Defence: guarding, charge-blocking, Super Armor and recovery
How to block, how to charge-block (Elemental Guard) on DWO Reborn, what Super Armor is and how to beat it, and how to recover when you are knocked into the air.
- Hold U to block hits from the front.
- Hold U and press K to charge-block: the attacker is thrown back.
- Charge attacks break through enemies who do not flinch; press U in the air to land safely.
Tap an underlined word to see what it means.
Good players lose less Life than they deal. This chapter covers the four tools that make that possible: the guard, the charge-block, Super Armor and the air recovery.
Guarding
Hold Guard (U) to block. A guard stops every ordinary hit that comes from in front of you completely, across the whole half-circle you are facing.
- Hits from the side or from behind are not blocked.
- You cannot turn to follow someone who is circling you while you hold Guard. Let go, turn, and guard again between their attacks; players call this a reversal guard.
- The guard stays up while you stand still and while a blocked hit pushes you back, so the rest of a combo is blocked too. It drops the moment you walk.
- You cannot guard while you are staggered or stunned, in the air, or riding a mount.
Charge-blocking (Elemental Guard)
The charge-block, called Elemental Guard in the game, is a guard that throws the attacker back. Players call it chargeblock or CB. It is the most important defensive skill in PvP.
How to do it
- Hold Guard (U).
- Keep holding it and press Charge Attack (K).
- After a short wind-up your character starts to spark. Everyone can see the sparks. You are now charge-blocking.
- While the sparks are up, any weapon swing that hits you from the front throws the attacker away. The throw itself does no damage, but it adds the effect of your element.
The wind-up takes a moment, and nothing protects you during it; letting go of Guard early cancels it. Charge-blocking drains your Musou gauge while you hold it, and every swing it counters costs a big bite of the gauge. It needs some Musou to start and ends by itself when the gauge is empty.
Because of the wind-up you cannot react with it: raise it before the enemy swings, when you can see the attack coming.
What it counters
- Weapon swings: normal attacks and charge attacks that hit you from the front.
- Not countered (only blocked like a normal guard, and not billed): arrows, beams, shockwaves, bombs and Musou attacks.
- An attacker in the middle of a Musou is invincible, so they are not thrown, but your gauge is still charged.
You cannot charge-block straight out of your own normal string if your guard cut the string short; the game refuses the press for a moment. After a string that finished, it works normally.
What the attacker gets
| Your weapon's element | What happens to the attacker |
|---|---|
| None | Flung far away, almost no damage. |
| Fire | Knocked down on the spot and set on fire. |
| Ice | Hit with ice: a chance to freeze, otherwise a recoil. |
| Lightning | Hit with lightning: a chance to stun. |
| Wind | Launched straight up, then slowed and unable to jump for a while. |
| Vorpal | Knocked back and loses Musou (it costs your gauge too). |
While the sparks are up you are also not pushed back or turned by hits.
Do not charge-block an opponent with permanent Super Armor level 4; almost nothing gets through. Against a move that only has armor while it runs (an armored charge attack), every effect works.
Super Armor (SA)
Super Armor means you do not flinch when you are hit. You still take the damage, but your attack keeps going. It comes in four levels:
| Level | What it resists |
|---|---|
| SA1 | Some flinching. |
| SA2 | More flinching. Riders on a mount always have it. |
| SA3 | Enemy normal attacks do not stagger you. |
| SA4 | Almost nothing moves you. |
Where it comes from
- Some charge attacks and emblems have armor while the move runs, and every Evolution attack has it. This is the armor you control.
- Riding a mount (SA2).
- The Advance+ Iron Body and Musou Rage (SA3).
- Some lieutenant skills add a level.
How to beat it
The game's own loading tip says it: charge attacks are effective against enemies that do not stagger. Normal attacks bounce off armor; charge attacks and Musou cut through it.
In PvP on DWO Reborn, normal, dash and jump attacks never flinch a move that has Super Armor; charge attacks and Musou do.
Getting hit: stagger, stun, launch and knockdown
| Reaction | What happens | Can it be followed up? |
|---|---|---|
| Stagger | You flinch and cannot guard for a moment, but you can still fire a Musou. | Yes |
| Stun | You are dizzy. Press buttons quickly to shake it off sooner. | Yes |
| Launch | You are thrown straight up. You take half damage while in the air. | Usually |
| Knockback | You are flung away horizontally. | No |
| Knockdown | You fall where you stand. | Sometimes |
Being staggered does not stop your Musou. If you are caught in a long combo with a full gauge, fire the Musou: you are invincible while it runs.
Recovery in the air (ukemi)
When you are launched, press Guard while you are in the air, once your body has stopped rising. Your character flips and lands on their feet, with a moment of invincibility right after. This is called ukemi, or air recovery, and it saves a lot of Life.
- Some attacks do not allow recovery until you touch the ground or a wall.
- You cannot recover while you are electrified by Lightning.
- Experienced players sometimes wait for your recovery and hit you as you land, so do not always recover at the same moment.
If you are knocked down, your character gets up after a few seconds, or sooner if you press a key.
Duels: winning one against one
- Check the victory condition first. A duel is only worth fighting if it helps your team win.
- Learn your weapon's reach and fight at the edge of it.
- Guard, wait for their string to end, then punish.
- When your Life turns red, back off: your gauge refills by itself, and a True Musou can turn the fight.
- Jumping reduces the damage you take, but you cannot jump while slowed by Wind.
What a defeat costs you depends on the battle's Retreat Power-up rule, shown in its conditions: under Lost you lose every flask upgrade, so play a heavily upgraded character carefully. See Flask upgrades.
Check yourself
1. How do you charge-block?
Hold U, press K, and wait until you spark.
2. An enemy does not flinch from your hits. What cuts through?
Charge attacks and Musou break Super Armor.
3. You are thrown into the air. What should you press?
Press Guard once you stop rising.