Being a fighting game, Granblue Fantasy Versus is a massive departure from the series' initial RPG outings. Those making the journey from mobile RPG to console fighting game may find the transition overwhelming, but you can get the hang of it with enough time and practice.
Unlike other anime fighting games, Granblue Fantasy Versus plays more like Street Fighter, focusing on playing footsies rather than massive combos. Additionally, it was geared to be more beginner-friendly, with mechanics such as "auto-combos" and one button "Skills." However, players will quickly find themselves hitting a wall if they constantly spam buttons and hope for the best. To break free of the lower ranks, you'll need to get down the basics.
Granblue Fantasy Versus includes a one-button press to execute special moves. It's similar to Super Smash Bros, as pressing one button plus a direction will perform a different special move. For example, if Gran used his neutral special, he would perform his Reginleiv. While this is incredibly easy, players should consider learning the technical inputs. Technical inputs will do 25% chip damage compared to the 20% from Skill moves and do more damage than the Skill input while decreasing the cooldown needed to perform that same action. You'll know you've done a technical command if the HUD displays "Good!" on the screen.
Technical commands also apply to Skybound Arts. Using Skill commands over technical commands leaves a lot of damage on the table. For instance, Ladiva's Super Skybound Art does 1000 less damage if performed with the Skill input. This can mean the difference between life or death for the player.
Blocking is a quintessential part of any fighting game, but nobody can block forever. Thankfully, Granblue Fantasy Versus gives players more options to go on the offensive. All characters have access to the "Evade" and "Cross-Over" actions, which are roughly equivalent to side-stepping and rolling. These techniques are helpful for close-range characters who have trouble getting in on trigger-happy opponents.
Both Evade and Cross-Over have invulnerability frames during their duration, so players can dodge incoming fire and surprise the opponent. However, these moves have weaknesses that can be exploited. Evade is not invulnerable to grabs, so constantly spamming it will get players thrown. Similarly, Cross-Over will not protect against low-attacks.
Sometimes the pressure from the opponent is just too much. In those situations, consider using a Reversal move. A reversal is a frame 1 invincible move that players can use to get the opponent off of them. All characters can perform a reversal with a Skybound Art, but only a few characters have meter-less reversals. However, if a reversal whiffs or is blocked, it will have a massive recovery window, allowing the opponent to capitalize on your helpless state, so be careful with when and where you use them.
Granblue Fantasy Versus has a relatively small roster size, but each character has their own unique moves and gimmicks. This also means a strategy against Soriz or Ladiva won't work against characters like Metera or Ferry. At the very least, players should seek to understand where certain characters are at their strongest. For example, Metera thrives on being full-screen against the opponent but crumples under close-range pressure. On the other end of the spectrum, Lancelot can tear up opponents at close-range but struggles to approach long-ranged fighters. Knowing a character's strengths and weaknesses makes it easy to exploit openings and win matches.
Granblue Fantasy Versus can seem challenging, but without enough practice, you'll be able to get a handle on even the most difficult of moves. Just get the basics down and continue from there, and you'll be laying the hurt down in online lobbies in no time.
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