Tekken 9 new player tutorials will guide you through the game’s mechanics, character moves, and basic strategies, helping you get a solid foundation to start playing.
So, you’re ready to dive into the world of fighting games, huh? Tekken 9 is a great place to start and we’ve got you covered. Many gamers find the initial experience daunting, but that doesn’t have to be the case for you. Our guide of Tekken 9 new player tutorials breaks down the complex parts.
This blog will provide a gentle introduction. We explain core game concepts and character basics. We also provide tips on how to learn your first combos, helping you become a formidable opponent.
Tekken 9 New Player Tutorials: Your Path to Becoming a Fighting Champ
So, you’ve decided to jump into the world of Tekken 9? That’s awesome! It’s a super fun fighting game with lots of cool characters and exciting battles. But let’s be real, Tekken can seem a little scary at first. All those buttons, those fancy moves, it can feel like a lot to take in. Don’t worry! This guide is designed just for you, a brand new player. We’ll go over the basics and get you ready to rumble in no time. Think of this as your personal Tekken 9 training camp. We’ll break everything down into small, easy steps. Ready? Let’s go!
Understanding the Basics of Tekken 9
Before you even think about trying out a complicated combo, it’s important to understand the fundamentals. It’s like learning the alphabet before trying to write a novel. Let’s start with the most basic stuff.
Movement: Getting Around the Arena
Movement is key in Tekken. It’s how you dodge attacks, close the distance, and create opportunities. Here’s how you move:
- Forward and Backward: Press the directional buttons or stick forward to walk towards your opponent and backward to walk away. Easy enough, right?
- Sidestep: Tapping up or down (or diagonal up or down) lets you quickly move to the side. This is super useful for dodging linear attacks (moves that travel straight forward). Think of it as a quick dance to avoid getting hit.
- Back Dash: Quickly tap backward twice and your character will step backward very quickly. Useful for creating space, or as a way to get away from dangerous situations.
- Running: Tapping forward twice allows you to run. You can use this to get into your opponent’s face quickly or cover more ground in the arena.
Attack Buttons and Basic Moves
Tekken 9 uses four main attack buttons, usually assigned to the face buttons on your controller. These buttons represent your character’s limbs. Let’s call these buttons, 1, 2, 3 and 4:
- Button 1 (Usually Square/X): Left Punch
- Button 2 (Usually Triangle/Y): Right Punch
- Button 3 (Usually Cross/A): Left Kick
- Button 4 (Usually Circle/B): Right Kick
By simply pressing these buttons, your character will do basic attacks. It sounds simple, but this is the foundation of all your offense. Experiment and see what each button does. The combinations of buttons create different moves. These basic attacks are important for creating openings and setting up more powerful attacks. Getting to know what each button does, is key to your success.
Blocking: Your First Line of Defense
Blocking is super important! It’s how you protect yourself from damage. To block, simply hold back on your directional input (away from your opponent). This will make your character guard against most high and mid attacks. Blocking is a fundamental skill that will save you from getting constantly punished. You also need to know that low attacks cannot be blocked with a standard block. You need to defend against low attacks by using other methods (which we will cover later).
Diving Deeper: Intermediate Concepts
Now that you’ve got the hang of basic movement and attacks, let’s move on to some intermediate stuff. This is where things start to get a bit more complex, but don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. We’ll talk about how to do different types of attacks and how to defend against them.
Understanding High, Mid, and Low Attacks
Tekken attacks come in three flavors: high, mid, and low. Understanding which is which is essential for effective blocking and offense:
- High Attacks: These attacks usually target the head and chest. They are often faster but can be blocked by a standard standing block (holding back). Think of high attacks as fast jabs or head kicks.
- Mid Attacks: These attacks hit the midsection, and they can also be blocked by standard standing block. Many strong moves are mid attacks, and they are common in Tekken.
- Low Attacks: These attacks hit low to the ground, targeting the legs or feet. Standing block will not stop them, you have to duck or do a low parry. Many low attacks are often slower, but they can cause serious damage and knock you off your feet.
Low Parry: Countering Low Attacks
Since standard standing block does not protect you from low attacks, you need to learn Low Parry. This is an important move, because many new players often struggle with low attacks. To perform a low parry, you need to press forward and down-forward input at the same time, at the right time as the low attack hits you. If you do it correctly, your character will deflect the incoming low attack, allowing you to counter attack. This takes a bit of practice, but it’s super important to learn. With practice you can react to the low attacks and turn them to your advantage. It is not easy to do it correctly every time, but every time you succeed, you will feel amazing.
Throws and Grapples: Breaking Through Defenses
Throws are powerful attacks that can bypass blocking and are very useful for breaking turtling opponents. To perform a throw, you’ll typically press buttons 1+3 or 2+4. Each character has different types of throws with varying properties. Experiment with your character’s throws to find out what they do. Throws can be difficult to see coming, which makes them dangerous. You can also defend against throws by pressing the same button combination as the throw when it lands. There is a small window to break a throw, and it takes a bit of practice. Learning to use and defend against throws is a key aspect of learning Tekken 9.
Combos: Stringing Attacks Together
Combos are a sequence of attacks that, when done right, can cause massive damage. Tekken combos can look really complicated but are actually made up of simple strings of button presses. Here’s how to start learning combos:
Understanding Notation
Before we start talking about actual combos, let’s look at how to read combo notation. Tekken uses a shorthand to make combo instructions easier to understand. Here is the basics:
- 1, 2, 3, 4: Represents the buttons (Left Punch, Right Punch, Left Kick, Right Kick)
- f: Forward
- b: Back
- u: Up
- d: Down
- f,f: Forward, Forward (running)
- d/f: Down-Forward
- d/b: Down-Back
- +: Press these buttons together (e.g., 1+2 means press buttons 1 and 2 at the same time)
- ,: Then press the next button (e.g., 1,2 means press 1 then press 2)
With notation you can easily understand combo recipes.
