Learn the Basics of Tekken
This article is written to help those just starting out in the game. With Tekken 7 now available on console, there will probably be lots of people looking for the basics.
Steps
- Choose a character. The first thing you will notice about Tekken is their large character select. In Tekken 7 there are a total of thirty-three characters, not including DLC. So, the first you will want to do is find a character that you connect with whether it be aesthetics or a certain move you like.
- Learn 3D movement. Once you have found a character that you can relate with, you will want to work on movement. Tekken is a 3D fighter, meaning that you can move around the whole arena, you are not confined to just walking back and forth.
- Since Tekken is a 3D fighter you should familiarize yourself with back dashing and side stepping (stepping into the background/foreground) these movements will help you avoid incoming attacks.
- As for blocking, you automatically block incoming attacks unless they are low then you simple crouch. You can always hold back to make sure the character blocks.
- There are also moves associated with movement, such as tackles or shoulders when you dash fullscreen. Another move is a low parry, where all you have to do is crouch when they hit you with a low attack.
- Memorize basic combos. After you are familiarized with movement you should start to work on basic combos. There is specific move list for each character in the game. You can enter practice mode to access this menu, the game will allow you to have one move on the screen while you play. There are around one hundred moves for each character, so there is a lot to practice.
- Start to create a juggle combo. Now that you have your movements and basic combos down, you can work on simple juggles. A juggle is a continued strain of moves that can deal massive amounts of damage. To start a juggle you first need to learn the launchers for your character. Launchers throw the opponent into the air then you can do the combos you learned previously to do more damage. There are also screw moves which you use to make your combos longer.
- Understand the chain grapples/grapples. Another area that you should familiarize yourself with is grapples. After you block enough of your opponent's moves, they will usually go for a grapple, but don't worry as they can be reversed with practice.
- Grapples are a huge part of Tekken and can deal massive amounts of damage if not broken. Grapples are performed by pressing two buttons at the same time (2+4/triangle+circle/Y+B) these buttons vary depending on what you are playing the game on. Most grapples can be reversed by pressing one of the punch buttons, but there are special grapples where you need to know what two buttons they pressed.
- There are also chain grapples with some characters that can take half your health bar away if not broken, so try to learn those sooner rather than later. The most infamous character for these chain grapples is King.
- Time rage arts and rage drives. There is also a new mechanic introduced with Tekken 7 that you should familiarize yourself with and that is rage arts/drives. These special moves activate when you are low on health and can change the whole course of the match.
- When you are low on health your character starts to glow red this means you are in rage, when in rage you do extra damage and have access to these special moves. The lower your characters health is the more damage rage arts do.
- The other move that you can do is called a rage drive which starts a combo for you. Rage drives are really useful for pressuring your opponent. When you use the rage drive your character will glow blue for the duration of the move.
- Use power crushes. Another new mechanic added in Tekken 7 are power crushes. Power crushes are certain moves that each character has that gives you armor while you attack. You will still take damage while you attack, but your move will still connect. Just beware when using these moves you won't die, or that you will get the better trade in health.
- Learn wall combos. Like most fighting games, Tekken has walls, and that means massive amounts of damage. Wall splats are one of the most useful tools in fighting games, the wall will let you trap your opponent and drag your combos on longer. In Tekken when you opponent is against the wall and you hit them it adds extra damage. Each character has their own moves that work well with this mechanic and learning those moves will make you exponentially better.
- Find the punishes. In Tekken you can also punish your opponent. A punish is when you block, side step, or parry a move and get a combo off of it. All the moves in Tekken have different rates of recovery, so with learning the game through experience you will be able to find when those opportunities arise and profit from them.
- Be aware of positioning/wall carries. One last thing to take into consideration when comboing is wall carries/the location of your character and the wall. As mentioned previously wall combos can do massive amounts of damage and can win you the game. There are some strains that carry your opponent farther across the map towards the wall. Learning the moves will help you get that wall damage you need to finish off your opponent.
- Try online matches. Once you have taken all the previous steps into consideration and are more comfortable with the game, move on to online matches. Practice mode and AIs can only get you so far, eventually you will have to move onto the real deal. Unfortunately there is no set way to play this game, so every match you play will be unique and you will have to react quickly if you want to succeed.
- Practice, practice, practice. Just like most things in life, practice makes perfect. Obviously, the more you play the game the better you will get. Unfortunately there is no shortcut to experience, so no matter how discouraging it might be just keep pushing through and practice. After playing the game long enough you will be able to see character moves and know when to punish them or where you need to block. Hopefully you found this article helpful and best of wishes in your Tekken career.
Warnings
- Tekken is a very technical game, it will take time to do well in the game
Things You'll Need
- A Tekken game
- A system to run the game
- Controller
- Online connection for best experience
