Glossary:
I. Introduction
II. Strengths and Weaknesses
III. Grounded Moves
Jab: Kills Mario at 162% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Jab is a quick get off me tool. Jab deals 12.8%. There is only the multihit varient. Unfortunately, due to a universal nerf she can no longer use the first hit to confirm into a grab. When you commit to the multihit you are practically unapproachable from the direct front, because this move will easily stop any moves or at the very least clank with it. However, you are still very vulnerable from the top and back. This move is best not spammed, because if you miss there is a great endlag that allows the opponent to punish you easily.
Up-Tilt: Kills Mario at 142% at middle of Final Destination.
Up-Tilt is perhaps one of the best anti-airs in the entire game. Up-Tilt deals 11.4%. Not only is it a multihitting move, but it is also extremely disjointed. With Palutena crouching underneath and her staff directly above her there is practically no way for anyone to hit her when they are directly above. On top of this, the move also hits opponents on platforms. Use this move frequently when you feel like someone wants to land on you with a move.
Forward-Tilt: Kills Mario at 159% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Foward-Tilt is a big disjointed move that hits twice directly in front and slightly above Palutena. Forward-Tilt deals 15.6%. This move is excellent when it comes to stopping opponents who get too comfortable with approaching you unsafely. The move is also useful for catching the two frames where the opponent is vulnerable when using normal get-up on the ledge. However, this move does have quite a bit of lag so do not be careless with it. Use often, but do not spam it and be predictable.
Down-Tilt: Kills Mario at 149% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Down-Tilt is a disjointed, low, and double hitting move. Down-Tilt deals 10.2%. Unlike her other tilts this move is quite lagless and unpunishable when spaced on shield, or if your opponent does not predict it. When used on an opponent who has lost ledge invinciblity you can follow-up with a forward air or a back air. Though, when used on a ground opponent it sends straight out which is a good edgeguard set-up. This move is not very useful at lower percents as you don't get much off of it. However, it is an extremely safe poking tool so use it if the opponent is getting comfortable in shield.
Dash Attack: Kills Mario at 158% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Dash Attack is a quick hitting move that grants Palutena invincibility on the shield itself. Dash Attack deals 13.2%. This makes the move very useful for canceling out projectiles without weakening your true shield. Besides projectiles this also just beats out any move that hits the shield which makes it good for aggressive opponents who don't shield often. Thus, this is a good shield conditioning tool so you can get the grab much easier. You will also want to be using this to catch bad landings and set-up for more juggling situations as the move sends the opponent upwards. Don't spam this move as it is not safe on shield and can be punished if the opponent predicts this aggressive option.
Up-Smash: Kills Mario at 102% at middle of Final Destination.
Up-Smash is an extremely powerful move with the capability of killing the cast very early. Up-Smash deals 19.2%. The move has the ability to hit very far above Palutena getting weaker the farther the hit is from the base. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Forward-Smash: Kills Mario at 79% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Forward-Smash is a big disjointed hitbox that hits directly in front of Palutena. Forward-Smash deals 19.2%. This is by far her hardest hitting attack killing the cast extremely early when the base attack hits. Apart from being a powerful move this attack also has a windbox at the tip. This allows Palutena to gimp recoveries that don't snap the ledge, and kill people like Kirby and Chrom by pushing them off the level into their free fall state. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Down-Smash: Kills Mario at 105%, with base, at middle of Final Destination. Kills Mario at 115%, with tip, at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Down-Smash is different from the rest of Palutena's smash attacks as it has two different launching angles. Strong hit Down-Smash deals 18% while the tip deals 15.6%. This move also hits on both sides of Palutena. The base killing early than the tip but sending the opponent at an up and away launch angle. The tip killing latter but sending the opponent at an away launch angle which is a set-up for an edge guard. Like Forward-Smash this move also has a windbox which is slightly weaker. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Now that you know how to use Palutena's grounded moves it is important that you go into the Training Room and practice spacing these moves to optimize your safety. Knowing something simply isn't enough; you must also learn the application if you want to truly learn a new character, or get better with one.
IV. Aerial Moves
Neutral Air: Kills Mario at 130% at middle of Final Destination.
Neutral Air is one of Palutena's best aerials. Neutral Air deals 13.7%. Not only is the move slightly disjointed, but it also is extremely fast. This is her go-to move after Down Throw where we will learn more in the combo section of this guide. This move is just as good at edgeguarding as it is racking up damage; not only does it drag your opponents toward you and away from the ledge, but it sends them at a very bad angle for recovery and can even take their jump most times. Use this move often as it is lagless, safe, and useful.
Up Air: Kills Mario at 126% at middle of Final Destination.
Palutena's Up Air is a devastating attack that has the potential of killing the entire cast below 80% if near the top blast zone. It is very disjointed above her head and very little can beat it out entirely without trading. At low percents it can combo into itself with the help of platforms, and is a fantastic juggling tool. But, you really should not be staling one of her good kill options if you can help it.
