Hello!

You may or may not know me from my previous guide, but after some long debating on what I'd like to write next when it comes to guide content about this game (since my previous guide was received so positively, thank you very much!), I concluded that some general advice can still be really useful.

Learning a new character can very much be a fun or scary experience entirely depending on your mindset on how you go into it, and many people over-complicate it, or just approach it the wrong way entirely. I'd also really like to use this topic as an opportunity to discuss the character crisis, a scary but very real experience that I've been hit by myself across multiple fighting games, alongside multiple of my friends when it comes to Strive specifically. I really hope that this guide can prove to be useful when you're ever in doubt about your character choice and are considering switching.

But that's enough said, let's get started right away!

Naturally, the way you approach learning a new character will differ depending on a lot of factors. We're going to start from the very beginning and work our way up!

As an entirely new player, it can be exceptionally overwhelming to boot up a fighting game, go to training mode (or a tutorial mode of your choice) and seeing this massive selection of characters all with differing play styles and moves to pick from.

Many people will tell you different things, such as but not limited to;

"Just pick the beginner-friendly characters." (Usually Sol, Ky, etc.)
"Pick the one that looks cool!"
"Pick [usually their own character] because I know how they work and can give you tips on getting started."

Naturally, all of this advice is meant to help a new player pick their character, but since someone's character choice is very much subjective, in my opinion the best advice to follow is the middle-one -- the one that looks the coolest to you.

It's going to sound obtuse and vague, but if you keep it very plain and simple and look at all the characters and see who's design you like the most, you should just get started with said character. Usually, for most players, their design can be enough of an excuse to get started and potentially get some matches in! If you overthink your first character choice as a new player, you're just not going to have a good time, as it'll over complicate the game for you, which is something you must avoid as a beginner or you risk alienating yourself from the experience...so keep it simple when starting out!

• What move looks cool that you want to hit your opponent with?
  
• Do you think your character's voicelines are rad as hell?
  
• Who has a pretty super that you just want to do?

These may sound like childish reasons to pick a character, but questions like these have unironically helped me a lot when it comes to sticking to characters, even when I've amassed over a 1000 hours in some fighting games!

At an intermediate level, it is very likely that you're beginning to second-guess your initial character choice(s), usually after getting a decent amount of games in. Maybe you don't like how their movement feels, maybe you think their attacks are not big enough, that they don't do enough damage...any reasoning is fine as long as it's valid!

Once you are starting to second-guess yourself, I do recommend first sticking with your character for a little while longer. This is because, becoming more proficient with your character will let you dampen their flaws by simply becoming better with them. Examples of this include;

• Getting better at your character of choice's movement, making their seemingly small range not so much of a downside anymore
  
• Learning improved combo routes and/or punishes that deal more damage, making your character feel more damaging and rewarding once you do get a hit in
  
• Improving your knockdown situation by either being closer to your opponent, or changing what moves you use to knockdown in certain situations entirely, making your character seem more oppressive in a pressure scenario

If the problems you're worried about are still nagging at you after an extended period of time, then you should consider switching off, since these complaints may just persist and cause you not to have as much fun with the character as you'd like.

As a more experienced, stronger player, this will either happen a lot or very little at all; this is purely because if you've reached a certain level of proficiency with your character, a lot of the beginner-level downsides will have been tweaked and are basically considered null -- at this level, matchups and inherent weaknesses to your character will begin to be the main factors that influence how your main feels, be it good or bad.

Switching off of your character also becomes much much harder at this level simply due to having put more hours into your initial character. It might make you feel helpless and weak to play a character you don't fully understand, so learning a new character can be much more daunting here...that, and your reasoning to switch will probably be a lot more complicated as well...talk about a conundrum. But we'll get to it in the next chapter!

This is probably going to be the hardest part of switching off of your character. You might be asking yourself,
"Why would I want to switch off?"
Which is a totally normal question to have! Here's going to be the extremely simple, standard answer that I always tell myself and other people whenever they are considering a switch;

If you are enjoying playing your character, never under any circumstance, switch off. No matter what!

If you are smiling hitting your moves, laughing when you hit your opponent with something stupid, or just feel as if you're enjoying performing on your character, it means you just innately like your character, which is the simple truth. If you switch off, you could potentially rob yourself of the fun you're having all because of reasoning like "this matchup feels bad to play", or "this move doesn't work the way I want it to".

In the end, playing a videogame should be FUN! I personally don't think it's worth it to lower your "fun factor" all for just getting a few extra wins. Of course, some just want to win as much as they can, and that's how they have fun. If this is the case for you, feel free to ignore my (somewhat generalized) advice.

