Whether you’re discovering the series or returning as a DRAGON BALL fan, this guide introduces the fundamental battle mechanics of DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3. Set in a brand new future DRAGON BALL universe, created by Akira Toriyama, the game lets players build their own hero through connections with iconic Dragon Ball characters.
Here, we’ll go over the HUD, the controls, and key mechanics. By the end of this guide, you will have a better understanding of how to manage your Ki, use different types of attacks, and make the most of unique features such as Soul Assist, Soul Switch and Awoken Skills!
Note: UI and features are subject to change upon the game release. Depending on your fighting style, your character’s motions and moves will change!
1. HUD
Health, Team Information, and Controls
Your Health and team information are displayed in the upper-left corner of the screen. Health decreases whenever you take damage, and reaching 0 Health results in defeat. Fortunately, being defeated doesn’t immediately end the mission. You will have 2 additional chances to continue! However, if you are defeated a total of 3 times, the mission will end in a game over!
If any team member (including you!) is knocked out, someone else can revive them by staying at their side and holding down the interact button for a short time. Teamwork plays an important role in battle, so it is important to keep an eye on your allies.
On the right side of the screen, you can also see controls that show how to combine Light Attack and Heavy Attack into combos. Become proficient with the combos and efficiently attack your opponent!
Managing Ki is one of the most essential parts of battle. It is used for both attack and defense, and it decreases when you take damage or use Escape Vanish too often. If you are about to be hit, use Perfect Guard to prevent your Ki from being drained.
A successful Perfect Guard also restores some of your Ki when it connects against an incoming attack. Lost Ki will recover over time but be careful! If your Ki runs out completely, you will enter Ki Break status, left defenseless and vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Efficiently drain your opponent’s Ki
You should not only focus on your Ki but also on the opponent’s Ki. Significantly drain the opponent’s Ki by Ki Break techniques, Defense Breaker techniques, or by slamming the opponent into the wall or floor. Try to empty your opponent’s Ki and make them fall in Ki Break status, leaving them open to a devastating follow-up attack. If they are in this status, you can also activate Critical Strike and Break Rush.
Critical Strikes trigger a flashy, stylish action that deals massive damage, while Break Rush triggers a rapid-fire rush combo that also delivers heavy damage. Chaining Break Rush into Critical Strike is an effective way to deal heavy damage. Successfully performing either one of them also fills your Potential Meter faster, helping you reach Soul Switch or Awakening sooner.
Be mindful of your surroundings, as the environment can give you a major advantage. For example, you can slam an opponent into the ground and then follow up with a dashing heavy attack that sends them crashing into a wall. During combos, you can also launch opponents in different directions and steer them into nearby walls, shaving off a large amount of Ki. Using the environment effectively is one of the easiest ways to force an opponent into a Ki Break state and create an opening for a powerful combo.
2. Controls
Standard Controls
Guard: Hold [R1/RB] to guard against attacks. If you time it with the enemy’s strike, you will perform a Perfect Guard, which negates all damage, restores a small amount of Ki, and can also reduce the enemy’s Ki.
Step Dodge: Hold [R1/RB] + [L stick/Left stick] to dodge an enemy’s attack. Be careful, as this also consumes Ki! Time your dodge well, since a miss means you will be left wide open to an incoming attack. However, a successful dodge refunds Ki, resets cooldowns, and launches you straight into a counterattack. Together, they turn defense into an aggressive strategy.
Ki Blast: Hold [〇/B] and press repeatedly to throw a Smash Ki Blast.
Jump: Press [×/A] to jump. Press [×/A] again in mid-air for a double jump, then press [×/A] once more after that to enter a flight!
Light Attack: Press [☐/X] to perform a Light Attack. These attacks are easy to chain into combos and are useful for steady damage.
Heavy Attack: Press [△/Y] for Heavy Attacks. These short, high-damage attacks can quickly launch enemies away. Heavy Attacks decrease the opponent’s Ki more than light attacks and make them more likely to enter Ki Break status. Heavy Attacks can also be charged by holding down the input.
Assault Vanish: Press [△/Y] to instantly teleport to your opponent for a follow-up attack when your opponent is blown away! From there, you can smash them down or send them flying.
Boost Chase: At any time, you can press [L1/LB] to rush toward the enemy. You can combine this with Light and Heavy Attacks to continue your combo and extend it. Pressing [L1/LB] while taking damage activates Escape Vanish, allowing you to break away from the opponent, though it will consume Ki.
Ki Charge: Using [R2/RT] + [L2/LT] you can charge your Ki Gauge, this can help you maintain a healthy amount of Ki to prevent Ki Break from happening.
Super Attacks / Ultimate Attacks / Soul Assist
These abilities are your main tool to shift the flow of battle in your favor. You have access to 4 Super Attacks, 1 Ultimate Attack, and 1 Soul Assist which all become available when their respective gauges are filled. Using any of these initiates a cooldown that varies per skill. Read the flow of battle to spot the right moment to take a step back from the fight and recover!
Super Attack – [Activation condition] Super Attack gauge is full.
Hold [R2/RT] + [〇/×/☐/△ or B/A/X/Y] to unleash Super Attacks. Examples of Super Attacks include iconic moves such as the Galick Gun and Kamehameha, which are stronger than normal attacks.
