Granblue Fantasy Versus is the newest fighting game by Arc System Works and Cygames. It is incredibly approachable, making it a great competitive game for beginners. However, don't mistake its approachability for lack of depth.
There is a lot to learn within its accessible shell, and this Granblue Fantasy Versus guide will give you a few tips for those who want to start playing more competitively.
Play the tutorial (Mission Training)
Similar to the Mortal Kombat 11 guide I made last year, I believe tutorials are a great way to learn the rules of any given fighting game. While familiar to most fighting game players, Granblue Fantasy Versus certainly has its own set of rules and inputs you will want to know before getting into the nitty-gritty of competitive play.
In order to get to the Granblue Fantasy Versus tutorial, you select Mission Training from the main menu. From here, there are five tabs to choose from. Go to "Basic Mission" and go down that list of objectives. Don't worry, we will get to the other tabs in a later section.
I do think Granblue Fantasy Versus' tutorial could be improved, especially after playing the tutorials for Mortal Kombat 11 and Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r]. Those two not only discuss the specific rules and inputs for each respective game, but also information you can use in other fighting games. They were very detailed, and are useful to this day. The Granblue Fantasy Versus tutorial does a good job of explaining its own rules, but doesn't really go beyond that.
Regardless, it is a good idea to know what you are getting into. At the very least, the tutorial does a great job of explaining the basics, as well as how special moves work.
Find a character you are comfortable with (your "main")
Again, something you should do for any fighting game is to find a character you are comfortable with. You could also refer to this as your "main." Yes, it can be a daunting task, but each character has its own unique style that you may connect with once you get the hang of their mechanics.
Fortunately, there are only 11 characters for you to check out in Granblue Fantasy Versus. There will be DLC characters added, starting with the Chaos Bringer Beelzebub and Narmaya. Here is a list of the base roster:
- Gran
- Katalina
- Charlotta
- Lancelot
- Percival
- Ferry
- Lowain
- Ladiva
- Metera
- Zeta
- Vaseraga
Each of these characters has their own unique playstyle, from Vaseraga's slow and powerful attacks to Lancelot's agile movements. If you are looking for a good starter character, Gran or Katalina are solid choices. Essentially, these two are the Ryu and Ken (Street Fighter) of Granblue Fantasy Versus. They feature a moveset that is easy to grasp, and are still effective in a competitive setting.
Complete the Skill Practice and Combo Practice for your character
Once you have chosen a character as your main, go back to the Mission Training menu. Above, you will find "Skill Practice" and "Combo Practice" tabs. Each feature lessons for specific characters, and from there you should find your character and go through the training.
Skill Practice will teach you the character's special moves. It is pretty simple, and is something you could just do in Free Training. But you get the satisfaction of receiving a grade for how you perform. It is just a good way to learn the character's special moves without having to navigate through a command list.
Combo Practice is a bit more useful in terms of truly learning how your character's moveset flows. It's a pretty short list of combos for each character, but it may spawn some combo ideas. You could also use these as your bread-and-butter combos. Regardless, Combo Practice does help with really learning your character.
From here, I think going into Free Training is definitely a good route to take. Practice what you've learned and either become more consistent or think of some of your own combos.
Arcade Mode and Match-Ups
After you have practiced your moves, it's time to put your skills to the test. While there are a variety of modes that allow you to do this, Arcade Mode and Versus Mode are the best of the bunch. There isn't anything special about them, but it gives you an opportunity to test out everything you've learned in a controllable environment.
What I like about Arcade Mode is the ability to choose the difficulty after each match. For example, you can start on normal difficulty. After you've completed the match, three options will appear. Each option will show the next opponent and what difficulty they will be set at. In this case, the three options would be the normal difficulty, as well as a step above and below the selected difficulty.
Another option that will help you in more specific situations is the Match-Ups tab in Mission Training. Similar to Combo Practice, there will be a list of objectives that will task you with punishing, defending, or maneuvering past specific character moves. This is solid if you notice you are having trouble getting through a certain character's attacks.
Time to go online and play against actual people
Now that you have a solid grasp of what to expect from a match, it might be time to fight actual players online. Fighting a CPU can only get you so far, especially when CPU fights in Granblue Fantasy Versus are pretty easy, even at the highest difficulty. This is where you will truly test your knowledge and skills. More likely than not, you will still have a ton to learn; I know I still do.
If there is one piece of advice I can give you here, do not be afraid to lose. Yes, it can be frustrating. You've practiced everything you could, and getting squashed is a terrible feeling. But take everything in, and learn from those mistakes. Where were your most crucial mistakes? What traps were you falling for? Are you truly consistent with your inputs? These are all questions you can ask yourself. You can actually look at replays to see exactly what you did wrong.
If you come out swinging in Granblue Fantasy Versus and garnering wins with ease, then that's great. Keep doing what you're doing. But if you're like me, and maybe get a few wins here and there, just keep on practicing, and playing against actual people. After all, you'll never learn if you don't play against anyone.