There's no need to look deeper into your character choice if you are having fun, but, if you're struggling with certain aspects of your character, or are not having as much fun as you feel like you should be having, then I'll be listing off some reasoning that I totally just didn't make up. It might help you in evaluating your choice!
This one's the simplest one to explain, and usually boils down to you just disliking a certain aspect of your character's kit. Think of not liking how stubby your buttons are, how bad your character's guts rating (health) is, and the list can go on and on!

But, I'll showcase a more complicated example from my perspective: Millia Rage.

Millia, as a character, is designed to be a quick glass cannon that wants to sneak a hit in with a knockdown and then begin endlessly mixing you left, right, high, low, and all over, with high speed to boot! I actually am into this character archetype; glass cannons with explosive offense. However, I don't really play Millia.

The simple answer is that I dislike how one-dimensional her pressure feels. I don't think it's extremely engaging on my end to just arbitrarily pick a way to mix up my opponent and see if they get hit or not, then repeat, and if they block it, I have to be greedy to get more offense going.

It just doesn't end up feeling satisfying to me; so after giving this some thought, I am able to conclude that I prefer a type of offense that requires conditioning and risks to get reward off of it. Looking at characters in this way and explaining your reasoning for not playing them will give you a lot of insight as to what you prefer in a character, and in turn, can make picking a character much easier!

I highly recommend "talking to yourself" in this regard so you can figure out what you like/dislike in a character, as it can give you some valuable information on what you like as a player!

This is my personal favorite reasoning as to why you can pick a character. It's simple, childish, and something about it just screams "authentic and pure" (TOTALLY NOT BIASED) when someone tells me they play a character for this reason; they just have character love for this character.

Character love as a concept is just you really appreciating aspects of your character of choice, even beyond just gameplay. I see this love as something entirely platonic, but some others take it literal and think they want to date, or hug their character or something. Granted, that's fine reasoning to pick a character, it's just not what I'm into! Are Baiken players into something like this?

I'll give you a small list of things I use as an example when it comes to evaluating whether I possess this "love" for a character.

• You really like their visual design (or maybe a certain color you pick!)
  
• You find their personality, voicelines, and the way they interact with other characters cool/interesting.
  
• You really dig their lore, backstory, and/or their relations with other characters in the cast.

These seem like arbitrary reasons to really like a character, but for me, they can actually be dealbreakers. I've played many fighting games where I just could not find a character that possessed any of these character love traits that I like, and this didn't really give me a good connection to the character and, in-turn, didn't make me enjoy the game as much as I did.

If you find yourself not caring much for a character's gameplay and more or less their looks, consider looking towards factors such as these for what you like! This train of thought has helped me a lot when it comes to picking characters in fighting games.

This is a more higher-level reason as to why you'd want to learn another character. The simple explanation is that, your character has a certain matchup against another character that you dislike. You dislike it so heavily in fact, that you have decided to pick a different character that can let you fight this matchup more comfortably.

Sometimes, you learn a character for this problematic matchup exclusively, but you can also pick a different character that can just let you cover bad matchups for your original character to supplement their weaknesses.

Usually, this desire to switch boils down to one-dimensional matchups where one player has a simple advantage over the other player in neutral, or in terms of pressure reward; this can make playing your character feel really crappy in these situations. Think of saying something like;

"Oh no, not this again..."

When you're versed against an opponent that plays a character you really dislike. These can be problem matchups where you struggle extremely hard just to get anything done at all; think a matchup where neutral is painfully difficult, such as Potemkin VS Happy Chaos.

"Wow, this is so awesome. I love Guilty Gear -Srive-!" - Potemkin, probably

Playing slow like this and not being able to run in-between any of Chaos' gunshots can be tedious for some, and absolutely infuriating for others. It can feel like you can never truly get in, you're just at the mercy of Happy Chaos' resource management and gunshots.

You can either commit to your original character (such as, when you love their gameplay too much, or their character, and you're okay with having the game be hard sometimes as long as you can play them and have fun) or consider learning a character that can make this painful experience more bearable for you, if it's that much of a problem point and it really hampers your experience.

This one's quite a simple one to explain; you just want to try something new! Maybe a new DLC character dropped and they look cool...or maybe you just want something that differs from your usual playstyle. If you find your gameplay to sometimes feel "stale", or you realize a new option that you didn't give a try before, consider it and see if it makes your gameplay more fun!

Congratulations! You've picked your preferred character! Maybe it took you a while, maybe it was a no-brainer...or maybe it was a different case entirely. Regardless of how long it took, you're here now with a character you (hopefully) like on the screen, so let's just focus on the here and now.

