Tips

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Super Smash Bros. 4 includes a list of tips. These tips appear in two different locations - their own specialized menu in the Vault, or on the loading screens of the game.

List of tips

The many tips in the game are categorized into different types.

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Characters

Character-based tips mainly provide information about characters' special moves.

Diddy Kong: Peanut Popgun While charging, watch for when Diddy grabs his hat! That's the sign that the Peanut Popgun's about to backfire.
Diddy Kong: Monkey Flip While performing this move, you can press the attack button to launch a flying kick that deals considerable damage and has good launching power.
Diddy Kong: Rocketbarrel Boost If someone attacks Diddy Kong when he's wearing his Rocketbarrel Pack, it'll break free and fly off on it's own.
Donkey Kong: Hand Slap DK's Hand Slap affects a large area around him. however, it won't hit airborne fighters.
Fox: Fox Illusion When you use this move on the ground, Fox will always stop if he reaches an edge. When used in the air, you need to be a little more careful.
King Dedede: Inhale Dedede is already perfect, so his inhale won't copy abilities. Instead, it has a longer range than Kirby's.
Little Mac: Rising Uppercut Little Mac zooms upward with a powerful uppercut. It travels farther when used on the ground than when used in the air.
Luigi: Green Missile This move can end with Luigi's head stuck in a wall. That leaves him vulnerable, so be careful!
Mega Man: Side Smash Attack Mega Man unleashes a powerful Charge Shot. The damage and distance increase the longer you charge it!
Mega Man: Up Air Attack Mega Man fires a little tornado upwards. If it catches an opponent, it'll push them up too.
Meta Knight: Mach Tornado The tornado created around Meta Knight can destroy any weak projectiles it hits.
Mii Gunner: Cannon Uppercut Fires a blast downward using the recoil to power an uppercut. If you're up close, you can hit your foe with both the uppercut and the blast!
Mii Gunner: Flame Pillar If you make a pillar of fire on the ground, it'll deliver a single hit to anyone who comes close, pushing them back.
Mii Swordfighter: Gale Strike The tornado will become weaker as time passes, but the force of the wind will still push opponents even after it stops dealing damage.
Olimar: Winged Pikmin Two Winged Pikmin carry Olimar. The more Pikmin he has, the harder it is to pull him up.
PAC-MAN: Bonus Fruit PAC-MAN's apple bounces repeatedly across the ground. It travels quite a distance!
PAC-MAN: Bonus Fruit PAC-MAN's melon moves slowly through the air, so it's harder to hit opponents with. But when it does hit home, it deals quite some damage.
PAC-MAN: Fire Hydrant PAC-MAN places a fire hydrant on the ground. The water that it spurts will push fighters back.
Palutena: Angelic Missile Palutena fires herself forward like a spinning torpedo. This move travels a long way, so be careful not to fire yourself right off the cliff!
Palutena: Explosive Flame This move causes an explosion a short distance away from Palutena. It deals multiple hits to any opponents in its vicinity and then sends them flying.
Palutena: Rocket Jump Palutena propels herself with an explosion at her feet, damaging enemies nearby. It's a little more powerful on the ground than in the air.
Peach: Gliding Holding the jump button will let Peach hover in the air for a short time. She can even attack as she floats!
Peach: Side Smash Attack Peach pulls out a tennis racket, a golf club, and then a frying pan. Remember that order!
Pikachu: Thunder The bolt of lightning has a meteor effect. Use it after throwing a foe upward for a powerful combo.
Robin: Thunder It's difficult to notice in the middle of a battle, but the cover of the tome Robin uses actually changes depending on the spell being used.
Robin: Thunder Robin will use one of four magic spells, depending on how long you charge Thunder. The color of the tome glow indicates which spell will be used.
Rosalina & Luma: Star Bits Luma fires Star Bits that can scatter in three directions: high, middle, and low.
Shulk: Monado Arts Shulk switches between five modes - Jump, Speed, Shield, buster, and Smash - that change his abilities for a short time.
Shulk: Monado Arts In Shield mode, the power of your shield is boosted but you can't move as fast, jump as high, or deal as much damage.
Villager: Down Air Attack One to three turnips appear. More turnips means more damage. Three has a meteor effect.
Wii Fit Trainer: Deep Breathing Deep Breathing can reduce stress. Oh, and it also increases your attack and launch power and heals a small amount of damage.
Zelda: Farore's Wind Zelda deals damage in the moments when she disappears and reappears. Hold a direction to control which way she goes.
Zelda: Phantom Slash Charge this attack to make the Phantom travel farther. It'll attack differently based on the distance traveled.

