rarely use Step Ins as they tend
to
break the pace.)
- If you want to hit an enemy full force with a Blast 2/U attack but you are far
away from them, try using a dash attack followed by Sonic Impact to get them on
the ground, then Giant Throw to fling them in the air, where they're an easy and
helpless target for any kind of B2/UB, even Rush Blasts.
- If somebody shoots you from a distance with a Blast Attack while you are
charging Ki, you can charge right up until the very last second. So long as you
let go of the Z button first, you can teleport out of the way without any kind
of
hindrance. The computer AI does this a lot.
- Volleys of Ki blasts are good for forcing the opponent into defense. They are
especially effective when fired during a dash, since the target has no choice
but
to simply guard, since reflecting the Ki would only leave them open to a dash
attack.
- You can also use basic Ki shots to add a few hits to a combo. This can buy
you
some time, since using Ki to hit an enemy who is frantically mashing the A
button
will increase their recovery time a little bit.
- Smash Ki blasts will send absolutely anyone tumbling to the ground upon non-
guarded impact, even Giants. You can even stop Dragon Dashes this way. If your
charged Ki is disc-shaped, like Krillin's, it is slow and inaccurate but
powerful,
unblockable, and non-reflectable. All in all, very useful for switching from
defense to offense.
- Use the jumping Ki combo whenever you can get away with it. It's very
difficult
for the opponent to get through the rapid blasts, and if they try to approach
you,
you can swipe at them with an unexpected Illusion Slash. The Illusion Slash
works
anytime you land on your feet in any way, regardless of whether you shot Ki or
even jumped. Non-fliers can drop straight down and use Illusion Slash anytime.
Also, if you and your opponent are both on the ground, it may help you to jump
(don't shoot any Ki) and land right in front of them, then use the attack. If
they try to follow your vertical movements, they'll never see it coming.
- The jumping aerial strike can be the beginning of a really useful combo. If
you
strike an enemy on or just above the ground, you can press the B button right
after you hit to immediately launch an Illusion Slash. Since your target is
still
reeling from the first blow, they'll be helpless as you hit them with a Dragon
Tornado. You can even do this against enemies who are flat on the ground if you
time it carefully. You have to hit them hard with the downward strike, then
swipe
at them after they've bounced off the ground and are a few inches in the air.
- Jump strikes carry you forward at a pretty speedy rate and are difficult to
identify, so you can use them to launch a spontaneous, unexpected attack on your
opponent.
- Dashing at your enemy while shooting Ki can really give you the upper hand,
especially since the resulting energy-residue cloud tends to block human
opponents' vision.
- You should try to use Dragon Dashes as low-risk evasive options. They
generally
don't put you in a very good spot to counterattack, but running away at high
speeds before your opponent can recover from the attack they just missed might
give you the opportunity to counterattack from a distance.
- Your basic smash attack sequence should be a staple of your fighting, since
it's
usually on the stronger side of your fighter's arsenal. It's not too
challenging
to block a smash, but if the target's guard is already broken, they have little
chance of preventing the Dragon Smash and Vanish Attacks. Unless, of course,
they
have learned how to teleport out of the middle of a smash combo.
- Step Ins, aside from linking combos together, are really useful for switching
from defense to offense. They grant invulnerability even if you're already
standing right next to your enemy and you end up just sort of leaning forward.
If
you can predict a charged attack in time, you can step right around it, leaving
the opponent swinging at air (or water) while you launch a technique of your
own.
- If an opponent is attempting a rush combo but is only hitting air, your
character might be able to Step In and press guard to immediately Body Strike
with
no rush. This lets you completely negate your enemy's attempt at offense,
giving
you the upper hand.
- If you manage to gain an opportunity to switch from defense to offense while
in
combat (by employing the super awesome strategies I'm teaching you), you should
generally launch a simple, straightforward attack combo like [rush, Heavy
Finish,
Heavy Crush], then follow up from there with Ki volleys, dash attacks (for those
berserkers out there), or Blast Attacks. Rush Blasts work especially well if
you
can time them so that you arrive at your enemy just as they're getting up.
- Keep your cursor on-screen at all times. Keep your cursor on-screen at all
times. Keep your cursor on-screen at all times. Keep your cursor on-screen at
all times. Keep your cursor on-screen at all times. Keep your cursor on-screen
at all times. I can't stress this enough.
- Sometimes launching a Blast Attack right after certain techniques can be
tricky.