Initially, what I do first and foremost with a new character is to just press a buncha buttons! Press all your buttons. The air ones, the standing ones, the crouching ones...maybe even the fancy "command" ones. It'll give you an idea of your character's ideal range and how you'd like to approach neutral. When performing your attacks, think of what comes to mind when you see them. What do you think they're strong at?

Wow, that looks like a really good poke...!

This looks like a good fast punish or a hit to do when they're close!

This seems to be my ideal jump-in...

So on and so forth. You don't need to do this with every single move mind you, but just the ones that stand out to you and feel important to you, and the ones that you think are strong, and keep said moves in mind.

After you're finished pressing your buttons...I got good news and bad news for you. You are gonna press MORE BUTTONS! But with directions this time. After you've pressed your buttons and got a good idea of what looks strong, it's time to get used to your character's special moves.

Try your best to input them all, even if some motions look a bit daunting to you! The nice thing about -Strive- is that the command list gives you nice descriptions and showcases of each special move, which should make this process a whole lot easier!

I recommend trying to get a special move to come out about three times in a row. It doesn't have to be exactly that, but being comfortable with your character's moves is really really important, as you don't want to accidentally mess up and throw a button you didn't want instead of a special move that you actually wanted to do. Just do the moves a couple of times, learn what each motion does for your character, and then just move on! Don't think too hard about the precise use of each special move. Just know that they exist and move on to the next step!

Now's the part where you'll get some extremely basic combos and stuff in. A list of stuff I like to learn is;

• What is my basic combo into a knockdown?
  
• Where do I get some good meaties?
  
• What is a simple corner combo?
  
• What seems good to do when my opponent is blocking?

Again, it doesn't need to be exactly this, but this is a list of basic things I like to do when it comes to learning a new character. Now, we're going to be answering these questions with our character Ramlethal!

You can either experiment yourself in training mode, or use a dustloop starter guide [www.dustloop.com] if it exists. These starter guides cover good buttons to use, basic combos, and the basic gameplan of your character, which is a massive boon for someone new to a character!

From this guide for example, some really plain midscreen combos can be button>6P>214P>214P>214P, and 2K>2D>214P>214P>214P... try to do these combos in training mode and get used to the situations that come after! Do the same for a singular corner combo, and keep it very plain.

I recommend giving yourself a very simple midscreen combo, a corner combo, and MAYBE a punish combo if you really want, as trying too hard to learn all the strong/optimal combos in this beginner stage of learning a character can be really difficult and usually not worth your time, as you're far better off just getting good at the basics.

After learning your basic combos, set your opponent to block and just experiment with doing certain things to them on block. Maybe a basic blockstring that pushes you out and keeps you safe? Or maybe a little mixup in the blockstring by using one of your special moves, or recovering from a cS and throwing? Again, don't overthink this, just get some really basic pressure going.

And...that's everything! Yep, it's that simple. You should make learning a new character as simple and accessible as possible. You have your basic combos, you know your buttons, and maybe some pressure stuff too...now it's time to get some matches in and see what you can do!

I know it may seem really intimidating to go online when you don't even know anything in-depth about your character, but you can make this process more light-hearted by playing in the park, or with friends if you happen to have some to play strive with. The park is my personal recommendation when it comes to trying out new things, as there's no rankings involved, you can rematch as much as you like, and it's a relatively casual environment where all kinds of people show up to play; be it beginners (maybe even with a new character, just like you!) or stronger, more consistent players.

Once you've gotten a decent amount of matches in (the amount is entirely up to you and how much time you want to spend), evaluate your games and use the training tool to learn basic things about your character; maybe your pressure was stiff and awkward, so you can go to the training mode, look up a guide about your character, or refer more to dustloop, and learn some basic ways to enhance or mix up your offense! You'll take things one step at a time, and whenever you realize you need to work on something, try to learn it in training mode, and apply that one singular thing to your next match(es).

Be slow and incremental; learning a character takes time, and you don't want to overwhelm yourself. Sticking to one thing at a time will overall just help your growth as a player and increase your comfort with your character!

"That's cool and all, but I still don't know what character I want to play yet."

Uh oh. You're in the dreaded fighting game limbo...the CHARACTER CRISIS REALM.
A horrible point of no return...a world of second-guessing, full of doubt, and lack of certainty...truly, this is hell on earth.

In all seriousness, experiencing a character crisis is very much real and can be a huge detriment to getting enjoyment out of your fighting game of choice. It just plainly prevents you from picking a character that you're comfortable with and playing! Or maybe you have a character already, but deep down you want something else and don't really know where to start...it can be a damn shame to go through something like this, so I hope I can give some potential solutions to the problem.


