Good day to all, seasoned (and not so seasoned) Blazblue fighters! I'll probably start with a short introduction about the game itself, i.e. I'll relay the information from the store.

Blazblue: Calamity Trigger is a hurricane fighting game in the style of Japanese animation with good pictures and excellent music. The story is also quite good, done in the style of a visual novel between battles.

At the end of 2014, the wonderful moment that all fans of the game had been waiting for arrived - Blazblue: Continium Shift Extend was released on Steam! In this part, new characters and history were added, the abilities of old characters were corrected and supplemented, and some aspects of the game play were changed. If you still only play Calamity Trigger, I recommend checking out the continuation of the series. There is no need to write a manual for it - the game includes training in the basics and each character separately (though in English).

I don't think anyone is here to read my opinion, so let's move on to the mechanics. And I’ll start with management. I understand that we all know how to push buttons. But it’s still worth starting with this.

The controls in BlazBlue are different from those in Street Fighter, for example. If the second uses a six-button light/medium/strong kick/punch system, then in BB it is much easier. There are only 4 strike buttons:
X - weak hit (also known as "poke")
Y - medium impact
B - strong blow
A - drive (a feature of each character)
(Controls can be changed in the game settings)
Out of habit, I will mark them as A (X), B (Y), C (B) and D (A)

Someone may ask the question: “Why do we need all these weak and medium attacks? I play for Ragna, his drive waves across half the screen with solid damage!” Yes, maybe so, but you won’t get far on one drive. Strong blows and drives (depending on what kind) are easily blocked and then reflected painfully. It is best to start the combination with pokes A. By the way, pokes are also great at interrupting heavy attacks C.

That's enough with the punch buttons for now, now a little about the directions.

I am sure that everyone knows that moving backwards automatically blocks incoming blows. The block can be used standing, sitting (diagonal button) and jumping. We can immediately add that although a sitting block will protect you from lower attacks (DOWN+D for Ragna, DOWN+C for Noelle), it will leave you open to upper attacks!

Double pressing forward causes one of 2 types of actions: accelerated running (Ragna) or stepping forward (Hakumen). Useful for reducing distances between enemies, as well as in combinations. Poor Tager is deprived of both :D Just try not to get caught in an enemy attack while running.

Pressing back twice causes a rebound. Convenient for dodging some attacks with a small radius. On the bounce you can't block, so use it wisely.

Double press up - double jump. Hardly useful outside of combinations. And you also lose the ability to accelerate forward or backward in the air (yup, “dash” is performed in the air by everyone...except Tager).

There is also a little trick: quickly pressing down and up causes a high jump. At the same time, your character has a trail and the jump has a different sound.

We've sorted that out, and now let's dance the waltz!

In this part I will tell you everything I know about blocking. Blocking is probably the main way to not lose in a match, because "I'm a jugger, ****!" As I already wrote, the block is caused by holding BACK. The block sitting and standing was also written earlier. In addition, there are 2 more types of block - a simple block (blue barrier as an effect) and an instant block (your character will turn white for a split second).

Instant blocking is achieved by pressing BACK at the very moment the attack was launched. In other words, it is a reward for reacting. How is it useful? As far as I know this game, it is this block that allows you to painlessly launch a counterattack immediately after it, i.e., the time between the end of the block and the beginning of the attack is reduced.

In addition, the game has a barrier that is caused by simultaneously pressing B+C+BACK (where: Y+B+BACK)! That's cool! Wait, why did he give up?
I don't use it often, but in fact the barrier does its job better than a regular block.

Firstly, even if you block, 1-5% of your attack power is removed (correct if more). This does not happen with a barrier.

Secondly, the enemy's strong attacks cause a "tug of war"... that is, a primer guard.




When you fill this gauge with your color (if you started on the left, then red), you will make the enemy afraid and cry because you will cause a guard crush! The enemy will stand helpless for 3 seconds. During this time, “he is all yours” :D

As you can guess, the barrier prevents this scale from moving while you are using it. So this is a very useful thing against distortion drives - powerful attacks like Carnage Scissors.

