- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
So I'm sure we all know how PKT and PKT2 work on a basic level at this point. You press UpB, you control some thunder, hit yourself with it to propel yourself a good distance, don't let the thunder get eaten. But PKT and PKT2 have some... oddities in this game. I'm here to explain them and how they work.
PKT = PK Thunder
PKT2 = PK Thunder 2, Ness' recovery move when you direct PKT into himself
PKT2 Wall Ride
Only occurs on the left wall of the stage. Ness will alter the direction of PKT2 and slide up the wall. To perform this, you must PKT2 into the wall at an angle that’s relatively parallel to the wall.
PKT2 Wall Bounce
Can occur on both sides of the stage. However, on the right side of the stage, coming into contact with a wall during PKT2 will ALWAYS result in a wall bounce, no matter the angle. A wall bounce sends Ness flying backwards, ends PKT2, and puts him in a helpless state shortly afterwards. If you wish to perform a wall bounce on the left side of the stage, you must hit the wall at a VERY sharp angle, colliding with it almost perpendicularly.
In some cases, you can even use the bounce to recover, as displayed here:
Bounce Recovery
Shortly after doing a wall bounce, Ness is allowed to reuse PKT ONE time, giving him a second shot at recovery. Make sure you do this DURING the bounce animation, otherwise you will go helpless. Also, Ness retains momentum from the bounce when performing the second PKT, so watch how you aim PKT carefully. Here’s how to do a basic bounce recovery:
Here’s a video demonstrating it on the left side of the stage (notice how much steeper the angle must be to get the bounce):
Extending Your Recovery With a PKT2 Bounce
In some situations, a single PKT2 will not get you back to the stage due to sheer distance. In these situations, you should consider using the Bounce Recovery to your advantage if possible. Instead of just going right for the ledge (that you can't reach) with a single PKT2, close some of the distance with your first PKT2, hit the wall, then use the second PKT2 to make it back. This can be a life saver!
Here's a real match I was playing with my friend in which I do just that:
I would have lost the match if I had not used the Bounce Recovery extension. A single PKT2 would not have made it back to the ledge from that distance. Just remember that this will only work to your advantage on the right side of the stage.
PKT2 Wall Ricochet
Only occurs on the left wall of the stage. Ness will hit the wall, and continue PKT2 in the opposite horizontal direction. No true practical use for recovery, avoid at all costs. In order to do this, you must hit the wall at an angle between the wall ride angle (parallel) and the wall bounce angle (perpendicular).
General tips for PKT2 and walls
For future knowledge, left walls =/= right walls. I don’t know why it’s like this, it was like this in Brawl too, but it is what it is. They just behave differently. Keep this in mind when recovering.
When recovering on the left side of the stage, attempt to go for the wall rides for a safe and reliable recovery. If you absolutely MUST use a wall bounce, go straight into the wall, you can’t be in between here.
As for the right side wall, if you cannot aim directly for the ledge to recover, be prepared to make a wall bounce recovery, as there is no wall riding on the right side. I highly recommend AGAINST using wall bouncing unless you really need to. It can be unreliable at times, and why not get back to the stage ASAP anyways?
When recovering on the right side, also anticipate an unintentional wall bounce also. Be ready to do a second PKT. There have been situations where I thought I would grab the ledge, but got a wall bounce instead (and died).
Full Range PKT2
Ness’ PKT2 trajectory is NOT affected by the direction that PKT travels. It is only affected by where it makes contact on Ness’ body. For example, PKT can be traveling sideways, but if it touches Ness’ feet, it will still send up upwards.
PKT Sweetspot
Normally, a raw hit of PKT will do 8% damage and disappear upon contact. In Smash 4, PKT will pass through opponents early when it comes out. It will do 9% as opposed to 8% and still be usable for recovery. The range for the sweetspot is actually somewhat large. The range can be seen here:
Thanks to this buff, getting gimped by having the PKT eaten has never been more difficult for our opponents. Strangely enough, it now makes it safer in some situations to get CLOSER to the opponent when attempting to recover with PKT2.
PKT2 Sweetspot
The sweetspot of PKT2 does 25% damage and has a LOT of knockback and priority. The sweetspot is during the earliest part of PKT2 (about the first half). Ness is also fully invincible during this time, so don’t be afraid to challenge other attacks head on during this time. After the sweetspot expires, PKT2 has much less knockback and does 21% instead. The range of the sweetspot on PKT2 is displayed here:
Hitting Things with PKT2
Hitting anything (opponents, projectiles, stage obstacles, etc.) with PKT2 will cut your travel distance by a significant amount. For the sake of making it back to the stage, try to avoid making contact with anything.
PKT Ledge Snap
Most UpB moves automatically grab the ledge, even if the trajectory would have caused the player to pass it. But the same is not true for double jumps. You’ll rise right over the edge if you double jump into it.
However, if as Ness you want to double jump into a ledge and not rise past it, you can. All you have to do is use PKT right under the ledge as you jump into it. Use this to avoid any potentially dangerous on-stage situations.