Stages

Stage-based tips give notes about stages.

3D Land: Note Blocks Note Blocks appear at the beginning of the stage. Jumping on them will send fighters flying into the sky!
3D Land: Protruding Rocks The mountain range partway through the stage has rocks that poke out, pushing fighters and tilting platforms. Watch out!
3D Land: Rotating Platforms Don't stay on the rotating platforms too long or you'll slip off! And then where will you be?
3D Land: Spike Pillars Spike Pillars will pop out of the ocean at the random. they can break lifts and deal a lot of damage to unlucky fighters.
Distant Planet The Red Bulborb will appear on the right, opening its mouth and looking for food. Being eaten by the Red Bulborb counts as a KO.
Gerudo Valley Sometimes the wooden bridge will break if you stand on it or attack it. It's a flimsy bridge and will break over time, too.
Golden Plains Touch the red ring to make eight red coins appear. One red coin is worth five regular coins!
Green Hill Zone The object with the blue ball on top is called a Point Marker. A Point Marker will twirl when the ball is hit, dealing damage to anyone too close.
Living Room Five kinds of puppies appear in the background. The breed will change randomly. Sometimes a kitten will appear instead!
Rainbow Road When Shy Guys drive past, they can cause you damage. Pay attention to the warnings!
Spirit Train The Armored Train is pointy in front and will try and push the train you are on off the stage. Don't get pushed off during their conflict!
Tomodachi Life Normally, only rooms that fighters are currently in will be visible. If you throw an X Bomb, though, a lot will be revealed!
Unova Pokémon League Reshiram's Fusion Flare move will unleash a burst of flames and then destroy the stairs, so be careful!
Unova Pokémon League Stairs will appear and connect to N's Castle. The stairs will make the stage larger - change up your tactics with this new space!
Unova Pokémon League Sometimes Milotic, Whimsicott, and Shaymin will appear. Don't worry - these three are only here to watch.
Yoshi's Island Shy Guys sometimes appear from the sky, carrying yummy food. Attack them to make them drop their tasty snacks!

Items

Item-based tips document items, Pokémon, and Assist Trophies.

