Dragon Ball FighterZ Beginner Battle Guide: Move List, Dragon Balls, Charging Ki And More

The fighting system in Dragon Ball FighterZ, the latest from Bandai Namco and Arc Works System, seems rather simple, at first. But there is a lot to learn, from basic attacks to using Ki and performing some of the jaw-dropping specials that can take out an entire planet. While the latest Dragon Ball title has a pretty solid in-game tutorial, we’ve drawn from our own experience with the game to produce this battle guide.

BASICS

The first step to becoming a formidable fighter is to learn the basics of attacking. Press Square/X to perform a light attack, Triangle/Y to do a medium attack and Circle/B to perform heavy hits. You can perform a low attack by holding down and one of the attack inputs, as long as your opponent isn’t low blocking.

Rapidly tapping one of these buttons will automatically perform a super combo. Mix the three inputs in various combinations to perform different combos. The X/A button will perform a Ki attack. Rapidly press this button to perform a barrage of Ki blasts. However, if you miss, you’ll be left wide open.

You can’t win a fight standing still, so it’s worth getting a handle on how to move quickly and easily. The R2 button lets your character perform a super dash, flying through Ki blasts to get to your opponent faster. Players can also press back twice to put space between the fighters, or forward twice to get closer. Pressing the R1 button will perform a short dash that will break the guard of your opponent. Use this attack when you’re trying to get through your opponent’s guard. However, it doesn’t have much range and will leave you open if you miss.

GUARDING/DEFENSE

Good defense is just as important as your offense in Dragon Ball FighterZ . To guard, simply hold back to block attacks when your opponent is striking from a standing or jump position. Hold back and down to do a crouching guard, which blocks low attacks. Press back and X/A when your opponent is about to attack to push them back, creating some distance between the two of you.

When you guard an opponent’s attack, press forward L1 or forward L2 to consume one Ki gauge and perform a guard cancel change. This will allow one of your allies to come in and perform an attack. You can do this even when you have no allies.

KI USE

The Ki gauge, which appears at the bottom of the screen, can go up to seven full bars. There are a few ways to build your Ki gauge including holding Square/X and X/A to power up. You can’t guard or attack when doing it, and you can’t cancel it, so you will be vulnerable.

Each character in Dragon Ball FighterZ has special attacks that consume Ki. Special attacks, like Goku’s Kamehameha, consume one bar. A character’s finishing move, like Vegeta's Final Flash, will consume three bars. Be sure to check each character’s movesets by pressing the pause button to check the input for each special.

Another useful tool is pressing Triangle/Y and Circle/B at the same time, allowing you to vanish behind an opponent to attack. This consumes one Ki meter.

Z ASSISTS AND Z CHANGES

Players may recognize the three-on-three battles from games like Marvel vs Capcom 3, but Dragon Ball FighterZ has its own spin on how the characters change mid-battle.

The first character you choose for your team starts the fight. The second chosen fighter is your L1 character and the third selection is the L2 fighter. Tap L1 or L2 to have your teammate perform an assist, like a Ki attack or a combination move. This can help you break a combo or even deal extra damage.

Hold L1 or L2 to perform a Z-Change, which has the corresponding character tag in and take the current character’s spot in the fight.

If you press L1 after doing a Dragon Rush (R1) you can force a switch from your opponent.

AIR BATTLES

A staple of fighting in the Dragon Ball franchise are the air battles and the same goes for Dragon Ball FighterZ. Players will be able to fly in the air to perform combos and special attacks.

Press forward, forward while jumping to do an air dash. This is a perfect way to safely close the gap between you and your opponent. Press back, back to air dash backwards, allowing for a safe way to put distance between the two combatants. Hold down and then press up to do a high jump, which is great for avoiding special attacks that may take up a large part of the screen. Also, pressing up twice will have your character perform a double jump.

But what happens when you are on the receiving end of an attack and you are sent flying? Players can utilize these tools to recover faster and go back on the offensive.

Press the light, medium or heavy attack button when in the air (after being hit) to get to your feet quicker. Tap forward, light attack in the air after being hit to recover away from the opponent. Hold down in the air after being hit to drop to the ground faster.

Players can press down just before hitting the floor to make a short recovery, and hold down just before hitting the floor to delay getting up.

DRAGON BALLS

In Dragon Ball FighterZ, players can collect the seven Dragon Balls and summon the great dragon. You can get Dragon Balls based on the number of consecutive hits you land. You can also get them from landing the Square/X version of a super combo, which is just tapping the Square/X button.

Once you have all seven Dragon Balls, charge up seven Ki gauges and land the Square/X super combo to summon Shenron.

Are there any other beginner/battle tips you learned? Let us know your favorites in the comments section below.