For example, stunning the enemy with a Heavy Finish and then trying to go to
Blast
Input mode can be tricky, since you'll probably hit B before Z and continue into
a
Heavy Crush by accident. In these cases, you need to launch the initial attack
with B, then immediately hold down Z and then B before the game will accept
either
button for input (meaning before it can confuse Blast Input mode with charging
Ki
or hitting again with B).
- Barrier-type Blast 1 attacks are very useful for stopping Rush Blasts, even
the
weak ones like Explosive Wave. More powerful techniques like Psycho Barrier can
stop even Ultimate Blasts, which may be a more effective and reliable option
than
teleporting.
- One good application of Paralysis-type Blast 1 attacks is to freeze the enemy
in
place, then use a Blast 2 or Ultimate Blast attack while they have no ability to
dodge, guard, teleport, or defend. You can also use them to freeze enemies who
are charging straight at you or using Rush Blasts.
- Pump Up-type Blast 1 attacks can add some extra kick to your Blast Attacks,
but
they usually deplete once you finish such a technique. You can get more value
from them by using only basic fighting techniques, since some Pump Up-type
techniques' effects will remain indefinitely if you don't use B2/UBs. MAX
POWER-
type skills should really only be used to power up one final finishing assault,
since they cause you to charge Ki incredibly slowly when they run out. However,
there are exceptions. Characters like the Ginyu Force team have Pump Up & MAX
POWER-type Blast 1 attacks that only cost one Blast Stock, so they're basically
always in MAX POWER with a bunch of stat boosts. In these cases, they are free
to
use the whole MAX POWER charge-up for purposes so minor as to just get a full
five
bars of Ki.
- Some Saiyans have Saiyan Soul as one of their Blast 1 techniques. This attack
adds lots of power to their physical attacks and Ki blasts, and it can increase
the damage of Blast Attacks by about 17%. Most importantly, it makes the user
impervious to recoil from weak attacks, meaning you won't flinch or be thrown
back
from basic attacks. This technique lasts until the user launches a Blast
Attack,
at which point the effects dissipate. You can then use it again immediately.
If
you are playing as a Saiyan who has this ability, keep it active at all times -
it
gives them an advantage proportionate to how comparatively powerful the Saiyans
are in the actual story.
- Characters who use Afterimage-type Blast 1 techniques should turn them on as
frequently as possible. Afterimage and Afterimage Strike, which move you out of
the way of any attack and accept analog input for direction control, both work
if
you are standing still, stunned, or guarding. This effectively prevents any
combos used against you from ever completing before you've teleported out of the
way. Wild Sense works only once, but it will unfailingly carry you out of the
way
of almost any attack, and it will strike back with a powerful downward smash if
you're in Close-combat range.
- Share your energy! charges a larger Spirit Bomb the longer it's used without
interruption. You're completely helpless while you use it, so you probably
won't
get much of a charge unless you break your attacker's Lock-on and hide
somewhere.
You can use it for up to three full charges (or many more partial charges) to
increase the size of the Spirit Bomb, but 1 charge yields just as powerful an
attack as 3 charges, only smaller and somewhat easier to dodge.
- If you do damage to someone while they are using any Blast Attack, the attack
will be interrupted and cut short.
- While you are charging any type of Blast 2 attack, Ki shots launched at you
will
disappear right in front of your fighter. Once launched, the attack will blast
straight through any Ki blast. So if your enemy is shooting a long string of Ki
shots at you, once good strategy is to begin charging a Blast 2 attack to cancel
the Ki, forcing the attacker to quickly guard or dodge. You may also want to
fire
an uncharged attack to blast through all the Ki and hit them without warning.
- Upon impact, Beam-type Blast 2 attacks will either deal all their damage at
once
or register multiple hits with one continuous stream of energy. If you miss
with
an all-or-nothing Beam-type attack (like Masenko), the beam will dissipate.
Multiple-hit techniques will remain for a short time. If the opponent dodged
the
blast when it reached them but unwittingly ran into the stream when they reached
you, the energy blast will sustain itself to deliver all of the potential hits
in
spite of the fact that the beam shouldn't have lasted that long.
- If you are charging a Blast 2 attack, you can add analog input to aim the
attack
to the left, right, top, or bottom. This is useful to compensate for the motion
of enemies who are trying to dash out of the way.
- One of the best ways to dodge Particle-type Blast 2 attacks is to simply
Dragon
Dash out of the way. The only problem is that the timing for when to dash
varies
widely depending on what attack you're facing.
- When trying to teleport out of the way of a Particle-type assault, you should
generally dash straight at it to get the more-forgiving timing. If you dash to
the side, the attacks will curve to follow you and a successful teleport won't
put
you completely out of the way of the last few shots.