Forward Air: Kills Mario at 170% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Forward Air is Palutena's best aerial. Forward Air deals 12%. With the great spacing and lagless move that is Forward Air it is easily one of the best tools in her kit. It is completely lagless, safe of shield, a combo extender, and combo starter, a big hitbox, and a good edgeguarding tool. It is truly everything you want from a move. Use this move extremely often as it is only reward and no risk.
Down Air: Kills Mario at 171% at middle of Final Destination.
Down Air is a typical fast downward swipe kick that spikes opponents. Down Air deals 13.2%. In general this move isn't that great at edgeguarding because all of her other aerials, besides Up Air, are better at doing that job. Only go for this move if you want to be stylish or disrespect your opponent.
Back Air: Kills Mario at 127% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Back Air is another great tool of Palutena's with a similar property to Dash Attack. Back Air does 14.4%. Due to the invincibility effect of Back Air it makes it a very good approaching tool when your opponent has large disjointed hitboxes that can be swung at you easily. This also makes the edgeguarding capability of this move fantastic as it can beat recoveries with a hitbox. Space carefully with this move as you can actually miss if you are too close to your opponent. Use this move often as it can be very hard to counter it, and it is almost as lagless as her Forward Air.
Great now you know all about Palutena's aerials and how to use them. These are going to need even more attention than the grounded moves did if you really want to squeeze all of their potential out. Again, practice critical spacing and edgeguarding with them so you get a feeling on how they work. These will make or break your game!
V. Special Moves
VI. Grab and Throws
VII. The Neutral
VIII. The Advantage
IX. The Disadvantage
X. Combo Game
XI. Special Techniques
The Too Long Didn't Read: If you don't have the dedication to read this guide in full, or read a specific section you struggle in you don't have the dedication to learn this character to her fullest potential. Don't take shortcuts!
I. Introduction
In Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Palutena has been on the receiving side for a great deal of buffs to her whole arsenal. She is the strongest she has ever been now having powerful moves, good pressure, a good recovery, and a fantastic combo game. In this guide I hope to teach you how to make the most out of these good attributes. Please keep in mind that all kill percentages and damage values are when moves are not staled at all, and aerials are of full hop varient. This guide was not made to be taken in all at once; practice a few sections at a time, and don't get overwhelmed! With that said, the "TLDR" is at the bottom of this guide.
II. Strengths and Weaknesses
As stated before, Palutena has a very good movepool that allows her to be a very good character. She can safely attack shields with her aerials, deal massive percent with her combos, recovery from almost anywhere when she has her double jump, she has a great advantage state, and she can kill reliably. As an added bonus, she also has a fast run speed; this allows Palutena to get where she needs to be quickly. Though, with all that said, she has weaknesses just like any character in the cast. She is not that heavy, she has a weak disadvantage state, and she can be outranged by characters who have big disjointed hitboxes.
III. Grounded Moves
In general, Palutena's grounded moves are fast, not very laggy, and powerful. You'll be using these often in the Neutral due to their high versatility. You will want to do the best you can with these as they put you in a great advantage state that allows you to edgeguard and rack up easy damage on your opponent.
Jab: Kills Mario at 162% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Jab is a quick get off me tool. Jab deals 12.8%. There is only the multihit varient. Unfortunately, due to a universal nerf she can no longer use the first hit to confirm into a grab. When you commit to the multihit you are practically unapproachable from the direct front, because this move will easily stop any moves or at the very least clank with it. However, you are still very vulnerable from the top and back. This move is best not spammed, because if you miss there is a great endlag that allows the opponent to punish you easily.
Up-Tilt: Kills Mario at 142% at middle of Final Destination.
Up-Tilt is perhaps one of the best anti-airs in the entire game. Up-Tilt deals 11.4%. Not only is it a multihitting move, but it is also extremely disjointed. With Palutena crouching underneath and her staff directly above her there is practically no way for anyone to hit her when they are directly above. On top of this, the move also hits opponents on platforms. Use this move frequently when you feel like someone wants to land on you with a move.
Forward-Tilt: Kills Mario at 159% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Foward-Tilt is a big disjointed move that hits twice directly in front and slightly above Palutena. Forward-Tilt deals 15.6%. This move is excellent when it comes to stopping opponents who get too comfortable with approaching you unsafely. The move is also useful for catching the two frames where the opponent is vulnerable when using normal get-up on the ledge. However, this move does have quite a bit of lag so do not be careless with it. Use often, but do not spam it and be predictable.
Down-Tilt: Kills Mario at 149% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Down-Tilt is a disjointed, low, and double hitting move. Down-Tilt deals 10.2%. Unlike her other tilts this move is quite lagless and unpunishable when spaced on shield, or if your opponent does not predict it. When used on an opponent who has lost ledge invinciblity you can follow-up with a forward air or a back air. Though, when used on a ground opponent it sends straight out which is a good edgeguard set-up. This move is not very useful at lower percents as you don't get much off of it. However, it is an extremely safe poking tool so use it if the opponent is getting comfortable in shield.
