List of tips (SSBU)/Techniques

These are all of the tips in the Techniques section in the Tips portion of the Extras menu.

List of tips

• Simple Short-Hop Attack – If you press the jump button and attack button at the same time, you'll perform a jumping short-hop attack. It's very useful for catching an opponent off guard.
• Short-Hop Attack Power – If you use an aerial attack during a short hop, the attack power for the move will be a little less than normal. It's a low risk move, but also has low returns.
• Attacking from Ladders – When you're on a ladder, you'll react as if you were in midair. You can still attack while on the ladder but some moves will remove you from the ladder.
• Edge Attacks – If you attack while holding on to an edge, you'll be invincible until you attack. It's great for attacking opponents, but it's weak against shields and dodges.
• Grab Attacks – Grab opponents and press the attack button to perform a grab attack. You can deal extra damage to the opponent before throwing them, but make sure they don't escape!
• Changing Direction and Attacking – With most fighters, you can turn around while dashing and then quickly press a button to deliver a side tilt attack or a side smash.
• Attack to Pick Up Items – If you use a tilt attack near an item, you can attack while picking up the item. This is useful when battling others for items.
• Dash Flip Then Up Smash Attack – Look back while running and perform an up smash to flip around and do an up smash. It's easier to perform by using the right control stick.
• Charging Smash Attacks – You can charge up a smash attack by pressing and holding the button. One second is enough for max power, but you can hold it for up to three.
• Charge Canceling – You can cancel some special moves by pressing the shield button as you charge. Using the move again will start you where you left off!
• Reversing Side Specials – Input the opposite direction right after starting a side special to change direction and do the move the other way. This works in midair, too.
• Helpless Falling – After using certain specials in the air, you won't be able to attack or dodge until you hit the ground. You can still adjust the direction for your fall, though.
• Reflection Move Stamina – Reflection moves tend to break if an attack deals more than around 50 damage. Shots get stronger if reflected, so reflecting back and forth is risky!
• When Two Attacks Meet – Two attacks can cancel each other out if they connect at the same moment. With the right timing, you can even punch projectiles right out of the air!
• When Two Attacks Don't Meet – If two attacks connect at the same time and one is significantly stronger, that move will prevail. Some moves, like air attacks, are never canceled.
• Stale Moves – Using the same attack constantly will decrease its power. Add a little variety to your fighting to spice up your game!
• Deadly Blow – A red and black flash of lightning when an attack lands means that the victim has been hit with enough force to launch them off the screen.
• Easy Final Smash – Fighters who are really lagging behind will sometimes be ready to use a Final Smash as soon as they return from being KO'd.
• Meteor Smash – Launching an opponent straight down is known as a meteor smash. Doing this when there isn't a platform below is a good one-hit KO method.
• While Shielding – You can't walk or do normal attacks while shielding, but you can jump out of it. Press an attack button just as you leave the ground to attack in the air!
• Shifting Your Shield – You can gently input a direction while shielding to move your shield. This lets you block effectively, even with a small shield.
• Moving the Shield – When shielding, you can move the shield around to block more effectively. To do this, hold both shield buttns (or a shield button and the special-move button) and tilt the control stick.
• Downtime from Shielding – When you block an opponent's ground attack with a shield, it takes a moment to recover. This recovery time is shorter if you block an aerial attack.
• Shield Break– While your shield is up, it'll gradually get smaller. When it finally breaks, you'll become dizzy.
• Shield Break KOs – If a fighter is KO'd from falling off the stage after having their shield broken, the fighter that broke their shield will get the credit for that KO.
• Shield Breaks at the End of a Battle – When your shield is broken and you're launched, you normally get a short period of invincibility. However, you won't get this invincibility during the final countdown of a battle.
• Dangerous Shielding – If your shield breaks near an edge, a foe could casually push you off the stage while laughing. Be careful where you use your shield!
• Perfect Shield – Releasing your shield right when your opponent strikes results in a perfect shield. This doesn't damage your shield, and the small opening makes it easy to attack!
• Shieldstun Shuffling – Tilting the stick in a direction while blocking an attack with your shield will cause you to move a very short distance in that direction.
• Directional Air Dodge – During an air dodge, you can move toward the direction you tilt the control stick. However, this leaves you more vulnerable than a normal air dodge afterward.
• Air Dodge Limitations – You can only dodge once in the air until you land. However, if you take damage in midair, you can dodge again.
• Continuous Dodging Penalty – If you dodge too often, you'll move slower and be invincible for less time. Dodging away from an opponent has an even bigger penalty.
