Chapter 3: Story Mode Tips

Day of Reckoning 2's story mode picks up right where the first game left off. You won the World Heavyweight Championship and overcame the members of Evolution to do so. But the title returned to Triple H and during a championship match against Chris Jericho, both seemed to win simultaneously (Triple H with a pin but he also tapped out!). Eric Bischoff decides to hold a tournament to determine the next champion.

Creating your Superstar

After customizing the look, size, and costume of your new WWE superstar, you must decide how to spend experience points on the wrestler's attributes. There are six primary characteristics and five additional skills to focus your wrestler's abilities and move set.

Spend experience points wisely to create the most formidable wrestler possible.

• Strength: Determines the overall power of your moves. The higher your wrestler's strength, the more damage inflicted by each strike or grapple maneuver. Obviously an important attribute for any wrestler. If you can't inflict decent damage against your opponent, it will be tougher to defeat the more skilled adversaries.
• Speed: Determines speed and jumping distance. This rating also determines how quickly you can escape from a cage in a cage match. Even if you're loading up for a power wrestler (high strength, durability) don't neglect speed. There are a few cage matches in story mode and if you never increase your speed rating, it will be much harder to escape the cage and win those matches. You don't need to raise this as fast as other attributes but don't neglect it.
• Durability: Determines the ability to take damage and affects stamina. You definitely want to increase this attribute early and often. If you can't take damage you won't last long. If you're hurt early in the match because durability is low, your wrestler stays down longer and your opponent can string together move after move. The result compounds the problem and you're forced to play catch up.
• Counter: Determines the ability to counter attacks. Timing and pulling off counters is very important because the tougher WWE superstars can pull off move after move and if you don't counter them, it won't take long before your spirit is low and body parts have been significantly damaged.
• Charisma: A charismatic wrestler could be a face (good guy) or a heel (bad guy). He's got microphone skills, a crowd favorite, or even a wrestler the crowd loves to hate. Charisma determines the rate at which you gain the ability to pull off special moves. Your wrestler's special moves are the fastest way to lower an opponent's spirit, which leaves your opponent vulnerable to a pinfall.
• Submission: Determines the duration and power of submission holds. Focus experience points into this attribute early if you plan to utilize submission holds-it's basically as simple as that. There is a submission match late in story mode. By the time you reach Survivor Series or Armageddon pay-per-views, start increasing your submission rating if it isn't already so you're more prepared for the story mode submission match.
• Striking: Determines striking power and arsenal. If you prefer striking moves, increase this to increase their damage. Also the higher the rating, the more striking moves you unlock and can add to your wrestler's arsenal. This is tied primarily to the strength rating.
• Grappling: Determines grappling power and arsenal. If you prefer grappling moves, increase this rating to increase damage. The higher the rating, the more grappling moves you unlock and can add to your wrestler's arsenal. This rating is tied primarily to strength.
• Mat Technique: Determines submission move power and arsenal. Add points to this rating if you prefer submission holds. The higher the rating, the more holds you unlock and can add to your wrestler's arsenal. This rating is tied primarily to submission.
• Aerial Attacks: Determines aerial attack move power and arsenal. If you're a flier like Rey Mysterio, add points to this rating to unlock more aerial moves to your wrestler's arsenal. This rating is tied primarily to speed.
• Dirty Tactics: Determines dirty move power and arsenal. No one ever said wrestling was fair. If you want to play the part of a heel, add points to this to increase dirty move power and unlock new moves for your wrestler's arsenal. This is a fairly specialized attribute. In terms of making the story mode easier, it's better to focus experience elsewhere.

Leveling all of these attributes requires experience points, which you'll gain throughout story mode. As you increase levels, the required number of experience points also increases. The chart below reveals how much experience points are required to reach each level.

The chart below reveals the value required to unlock each level of the skill ratings (striking, grappling, mat technique, aerial attacks, dirty tactics).

Take time to customize your move set and continue to do so throughout story mode. There are times when you want to unleash fast finishing moves (which will be explained in the appropriate matches) or to add additional submission moves or finishers. Also as you increase skills, new moves--new more powerful moves--become available.

How many experience points you earn from matches is determined on how well you do in the match. Completely obliterating your opponent isn't the optimum way to gain experience. It would seem so but it actually isn't. One of the determining factors is how hurt you were upon winning the match. A longer match where you have sustained damage actually factors in to your experience points. Also, how you win the match has a factor. Unleash a special then go for the pin to earn more points than simply scoring a pin after a standard move.

How many specials moves acquired during the match also plays a part. Accumulate several specials to earn the highest possible points. Crowd excitement plays a role in the post-match evaluations. Watch the crowd during the match. Get them on their feet with exciting moves and counters or some near pin falls. Your stamina level can affect how much experience points you earn. Basically an exciting match with a lot of back-and-forth action (and a good comeback doesn't hurt) earns more experience than a complete domination.