Dash Attack: Kills Mario at 158% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Dash Attack is a quick hitting move that grants Palutena invincibility on the shield itself. Dash Attack deals 13.2%. This makes the move very useful for canceling out projectiles without weakening your true shield. Besides projectiles this also just beats out any move that hits the shield which makes it good for aggressive opponents who don't shield often. Thus, this is a good shield conditioning tool so you can get the grab much easier. You will also want to be using this to catch bad landings and set-up for more juggling situations as the move sends the opponent upwards. Don't spam this move as it is not safe on shield and can be punished if the opponent predicts this aggressive option.
Up-Smash: Kills Mario at 102% at middle of Final Destination.
Up-Smash is an extremely powerful move with the capability of killing the cast very early. Up-Smash deals 19.2%. The move has the ability to hit very far above Palutena getting weaker the farther the hit is from the base. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Forward-Smash: Kills Mario at 79% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Forward-Smash is a big disjointed hitbox that hits directly in front of Palutena. Forward-Smash deals 19.2%. This is by far her hardest hitting attack killing the cast extremely early when the base attack hits. Apart from being a powerful move this attack also has a windbox at the tip. This allows Palutena to gimp recoveries that don't snap the ledge, and kill people like Kirby and Chrom by pushing them off the level into their free fall state. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Down-Smash: Kills Mario at 105%, with base, at middle of Final Destination. Kills Mario at 115%, with tip, at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Down-Smash is different from the rest of Palutena's smash attacks as it has two different launching angles. Strong hit Down-Smash deals 18% while the tip deals 15.6%. This move also hits on both sides of Palutena. The base killing early than the tip but sending the opponent at an up and away launch angle. The tip killing latter but sending the opponent at an away launch angle which is a set-up for an edge guard. Like Forward-Smash this move also has a windbox which is slightly weaker. Like any smash attack this should not be spammed and used only for reads or punishes.
Now that you know how to use Palutena's grounded moves it is important that you go into the Training Room and practice spacing these moves to optimize your safety. Knowing something simply isn't enough; you must also learn the application if you want to truly learn a new character, or get better with one.
IV. Aerial Moves
Palutena's aerials are amazing allowing her to deal a ton of damage while staying safe at the same time. Fully optimizing your play around these moves is crucial to any Palutena and will make the difference between a great one and an alright one. Use these often as they can lead to your bread and butter combos that we will learn later on.
Neutral Air: Kills Mario at 130% at middle of Final Destination.
Neutral Air is one of Palutena's best aerials. Neutral Air deals 13.7%. Not only is the move slightly disjointed, but it also is extremely fast. This is her go-to move after Down Throw where we will learn more in the combo section of this guide. This move is just as good at edgeguarding as it is racking up damage; not only does it drag your opponents toward you and away from the ledge, but it sends them at a very bad angle for recovery and can even take their jump most times. Use this move often as it is lagless, safe, and useful.
Up Air: Kills Mario at 126% at middle of Final Destination.
Palutena's Up Air is a devastating attack that has the potential of killing the entire cast below 80% if near the top blast zone. It is very disjointed above her head and very little can beat it out entirely without trading. At low percents it can combo into itself with the help of platforms, and is a fantastic juggling tool. But, you really should not be staling one of her good kill options if you can help it.
Forward Air: Kills Mario at 170% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Forward Air is Palutena's best aerial. Forward Air deals 12%. With the great spacing and lagless move that is Forward Air it is easily one of the best tools in her kit. It is completely lagless, safe of shield, a combo extender, and combo starter, a big hitbox, and a good edgeguarding tool. It is truly everything you want from a move. Use this move extremely often as it is only reward and no risk.
Down Air: Kills Mario at 171% at middle of Final Destination.
Down Air is a typical fast downward swipe kick that spikes opponents. Down Air deals 13.2%. In general this move isn't that great at edgeguarding because all of her other aerials, besides Up Air, are better at doing that job. Only go for this move if you want to be stylish or disrespect your opponent.
Back Air: Kills Mario at 127% at neutral spawnpoint, Final Destination.
Back Air is another great tool of Palutena's with a similar property to Dash Attack. Back Air does 14.4%. Due to the invincibility effect of Back Air it makes it a very good approaching tool when your opponent has large disjointed hitboxes that can be swung at you easily. This also makes the edgeguarding capability of this move fantastic as it can beat recoveries with a hitbox. Space carefully with this move as you can actually miss if you are too close to your opponent. Use this move often as it can be very hard to counter it, and it is almost as lagless as her Forward Air.
Great now you know all about Palutena's aerials and how to use them. These are going to need even more attention than the grounded moves did if you really want to squeeze all of their potential out. Again, practice critical spacing and edgeguarding with them so you get a feeling on how they work. These will make or break your game!
V. Special Moves
VI. Grab and Throws
VII. The Neutral
VIII. The Advantage
IX. The Disadvantage
X. Combo Game
XI. Special Techniques
The Too Long Didn't Read: If you don't have the dedication to read this guide in full, or read a specific section you struggle in you don't have the dedication to learn this character to her fullest potential. Don't take shortcuts!