- The correct timing for teleporting out of the way of Particle-type attacks is
earlier than other for other attacks. You need to guard just as the attacks are
converging on you, not reaching you or colliding with you. If there are enough
shots in the stream, multiple teleports may be necessary to get out of the way
of
all of them.
- If a Wave- or Beam-type attack hits any other type of attack that launches, it
will blast right through. This means that Kamehameha is good for countering
Full
Power Energy Wave Volley. They also tend to penetrate Super Explosive Waves.
- If a Wave-type attack hits a Beam-type, there will usually be no collision
detection and whichever attack hits the other fighter first will do damage.
- If an enemy is charging at you, try stopping them with a Blast 2 attack (just
make sure it's something you launch, not a Rush Blast or Burst-type attack).
Super Explosive Wave-type techniques are especially effective, since there's
absolutely no way they will be able to reach you.
- Rush Blasts can be blocked, dodged, or counterattacked with any of the methods
already discussed (Power Guard, teleport, Afterimage-type Blast 1, launch a
Blast
2 attack). You can even just run away if you think you can escape their dashing
range. However, the best, fastest, easiest, and most reliable method of
responding to a Rush Blast is to Dragon Dash straight at them. Yes, that's
right,
go towards them (but it has to be Dragon Dashing). This is because the Rush
Blast
movement registers as a Dragon Dash, and when two Dragon Dashes meet, a clash
ensues. The Fighting Battle is easy to win if you've mastered control stick
rotation, and you can actually do damage to the attacker and force them into
defense. You can even launch a Blast Attack of your own right after they lose
the
clash. However, if they win the exchange of blows, they'll be able to launch
the
same attack again (but with the clash damage added), so there is some risk
involved. The upside to this method is that you can switch from a standstill to
a
Dragon Dash in no time flat (well, maybe with a slight delay), so you have lots
of
time to react. Human opponents may not expect the clash, so you'll get the
added
advantage of them not realizing they need to rotate the control stick for a few
moments.
- Use Ultimate Blasts either to take off some of the health of an enemy with
lots
of vitality remaining or to finish an enemy struggling to get up. Use Suicide-
type Ultimate Blasts only to take off the last bar or two of health of the last
enemy you have to face.
- I recommend that you use the MAX POWER combo to wear away three bars of health
off of an enemy with a medium amount of vitality left. You can use it whenever
you want, though.
- When charging Ki to MAX POWER, make sure you have ample time to do so. A good
time to do this is when the enemy is charging Ki as well, or after you've
smashed
them away and they're stunned and on the ground. If you're interrupted with a
partial blue charge, try not to teleport offensively or get your guard broken,
since this will deplete the charge you have. Try instead to just smash the
enemy
away so you can finish charging.
- When in MAX POWER and in Close-combat fighting, try to use Hyper Smashes a lot
because they deal a surprisingly high amount of damage, may break Lock-ons, and
leave the enemy little reaction time.
- If the opponent is shooting Ki at you and your character has the "Superman"
effect in MAX POWER, try to approach them so that the Ki bounces off you and
hits
them (it will if you're close enough).
- When using characters with Super Movement, teleport as much as you need to.
As
long as you're in MAX POWER, you'll have no problem dodging any attack.
- Super Dash will put you right past any attack your enemy might throw your way,
which is especially overwhelming when combined with the confusion you'll cause
by
suddenly disappearing, then smacking them in the face. You should easily be
able
to transition into Violent Rush.
- You can also use regular Super Movement out of a dash instead of Super Dash.
- If you want to score as high a combo as you can get, you can skip the rest of
the MAX POWER combo and pull a Dragon Heavy on your enemy straight from a
generic
Dragon Dash.
- Don't forget - if you use up all your pursuit attacks (that's Dragon Homing
Smash & Vanish Attack), you can launch your Ultimate Blast in place of the
Dragon
Heavy & Dragon Rush. There's no reload time after the last attack. This can be
a
cool strategy if your UB is a Rush Blast, since your enemy will be completely
open
as long as they don't hit the ground or another surface.
- If you have the chance, try to aim your attacks so that they send your target
through various objects and into walls, the ground, and such. This is a really
demoralizing way to add damage to your combo if they miss their chance to
recover
off of the object.
- Recover from smash blows by springing up and Dragon Dashing as much as you
can.
It's not too difficult to master, and you'll probably land an unexpected attack
on
the enemy. If they guard, you can still charge the attack to knock them back
some
distance, which sets things up perfectly for you to Step In and attack.