But there is one small "but": the barrier uses energy. This is a small green scale under health. If you press the barrier, you will find yourself in a state where the barrier is inaccessible for some time, and your opponent's attacks will deal more damage. At the same time, the health bar will turn orange and DANGER will be written on it. But then the barrier is restored. It’s much worse if you used Burst Break - pray for the bot’s weakness, as this state will last until the end of the round!

Addition: Like an instant block, you can perform an instant barrier. The visual effect is identical.

Break Burst - forcefully interrupts an enemy's combo if it is very necessary. Performed by pressing all four attack buttons at once. It can only be used once. The enemy is thrown up, but no damage is done. At the same time, you find yourself in a difficult situation in the form of increased damage to you and the absence of a barrier.

Addition: a block occurs when attacks meet at the same moment; with a successful combination of circumstances, it is possible to block Hakumen’s terrible C attack with a simple A attack. However, such an action is very difficult to perform.

So, we learned how to block shots (just kidding, it's not that hard)! Now let's move on to the story of the attacks.

It has already been said that attacks, in addition to weak, strong and heavy, can be low, medium, and high. And each one needs to be blocked differently. Take advantage of this and mix up types of attacks on the enemy! This way you have a much better chance of hitting your opponent. About the types, we can add that most of the top attacks are done while jumping, but there are characters who can do them while standing on the ground. For example, Blizzard (Fubuki) Gina. Such attacks are most often anti-air, that is, they attack the enemy in the air.

Different attacks, in addition to simply destroying health, have different effects on the one who is successfully hit.

Low attacks from a sitting position (or standing in Ragna's case) will knock you down. At the same time, if an enemy blocked an attack while standing and was hit in the legs, a yellow exclamation mark (yep, gotcha!) may appear above the character. Once a character is knocked down, he can run into another quick attack before he can recover (by pressing any button), or even get hit by a combo.

High attacks can launch the enemy high and dianonally away from you in most cases. At the same time, it will spin like a top (or a baseball). Useful if you need to create distance. Such an attack is the same wonderful Blizzard from Jin, or A standing attack with pressing forward from Noelle. With the frantic screams of the flying away “shell” it looks very impressive.

About other possible statuses:
1. Some attacks cause the opponent to spin around his axis while standing on the ground. A good example is Rachel's Standing + Forward attack.
2.Other attacks can cause large tumbling knockback. As far as I know, this is the C attack of Nu-13. In addition, there are types here: it can be thrown back either with a powerful blow to the edge of the screen (Tagger’s Spark Bolt) or with a long roll along the ground (this is already found in reinforced versions of characters).
3. It is also worth remembering the attacks that make the character writhe for a couple of seconds and, if the attack buttons were not pressed immediately to recover, fall to the ground.

Dirty tricks. Who said that they don’t beat someone who is lying down? In the case of Ragna and Noelle, this is not the case at all! For example, double pressing down + C on Ragna next to an opponent dozing on the ground allows you to lift him by the scruff of the neck and hit him hard in the ear. And Noel brazenly shoots at the enemy with the same combination.

Blocking attacks are counterattacks. I can’t call them anything else. There are attacks that give you invulnerability at the start of their use. This is Rachel's attack A (turning Nago's cat into a throne and electrifying) or Bang's D Drive, when a well-timed attack will block and punish the opponent for recklessness with a counter attack. Another example is Tiger's Sledgehammer attack, which gives a block at the beginning. Oh yes, Hakumen's D drive is partly involved in such attacks. This is a good counterattack, but it does not provide any protection while it is being used. Therefore, you need to choose the perfect time for it. The fact that these attacks are blockable also means that they are unlikely to be interrupted. Therefore, it is better to use a block.

(If something was missed, it should be added later)

Now we can write a little about grips. Grips are activated by the B+C button combination (or Y+B on the boxpad). You can capture a target both on the ground and in the air (if you are in the air). In addition, they can be directed to where it is more convenient for you to throw the enemy. To perform a grab with a back throw, simply press BACK after a successful grab. If you press everything at once, you will complete the barrier. Oops!

