Ok are manuals in the dojo broken, or do I just suck? IDK what I am doing wrong or cant get the timing right… what are the best ways to learn how to do basic manual combos?
Depends who you are using and what linker you are using. Sometimes in the case of, let’s just use Jago, linkers have differing values of hit stun. So if you use his wind kick linker, they recover slower giving you a little bit bigger window for a manual, the frames are roughly the same, but it comes way later and lets you get a good feel where it is. His Laser Sword linker however they recover very fast from so you have to manual right away or lose your combo. The tricky part though, his shadow laser sword has a lot more hit stun than his shadow wind kick. So it’s a matter of feeling out what your favorite linker is. Just takes some time.
Yeap. manuals aren’t taht easy when you start. I play Sabrewulf and heard that Shadow leaping slash gives a great time for a manual after it, so that was my first practice along with magic chain. You can start with light manuals after an opener with every charater- Jabs comes out faster and they are good for practice.
Them remember that depending on what linker you are executing you will be able to perform certain manuals. light linkers: light manuals, medium linkers: light and medium manuals, and heavy linkers: all.
If I’m wrong, someone please correct me.
So, open with a heavy opener followed by any manual is the easiest to react to?
It’s usually easier to do. You can also practice with Shadow linkers. It’s easier that way.
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I personally recommend starting off with jump+HK->manual. The timing is very lenient in terms of how late you can press the manual button, so it’s good for getting used to the delay you need to have to get manuals in general.
Learn the Shadow linker to manual 1st!!! its the easiest… then you will have the timing down pat and able to do the other manuals much easier…trust me… i have been working on manuals the last 3 weeks… this was my process and it works great. I rarely even do Ads before enders any more…i do manuals before ever ender now to secure that ender and not get broken on that 2nd chance.
Like others have pointed out, it’s best to try and use moves that can be easily manual’d after, such as openers, jump ins, heavy linkers, and shadow moves. Once you have something you’re comfortable with, try experimenting with different timings until you get something right, and try to replicate it. Once you can consistently pull off at least one manual, try integrating it into combos against AI combatants.
Hope it helps. Manuals can be a pain, and some characters/linkers are harder than others
When you do a manual do you hold the button down or is it more of a tap?
Just like auto-doubles, it’s just a tap. I timing is a lot more precise than the auto, though. For each manual/linker combination, there’s a certain sweet spot that happens after the auto window, but before hitstun wears off.
So the basic formula goes like this.
Auto-Double=Opener/Linker>Button
Manual=Opener/Linker>Pause>Button
Manuals after openers obey different rules, so you’re better off trying to learn to manual after linkers. e.g. as far as I can tell, Jago can’t heavy manual off of a heavy wind kick, but he can heavy manual off of a light or medium wind kick – and in fact, it seems to be easier off of a light wind kick.
Not for me, while I don’t use manuals really, I don’t think they’re hard to do with practice.
edit(Sorry I dun goofed meant to say MANUALS not LINKERS)
Easy manuals
TJ Combo
Riptor
Sabrewulf
Hisako
Omen
Medium manuals
Jago/Shadow Jago
Orchid
Aganos
Thunder
Kan Ra
Hard manuals
Fulgore
ARIA
Glacius
Rash
Cinder
I would have to argue that Fulgore’s manuals are no harder than Jago, Jago might actually have a slight edge in Manual difficulty since Jago’s 2 linker’s have different manual properties meaning you have to learn more with him than you do with Fulgore.
The timing for Fulgore’s linkers are both the same, all 3 of his shadow linkers are within a few frames of each other too, none of them are quick or slow or vary enough for you to really notice a difference.
Jago’s Wind Kick has longer hit stun meaning your manual comes out later, his laser swords hit stun is very short meaning your manual comes out really fast with not much room for error. However his linkers are reversed when it comes to his shadows. His Shadow Wind Kick is a really short window for a Manual sometimes you can’t even get a heavy off it, but his shadow laser sword is so easy you can get a double round house manual off it.
If you want the easiest time doing a manual, watch your opponents recovery frames from the hit, and your recovery frames. The moment your character hits a neutral position, where you can put in a directional input, you can do a manual. So for anyone wanting to learn the timing of manuals, do a combo and hold down after your linker input but before the linker ends, the frame your character crouches is when you want to time your manual button press since at that time you’re past the auto double window. If that can’t teach you manuals or at least the timing to get you started, they might not be for you yet until you get more practice in but manuals are not impossible nor hard, but when you go online, if you have some lag you need to learn how to compensate for that too.
For the record, fwd+HK is an outrageously fast command normal (I think it’s 8f startup while his close heavies are 9f). In fact I think it’s as fast as some of Jago’s mediums, which is why he can link fwd+HK after some medium linkers.
You are correct that laser sword linker falls in the “early” category while wind kick falls in the “late” category for manual speed, though; this is true of quite a few characters across both S1 and S2. Those who it doesn’t apply to are the exception to the rule, generally.
One of my bigger gripes with S1 design is that timing manuals off shadows are very strange. Shadow wind kick as an opener is MUCH different to manual than shadow wind kick as a linker, and shadow laser sword as an opener/linker is much different as well and has a different hit speed. It’s like they’re basically two entirely different moves, despite “looking” the same. For the most part, this weirdness doesn’t really happen in S2. Shadow moves hit with similar speed in both the opener and linker versions, and the manual timing is very similar between them. It’s better design and I’m glad S2 is doing it (and hope they continue to do it).
Also, almost without fail, manualing after shadow linkers in S2 is super, super easy (we’re talking, like, 20+ frame links here, Aganos shadow ND and Aria shadow shotgun blitz come to mind immediately for that). Again, I like this because it means you are rewarded with a strong (but easy to execute) breaker mixup if someone doesn’t break your shadow. It shouldn’t be tight or hard to manual a heavy after a shadow linker IMO. There are several S1 shadow linkers where the timing is still pretty tight and quite droppable (especially for those guys who alter the timing from the opener version).
Yeah, in comparison I can get Fulgore’s double roundhouse off most of his shadow linkers as well. It’s just an easy one to point out that Jago’s linkers for manuals are really different in timing to a point where you have to learn 2 separate manual timings and then reverse them while in combo for his shadow’s it’s very strange and I don’t know if that is supposed to be intended or not. It’s been that way for a while so I would assume so. I generally look at it as, Wind kick linkers for breaker bait since they are slower, and laser sword linkers for quick short combo’s since they are very hard to react to. But that’s my preferred way to use his linkers.
I honestly don’t bother too much with them. If I get them, great. If not, whatever. Not gonna stress myself too much over something that may or may not come out consistently.
I tend not to use manuals until my opponent has displayed to me that they can break my doubles. I see no need for risk if I can get away with bigger damage.
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Since the new patch update I have been dropping combos left and right! It seems like when I attack mid combo my attack pushes the opponent away and then I am to far away to reach them…anyone else having this issue?
Kinda sucks 
It’s weird because I drop combos, but do a manual, and it fills up my 4 pip combos…IDK Testing needed if you wanna do some testing of this new patch add me. You already know, my gt is my username.