Soulcalibur VI/Geralt

Overview Move list Combos Matchups Strategy Resources

Introduction

The protagonist of the Witcher series makes his appearance as one of the most well-rounded characters in the game, with many players joking that he plays more honest Calibur than the actual Calibur characters. Geralt has a short movelist, but it features very usable standard pokes with great range. Bolstering his options are his magic signs, which allow him special attacks at the cost of meter. His kit-defining magic sign is Yrden, an aGI parry that catches all standard attacks and freezes the enemy in place, leading to a combo with huge ring out potential. He also uses his special monster-fighting silver sword to gain meter and trigger powerful lethal hits against an enemy in Soul Charge. His anti-SC lethal hits and special lethal hit versus enemies with full meter restricts enemy Soul Charge usage and encourages the use of CE. However, outside of his great pokes and whiff punishment he struggles at rushing down enemies and fares badly versus long range attacks and other characters who are content to let Geralt come to them.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Good whiff punishment Unique access to meter burn options Long ranged, powerful pokes Strong turn-stealing and reversals Devastating defensive callouts using Yrden Silver sword punishes use of Soul Charge Lethal Hits dictate enemy meter usage	Average mix-up game and general offense Limited approach/rushing attacks Simple movelist requires strong fundamentals Limited LH options if enemy is content to not use Soul Charge

Unique Mechanics

Witcher Signs

As part of their monster-slaying tactics, Witchers employ simple magic spells which they call 'signs'. Geralt maintains his access to his Witcher signs in Soulcalibur VI, which represent a suite of tools that are simple but effective when utilized properly.

His signs can both be done raw and are found in strings, the difference being that doing them raw usually costs meter.

Aard is a telekinetic thrust used to repel enemies. Aard Push (8A+B) is a metered option that allows him to cast the sign at the staggering speed of i10, making it an amazing move to use as an interruption. It also pushes the opponent back on hit, returning Geralt to a range where he is more comfortable.

Igni is a pyrokinetic stream of flame, used to ignite and stagger a foe. Igni Burn (6B.B) is a string that ends in a casting of the Igni sign, which can be meter burned by instead inputting 6B[B]. This will cause the opponent to be stunned and crumpled, allowing for a simple combo extension at the cost of some meter.

Ydren is a defensive sign that slows and weakens its victims. Yrden Glyph (4A+B) is one of Geralt's most iconic tools which makes him a foe to be reckoned with when he's on the defensive. An all-encompassing aGI, Yrden will parry any incoming normal attack and leave the opponent wide open to a followup, even giving Geralt enough time to reposition himself to find an angle for a ringout combo.

Quen is another defensive sign, though instead of weakening opponents, it strengthens the user. Quen Strike (6A+B) and its followups grant him a way to get in while stuffing the opponent's counterattacks. He rushes forward while casting this sign, granting himself armor that will soak up incoming attacks, then counterattacks with a handful of followups, allowing him some mixup potential.

Axii is a hypnotic sign that allows him to influence an opponent's mind. Axii Glyph (A+K) allows him to call out an opponent's movement in a way no other character can. When used at the same time an opponent is attempting to backstep, Axii Glyph allows Geralt to catch them from a long distance and even force them to move in a direction of his choice - including towards him, towards a wall, or even off the edge of the stage for a humiliating defeat.

A few of Geralt's lethal hits depend on landing a certain number of unique signs:

• 66B.B after three signs
• 1B after four signs
• 3B after all five signs

Note that Geralt uses both Igni and Axii during his Critical Edge and Yrden during his Soul Attack, which count towards the total number of unique signs used for these Lethal Hits. Axii in particular can be difficult to land, so its presence in his Critical Edge animation allows for easier access to the five-sign lethal hit in 3B.

Silver Sword

Attacks using Geralt's offhand silver sword, made specifically for slaying monsters born of magic, has the unique property of powering up when used against enemies in Soul Charge.

His silver sword is usually kept sheathed on his back, and its use is signified by blue trails rather than the usual orange. The main benefit of using silver sword attacks against an opponent in Soul Charge tends to be increased meter gain, but the benefits also include different on-hit properties and even Lethal Hits, allowing for extended combo opportunities. Diligent uses of Geralt's silver sword will often make his opponents think twice about using Soul Charge to get out of sticky situations, instead reserving their meter for other uses. Paired with his Lethal Hit attacks that trigger against an opponent who has full meter, Geralt forces his opponents to use meter in a manner unique to his matchup.

See Strategy for a full strategy breakdown.

Geralt #SCVI_GER
Witchers, warriors blessed with unusual abilities, were created to hunt monsters and other strange creatures. Geralt, perhaps the ablest and most famous of witchers, was asked one day to look into a sorceress suspected of summoning demons. His contract called on him to learn if there was any truth to the claims, and if so, to kill any demons he encountered and the sorceress herself. The sorceress dwelled midst the ruins of a citadel surrounded by marshland. Shortly after Geralt arrived there, she used her magic to open a gate that whisked the witcher into another dimension.

