Soul Calibur 6 has made some big changes to the series, both in new mechanics and revamping classic mechanics. For this reason, new players and series veterans may need to learn how to play Soul Calibur 6. In our Soul Calibur 6 tips article, we’ll cover some of the basics, as well as some of the more advanced mechanics in the game so you have a good understanding when you first start to play. Once you learn how to play Soul Calibur 6 you can start to consistently take down your friends and rivals!
Quick Soul Calibur 6 Tips
- AA and Down + A are usually your fastest attacks. Use them to interrupt slower attacks or if you’re having trouble getting a hit in.
- Most attacks are not advantage when blocked, which means you cannot just keep attacking mindlessly. You will have to stop attacking and block if you want to avoid getting interrupted by counter hit attacks.
- If you hit with an attack (it’s not blocked), you can usually keep attacking.
- Most low attacks will duck under high attacks, and most jumping attacks will go over low attacks.
- Break Attacks can interrupt (counter) a Guard Impact and Reversal Edge.
- A fully charged Reversal Edge cannot be blocked.
- The Reversal Edge is a very linear attack, which means you can sidestep to the left or right to avoid it in most cases.
- If you’re close to the edge of the stage, try to move away so you don’t lose to a ring out.
- Use a horizontal attack to stop an opponent from sidestepping.
How to Play Soul Calibur 6
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend checking out our in-depth article on the Reversal Edge mechanic, as well as our basic controls article. These are good companions to this article to help you learn how to play Soul Calibur 6 and learn the new mechanics in the game.
Attack Heights and Blocking
- High (H)
- Mid (M)
- Special Mid (SM)
- Low (L)
- Special Low (SL)
Soul Calibur 6 has three main attack heights, as well as some ancillary attack heights. The main heights are High (H), Mid (M) and Low (L). You can duck under High attacks, while Low attacks must be blocked in a crouching state, and Mid attacks must be blocked in a standing state.
In addition to these three heights, the game also features attacks that fall into the Special Mid (SM) and Special Low (SL) category. These attacks can be blocked standing or crouching. In the case of Special Low attacks, they usually maintain the properties of many other Low attacks, which means they will duck under most High attacks.
Guard Gauge
There’s an invisible Guard Gauge in the game that depletes as you block attacks. If your Guard Gauge gets too low your health bar will begin to flash yellow. Once your Guard Gauge is extremely low your health bar will flash red. Once your health bar is flashing red, if you block another few attacks your guard may be broken, giving your opponent a free attack.
If you miss a Guard Impact or use a Reversal Edge, this also lowers your Guard Gauge. However, the longer you go without blocking an attack, the more your Guard Gauge will replenish. It also replenishes between rounds.
Just Guarding
- Press G just before blocking an attack.
You can avoid taking guard damage or drastically reduce the guard damage taken if you Just Guard an attack. To Just Guard you must press the Guard button just as you’re about to block an attack. With proper timing your character will flash white, indicating a successful Just Guard. If you Just Guard, you can also avoid taking chip damage when an opponent has Soul Charge active.
Guard Impact (GI)
- Forward + G
A trademark of the Soul Calibur series, the Guard Impact (GI) has changed a bit in Soul Calibur 6. This time around, the GI no longer consumes meter, and it also parries all High, Mid and Low attacks and throws. The only attacks that a GI cannot parry are Break Attacks. Yes, that means you can I both Critical Edge attacks (super moves).
After a successful GI, you have a limited time to perform an attack. Depending on how well-timed your GI was will determine how much time you have to connect a follow-up attack. In some cases you may not be able to land another attack. In addition, the opponent can GI back or use Reversal Edge, so be ready for either option.
In some cases it’s good to use a Break Attack after you land a successful GI. If the opponent tries to GI back, your Break Attack will go right through their GI and usually connect as a Lethal Hit. This allows you to follow with a combo.
Reversal Edge (RE)
- Vertical beats Horizontal
- Horizontal beats Kick
- Kick beats Vertical
We have already detailed the new Reversal Edge mechanic in this article. We highly recommend reading that for full details. However, we’ll still offer a quick overview here.
The Reversal Edge mechanic is a new system in Soul Calibur 6 that allows players to absorb multiple attacks, then unleash a counter attack that leads into a Rock, Paper, Scissors-like cinematic and a lot of meter gain. You can tap the Reversal Edge command and the attack will immediately execute, but can be blocked. If you hold the buttons, while you’re holding them your character will absorb all attacks and throws except Break Attacks. As soon as you let go of the buttons, your character will exit the absorbing period and execute the attack. At this point you can potentially be interrupted.