This hairstyle is just too cool.

Well...the trait doesn't have to specifically be the character's hairstyle or anything, but it mainly boils down of one thing you just think is good. Isolating traits that you individually like on a character can help to really see the positives of a character, as opposed to the negatives; usually, a character crisis is focused on the negatives, meaning that the downsides of characters are what's holding you back from fully trying them, or exploring them. Maybe you just really-really-REALLY like Axl...but you don't like how he's weak up-close. Isolating the things you like on Axl can help lessen the burden of your character's weaknesses and can turn into a pseudo-acceptance, where you'll go "Yeah, this is where my character struggles but at least I can toss my sickles at you from fullscreen." Downsides and negatives on a character are inevitable, and it is quite rare that a character is 100% perfect for you...so just try to focus on the good of a character that you potentially want to play instead!


I just think the minions are neat.

This is more or less an alternative take of the previous point; instead of focusing on an upside and a downside, you instead focus on a singular design trait of a character. In this example, it's Jack-O's minions. If you REALLY like Jack-O's minions, but dislike how she plays without them...maybe it's still worth it to play her, as it can just feel really rewarding and fun once you do get the ideal situation that you want to have in a match! You can apply this philosophy to many things in this game, and turning your perspective from a "This just kinda blows." to a "If I do good I'll be rewarded by FUN stuff!" can help make your time feel more rewarding and will also let you enjoy the "bad parts" of your character more, as you're seeing them as a means to an end, rather than a doom scenario where you don't get what you want.


Maybe, deep down...I just really like big guys!

Another potential problem you're facing is that you're hyper-focusing too much on a certain aspect of a character; for example, maybe you're overthinking their gameplay, or lore. As previously stated, a character can't truly be 100% perfect for you in many cases, so you'll have to compromise on certain aspects. Maybe you actually like how a character feels, but you just really hate their lore...which can very much be the case for some. If you still think it might be one of your better options when it comes to picking a character you want to play, you can try to switch your perspective entirely on the gameplay of said character rather than their lore, if you are able to. Instead of overthinking on Pot's lore, maybe you should just sit back and feast on some glue while yelling "POTEMKIN BUSTER" whenever you hit that big ol' grab. That or just retcon their lore into your head I dunno...but only if you're desperate!

Well, I don't really play Goldlewis anymore...but I know how he works! This should be easy!

Approaching learning a new character can feel imposing and daunting, so seeing it as a way to learn and develop as a player can help make it more agreeable and interesting; if you know how a character works, this, in turn, will also strengthen your matchup knowledge AGAINST said character, right? Even if you were to not be playing the character in the long run, it's not like your time goes to waste! You'll have learnt valuable info that you can use once you play against opposing players that play as the character you used to play, giving you a solid understanding of their gameplan and letting you exploit their weaknesses better! After all, knowing how a character works gives you great insight on what they're bad at, right? If you look at it from this perspective, learning a new character can always be rewarding in the long run!


...or maybe I'm just overthinking things?

If you find yourself running into a character crisis for an extended period of time, and you're always filled with doubt by the characters you pick...this is usually a weird way for you to showcase your love for the game. After all, if you're really worried of who you wanna play, doesn't that mean you really just want to get the most out of the game and you really care for it? You should see that as a good thing, rather than blaming yourself for being too indecisive! To alleviate your doubts, a small break from the game can be a good way to "reset your perspective", so to speak. You can pick up the game again after a couple of days, a week, or even longer, and with a fresher, more empty perspective, you can tackle this problem again and in most cases it'll help you finalize who you want to play; this has helped me a surprising lot in the past when it comes to enjoyment in fighting games in general, not just with character selection, so it's very much a viable option in my eyes. Breaks are just as important as actually playing!

All that just to pick Sol? Really? You go brother.

I hope this guide has helped in regards to opening you up to trying out a new character. I always found this to be an extremely fascinating topic, as everybody has drastic different opinions on it; some are total loyalists and refuse to switch off no matter what, whereas others drop their main the moment they get nerfed once.

I feel like the answer really lies somewhere in the realm of "If it's not fun, why bother?"
Having fun with a character is far more enjoyable to me than winning...even if maybe some of your matchups are hard, at least your favorite character is on the screen, right?

I hope you've enjoyed the read, and good job on arriving at the end!
Enjoy some -Strive-, and make sure you do so with the character you truly have the most fun with.

And for those curious...the result of my past character crises is that I just really like SILLY LITTLE GOOBERS! bleeh pfpfptft :P