Assist Trophy: Chain Chomp If a Chain Chomp falls off the stage, it'll just jump straight back up!
Assist Trophy: Color TV-Game 15 The paddles that appear to the left and right will try to keep the ball in play. You'll take damage and be launched if you touch them.
Assist TrophyL Dillon Watch out! This armadillo will attack without fear. His Arma-Charge is super powerful, so get to dodging if you see him spinning up!
Assist Trophy: Dr. Kawashima Numbers will fly in from off-screen. Attack them to make them change direction.
Assist Trophy: Elec Man Elec Man will move swiftly across the stage, firing Thunder Beam at the fighters. A hit from this attack will leave a fighter stunned for a time.
Assist Trophy: Ghosts Pinky will try to catch her target out by getting in front and ambushing them. Clyde doesn't have a target - he just does whatever he likes.
Assist Trophy: Isabelle Isabelle cares how the fight is going! If the fighter who summoned her gets a KO, she'll be happy! She'll flinch if the fighters get close.
Assist Trophy: Lakitu Lakitu's Spiny Eggs will have a meteor effect on anyone they hit. Lakitu is perfect for stages that have small platforms.
Assist Trophy: Midna Midna won't be abandoned in battle - she'll teleport to chase foes. She also uses her teleport to return if she gets launched.
Assist Trophy: Mother Brain Mother Brain will send colorful lasers shooting up and down the screen. They can't be absorbed or reflected, so you'll just have to avoid them!
Assist Trophy: Phosphora Phosphora can't be defeated when she arrives on the battlefield, only made to flinch. However, her thunder attacks can be reflected or absorbed.
Assist Trophy: Phosphora Phosphora will teleport around the stage, dodging attacks and shooting lightning at everyone not fortunate enough to have summoned her.
Assist Trophy: Saki Amamiya Depending on the location of his target, Saki may shoot or slash with his weapon. The slash is very powerful at close ranges, so watch out!
Assist Trophy: Sheriff Sheriff fires high-speed, powerful shots at the fighters. These shots can be reflected, but absorbing them is not an option.
Assist Trophy: Skull Kid Skull Kid calls on a variety of mystical powers when he appears in the battle. Unfortunately, these powers affect whoever summoned him, too.
Assist Trophy: Tingle Every so often, Tingle will send down a shower of Hammers. Even more rarely, he'll rain Golden Hammers on the battlefield!
Assist Trophy: Waluigi Luigi's purple-clothed rival. He only ever jumps directly up, so leaping left and right is a good way to avoid him.
Beetle Attack an incoming Beetle and it'll do a U-turn. Beat the person who threw it at their own game!
Fire Bar You can use the Fire Bar both at short range and long range. The fireballs at the base of the weapon do the most damage.
Golden Hammer This sometimes turns into a Squeaky Hammer. It doesn't hurt much, but that sound sure is cute, eh?
Pokémon: Arceus The attack Gravity will pull fighters out of the air. Anyone caught out beyond the edge will fall straight down.
Pokémon: Eevee Eevee will use Take Down on any fighters nearby. If there aren't any, it'll just stand around looking a bit confused.
Pokémon: Fennekin Incinerate creates a fire pillar reaching out in front of Fennekin. If it connects, it'll do repeated damage to fighters.
Pokémon: Gardevoir Gardevoir uses a barrier that reflects projectiles. If you summoned it, your own projectiles won't be affected. Nice!
Pokemon: Goldeen If damage was dealt from enthusiasm, then Goldeen would KO everyone with Splash. But it isn't. Not even when Goldeen comes from a Master Ball.
Pokémon: Goldeen No matter how enthusiastically it splashes, nothing ever happens. Not even on those rare instances you find it in a Master Ball.
Pokémon: Inkay Inkay's Topsy-Turvy move knocks over nearby fighters. It doesn't work on anybody in the air though, so try jumping!
Pokémon: Meloetta Meloetta's song will bounce off walls and platforms. In smaller stages, the song will bounce unpredictably, making it tough to avoid.
Pokemon: Mew Mew is so rare, you'll be lucky to see one at all - but when you do, it'll drop rare items onto the battlefield.
Pokémon: Moltres Moltres slowly rises after appearing. Even barely touching this Legendary Pokémon will send a fighter flying.
Pokémon: Oshawott Surf sweeps up anybody in its path - adjust your aim to catch fighters who try to get out of the way!
Pokémon: Staryu Staryu will pursue a target and shoot stars at high speed. For fighters with projectile-absorbing moves, this is like an early birthday present!
Pokémon: Swirlix Anyone who strays too close to Swirlix will have their movement reduced. Take advantage of this if you brought Swirlix into battle!
Pokémon: Victini Victini will use Victory Star to give the fighter who summoned it a boost. In a team battle, it will boost your teammates as well.
Pokémon: Xerneas Everyone's launching power will get a boost when Xerneas is around. It'll be much easier to launch rivals who have low damage.
Screw Attack You can deliver air attacks while using the Screw Attack item. This can lead to powerful combos.

Modes

Mode-based tips provide notes about the various modes, including Smash Run.

Classic: Route Map The paths are marked with a color to show their difficulty: blue, green or red. The harder the path, the better the reward!
Items on Floating Platforms In Multi-Man Smash, items occasionally float by on a platform. These aren't random - the same items appear at the same time in every battle.
Smash Run: Powers The number of Powers a fighter can carry depends on the fighter's weight - the heavier the fighter, the more they can manage.

Smash Run

Smash Run-based tips focus on enemies encounter in Smash Run, as well as its other unique features.