- Clash as much as possible. Not only are clashes really, really cool, but
Fighting Battles can save you from Rush Blasts, and winning Blast Battles can
deal
more damage than your attack would have on its own.
- If you're playing as a Giant, then rushes are not a good strategy. Just use
Rolling Hammer, do Aerial Combos, and smash as much as possible. Use Blast
Attacks when you can, but don't devote a lot of time to charging Ki.
- When playing as a flying character, try to stay out of the water as much as
possible. If you can, force your opponent, to stay underwater so they're slower
and can't really charge Ki, but don't aim all your attacks towards liquid or
they'll be able to recover much more easily.
- Once you're comfortable doing Blast Attacks without watching the little yellow
boxes, try to stay in the Enemy Radar view as much as you can. It gives your
enemy less advance warning of a Blast Attack, and it lets you keep track of your
enemy's position and see any items that may appear.
- If you see an item, smash your enemy away as quickly as possible and then grab
it without hesitation. Remember, getting them away from you takes precedence
over
getting the item, however great the advantages of the latter may be. If you're
not careful, you might smash them straight into it instead (which would be bad
if
you don't like seeing your rival in MAX POWER mode [blue items] all of a
sudden).
- Try to construct your combos around Step Ins instead of Chasing Attacks, but
if
you see that the conditions are right, don't hesitate to perform one. Just make
sure you can afford the cost in Ki (which you should, since the consequent rush
helps you gather energy).
- Transforming is usually a good strategy, but consider the consequences before
you make the change. Some characters can't transform back, and some transformed
fighters simply have different move sets rather than more powerful techniques.
If
you know you can win a fight with a fighter's first form, then there's no
pressure
to transform.
- Regardless of what I may have said about transforming, fusion is always a good
move. If you can fuse, do so immediately. You'll always end up with a much
stronger fighter who has awesome techniques.
- Switch characters as often as you like. Most people ignore the 2 button
altogether, and they end up paying the price in dead fighters. With certain Z-
items, it may even give you a chance to regain some health, energy, or Blast
Stock.
- Destroying the world with an Ultimate Blast can be a very good move. The
Ruined
Earth arena is absolutely huge. It has lots of flying space (no ground except
for
the platforms!) and places to hide. On the other hand, the Dying Namek locale
is
just the opposite, all flat ground with little cover. If your strategy is
conducive to either one of these, don't hold back. If the enemy doesn't like
it,
they're forced to stand in the way of a x100 Big Bang Kamehameha.
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--
This is getting to be a bit much, isn't it?
If you have actually stuck with this guide long enough to read this far, kudos
to
you. You're one of the very few who is patient enough to learn such a
complicated
system. Next up is Z-items, and that's it.
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IV. Z-items and Evolution Z
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Z-items are items that you can equip to your character before a battle that
enhance their abilities in one of the eight categories or grant special
advantages. You can buy them at the Item Shop (in the story, it's Baba's
Palace)
with money you've earned from Dragon Adventure or tournaments. There are two
types of Z-items, Ability-type and Support-type. Ability-type items can grow
with
experience gained from battles in Dragon Adventure or Ultimate Battle Z modes,
making their bearer even more powerful. Support-type items give a flat stat
bonus, possibly across multiple categories, and/or enhance certain fighting
techniques. For example, the Z-item "The Turtle Stone" gives +5 speed and
reduces
the reload time of Blast Attacks. Before I present any more information, I
should
explain the different categories.
Categories:
Life/Health: Determines how many bars of health you start with. One level is
about equal to a third of a bar.
Ki: Affects how quickly you charge Ki, how much damage your shots inflict,
and
to a lesser extent, how many shots you can fire in a row.
Attack: Higher levels increase the amount of damage your physical attacks do.
Defense: Decreases the amount of damage you take from any attack.
Speed: Increases the speed at which you move, dash, perform a full rush, and
charge physical attacks.
Blast 1: Increases the strength and/or effectiveness of your Blast 1
techniques
and the speed at which you gain Blast Stock.
Blast 2: Increases the damage inflicted by your Blast 2 techniques.
Ultimate Blast: Increases the damage inflicted by your Ultimate Blast.
On the character select screen, you first choose the character and form you want
to use, then you select one of three options: Normal, Custom, Evolution Z.
"Normal" selects the character with Level 1 stats in all areas. "Custom"
selects
the character with the stat boosts from any items you may have equipped to them.
"Evolution Z" takes you to the item screen. (In the story mode, you always have
the custom versions of characters.)
The item screen shows the selected fighter's current stats in all areas and
three
menu options. With no items, the stats will all be at 1, for a total level of
8.
