Welcome back to the stage of history. Our SoulCalibur V walkthrough gets you started for combat with new tactics, unlockables, and character moves.
Basic Changes
Most of Soulcaibur V's mechanics are similar to SoulCalibur IV's, so this section will mainly go over to fundamental changes that impact gameplay. The biggest is revamped version of the Soul Gauge meter. The meter can hold up to two full bars that can be used to unleash various moves. Your meter fills up as you attack and take damage. You are also given a free bar when the enemy only needs one KO to win the match.
Some pointers from Soul Singapore.
Brave Edge
Brave Edges alter attacks by making them more powerful, faster, include more hits, Unblockable or may turn them into Break Attacks. Each character has a unique set of moves that can be enhanced into a Brave edge by pressing A+B+K immediately after the original input. A Brave Edge will always consume half a bar of Soul Gauge, regardless if the attack makes contact. Because of this you should be careful about when you use such attacks.
Guard Impact
Guard Impacts aren't new to the series, however this time Guard Impacts will require half a bar of meter to use; this means that there is less emphases on constantly parrying. The input has also changed to simply Back A+B+K, meaning that you can only parry in a single direction. Several characters have attacks and other moves that can Guard Impact and don't require any Soul Gauge Meter. Additionally, Just Guards are much more of an important defensive tactic, though holding a defense can still work.
Just Guard
Just Guards are the new semi-replacement to the Guard Impact. These can be performed for free by blocking just as the enemy lands their attacks. This means that they are best used against characters you already know how to play, giving you an awareness of their speed combo potential. Just Guards will override all other properties, such as Unblockable and Break Attack and will offer a slight speed advantage over normal guarding. They can even stop Critical Edges, though the same goes for a standard guard.
Critical Edge
Critical Edges of each character.
As a replacement to Critical Finishes, Critical Edges are flashy and powerful moves that can be used at any time. They consume a full bar of Soul Gauge meter, so reserve these moves for desperate attacks or to catch the enemy off guard. Nearly every character uses these moves by entering two quarter circles Forward followed by the standard A+B+K. Some however might need to use it as a counter or input twice for additional damage.
Quick Step
An improved version of the normal Sidetep, the Quick Step is faster and opens up different Eight Way Run attacks. This evasive maneuver is good for dodging enemy Verticals, but typically doesn't cover enough distance to stop Horizontals. It also telegraphs a white streak around your character, allowing the enemy to follow up with their Horizontal.
No Equipment Stats
Now you can be hideous all the time.
Even though you can dress up and change your characters, none of the armor or weapon choices will change your character's performance. This also means that there aren't interesting weapon mechanics such as poison, life drain, or instant parrying. You also won't be in peril if your equipment should break in a match or you opted to wield large chicken drumsticks. You won't need to rely on outfitting your character to play normally. Besides, SoulCalibur V has no creative challenge mode or shop, common to the rest of the series.
Body Type Stats
This was a small part of previous character creations, mainly if you have styles of short heroes such as Amy and Talim on larger builds. This time it holds true to every style useable in Original Creations. Shorter heights will move your stats to the right, lowering reach while raising power. Taller characters are the inverse with more reach but less strength. Additionally, these body types can change hit boxes, making for small Astaroths and bulky Tiras.