Key Moves

A

Steel Whirlwind
AA

AA - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
12	10,12	-8	2	2	3%
Normal Hit Combo
Standard i12 high, high string, but with more range than average. Jails.

Svalblod Strike
6A

6A - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
16	14	-8	0	6	1%
Basic looking i16 high slash with two followups (6AB and 6AA). Great for staggering and natural combo follow-ups.

Bonhart Blitz
3A

3A - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
16	14	-8	-2	2	1%
Incredible poke. i16 horizontal mid. Is not plus on hit, only on counterhit. Use this to check opponents and stop their pressure.

Shank Slash
2A

2A - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
12	10	-6	4	4	1%
Standard 2A, longer range than average.

Sweeping Aard Thrust
1A

1A - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
26	18	-14	-4	2	4%
Fast low, covers step, leaves you crouching. -4 on hit, +2 on CH (the follow-ups only combo on CH)

Yrden Glyph
4A+B

4A+B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
-	-	-	-	-	-
. [4-19]
Yrden auto parry. Active on frame 6. Very very long recovery if whiffed but full combo and potentially ring out or wall splat if successful.

66A Series

Cleaving Pirouette
66A

(3)_(6)_(9)A - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	14	-10	0	0	1%
A good series of attacks to use on approach.

66A Options

Cleaving Pirouette > A
66AA

(3)_(6)_(9)AA - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	14,16	-4	2	2	3%
Normal Hit Combo
66AA is an advancing high, high string that jails, safe on block, advantage on hit. Not huge damage, but low risk to harass with. Force them to stop moving around his big damage with this.

Quen Strike
66AB

(3)_(6)_(9)AB - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	14,20	-4	10	KND	8%
Quen Strike
First hit of 66A into Quen rush mixup. Can bait retaliation when 66A whiffs, Check the signs section for more info about Quen Mixups

Toussant Two-step
66AK

(3)_(6)_(9)AK - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	14,20	-10	4	4	3%
Normal Hit Combo
(3)_(6)_(9)A(K) - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	14,24	2	10	10	3%
First hit of 66A into low kick, -10 on block. K can be held to make it +2 on block and 10 on hit

B

Impaling Hilt (Igni Burn)
6BB

6B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	16	-14	0	0	2%
6BB - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	16,6,12	-12	0	0	5%
Normal Hit Combo. Igni burn
6B(B) - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	16,6,12,18	-6	STN	STN	7%
. Igni Burn
LONG range hilt punch into Igni. Hold the 2nd B for the enhanced version, costs .25 meter and allows for a combo follow up. You will manage to surprise yourself at least 3-4 times with how far this reaches before you get used to it. Slightly on the slower side, It’s i18. Goes without saying, one of your best whiff punishers. Non enhanced version is unsafe, AA punish. Always enhance this or don’t bother.

Sunderstep
2B

2B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
14	14	-8	2	2	2%
Standard 2B that goes into crouch, once again with somewhat better range than comparable moves. Reliably frame traps into WR B on hit.

Skelliger Uppercut
3B

3B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
20	28	-14	LNC	LNC	9%
after hitting an opponent with all five signs
i20 startup Launcher. Good range and speed. Reliably hits grounded. Launches at tip range, making it one of the stronger 3Bs in the game. Different follow ups available depending on preference and ring position. Can ring out over low walls. Unsafe at -14.

Crippling Strike
1B

1B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
26	22	-14	KND	KND	9%
after hitting an opponent with four different signs
Slower vertical low, knocks down and has some pretty good oki.

Panther Shred
WR B

WR B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
12	22	-8	2	2	4%
His best WR move, fast two hit up/down slash. Plus on hit, safe on block, frame traps after many moves that leave him crouching. All around great button.

Fiery Dancer
33B

(3)_(9)B - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	26	-14	STN	STN	9%
Normal Hit Combo
Auto two hit mid string, stuns on hit Unsafe on block at -14 (stab), Along with 6BB is one of his top whiff punishers.

Whirling Manticore
66B+K

(3)_(6)_(9)B+K - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
28	53	-8	LNC	LNC	20%
Normal Hit Combo. Tech Jump
Extremely slow (i28) mid launcher that’s very punishable if the opponent knows to step the second hit. This your most damaging whiff punisher after a sidestep, and it’s what you go for after a level 3 GI as well as in most lethal hit and 4A+B combos.

K

Crouching Destabilizer
2K

2K - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
16	12	-14	-4	-4	2%
Standard 2k low, leaves you crouching.

Dijkstra Legbreaker
1K

1K - Attack Level:
Impact	Damage	Block	Hit	Counter	Guard Burst
18	18	-14	-2	4	1%
Very fast quick low sweep.