Simple Combos to Start With
Start with simple combos, and then gradually build from them. Here are some basic combos that will work for most characters. They are often called “jabs”:
- 1,2: Left Punch, Right Punch (simple 2-hit jab string). This is one of the most basic combo and is used by nearly every Tekken player, in some fashion.
- 1,1,2: Left Punch, Left Punch, Right Punch. It’s similar to the first combo, but uses one extra punch.
Practice these simple combos until they become second nature. When you are comfortable, try to find other combos for your chosen character. Combos vary from character to character, so take your time to find some combos that you like to perform. There are many online resources for learning combos.
The Importance of Practice
Learning combos takes time and patience. Don’t be afraid to start slow and practice regularly. The training mode in Tekken 9 is your friend! Spend time there practicing your combos and other moves. Over time, you’ll notice you get much faster. Try to find a balance between using these combo inputs during matches and learning the basic move set of your character.
Character Selection: Finding Your Fighting Style
Tekken 9 has a diverse roster of characters, each with their unique fighting styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Choosing the right character is important, as they can make your game experience very different. Here is how you should decide:
Trying Out Different Characters
Don’t just stick with the first character you try. Go through the roster and spend some time with each one. See how they feel and if their move set feels right for you. Some characters will feel more natural than others, and this is OK. Try a wide selection of characters, you might be surprised at who you enjoy.
Character Strengths and Weaknesses
Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. Some are strong rush down characters, while others rely on their zoning tools. Do some research and see what fits your play style. Some characters are great for beginners, while others are more difficult to learn. Choose a character that suits you the most.
Character Archetypes
Character archetypes are groups that share similar fighting style, they can be grouped into few categories:
- Rushdown Characters: These characters excel at closing the gap and applying constant pressure on their opponents. They are often aggressive and rely on fast attacks.
- Zoning Characters: These characters prefer to fight at a distance, keeping their opponent at bay with long-range attacks. They will create spacing and use poke attacks.
- Balanced Characters: These characters don’t have any obvious weakness, but also don’t have any particular strengths. They are good all-rounders and can adapt to any situations. These are great characters to start with, when you are new to the game.
- Grapplers: These characters focus on throws and command grabs. They usually force the opponents into 50/50 situations, making them guess between throws and attacks.
By understanding the different fighting styles, you can find a character that best suits your preferences.
Advanced Techniques: Taking Your Game Further
Once you feel comfortable with the basics, you can start to explore advanced techniques. These are important tools for taking your Tekken 9 gameplay to the next level. Let’s take a look at these techniques.
Punishing: Capitalizing on Mistakes
Punishing is about taking advantage of your opponent’s mistakes. When your opponent whiffs (misses) an attack, or does an unsafe attack, you can use this opportunity to punish. The best way to learn is to first learn which moves are punishable. Some common moves which are punishable includes, slower moves and moves which are negative on block. You then need to learn to counter with your character’s fast attacks or combos. Punishing well is a key skill of any competitive player.
Spacing: The Art of Distance
Spacing is all about maintaining the right distance from your opponent. This way, you can make your moves safe. You can also use spacing to make your opponent whiff and leave themselves vulnerable to your counter attacks. Different characters are effective at different ranges, so spacing is character dependent. For instance, a character that relies on ranged attacks, will want to maintain distance, while a rush down character, will want to get very close to the opponent.
Okizeme: Attacking After a Knockdown
Okizeme refers to the process of attacking your opponent as they are getting up from a knockdown. This is an important technique to understand, as this provides the perfect opportunity to keep applying pressure on your opponent. When your opponent is getting up, they are vulnerable. You need to learn a variety of okizeme setups to keep the opponent guessing. A good okizeme strategy is key to winning matches, as your opponents will be forced to constantly guess.
Finding Resources and Practice
Learning Tekken is an ongoing journey. You are always learning and there is always room to improve. Luckily, there are many great resources available to help you progress further. Here is where you should start.
Training Mode: Your Best Friend
Training mode is an essential tool for learning Tekken. Spend a lot of time in the training mode. You can practice movement, combos, and learn more about your character. It’s also great to practice different situations. You can also play with your friends, to help each other improve. Use training mode to its fullest potential.
Online Guides and Videos
There are tons of online guides and video tutorials available that will help you learn Tekken 9. Look up for combos, character tips, or strategies to improve your play. The Tekken community is very active, so there are plenty of content available.
Join the Community
Engaging with the Tekken community is another great way to improve. Find online forums, discord servers, or Tekken clubs. You can ask for help from the community, get character specific advice, and also find people to play against. The community is a great way to learn more and to improve. When you surround yourself with people who share the same passion, you will improve and you will have a more fun time.
Tekken 9 is a complex game with a lot of depth. It might take time to grasp all of the techniques. But, with persistence and patience, anyone can become better. Don’t be afraid to try new things and see what works for you. The most important thing is to enjoy the game and have fun. With time and practice, you will become an amazing player. Remember, every pro started at the same place as you. Have fun and happy fighting!
Tekken 8 Complete Beginner Guide
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the future success for newcomers hinges on accessibility. Tekken 9 new player tutorials are vital for a smoother entry into the game’s complexities. These tutorials should cover basic movement, combos, and character-specific moves.
Comprehensive Tekken 9 new player tutorials must teach the fundamentals. This makes the experience less overwhelming and more enjoyable from the start. Proper guidance is essential for new players to become skilled in Tekken 9.