Think of the Reversal Edge system like you would a Guard Impact. You should use it when you think the opponent will try to attack you. It’s a very linear attack, which means an opponent can easily sidestep and punish if you use it too frequently. Using it when you think the opponent will attack means you will absorb some attacks, making it difficult for an opponent to evade with a sidestep, and virtually guaranteeing the Reversal Edge will connect.
Once a Reversal Edge connects you can press Horizontal (A), Vertical (B), Kick (K) or Guard (G) in addition to movement options such as Forward or Back (see our Reversal Edge guide for full details). Like Rock, Paper, Scissors, Vertical beats Horizontal, Horizontal beats Kick, and Kick beats Vertical. If both players pick the same option, it moves into a second cinematic where you repeat the process.
Break Attacks (BA)
Break Attacks have blue lightning around them and generally leave your character at advantage if they’re blocked. That means you can usually follow a blocked Break Attack with another attack (something fast like an A,A works best). Break Attacks are usually a little bit slower than some other attacks, but they go right through Guard Impacts and Reversal Edge attacks. If you anticipate an opponent is going to use a GI or RE, use a Break Attack to stop them.
Lethal Hits (LH)
A new kind of hit status in Soul Calibur 6 is the Lethal Hit status. Every character has a few attacks that can potentially grant a Lethal Hit status under very specific conditions. The in-game move list for each character has a Lethal Hit section that details the attacks that can Lethal Hit, and how to get the Lethal Hit from these attacks. In some cases you may need to duck under an attack while hitting with your attack, or the opponent might need to have a full super meter (Soul Gauge), or you might just have to hit the same attack a set number of times throughout a match.
If you land a Lethal Hit, a special animation will play to indicate the Lethal Hit occurred, and the opponent will be stunned. Take this opportunity to connect a Critical Edge, or go into a combo. Think of a Lethal Hit as a guaranteed hit opportunity, so long as you’re fast enough with the follow-up attack.
Critical Edge (CE)
- A+B+K
A super move in Soul Calibur 6 is known as a Critical Edge (CE). Once you have at least one bar of meter (Soul Gauge), you can use a Critical Edge or activate Soul Charge (see below). Not all Critical Edge attacks are created equally. Some will have invincibility and go through attacks for a short time (Taki), others will teleport from anywhere to land on an opponent (Yoshimitsu), and some even have an auto-Guard Impact at the start (Ivy, Nightmare and Zasalamel). It’s important to learn the range and properties of your character’s Critical Edge so you better know when and how to use it.
Soul Charge (SC)
If you’ve played Street Fighter V, think of Soul Charge like you would a V-Trigger. Once you have at least one bar of meter (Soul Gauge), you can activate Soul Charge to enter a powered up state and all attacks will inflict chip damage (a small amount of damage even when blocked). Most characters have new attacks available only while Soul Charge is active, in addition to some normal attacks becoming more powerful, with different properties. You can see all of your character’s upgraded and new attacks in the Gauge Moves tab of the in-game move list.
In addition to powering up your character, the Soul Charge activation knocks and opponent back, even if they’re in the middle of an attack. You can’t use it while you’re getting hit, but if you’re blocking something or the opponent is about to attack, activating Soul Charge will knock them back and give you some breathing room. The activation is also invincible for a short time, which means it’s very difficult to get punished as you activate Soul Charge.
Throws
- A+G
- Back + A+G
Throws have changed a bit in Soul Calibur 6. Forward throws remain the same, with the A+G input. However, Back throws are now done by pressing Back + A+G. In addition, how to break a throw has also changed. You can break a Forward throw by pressing A, B, or K right as an opponent tries to throw you. To break a Back throw you now have to press Back + A, B, or K as the opponent is trying to throw you.
Most characters also have command throws. Some of these cannot be broken, but the ones that can will be treated like a Forward or Back throw. Check the in-game move list to see which throw break is used. Just look in the status section at the bottom of the move list when highlighting the throw in question. Back throws cannot be broken by any characters other than Voldo and Astaroth.
Ring Outs
If an opponent is near the edge of the ring, certain attacks will knock them back and potentially out of the ring. If a character is knocked out of the ring, they immediately lose that round no matter how much health they had remaining. Not all attacks have the ability to ring out an opponent so head into Training mode and test them out to find out which attacks will ring out with your character. Keep in mind, some throws can also result in a ring out.
For more strategies and advice, such as unlocking Inferno, check out our Soul Calibur 6 game hub!
