GBVS/Esoterica

Attack Types

Each attack in the game has an attribute. Attributes are broken up into three broad categories: strike, projectile, and throw. These attributes interact with each other to trigger certain effects like Crush and Throw Break.

Strike Attribute: Strike attacks are the most common in the game, and include any non-throw attack that's part of the character, such as punches, kicks, headbutts, and sword swings.; Strikes can clash or crush other strikes.

Projectile Attribute: Projectiles are attacks that move independently of the character and do not interact with strikes, but can interact with other projectiles (and hit other characters).; When projectiles hit each other, each projectile will lose one hit (so a 3 hit projectile will become a 2 hit projectile, and a 1 hit projectile disappears).; Certain projectiles, such as Anre's RakshasaGuardAllStartup22Recovery22Advantage-5, have the ability to pierce through and cancel out projectiles regardless of how strong they are.

Throw Attribute: Throws are attacks that can not be blocked, but are short range and have other restrictions.; Grounded throws cannot grab airborne opponents - in the same way, aerial throws cannot grab grounded opponents.; Certain special moves, such as Vaseraga's medium Great Scythe GrynothGuardAirthrowStartup9Recovery39Advantage-, are designated "anti-air throws", and thus are the only throws that can grab airborne opponents.; On hit, throws cause both characters to become temporarily invincible to other attacks while an attack animation plays out.

Multi-Attribute Strikes: Some strikes actually have attributes from other categories, like Strike-Projectile.; A common instance of this is strikes can interact with projectiles and take on the properties of both.; For example, the first hit of Gran's medium ReginleivGuardMid, AllStartup13RecoveryTotal 55Advantage-4 is both Strike attribute and Projectile attribute and has the following properties:

Can clash with strikes
Can clash with projectiles

Assist Characters: Some attacks actually call out a friend to attack for you, such as Lowain's Sammy & TommyGuardLow/Air, AllStartup21RecoveryTotal 29Advantage-.; In practice, these attacks are very similar to projectiles, with the main difference being you can hit them with strikes, and they don't clash with other projectiles.

Hitstop

When an attack hits an object, both objects freeze in place briefly to give the attack the feeling of more impact. This effect is known as hitstop and can vary in duration, like a f.L compared to a c.H. Hitstop helps with combo consistency because you can buffer commands like special cancels during hitstop and it will be executed immediately after hitstop ends. Characters with charge moves, like Charlotta's Shining OnslaughtGuardMidStartup11Recovery8Advantage-4 also have the added benefit of getting more time to charge those attacks.

Hitstop applies to anything that can attack or get hit - including projectiles, but excluding assist characters.

Entities experiencing hitstop are frozen in place, but other objects on the stage are unaffected. For example, when a projectile hits the opponent, the character using the projectile does not experience hitstop, only the projectile and the opponent do. If an entity is hit while already in hitstop, the previous hitstop immediately ends and the hitstop from the most recent interaction begins.

Armor

Moves with armor absorb an oncoming attack before attempting to retaliate with their own. Some armored moves can beat safe jumps; they force the attacker into enough uneven hitstop that the defender can attack before the attacker can reach the ground and guard.

Parries and Guard Points

Moves such as Seox's ThunderflashGuardStartupRecoveryTotal 32Advantage-8 also put the opponent in uneven hitstop, providing a similar interaction to armoured moves. These parries achieve this by freezing the opponent when the parry is triggered, and having the counter-attack connect before standard play resumes. Lowain's Come at Me, Bro!GuardUnblockableStartupRecoveryTotal 26AdvantageHKD is the exception, as the opponent has time to spotdodge before the counter-attack connects. This is also true for Vaseraga's AftermathGuardMidStartup8+7Recovery52Advantage-27, which has a Guard Point at the start.

Hitting Assists

One attack can hit multiple targets assuming they are within range, such as Lowain and his bros.

Normally, when a strike touches the opponent, the remaining active frames are converted into recovery frames. However, if there is an assist on screen, then the remaining active frames can still hit them if they run into the attack. This is further compounded by the fact that hitstop only applies when hitting non-assist characters, thus allowing the attack to hit the unaffected character with the active frames plus the hitstop frames.

Projectiles interacting with Assists is a bit tricky - for example, Lowain's bros can absorb one hit of a projectile, so you can use them as a shield. Lowain's Magnificent Tool of Destruction can not do the same however; projectiles will hit the Katapillar and continue unaffected.