Drive System
The Drive System is a meter in Street Fighter 6 that serves as the gateway to universal movement, offense and defense mechanics.
Drive Gauge
"The engine that powers the Drive System is available as soon as the round begins, allowing you to fight to your liking. If you spend your entire Drive Gauge, you'll enter a burnout state with big disadvantages, but it also replenishes automatically, making meter management a key to the fight. Understanding the system in-depth, including when to be conservative and when to gamble, allows for deep, high-level battles."
- Capcom.
The Drive gauge is crucial to playing SF6 and is an incredibly valuable resource to have. Optimal drive gauge use can give a big advantage over an opponent while poor use of it puts the player at a major disadvantage. The Drive gauge starts full every round and will go down when performing drive actions, blocking, or getting hit. The Drive gauge passively increases overtime if not full as long as the player is not getting hit, blocking, or performing most actions other than movement. The one exception to Passive Drive gauge regeneration that is currently known is the use of supers. During most supers the Drive gauge will slowly start to recover which is the known exception to passive drive gauge regeneration. Beyond passive regeneration, it is possible to increase Drive gauge by hitting the opponent. If the opponent blocks or gets hit by certain normals, the player's drive gauge will increase.
Actions that increase Drive gauge
- Hitting opponent
- Passive regeneration
- Supers
Actions that decrease Drive gauge
- Blocking
- Getting hit
- Drive actions
Burnout
Burnout state happens when the player's Drive gauge becomes empty by any means. Burnout state gives the player several negative effects and also prevents the player from using drive actions until it regenerates. Negative effects:
- More blockstun when blocking
- Chip damage instead of drive damage when blocking
- Can be chip killed
- Lower damage
- take more damage from opponent
- Lack of drive options
- Slower movement
- Can be stunned by Drive impact
If the player gets hit by a Drive impact while in Burnout state, the player will be stunned but they have maximum Drive guard after recovering from stun. Once in burnout state the process can be sped up by the normal methods of increasing Drive Gauge.
Drive Impact
Costs 1 Drive Stock. Input +
(HP+HK) to perform.
"A powerful strike that can absorb an opponent’s incoming attack. Perform this on an opponent backed into the corner to induce a wall splat, even if they block the attack."
- Capcom.
Drive Parry
Consumes Drive Stocks while held. Hold +
(MP+MK) to perform.
- Can parry on frame 1
- Can perfect parry
"Automatically repel an opponent’s attack and replenish Drive when performed successfully. Perform a Perfect Parry by parrying just before an opponent’s attack hits you."
- Capcom.
Overdrive
Costs 2 Drive Stocks. Press two Punches or Kicks while inputting a special move to perform the Overdrive Art (OD) version.
In previous titles this move was known as EX special moves. Just like before it requires two of the same button type (two kicks or two punches) and will perform an enhanced version of the special. In previous titles it consumed meter to perform these skills but in Street Fighter 6 it requires 2 drive stocks instead.
- Overdive moves will generally deal more damage, have faster startup, lower recovery, and could even have invincibility
- Performing an overdrive move may incur a drive penalty
- If an overdrive moves is performed while the player has less than 2 drive stocks, the player is immediately put in burnout state
Drive Rush
Costs 1 Drive Stock after a Parry or 3 stocks to cancel from a normal attack. Tap (66) to perform.
"Perform a quick rush forward from a Drive Parry or a cancelable normal attack. Drive Rush from a parry costs 1 Drive Stock, while Drive Rush from a normal attack costs 3 Drive Stocks."
- Capcom.
Drive Reversal
Costs 2 Drive Stocks while in blockstun. Press +
+
(6HPHK) to perform. Also known as Alpha Counter or V-Reversal.
"Perform a counterattack while blocking an opponent’s attack. The damage is low but can help you out of tight situations when you’re being pressured."
- Capcom.