Guilty Gear Strive – best characters for newcomers

Guilty Gear Strive can be a daunting game. Many mechanics like roman cancels, dash blocks, and bursts have to be in your mind at all times. However, if you’re a beginner to the series, you may need a character that is easy to use and is button-masher friendly. Thankfully, three characters have graced us with relatively easy movesets and inputs.

Ky Kiske

Often called the Ryu (Street Fighter) of the game by the Guilty Gear community, Ky offers a varied move set that can work in any battle situation. Ky’s combos are easy to implement, he’s fast, and his sword offers a wide width with his stabbing motions. He also has various moves at his disposal, like a projectile move called Stun Edge (down forward and triangle) and the Stun Dipper (down forward and cross) that slides into the opponent. There are even alternative versions of the Stun Edge, as you can charge it (by using circle instead of triangle) and pull it off in the air for a diagonal shot. One of his ultimate overdrive moves is Sacred Edge, which is an easy down forward down forward square input.

May

Next is May! Like Sol, she has a wide reach with her unique anchor weapon. Her attacks hit hard and can stun foes with her mighty strikes. You can easily hit opponents with three triangle attacks that will take out a quarter of their health. She can hammer down her anchor with a charged circle attack. May can unleash projectile attacks too that keep away her rivals. Arisugawa Sparkle (down back cross or square depending on how long you want the reach) summons a dolphin to hit a beach ball at the opponent and can be a great poke tool. Mr. Dolphin (Hold back and then quickly pressing forward and triangle or circle) works as a surprise attack, too, as she zooms towards the opponent with a dash attack.

Sol Badguy

Sol is a great all-around character for newcomers to the game. He has amazing reach with his sword, and you can implement stunning moves with little effort. Night Raid Vortex (Down back and triangle) offers a great sweeping attack from one side of the screen to the other that can go under standing attacks. He can also keep away rushing foes with his gun flame (down forward square). His strikes hit hard on the opponent’s health bar, and with the incredible reach he has with his blazing sword, he can easily counter an incoming attack. You’ll feel like a badass with Sol even without experience in Guilty Gear Strive.