Smash Legends beginner's guide

LINE Games’ upcoming multiplayer brawler, Smash Legends, soft launched in the UK and Nordic territories last week, giving us a perfect opportunity to take a peek at the game (almost) ahead of everyone else and tell you everything you should know before it launches worldwide.

Here is our list of essential knowledge and tips to get started in this fantastic, fast-paced, fighting game.

The Basics

Smash Legends adopts a simple approach to the art of combat; you control your character's movements with a D-pad on the left side of the screen, whilst dealing out damage with three main attack buttons on the right side. These include: basic (which executes combos when pressed multiple times), skill (your character’s second most powerful strike), and ultimate (which executes your most powerful attack). The skill and ultimate attacks can only be used once before needing to recharge so use them wisely!

Next to the attack options you’ll also find the jump button which is an essential component to playing the game (as we’ll explain later).

Choose your style

Currently, Smash Legends features 8 different fighters (Legends), each belonging to one of five different class types. These include: Fighter, Assassin, Vanguard, Supporter, and Marksman.

• Fighters, such as Peter, are solid all-rounder style characters that will be useful in most battle modes. As the first character you’ll be introduced to, Peter is among the easier Legends to control and, therefore, a good recommendation for beginners getting to grips with the game.
• Assassins, like Red, are the ‘ninjas’ of Smash Legends; much faster and better at dealing damage than Fighters, but a little trickier to control. Their ultimate attacks are a lot more specialised too so you’ll need to be strategic in how you use them - Red, for instance, will go into stealth mode for several seconds, allowing you to sneak up on opponents and deliver extra damage with your first hit.
• Vanguards are a little more varied in their style. Cindy for example is almost as fast as Red whilst Kaiser is a much slower character with high HP. The one constant however is that both deliver extremely powerful attacks which can be delivered to multiple opponents at once. However, their special attacks are one strike deals so you need to be precise in how you use them.
• Marksman types, like Hook, are extremely tricky to fight against but are great fun if you’re using them. They are the ranged damage-dealers that fire multiple shots from their weapons which keep opponents at a safe distance. In the case of Hook, when her attacks hit she’ll receive a little rebound away from her target which can make her extremely effective at manoeuvring around her foes.
• Supporter Legends are the ideal choice for those that like to play strategically rather than mix-it up in a straight-ahead brawl. Alice, for instance, has the ability to lay landmines around the arena and immobilise her opponents for a short period with her ultimate attack. This character type is for the real team players; perfect for modes like Dominion.

Make the most of your surroundings

In team battle modes like Dominion, it can be tempting to just hold the capture point in the middle of the map. Whilst it will help you gain points, you’ll also be missing out on some useful items dotted around the arena, including elixirs and health packs for restoring HP, and bombs for delivering an explosive surprise to your opponents from a safe distance.

It also doesn’t hurt to take the fight to your opponent if you really want to assert your dominance. Make a note of their respawn points and take them out before they know what's hit ‘em. Then simply bounce back into the centre of the stage using the Jump Pads scattered throughout the arena (look for the round buttons inscribed with arrows).

Leaping isn’t cheating

Never neglect your jump button when you’re in the middle of a fight. It’s the fastest way to fly in and out of combat; avoiding your opponents blows whilst picking the perfect opportunities to unleash your own. Also, pay attention to the cross hairs that appear on the ground when your opponent decides to leap. This will determine their point of landing, which is exactly where you’ll want to strike in order to take them out!

Another important beginner tip is to jump whenever you’re knocked out of the arena. By some gravity defying logic in Smash Legends, you can still have your character leap back to safety instead of falling to their doom.

Keep advancing

When you download and dive into Smash Legends for the first time, you’ll be introduced to Peter as your first Legend and take part in the game’s Dominion mode - a 3v3 time-limited team battle where the object is to dominate the capture point in the map and hold it from the opposing team.

However, there’s plenty of other content available which you’ll need to unlock by advancing in the game.

Fortunately, the quick-pace and ease of earning rewards means that it won’t take too long to start enjoying new additions, including the other 7 Legends mentioned before and the game’s four other battle modes: Duel Mode, Harvest Mode, Battle Royale Mode, and Crown Guard Mode.

You’ll also be able to advance your Legends’ abilities by collecting Puzzle Pieces. These pieces (as well as all other rewards) can be obtained via Medal Road, Legend Road, and opening Reward Boxes with Keys earned from winning matches.

• Reward Box: This is Smash Legend’s gacha box which you can unlock by earning keys. The rewards on offer can include receiving new Legends, Puzzle Pieces and Coins.
• Legend Road: You will be rewarded based on the amount of Medals earned by each Legend you play with. Completing various objectives - like dealing a specific amount of damage or smashing a certain number of opponents - will allow you to obtain Puzzle Pieces, Skins, Coins, and more. A good tip early on is to vary up your playing style and use different Legends to increase your chances of advancing along the Legend Road.
• Medal Road: Some of the best rewards can be obtained here, including new Legends, new Arenas, Coins, and Reward Boxes. Advancing along the Medal Road requires you to earn Medals. These are awarded based on your performance during matches. As you advance through the Medal Road, the tier of Reward Box will also improve, leading to an increased chance of earning more Legends.

That just about does it for now but stay tuned for more Smash Legends content soon!