• On-the-Spot Dodge Into Counterattack – If you dodge on the spot, you can quickly cancel it with an attack. You can smoothly move from a dodge into a counterattack.
• Landing after Air Dodging – If you land after performing an air dodge, you won't be able to move for a moment. Dodging all the time can actually leave you more exposed!
• Breaking Your Fall – When you hit the wall, floor, or ceiling after being launched, press the shield button to break your fall and avoid follow-up attacks.
• Breaking Fall after Being Footstooled – If you're stepped on by an opponent in midair, you'll fall straight down. However, you can break your fall by pressing the shield button right before landing.
• Crouch Walking – Some fighters can move while crouched if you input diagonally down to the left or right.
• Crouching's Defensive Value – Going into a crouch will help protect you from being launched as far. Walking while crouched, however, won't help at all—but it looks pretty hilarious!
• Short Hop – If you press the jump button very briefly, you'll jump lower than usual, which lets you use air attacks against ground-level foes.
• Wall Jumping – Some fighters can jump off walls. Input in the opposite direction while touching the wall to do this.
• Footstool Jump – You can jump on opponents' heads and use them as a springboard. If they're airborne, they'll fall down too.
• Grab – You have to wait a short time between letting go of opponents and grabbing them again, so be patient!
• Grab Resistance – After getting out of a grab or immediately after being thrown, you can't be grabbed again by an opponent. Fighters flash yellow when grabs won't work.
• Missing Grabs – Grabs can't be blocked by a shield. However, you're left vulnerable for a while if you miss a grab, so grab smartly.
• Grab Parrying – If you grab an opponent at the same time they grab you, the two grabs may cancel each other out. This can be useful if you can predict the grab.
• Turning and Grabbing – If you turn around while running and then grab, your grabbing range will be longer than usual.
• Juddging Escape Timing – If you get grabbed, you can shorten the amount of time you're caught by wriggling around. When you start to flash yellow, you'll soon be able to escape.
• Grabbing Edges – If you grab an edge that someone else is grabbing, you'll steal it from him or her. So much for first come, first served!
• Edge-Grabbing Invincibility – When you grab an edge, your fighter flashes and becomes briefly invincible. This won't happen if you grab an edge again before touching the ground.
• Repeated Edge Grabbing – Certain moves, such as Ike's Aether, have limits on how many times they can be used to grab on to edges without touching the ground.
• Clinging to Walls– Some fighters can temporarily stick to walls if you keep holding in the direction of the wall. Not every wall is good for this move, though...
• Super Armor – This is a state where you won't flinch even while taking damage. Some specials will trigger this.
• Hitstun Shuffling – If you input a direction while taking damage, you'll shift slightly in that direction.
• Magnifying-Glass Damage – When you move off-screen, you'll be shown in a little circle. You'll gradually take damage while off the screen, so don't linger!
• Ice and Damage – If you get frozen, you won't be able to move for a while. The more damage you've taken, the longer you will be frozen.
• Grab an Item while Airborne – You can grab an item in midair by dodging or attacking at just the right time.
• Throwing Items – Drop items by pressing the grab button. Input a direction when you drop an item to throw the item in that direction.
• Smash Throw – When you throw an item, quickly flick the stick in the same direction as your throw. You'll throw it farther than usual that way.
• Catching Items – You can catch items thrown at you by pressing the attack button at just the right time.
• Letting Go of Items – Press the grab button to drop the item you're holding. Even an item dropped like this deals a small amount of damage.
• Eating while Prone – Press the attack button while you're prone to eat a food item that's fallen nearby.
• Directional Taunts – Some taunts are different depending on which way the fighter is facing. Captain Falcon's down taunt and Rosalina & Luma's side taunt are examples.
• Canceling Taunt – Taunts can be canceled by any other action. However, taunts that also serve as attacks cannot be canceled.
• Hitstun Shrinks Based On Battle Participant Count – When an attack hits, the hitstun may stop an opponent from moving for a short while. But when fighting more people, the hitstun becomes shorter.
• Attack Power in 1-on-1 Battles – Attack power is increased slightly during 1-on-1 battles with no items. Launch rate remains the same.
• Special Presentation for 1-on-1 Smash – The camera will sometimes zoom in on the action during 1-on-1 Smash. It'll trigger if a powerful blow lands or if there's an attack that might lead to victory.
• Shoving Match – Fighters on the ground will push each other if they run into each other. The heavier fighter will have the stronger push.
• Telling Who's in First – In Smash mode, the fighter in first place will glow from time to time. You may want to focus on taking them down a peg.
• Recovery Platform and Invincibility Time – If you wait on the recovery platform after a KO, your invincibility time when descending from the recovery platform will be reduced.