Despite the fact that the grapples have the smallest range of application, they cannot be blocked by standard means. And they can also start some kind of terrible combo (maybe they can then press this for Nu-13 and post it). They are used primarily against those who allow them to get close to them or on those who sit in deep defense. One is still not far from the other. Because of their unblockability, they sometimes get the nickname “noob trick” :D

Then how can you avoid them? Here you are in the grip and there is only half a second to... dum-dum-dum... respond with the same button combination (B+C)! Thus, in order to successfully repel a capture, you must be almost ready for it, since time is very short. At the same time, a glowing star effect appears between the fighters and they are thrown away from each other.

Surely you noticed a green exclamation mark and two larger purple ones after a successful capture. The one that is green means that the capture is clean, and you need to reflect it in half a second. Purple signs hint at a failed capture. If, for example, you froze an enemy, playing as Jin, who is cold in every sense, and then instead of attacking you decided to capture him. I advise you never to make a grab after a successfully delivered attack - it is unlikely to succeed.

By the way, do not forget that release from capture can also be unsuccessful. In this case, “Failed Throw Rejection” will be written on the screen. I know only one way to achieve this - feverishly press a combination of buttons just to free myself. The game stops and punishes such “spam”. Yes, and with the choice of moment there is a mistake.

Have you noticed that often the words Counter or Fatal Counter appear on the screen on the right or left? So, the sign Counter on your character’s side means that you interrupted the enemy’s attack. For example, some Hakumen was preparing an attack S. Nobody wants to run into this terrible swing. And you don't want to. Therefore, the most effective way to make him regret it is to poke him with an A attack. All this happens in barely a second. But keep in mind that A attacks have a very small radius, although they are instantaneous in execution. Once you have counterattacked, start the combination!

It is worth noting Fatal Counters. How are they different from regular counters? The fact is that fatal counters immobilize the opponent for a short time. Such attacks are often caused by powerful attacks. For example, Ragna's standing forward press C attack (where he makes a double sword attack towards his feet and up). You won't recover from it right away, so this is your chance.

And finally, the third option for a counterattack. In my opinion, of all three it is the most daring. The whole point is that a counterattack can be carried out with nothing more than a capture! In this case, a translucent red cross will appear on the two characters and Throw Counter will be written. Tager uses this technique very often; he even has a distortion grip for such cases. The opponent will not be able to dodge such a grab. Just don’t try to play through the whole game like this, the bots won’t approve.

Not a single good combo (or combo in general) is complete without cancels. Cancel is skipping part of the strike animation. In practice, this means that if you use a punch that can be "followed up" by a subsequent punch, you will not see, for example, an arm or leg return to its previous position. The animation for the next hit will begin immediately. Therefore, it is worth choosing a series of attacks wisely to create a great combo.

There are 4 types of cancels:

1. Standard cancel in a series of blows.

2. Dash cancel. After striking, press forward twice and the animation will reset, that is, you will start running.

3. Jump cancel. Often used in air combinations. If played correctly, you can jump almost 3 times. Again, animation reset and instant repulsion from an invisible surface (as in Bleach, a common occurrence).

4. Rapid cancellation. Called by pressing three attack buttons A+B+C or the right trigger. Forces the animation of any hit to reset, whether cancel is applied to it or not. Very effective if you miss with some strong blow and your opponent is ready to make a chop out of you. Well, for example, DOWN + D for Jin Kisaragi. In addition, rapids are used in advanced combinations. However, this technique can only be used if you have 50 points of heat energy, which it will consume.

I’ll write about the combo counter here. This counter comes in two types. If it is red, then the combo cannot be interrupted or dodged in the usual ways (only with Break Burst). If it turns blue, then the combo is not ideal and it can or could be interrupted by recovery/retaliation.

Note: it turns blue already in Continium Shift.

Heat is energy obtained in various ways, but mainly by hitting the enemy.
So, this energy is used:

1. 25% "heat" using some gin techniques. They acquire a freezing effect and are quite powerful in themselves. At the same time, you will hear a short sound that is not present in ordinary blows... But these are trifles.

2.50% heat uses all other techniques. These are: Rapid Cancel (described above) and all types of Distortion Drive.

Distortion Drive is a technique specific to each character, causing massive damage to the enemy if the hit conditions are met, or giving a temporary boost to the character himself (Ragna, Hakumen). By the way, Hakumen and Jin Kisaragi have identical distortion - a powerful counterattack. A hint of something very important in history...