The three menu options are "Evolution Z", "Logic", and "Password". The latter
two
can only be accessed if you've come to this screen from the Main Menu section of
"Evolution Z", then "Z-item Catalog" from there. "Evolution Z" brings you to
the
equip screen. "Logic" enables you to tell your character how to act when
controlled by AI - you can have it be 'balanced', 'powerful' (melee-heavy), or
'technical' (Blast spammer). "Password" will display a long and confusing
string
of symbols that, when entered into the Data Center on a friend's game, will
enter
your fighter on that friend's machine exactly as is for use in Dueling and
tournaments.
If you select "Evolution Z", you are shown a screen full of seven slots. Some
of
them are light gray (open), and some are blanked out (unusable). If you select
one of the open slots, the game brings up a menu from which you can select a Z-
item. They are divided into the two categories, so finding the one you want is
a
matter of switching back and forth. Once you've selected an item, it will be
equipped to that character, filling the slot. It can then be used in battle and
possibly gain experience. When you are running out of open slots, you can make
some of the gray ones active by equipping Ability-type Z-items listed as
"Equipment Slots +(2-4)".
At the start of the game, you have very few Z-items and can only buy +1 Ability-
type items (+2 for equipment slots) and a few Support-types. As you play more
and
begin to complete the different game modes, you can get Item Shop Membership
Cards
in bronze, silver, and eventually gold that let you buy much better items at
decreased prices. In the end, you can buy almost all the Support-type items
there
are and up to +10 Ability-types (+4 for equipment slots). If you find that your
characters are too weak, try playing through Ultimate Battle Z courses and a few
tournaments. If you make good progress, you can buy better items.
If you gain experience after a battle, it will be listed on the post-battle
results screen. You cannot gain experience in tournaments or Dueling. How much
experience you earn is determined by the total level of the enemies you fight.
Every character in your party or team earns the number listed, which is then
divided up among their Ability-type items. Once an item's experience increases
to
a certain number, it will reset to zero and change to a new item one level
higher
than the old one, leveling up the bearer as well. The amount of experience
required to level up the item increases as the item itself becomes more
powerful.
The maximum level any item can reach is +19, for a stat level of 20. Even if an
Ability-type item has reached the +19 level and cannot gain any more experience,
it will still take some experience from the total gained. An example of this:
If
you have a character with four Ability-type items, three at +15 and one at +19,
and you gained 400 experience in a battle, the +15 items each get 100 experience
even though the +19 item can't do anything with its share of 100 experience.
Support-type items do not detract from the total.
Ability-type items bulk up your basic stats, but Support-type items are what
really make your character unique. Some of them simply give stat bonuses of
different amounts in different areas, but most Support-type items grant
abilities
for use in battle. For example, items like Perfect Stance or Master's
Protection
make the character's guard negate any damage whatsoever, so Blast Attacks and Ki
shots won't get through at all. Other items such Chichi's Support or Master's
Spirit let you use High-Speed Movement even when you're stunned, dazed and
confused. Still others (Bibidi's Magic and Gohan's Teacher) add all kinds of
crazy bonuses if you successfully taunt in Close-combat range. There are far
too
many to list in a guide strictly about combat, so if you get a new item, pull it
up in the Z-item List and press the C button to view its description.
Keep experimenting with different combinations of items. There's no one "right"
or "perfect" item setup, so you can make every character different based on
their
unique abilities. The high levels you can achieve with Ability-type items are
useful and appealing, but the Support-type items' ability enhancements should by
no means be ignored.
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--
And with that, dear reader (yes, I know that's singular. You're the only one
left), I bid you farewell, for I have more fanatically obsessive guides to
write.
You may not fully realize it, but you have ascended beyond the limits of mere
mortals into the Other World of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 mastery. Go
buy
yourself a donut or something.
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V. Contact, Copyrights, & Other Information
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This guide and everything in it (basically, this whole document) is copyright
2007
me, Sean Langhi ("Fishbulbhead" on the GameFAQs website).
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any website without my express written
permission (or theirs, if I submitted it to them). Use of this guide on any
unauthorized website or as part of a public display is strictly prohibited and
is
a violation of copyright.
If you want to use my guide on your site, email me at fishbulbhead23 aT yAh0O
DoT
c0M. (I wrote that funny to throw off bots and bugs.) You can't post it until
I
say "Yes", but I almost definitely will, so there's no need to worry. You must
not modify the guide in any way, and you have to list me as the author.
Current list of authorized websites:
GameFAQs.com
Neoseeker.com
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THE END