So ive been maining Arbiter since i got the game. What keeps me from winning against the better players is his attacks are too slow. The good jagos fulgores and orchids give me fits because their frame data is so good. And whenever i think i can slip in a crouch LP or standing Lk they either backdash or uppercut. i tried foward MK to some effect but it wasnt 100% any other suggestions?
Arbiter is a character that is more about being defense first and then going ham on the opponent afterwards. Try and find an opening on an unsafe move and punish with a throw/command grab. That should get your offense started.
Arbiter significantly outranges both of the characters you mentioned. You shouldn’t be close enough for them to outpoke you with normals.
I like arbiter too, but my main is Riptor. However, I’ve found that randomizing your button commands helps alot, while avoiding the B button, because combo cancel is so easy it really sets yourself up for a painful whoopin.
In terms of his swords strike youre right he does have great range. But they are slow af, punishable on whiff, and you can attack with a rushdown attack of your choice on block. I can block the rushdown but then theyre inside and my sword attacks lose their advantage. At the fill screen i cant afford to zone like jago shago glacius ect because of the finite ammo.
Their speed is largely immaterial if you’re spacing them properly, ditto the whiffing thing - you shouldn’t be whiffing Arbiter buttons in the first place, and spaced properly you should be largely safe even if you do strike from just outside your own range. Arbiter isn’t punishable on any of his buttons at max range, so if they special in afterwards, they’ve now placed themselves at negative frames right in front of you. They both have DP options in this case, but they really shouldn’t be winning any “scramble” arising from the situation.
Additionally, you can convert any blocked normal into overhead swipe against most players, which will put you at plus frames in front of the opponent. It’s not a true blockstring, but should work against all but the worst (mashing for their life at all times) or best (those who know and can react to your not-true blockstring) players.
Arbiter might be slow, but he’s crazy threatening in the mid-range. Stick a grenade and harass, stick a grade and command grab, poke, gun, jump+gun, etc…it’s not like he’s hurting for options.
Your ammo is finite, but you get a lot more off jump+gun than anything Jago is going to get from his zoning. Jump+gun also lets you get away with a lot more raw jump-ins than the majority of the cast, so you get to pressure at mid-range not just with your long buttons, but also with jump-ins and carbine “pokes”.
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S. MP and S. HP are 0 and +4 respectively. They aren’t punishable. Now the target combo hits are slightly negative, but you really shouldn’t be throwing them out willy nilly.
As far as his speed, Arby is fine but requires a lot of practice to get down. Keep working on him and stop making excuses like, “he’s too slow so any rushdown stomps him.”
I think i figured out part of the problem. I stopped going for the jump gun so much because i kept landing on fireballs which gave jago/fulgore time to dash in. Thats on me to improve the timing and to stop spamming 3 shots and try for two intead
Hey, I’m Kieran and I’ve mained Arbiter since the release of Season 3, Here’s some tools on speed and defeating opponents that could help you out.
Basic Movement
Arbiter is known as not a quick character, that’s why he moves slow. His Forward Dash and Back Dash are quick moving, quicker than Glacius’s and Spinal’s Back Dash.
Use of Prophet’s Bane/Energy Sword
So Arbiter wields his classic blade, opening combos with the sword, whether it’s Mercy’s Demise or Truth Seeker you’re trying to open combos with, they both have a huge distance range, it’s quick moving too and this will pick up a combo for you, make sure to mixup as well, so your opponent doesn’t break you.
Other resources to speed up gameplay for Arbiter
Plasma Grenade- Good use of catching opponents out and gives you a chance to open a combo (I recommend using Truth Seeker to open as this brings you a lot further than Mercy’s Demise).
Teleportation-This is also a good use of catching opponents out quickly, but it’s a challenge because of the startup. Popping Teleportation (Or known as the Prophet’s Bane ender) is very slow on startup, popping it at the wrong time leaves you open for a couple of seconds and really slows you down on doing anything.
Carbine ammo- This is rapid-fire and works really well and covers most of Arbiter’s speed to at least kill a player, also deals a decent amount of damage as well. However, you CANNOT reload. That’s your set of bullets for each match.
Overshield- This doesn’t help Arbiter in speed, but it helps him out when playing against crazy characters like Mira with her bats and Aganos with his chunk projectiles. You best want to keep his shield on, obviously, so nothing else can touch your actual health. You can use Shadow Overshield to give yourself a full non-regenerative shield, or if Instinct is full, pop Instinct to give yourself a full-regenerative shield.
Overall, Arbiter isn’t particularly based on speed, but on tactical play and zoning. You just don’t want to get grabbed by Kan-Ra otherwise that’ll make you as slow as a sloth.
But remember that saying, “Slow and steady wins the race”, or in this case, “wins the match”.
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In the matches we’ve had, your mixing up wasn’t really as strong as you imply it should be 
Mira VS Arbiter ranked footage where I eventually realise what you’re doing, even if I don’t always work to fight it
An Arbiter exhibition mirror which gets pretty interesting towards the end
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