3.100% of the "hot" scale uses a fancy move called Astral Heat/Drive. It is performed strictly in the decisive round (if you win once out of two) and if the enemy has less than 30% (or 15%?) health. To unlock this move for a character, complete the arcade for them. Usually has a global effect. Whether you can use the astral or not shows the character's portrait in the upper right or left corner (it should flicker). The conditions for some characters are simple, for others they are more complex. Again, I’ll give the example of the ice major NOL - his astral is applied if the enemy simply stands on the ground at any distance.

Energy is accumulated in the following ways:

1. Inflicted blows. With combinations, the flow of energy increases. The more hits at a time, the more.

2. Lost health. You can even check in a simple block, since in it you lose a little health.

3. If the opponent has a Negative Warning status. To activate it, you must often dodge and bounce/run away from your opponent. This status is quite unpleasant because in addition to quickly gaining energy for one character, the second one receives increased damage until the status is turned off.

4. I noticed this by chance and this is just my guess. If one side has accumulated some energy (for example, 80) and the match lasts quite a long time (more than a minute or two), then the other side begins to increase energy one by one up to the same 80.

5. If you are using the unlimited version of the character. The flow of energy in this case is simply terrifying. Unlimited is a strong option. To determine in battle which version you are fighting, look at the name at the top left or right. If it's purple, then hold on - it's an unlimited character.

Hakumen is the exception to all the rules. It does not have a heat scale, instead it has a magatam charge scale. With the help of them, he uses a fairly large number of techniques, each of which is noticeable by its black aura. This scale is always active, never stops and does not depend on anything. The scale is replenished by one magatama when there is a successful counterattack with the character’s D drive.

This short part is only to remind you of such statuses. There are two of them:

1. “Loss of protection” status. Obtained by completely spending a barrier (temporarily) or using Break Burst (for the entire round). Effects: receiving increased damage, inability to use a barrier, receiving more damage in a normal block. Visible by the orange health bar and the inscription Danger.

2. Negative Warning status. Obtained when dodging attacks for a long time and there are no melee attacks (does not apply to Nu-13). Effects: The enemy receives a constant increase in energy, similar to regeneration, as well as receiving increased damage to itself. Discarded by a melee attack or if you are hit.

Repetition is the mother of learning, so to speak. :D

Damn confused, since I decided to write the most used technique at the end of the guide!

Recovery is used every time you are knocked down or attacked in any way. Recovery occurs by pressing any attack button. At the same time, you are invulnerable for a short time or, more precisely, for the duration of your character’s flickering. You can recover both on the ground and in the air, but on the ground there is more variability. A simple press will raise you to your feet in the same place where you fell. When you simultaneously press in any direction, a roll will occur, which can be to your advantage. Recovery is impossible if the combo is whole, i.e. red counter. When the meter is blue, the game hints that you had a chance at it.

If you are knocked down and do not recover, the character will do so automatically after a while. And finally, advice: use recovery wisely and at the right time, since after it you can run into a second combo

Well, that's the end of my leadership. When I played this game back in 2008, I had no idea about any of these things. But to be honest, in addition to the fact that I’ve been playing this game for quite a long time, I saw the theory in BlazBlue: Continium Shift. But I’m writing from memory, and not from the tutorial in it.

I think you are now ready to defeat any bot that comes your way! Well, simply because the game was cut online. Although why not play with a friend on the same screen. After all, now he definitely won’t be able to defeat you with just grabs, you pathetic noob!

Thanks for reading my guide. I hope you found it useful and not too boring. Be a little lenient in your criticism, since this is my first guide, after all. :)

And in the end, I decided to post this video of my fight with a bot in the arcade, which I did back when there was no BB on Steam. Here you can immediately see my mistakes and some techniques. In fact, there I was still furiously struggling with the inconvenient controls on the boxpad. After using the PlayStation joystick, I feel a huge difference in the convenience of fighting games.

Finally: the “zig-zag” arrow in the overview of commands for a character looks like this in a detailed analysis: DOWN, RIGHT, diagonal DOWN+RIGHT.

So, video:

Good luck to everyone in mastering the game!