Guilty Gear Strive is a great jumping-on point for newcomers to the series and even the genre at large, but it will still require lots of effort to understand its mechanics and systems better. Luckily, Strive has a deep and comprehensive Training Mode, allowing you to learn character matchups, carry out attack combos, learn to position, and much more.
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The Training Mode will give you much greater context on your core focus in a given match, which is very important in a game like Guilty Gear Strive. Each character is vastly different than one another, making each matchup and bout a wholly different experience. Learning what each character is capable of, handling their attacks, and setting up your fighter for those situations will ultimately help you out the most in Strive, and Training Mode provides precisely that.
Recording Bot Movement
There are many ways to make the Training Dummy perform various attacks for you to practice against, but the Recording system in Guilty Gear Strive's Training Mode is by far the most robust and helpful. In the game's Button Settings, Play and Record aren't mapped to anything by default but should be. Mapping Play and Record is essential for the Training Mode and should get mapped to buttons you aren't using, whether you're on a Pad or Stick.
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The Recording feature will allow you to control the Training Dummy in Training Mode, capture specific attacks or movements, and then practice against them. Furthermore, you can store up to five different Recordings, have the Dummy perform them on a delay, or even set your Recordings on Random. Setting your Recordings to Random is recommended as it will give you a more "real world" scenario to work with, as you won't know what attack is coming and must react on the fly and make split-second decisions. Then, after you have Recorded your Dummy's moveset and are satisfied with it, you will play it from either the newly mapped button or the Training Menu, which will have the Dummy carry it out and give you control of your character.
Recording in Training Mode is how you will make the Training Dummy perform Overdrives, Aerial Attacks, Special Attacks, Overheads, and the more complex attacks that you may be struggling with Online. In this mode, you can even make the Dummy carry out whole combos and then try to find ways to deal with it in a way that will translate to real matches. Do not sleep on this feature in Guilty Gear Strive. It is a robust and deep system that will allow you to hone your anti-air, poking, and spacing skills, making you thrive Online!
Combo Recipes
Combo Recipes are an essential part of Guilty Gear Strive's Training Mode and will allow you to practice Combos and Routes until you are fluent in carrying them out with ease. This feature is excellent and opens up a ton of potential for players struggling with executing their Combos. This will also allow you to mess around with the game's Roman Cancel system a bit more and find the perfect way to implement them into your attack chain.
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To set up a Combo Recipe, go into the Training Settings in the Pause Menu, then head down to Combo Recipe Settings. In the Combo Recipe Settings, you can then toggle it On or Off and change the Recipe Display to Record or Fixed.
- Recording means you are about to try out a new Combo, which you can then resume your training.
- Fixed means you already have a Saved Recipe and would like to display it on the screen to try and perform it.
The only downside, at the moment, is you have to successfully do the Combo first before saving it, meaning you cannot input what you want to do and then try executing it after. If you mess up during a Recipe, resetting your position via the Touchpad will also reset the Recipe. Fortunately, the good news is that you can find tons of online Combo guides for just about every character so you can quickly try them out and record them as a Recipe for future use and practice.
Additionally, a Combo Maker mode will get implemented as a free update at some point in Guilty Gear Strive's first season. This will allow players to share and download Combos and then use them in Training Mode as a Recipe. This feature is expected to come to the game sooner rather than later, which will help players out drastically as the exact inputs will be displayed to try, mimic, and learn.
Counter-Attack Settings
The Counter-attack Settings are similar – in a sense – to the Record feature but will allow you to test out the more "mechanical" stuff in Guilty Gear Strive. You will get to set actions for the Training Dummy to carry out after performing specific moves yourself, allowing you to experiment with the game's Recover and Blocking systems, such as stopping May's dolphins or any other action that's hard to Counter.
For example, if you want to find out the most optimal way to approach an enemy on Wake-up, you can! For the most part, most opponents will jab or block on Wake-up, meaning you can set the Training Dummy to perform those actions on Recovery, in which you can then try responding to them until you find an optimal way of dealing with it. Remember, a Standing Punch is the fastest attack in the game besides the Grab, which means it will be hard for you to get in close with an attack of your own when the opposition is recovering due to their frame advantage. Practicing the timing of your moves will help you out significantly and give you the upper hand when you do happen to knock your opponent down, as it is tricky to close in on them immediately after doing so.
Furthermore, the Counter-attack Settings will also allow you to experiment with enemy actions after blocking one of your attacks, getting hit, and more. This feature will enable you to counter and plan for the opponent's attack, making you think one step ahead and act accordingly to their actions without getting caught off guard or in a potentially lethal Combo.
Other Important Settings
There are various Training Mode settings in Guilty Gear Strive, but some essential ones are left that you should still be aware of as they come in handy for specific situations.
Display Settings
First is the Display Settings, which will allow you to see your Damage Output, Input History, give you a real-time look at your inputs, and more. This lets you know what you are doing wrong if you are struggling with a Combo, Special Attack, or Overdrive as the Display Settings show you every single input you enter, allowing you to see precisely what you messed up. The Damage counter is also excellent as it will display how much damage your Combo does or any attack in general for that matter, allowing you to practice setups for when you have an opponent at low or medium health.
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Character Specific Settings
The Character Specific Settings help you understand what your opponent is capable of when reaching their Evolved State and allows you to plan around it accordingly. Additionally, the Character Specific Settings will allow you to put certain opponents in their Evolved State, such as Nagoriyuki and his Blood Rage or Ky Kiske and his Dragon Install.
This option is beneficial to you on the defensive side of things, but if you play as one of the characters with a unique Evolved State, this Setting will be an excellent way to test what you can do while in that state and will allow you to base your offense around it as well. Not many Characters have unique traits, but they can be hazardous, making this Setting a reliable way to understand them fully.
Gauge Settings
Lastly, the Gauge Settings are a vital part of Guilty Gear Strive's mechanics and will allow you to understand the game on a much deeper level. This option will allow you to adjust things such as the R.I.S.C. Level, Tension Gauge, and the health of you and your opponent.
What makes the Gauge Settings important is each of these gauges allows you to set up potential real-match scenarios. There are situations where you might have Negative or Positive Tension or have the opponent with a half-filled R.I.S.C. Gauge and want to know what those do or how to capitalize on them. The Gauge Settings enables you to tinker with everything mentioned above and more, allowing you to prepare yourself for just about any situation imaginable.
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