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Newcomers to DNF Duel might see the title as similar to other popular fighting games at the time. However, the game’s rather distinct approach to combat might make it slightly more overwhelming than players realize. For newcomers to the game, just how should they approach their offense game?

Consider Varieties Of Skills

Instead of having a simple heavy attack like in other fighting games, DNF Duel instead has a dedicated Skill button. Moreover, unlike Normals that ordinarily just have neutral, crouching, and jumping variants, Skill Attacks have more directional variety. However, it helps to know that missing a Skill Attack can leave DNF Duel players heavily disadvantaged, so use them wisely. While each character has different sets of Skill Attacks, the directions they use follow a general format:

On Neutral: A balanced, neutral main skill On Forward: A long-ranged attack On Right: A defensive skill that usually acts as a middle or ending part of a combo On Down: This is an anti-air counter that can become a strong combo starter

Get Fast And Loose With MP Specials

Unlike other fighting games, DNF Duel does incorporate its original RPG mechanic in the form of an MP System, which is an active resource players consume while using MP Specials. There are various MP Specials in a character’s arsenal, often accessed when pressing the MP Attack button with a particular direction or directional pattern. They also cost a particular amount of MP, wherein players become Exhausted at 0 MP, meaning they can’t input any more MP Specials. However, players need to take note of these two things:

The Shortcut Method: While MP Specials are formally done with a specific command, some MP Specials give new DNF Duel players opportunities to do them much faster through shortcuts. Doing a shortcut method dishes out the attack faster, but also makes MP Gauge regeneration a bit slower. Players need to consider whether they need MP much faster (hence, do a full input) or if they can survive with a few extra seconds of waiting time (hence, the shortcut). 1MP Still Works: While it’s normal for players to notice that two powerful MP Specials don’t “add up” to their MP Gauge total, players can actually still use them. For as long as they have at least 1MP in their MP Gauge, they can actually dish out whichever MP Special they want. Thing is, their Exhaustion lasts much longer as they have an MP recovery deficit they need to meet prior to the bar filling up.

Stop Blocks With Throws

It’s annoying trying to get into the offense with an aggressive DNF Duel character like the Berserker if pitted against an enemy that persistently keeps on Guarding or blocking their way. However, playing too much on defense becomes punishable throughout the rest of the game, courtesy of standard Throws.

Pressing Standard A+B beside an opponent on the ground will initiate a grab, and a direction will have players throw the opponent in that direction which results in a mild stun. However, players need to take note that Throws won’t work out of range or in mid-air. Doing so puts players in a vulnerable whiff and could be countered. Likewise, players can cancel out a Throw with a Tech Grab, essentially pressing grab the same time an opponent presses theirs. This throws both characters away from each other.

Halt Counters With Lows

Players on the aggressive will find it annoying to find the opponent’s DNF Duel characters just spamming counter every chance they get, especially when players want to dish out a mean combo. However, while counters are built specifically to stop the opponent’s advance doesn’t mean they’re impossible to punish.

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In fact, while most players have the means to counter mid and high attacks, their counters will lose to a low attack by virtue of the attack hierarchy. This is a similar mechanic in Guilty Gear PVP that players should use to their advantage. Players should take note of which other attacks string with their low attacks for this purpose, as this, can lead them straight to an opening.

Punish Defense With Guard Breaking

While defensive players of DNF Duel can indeed use the game’s Guard mechanic to protect themselves from damage, their Guard Gauge stops them from doing this indefinitely. Hitting a blocking opponent greatly lessens damage but also lowers their Guard Gauge.

Blocking an attack at this stage performs a Guard Break, similar to the Guilty Gear mechanic also called the Guard Crush. When activated, this stuns the character for 60 frames where they can’t even dodge or guard against attacks. Players facing a persistently-blocking foe would want to consider pursuing aggression for a rewarding Guard Break. Fast and distant hitters like the Vanguard may be built specifically to abuse the Guard Guage of a defending opponent, leaving them wide open for an easy Break.

More Combos Give More Openings

Players of DNF Duel who got used to other fast and loose fighting games will love the idea of stringing endless combos to annoy opponents. However, the mechanics of DNF Duel actually punish players who get too many combos in. At its core, the game implements something called Hitstun Decay similar to Marvel vs Cpacom 3.

