Welcome back to the stage of history. Our SoulCalibur V walkthrough gets you started for combat with new tactics, unlockables, and character moves.
Leixia
Leixia is the daughter of Xianghua and this new contender has inherited her mother's moveset. She's great for sewing together combos, including canceling a current string to follow up with something different. She also is able to reliably Guard Impact through her stance and simultaneous presses.
Horizontals
Leixia's most basic yet useful Horizontal is A A, which delivers two high hits for 18 damage; it can be followed normally with B for a mid stab at 22 damage, or improved into a Brave Edge 3 mid hits that will total over 60 damage. This Brave Edge can then be followed with a Kick Break Attack that deals 30 damage with close s-mid or low section 20 damage if the enemy is too far.
Forward A hits high for 14 damage; but its main feature is that it can transition into Hou Lee stance by holding the input, allowing you to dodge highs and instantly use a Rising attack. Back-Down A Hold will instantly ground you, which is mostly used to confuse the enemy, switch to a roll, or use your Rising attacks. You'll also have access to While Downed A+B, which doesn't do much damage but can catch the enemy off guard.
Verticals
Forward B A typically results in two high hits that total 35 damage, but turns into a throw during a counter. It can also turn into a mid hit that will down the enemy by sliding aB as the final input. Back B B normally results in two quick mid hits for 28 damage, followed by a slower third hit for an extra 18 damage. It can further be modified by sliding bK instead of the second B for a 20-30 damage Break Attack. Crouching Forward-Down B is a fantastic launcher that pop the enemy high for more mid level punishment; it can instead turn into a delayed low Break Attack by sliding bB. Rising B is a 36 damage mid level Guard Break, and has a Brave Edge version that will bump up to 56 damage over three hits and will send the enemy behind you.
Kicks
Leixia's Kicks aren't the best in the world, but still have a good amount of flavor. Back-Down K K hits low twice for 42 damage, though it windup and small range make it rather limited. Back K is a 12 damage high kick that is worth noting for its push back potential, particularly when near a wall or to ring out. Finally, Jump K will bring in a fast 24 damage with two mid level flutters.
You'll need a good mix up to survive.
Simultaneous Press
Leixia really starts to shine when it comes to Simultaneous Press moves. Back A+B is a Guard Impact that will hit twice for 40 damage; you can also delay the attack and prevent your opponent from flying away by sliding a+bB. There is some nice mix up potential with Rising A+B B, which results in a low-high-low 38 damage combo; this move can also become a delayed Break Attack by instead sliding bB.
Down B+K is notable for being the same finisher from A A A+B+K K and Back B bK. As with those attacks, this move is a Break attack that will deal 30 damage s-mid or 20 damage low depending on the enemy's distance. Forward-Down B+K K is nice that the first hit will down the enemy and the second will quickly pursuit for 56 damage. Back B+K is one of Leixia's few Unblockables, which means it's slow but will result in 50 damage. The final move to memorize is Up B+K as it will get you on the other side of the enemy as dish out 20 damage.
Eight Way Run
Leixia is at her best while using eight way runs as all of her sidesteps can be used from her special stance, which will be covered more in the next section. Speaking of sidesteps, her Sidestep-Run A has an absurd amount of reach for a Horizontal, though it only pokes with 18 damage. Back-Run A will move Leixia in a way to dodge high attack while following up with a 20 damage mid hit; it can also be delayed with an additional 10 damage high hit by holding the Horizontal input. An alternate means of modifying the move is to instead slide aB, though this still only results in a single 20 damage mid hit.
Back-Run B is Leixia's snap back attack that deals 26 damage and can be followed with a retreating Guard Impact by pressing Back after the hit. Forward-Run B B also offers verity by starting as a two hit-mid-mid for 30 damage. You can further turn it into a Guard Impact by pressing Back, a 44 damage Break Attack by sliding bB, or both by sliding bB and then hitting Back. This amount of control makes it Leixia's most destructive and unpredictable move.
Her last run to be aware of is Sidestep-Run kA A, which deals 33 damage over three mid hits. It can be followed with an extra B for low section 14 damage, or K for a fourth mid hit worth 22 more damage.
Stance
Leixia has several stances to make her more defensive and mobile. Hou Lee is her basic dodge used with B+K, which is the same resulting move from Forward A Hold. As noted before, it's mainly used to avoid a high or quickly use a Rising attack. She can get a double form of defense by both retreating and Guard Impacting from Back-Run B+K, all while safely returning back to her neutral pose. However, her most notable stance is Bea Her Hua from Sidestep-Run B+K. This will first Guard Impact and then can transition into any of her Sidestep-Run attacks, such as the long Reach of A or the crazed combo of kA A B.