And that wraps it up for all of the useful recovery techs worth noting. Some of it's a bit risky, but it can literally save your life. Remember, it takes guts to survive mortal damage!
PKT = PK Thunder
PKT2 = PK Thunder 2, Ness' recovery move when you direct PKT into himself
PKT2 Wall Ride
Only occurs on the left wall of the stage. Ness will alter the direction of PKT2 and slide up the wall. To perform this, you must PKT2 into the wall at an angle that’s relatively parallel to the wall.
PKT2 Wall Bounce
Can occur on both sides of the stage. However, on the right side of the stage, coming into contact with a wall during PKT2 will ALWAYS result in a wall bounce, no matter the angle. A wall bounce sends Ness flying backwards, ends PKT2, and puts him in a helpless state shortly afterwards. If you wish to perform a wall bounce on the left side of the stage, you must hit the wall at a VERY sharp angle, colliding with it almost perpendicularly.
In some cases, you can even use the bounce to recover, as displayed here:
Bounce Recovery
Shortly after doing a wall bounce, Ness is allowed to reuse PKT ONE time, giving him a second shot at recovery. Make sure you do this DURING the bounce animation, otherwise you will go helpless. Also, Ness retains momentum from the bounce when performing the second PKT, so watch how you aim PKT carefully. Here’s how to do a basic bounce recovery:
Here’s a video demonstrating it on the left side of the stage (notice how much steeper the angle must be to get the bounce):
Extending Your Recovery With a PKT2 Bounce
In some situations, a single PKT2 will not get you back to the stage due to sheer distance. In these situations, you should consider using the Bounce Recovery to your advantage if possible. Instead of just going right for the ledge (that you can't reach) with a single PKT2, close some of the distance with your first PKT2, hit the wall, then use the second PKT2 to make it back. This can be a life saver!
Here's a real match I was playing with my friend in which I do just that:
I would have lost the match if I had not used the Bounce Recovery extension. A single PKT2 would not have made it back to the ledge from that distance. Just remember that this will only work to your advantage on the right side of the stage.
PKT2 Wall Ricochet
Only occurs on the left wall of the stage. Ness will hit the wall, and continue PKT2 in the opposite horizontal direction. No true practical use for recovery, avoid at all costs. In order to do this, you must hit the wall at an angle between the wall ride angle (parallel) and the wall bounce angle (perpendicular).
General tips for PKT2 and walls
For future knowledge, left walls =/= right walls. I don’t know why it’s like this, it was like this in Brawl too, but it is what it is. They just behave differently. Keep this in mind when recovering.
When recovering on the left side of the stage, attempt to go for the wall rides for a safe and reliable recovery. If you absolutely MUST use a wall bounce, go straight into the wall, you can’t be in between here.
As for the right side wall, if you cannot aim directly for the ledge to recover, be prepared to make a wall bounce recovery, as there is no wall riding on the right side. I highly recommend AGAINST using wall bouncing unless you really need to. It can be unreliable at times, and why not get back to the stage ASAP anyways?
When recovering on the right side, also anticipate an unintentional wall bounce also. Be ready to do a second PKT. There have been situations where I thought I would grab the ledge, but got a wall bounce instead (and died).
Full Range PKT2
Ness’ PKT2 trajectory is NOT affected by the direction that PKT travels. It is only affected by where it makes contact on Ness’ body. For example, PKT can be traveling sideways, but if it touches Ness’ feet, it will still send up upwards.
PKT Sweetspot
Normally, a raw hit of PKT will do 8% damage and disappear upon contact. In Smash 4, PKT will pass through opponents early when it comes out. It will do 9% as opposed to 8% and still be usable for recovery. The range for the sweetspot is actually somewhat large. The range can be seen here:
Thanks to this buff, getting gimped by having the PKT eaten has never been more difficult for our opponents. Strangely enough, it now makes it safer in some situations to get CLOSER to the opponent when attempting to recover with PKT2.
PKT2 Sweetspot
The sweetspot of PKT2 does 25% damage and has a LOT of knockback and priority. The sweetspot is during the earliest part of PKT2 (about the first half). Ness is also fully invincible during this time, so don’t be afraid to challenge other attacks head on during this time. After the sweetspot expires, PKT2 has much less knockback and does 21% instead. The range of the sweetspot on PKT2 is displayed here:
Hitting Things with PKT2
Hitting anything (opponents, projectiles, stage obstacles, etc.) with PKT2 will cut your travel distance by a significant amount. For the sake of making it back to the stage, try to avoid making contact with anything.
PKT Ledge Snap
Most UpB moves automatically grab the ledge, even if the trajectory would have caused the player to pass it. But the same is not true for double jumps. You’ll rise right over the edge if you double jump into it.
However, if as Ness you want to double jump into a ledge and not rise past it, you can. All you have to do is use PKT right under the ledge as you jump into it. Use this to avoid any potentially dangerous on-stage situations.
And that wraps it up for all of the useful recovery techs worth noting. Some of it's a bit risky, but it can literally save your life. Remember, it takes guts to survive mortal damage!
