Soulcalibur VI/Controls & Notation

Controls

Soulcalibur VI is a four-button fighter. Directions are represented as arrows in-game and will also be displayed as such here on the wiki. In community resources, directional notation is done via numpad notation, which you can read about here.

Input	Name	Description
	Horizontal	Attacks that generally trade damage for keeping lateral movement in check.
	Vertical	Attacks that sacrifice lateral movement coverage for damage.
	Kick	Attacks that serve a wide variety of purposes. Usually not susceptible to aGI.
	Guard	The only means of blocking in the game. Unlike many other games, simply holding or will not block; you must hold G.

There are also a few combinations inputs tied to system mechanics.

Input	Name	Description
	Guard Impact	The iconic Soul Calibur mechanic of a powerful parry which creates an opening.
	Reversal Edge	A high-risk, high-reward defensive tool used to build meter and escape from pressure.
	Break Attack	Every character's is a Break Attack designed to counter Guard Impact and Reversal Edge.
or	Throw	An offensive option to break through an opponent's guard.
	Critical Edge	Every character's cinematic attack. Some characters have more than one Critical Edge mapped to different inputs.
	Soul Charge	A defensive burst option that keeps the opponent away and puts the user into a temporary powered-up state.
	Soul Attack	An offense-oriented version of Soul Charge which trades the defensive properties for offensive pressure.
	Appeal	A cancellable taunt, useful as a feint or to inflict psychic damage.

Input Types

The following terms refer to the different ways the Soulcalibur game system accepts your inputs. Due to clarity concerns the English speaking Soulcalibur community uses alternative terms for some in-game descriptions. In these instances the term will be annotated as what it is also known as in the game. Some terms may also carry unique definitions in Soulcalibur as opposed to other fighting games.

Input type	Description	Ingame notation	Numpad notation
Directional Input	Direction and button are pressed simultaneously.		3B
Motion input	Traditional motion input is followed by a button press.		214B
Dual Button	Two buttons are pressed simultaneously. Can include directional inputs.		A+B
Full Crouch	Must be executed from a crouching state. Also known as While Crouching.	While crouching .	FC 1K.K
While Rising	Must be executed while shifting from crouching to standing. Also known as While Standing.	While rising	WR A
Facing Away	Must be executed while the player character has their back to the opponent. Also known as Back Turned.	Facing away	BT B+K
Hold input	Button, direction or both need to be held.		4[A]
Slide input	Buttons or directions must be input in rapid succession.		agA
Just input	Inputs must be frame-perfect (or near it). Also known as Instant, Fastest Input.	(fast)	214:B
Charge†	A button is released after being held for a period of time. Also known as Negative Edge.	Release	]A[ or cA

† Hilde is the only character who uses Charge inputs.