Area Lockdown The number in the top left is your target number of enemies to beat. Hit that mark, and you'll get an especially large stat boost!
Cannonball Effect When you defeat an enemy, it will fly off like a cannonball and deal damage to other enemies it hits.
Challenge Doors Behind the special doors lie all kinds of challenges. Complete them to get yourself some rewards.
Challenges: Crystal Smash! Break all the crystals in the time allotted. Breaking them gets you stat boosts!
Challenges: Crystal Smash! When you're attacking crystals, sometimes large cracks will appear. Aim your attacks at these to destroy the crystals more efficiently.
Enemies: Bronto Burt Bronto burts fly around and try to hit you with their spin attack. The attack doesn't do much damage but has high launching power.
Enemies: Bumpety Bomb Bumbety Bombs flash more and more quickly as they get closer to exploding. The blast hurts other enemies, too, so use that to your advantage!
Enemies: Bumpety Bomb You can't hit a Bumpety Bomb through the armor on its front. Instead, attack from behind or try to throw it.
Enemies: Clubberskull When a Clubberskull's on a revenge, it'll come after fighters relentlessly. It'll even jump over walls and other obstacles!
Enemies: Devil Car These cars are the most inconsiderate drivers, trying to ram right at you! If one hits you at high speed, it'll hurt.
Enemies: Flame Chomp Don't touch the Flame Chomp's fireballs! That means both the ones it fires at you and the ones that are still attached to its tail.
Enemies: Fly Guy A type of Shy Guy that flies around, dangling items. Sometimes they even carry custom parts!
Enemies: Geemer Geemers can crawl along the ground, the walls... even the ceiling! Those spikes will hurt any fighter who touches them.
Enemies: Generator Generators disappear after they've finished spawning enemies. Defeat them before they finish to get a big bounty as a reward!
Enemies: Iridescent Glint Beetle These golden bugs stay underground until a fighter comes near. They're bonus enemies, and often when you launch one, it'll drop some gold.
Enemies: Lethinium These floral fiends shoot lasers that can go through the terrain. If the beam doesn't hit, the next shot will be at a different angle.
Enemies: Megonta Hit a Megonta's weak point - the stomach - and you can topple it over. It can't do anything until it gets back up, so you have a chance to strike.
Enemies: Metroid These alien creatures float around and then try to clamp down on you with their sharp fangs. Quickly struggle to break free from their grasp.
Enemies: Nutski These airborne enemies from the Forces of Nature fire either a burst of weak seeds or a single big seed that deals more damage.
Enemies: Octorok When you get close to an Octorok, it'll hide in the grass. You won't be able to hit it with attacks, but you can still throw it.
Enemies: Pooka Pookas can chase after you by burrowing through walls and the ground. While doing this, you can't hit them, only look at their goggles.
Enemies: Reapette These Reaper minions can pass right through walls. They'll disappear in one hit, so it's easy to clear them out with some careful aim.
Enemies: Roturret Roturrets hang in the air and fire three shots from each od their two cannons. The last pair of shots has extra lunching power.
Enemies: Shotzo Depending on the type, these indestructible cannons will either fire three shots in a fixed position or one shot aimed at you.
Enemies: Skuttler Cannoneer The color of the cannon shows which type it is. Blue = beam, green = bazooka, and red = missile.
Enemies: Starman Starmen are aliens that move by teleporting and unleash PK Beam attacks. They will paralyse you briefly if they hit you.
Enemies: Types of Shy Guys Shy Guys come in four colors: red, blue, yellow, and green. They have different abilities and tend to drop different stat boosts.
Enemies: Zuree These ghosts with big claws are impossible to hit before they take physical form. When they attack, that's your chance to strike back.
Event: Fast Learner One stat will be easier to upgrade for a while. Stat boosts for it will appear more frequently, and it'll upgrade more quickly from play, too.
Event: Heavenly Light A light engulfs the fighters, causing damage to nearby enemies. The effect is just like the Power of the same name.
Powers and Speed Slower fighters can equip more Powers. Put on equipment that makes you faster or slower to influence this.
Stat Boosts: Special Some special moves won't just deal more damage, they'll also take less time to charge or cover a longer range.
Using Powers Using Powers aggressively at the start will let you b eat enemies easily for some early stat boosts. That'll make later foes easier too.

Other

Other tips document game terminology and otherwise-unsorted notes.

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.
Catching Items You can catch items thrown at you by pressing the attack button at just the right time.
Custom Special Moves Each of the custom special moves have different attributes. Choose carefully to create the perfect fighter for your play style!
Equipment Fighters can carry up to three pieces of equipment. Depending on the equipment combination, the fighter's characteristics and play style vary greatly.
Magnifying Glass Damage When you move off-screen, you'll be shown in a magnifying glass. You'll gradually take damage while in this state, so be careful!
Meteor Smash Launching an opponent straight downward is known as a Meteor Smash. Doing this when there isn't a platform below is a good one-hit KO method.
Shield Break While your shield is up, it'll gradually get smaller. When it finally breaks, you'll become dizzy.
Super Armor This is a state where you won't flinch even while taking damage. Some specials will trigger this.
Low Jump Press the jump button very briefly and you'll jump lower than usual, letting you use air attacks against ground-level foes.
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.