Energy Charge is a unique Super Attack: it does not deal damage, but instead reduces the cooldown of other Super Attacks while active, allowing players to use their other attacks more frequently. Each Super Attack comes in 4 types with secondary effects. For example, pressing [R2/RT] + [〇/B] in this case activates Split Finger Shot, which has a Ki Drain-type secondary effect.
- Defense Breaker-type: These attacks can break the opponent’s guard and are useful against enemies that guard often or for long periods of time.
- Ki Drain-type: These attacks can drain big portions of the opponent’s Ki and are best used to accelerate inducing a Ki Break status to your opponent.
- Critical Strike-type: These attacks can be used to deal heavy damage. If you use these attacks while your opponent is in Ki Break status, it will trigger a special cinematic and deal even higher damage.
Ultimate Attack – [Activation condition] Super Attack gauge is full.
Hold [L2/LT] + [△/Y] to activate an Ultimate Attack. These attacks are your strongest and generally deliver higher damage and are more cinematic than Super Attacks. Their cooldown is longer than Super Attacks, but they are much more effective at shifting the balance of battle. Examples of Ultimate Attacks are the Super Kamehameha or the Giant Storm.
Soul Assist – [Activation condition] Soul Assist gauge is full.
Hold [L2/LT] + [☐/X] to call in an original-series Dragon Ball character to fight alongside you. These characters can assist you in 2 distinct ways and as such are divided into 2 types. The first type can be summoned while you’re taking damage or in Ki Break state. They can act independently on their own, providing a lifeline in critical situations while also helping extend your combos.
The second type cannot be summoned while you are taking damage and instead, acts in sync with you. These assists can hit harder or provide stronger buffs, capable of finishing an opponent in a single blow. The effect depends on the character, and up to two charges can be stored. When the cooldown of this power is completed, one charge will be added back to it. With 130 characters to choose from, you’re sure to find one that perfectly matches your preferred combat style.
Critical Strike – [Activation condition] Opponent is in Ki Break status.
You can trigger Critical Strike, a flashy and dynamic attack, by following up with a specific Super Attack or Ultimate Attack after the opponent falls in Ki Break. Make sure that the icon of the Super Attack is glowing, as it indicates that the gauge is full and ready to use.
Break Rush – [Activation condition] Opponent is in Ki Break status.
You can trigger Break Rush, a Rush Combo Action, when the opponent is in Ki Break, by pressing [L1] to Boost Chase to get close to the opponent and pressing [△/Y] for a charged heavy attack.
Soul Switch and Awoken Skill
[Activation condition] Potential Meter reaches maximum. Hold [L2/LT] + [〇/B] to transform.
Overwhelm the battle with the biggest, most over-the-top power-up ever! Soul Switch and Awoken Skill represent a unique power that allows your character to acquire a whole new level of power, while fully healing your character on top of sensibly increasing your power for a short period of time. When customizing your character, you can choose either to Soul Switch or to Awaken, but not both.
These powers can greatly change the pace of battle. They allow you to access faster Super Attack cooldowns, increase your stats, grant character-specific abilities and when the transformation starts, your HP is fully restored.
If a Soul from an original Dragon Ball character is equipped, you can activate Soul Switch to temporarily switch to that character and use their skills. Soul Switch is not tied to your character’s race, and the only limitation is that you can equip one Soul at a time. While in Soul Switch, you give up your own Super Attacks and Ultimate Attack and instead gain the signature techniques of the Super Warrior whose Soul you have switched into.
If an Awoken Skill is equipped instead, using the corresponding control allows your avatar to Awaken, switching into a stronger form based on the race you chose, for a limited time. Although Awakening does not grant new attacks, it does offer a unique benefit: while awakened, you can activate Awakening again once the gauge refills, unlocking an additional transformation level that restores your HP once more.
Although you can remain in an Awoken form indefinitely, the transformation will end if your Ki Gauge is depleted.Entering a Ki Break state will force you back into your normal form, making Ki management a key aspect of combat.
3. Abilities and Battle Style
You can equip a wide variety of abilities based on different gameplay elements. Abilities are special effects that modify your character’s parameters or grant unique capabilities, making them essential features that can truly turn the tide of battle. There are many types of abilities, such as those with specific activation conditions that only certain races can equip, and passive abilities that come attached to outfits and remain active at all times. Strategically combine these abilities to create your own ultimate playstyle!
Here are some examples of abilities you can try out.
- Saiyan Mettle: All Abilities – All stats increase after being revived.
- Backflip – Consecutive backsteps trigger a quick backflip dodge.
- Double Shot – A single burst fires twice the usual number of Ki Blasts.
- Flash Strike: HP Recovery – HP automatically recovers for a period of time after landing a Critical Strike.
- Breaker: Technique – Skills cool down faster for a period of time after putting an opponent into Ki Break.
- Melee Counter – Counter and heavily drain an enemy’s Ki after performing a Perfect Guard against a melee attack.
You can also acquire specific character battle motions or boost dash by equipping the Battle Style of your favorite original character. Both your combat approach and your fighting style are entirely up to you!
4. Fighting Style
Each Fighting Style comes as a predefined package that includes flight, idle, step, guard, and combo animations, giving your fighter a distinct look and feel in battle.
With over 130 Fighting Styles available, including those inspired by Captain Ginyu, Recoome, Whis, Hit, Piccolo, and many more, every player can create a fighter that feels truly unique in action.
The moves, skills, and combinations featured in this article are based on the default setup. However, you can explore the customization and create an avatar to your taste!
Master these mechanics to become a true Super Warrior in DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3!
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