It helps to remember that players only get to extend combos because one attack “stuns” opponents long enough for them to land another hit, hence the term Hitstun. In DNF Duel, the more players attack, the less time opponents stay in Hitstun. Eventually, a natural combo would whiff simply because of Hitstun Decay, forcing opponents to get knocked down instead. Players need to be wary of this limitation, as opponents can get into a Reversal or other defensive mechanics as soon as this happens.

More Moves Deal Less Damage

Similar to Hitstun Decay, players of DNF Duel who hope to shine on the offensive do need to take note of something called Combo Rate. At its core, this hidden game mechanic essentially scales the damage combos deal based on the number of attacks in a particular string. Not only that, this damage scaling will always decrease damage, but never increase it.

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Simply put, players need to be economic with their attacks, as longer strings will have succeeding moves deal less damage. Aggressive players need to check whether it’s worth inputting a shot combo for the sake of damage or extending a low-damage but multi-hit combo to remove opportunities for opponents to exploit openings.

Careful With The Awakening

Similar to other fighting games, DNF Duel does offer players a “super mode.” However, instead of manually activating them, this mode - called Awakening - only activates at 30% health. In this mode, the character receives a Passive exclusive to their Class, which often provides them with a tactical advantage on the battlefield provided they play to their Awakening’s playstyle. For instance, the Crusader gets Merciful Strength, which gives him damage mitigation and faster White Damage recovery. This incentivizes a more defensive combat approach.

However, more importantly, all characters have an extremely powerful and cinematic Awakening Skill. When timed properly, this can easily devastate foes in a single combo sequence, similar to powered-up versions of Guilty Gear Strive’s Nagoriyuki’s attacks via his special mode. Thing is, players should make sure they can connect their Awakening Skill as missing or whiffing the attack means they can’t use it for the rest of the round, making this a more dangerous mechanic.

Guarantee Strikes, Combos With Cancels

While it’s true that DNF Duel combat involves a standard array of attacks only connecting with each other, the game does offer a way for players to get more creative with their attacks. At its core, the game does offer multiple canceling mechanics that allows players to stop an attack mid-sequence in order to commit to another move. This essentially removes framing constraints between attacks in favor of faster combos, which is also a sought-after combo technique in Guilty Gear. Here are things players could do:

Gatling Normals: As mentioned previously, Standard Attacks often cancel into each other, allowing players to perform combos involving Standard A and Standard B moves without much trouble. Special Cancels: Likewise, certain techniques allow players to cancel normals into Skills and MP Specials, Players need to check their character’s movelist in order to learn which moves can cancel into each other to capitalize the variety their characters may offer. Jump Cancels: There are certain techniques where a Jump input may actually cancel the entire sequence and allow players to weave new attacks into them. Players can study frame data or observe the way certain moves are performed to see if there’s a way to insert a Jump. Guard Cancel: When an opponent attacks, pressing Forward+B+Skill performs a Guard Cancel and launches the opponent away. This requires and completely depletes 100 MP from the MP Gauge but gives players a split-second opening to secure attacks.

Conversion Changes The Game

In other fighting games, players who get hit a lot of times don’t immediately lose all their health upon recovery. Rather, the game sometimes gives players back some health, as though to compensate for the fact that they are still standing up. In DNF Duel, this mechanic comes in the form of White Damage, as in the leftover damage that players took but heals over time. What’s interesting about White Damage is how it becomes a completely new mechanic in the game. Essentially acting as a sub-gauge, players can press B+Skill to activate Conversion and do the following:

Restore MP: Triggering Conversion will completely deplete the White Damage and takes an additional 5% of the player’s health. In return, the same amount of damage and health taken will be restored as MP. This means that the more damage players take, the more MP they can restore instantly. Conversion Cancel: Activating Conversion immediately cancels out the player’s action and returns them on neutral. This acts as a miniature cancel that players can use to immediately perform other attacks, similar to the likes of Guilty Gear’s Roman Cancel gameplay

DNF Duel was released in 2022 and is available on the PC, PS4, and PS5.

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