Techniques

**Techniques** (often shortened to just *tech*) are creative and often advanced ways of doing things in-game in order to gain an advantage. In Brawlhalla, most advanced tech that would often be considered bugs in other games were polished up and added to the core mechanics of the game.

## Strings and Combos

One of the more common and easily established techniques, a **string** is a sequence of consecutive attacks, moves or signatures performed in such a way to quickly build up damage while also leaving as little room for the enemy to escape as possible, maximizing the potential to continually build up damage for a knockout.

**Combos** or "true combos" as often clarified, are sequences of consecutive attacks that leave absolutely zero room for escape, if performed correctly. These sequences take advantage of an attack's stun, movement and launch direction to follow from one attack immediately into the next, leaving no time between stuns to dodge or move.

Due to varying stats, weapons and movesets, strings and combos are often unique to Legends, and can be found on individual Legends pages. Due to continual adjustments being made for balance, combos and strings are all subject to change.

An inescapable combo executed by two Legends that involves the two Legends juggling a single target back and forth is called a **"black hole"**. Most commonly a black hole involves two Legends standing at a certain distance from one another and using neutral light attacks to knock their target back and forth. Directional influence can be applied to combos that repeatedly use the same attack, allowing these most common types of black holes to be escapable.

## Dash Tech

When your Legend is grounded, pressing the Dodge button whilst holding a side directional button (or a diagonal direction) will lead to a Dash.

* **Works on the ground only**: You have to be on the ground to Dash – either standing still or already running. In the air, you will get your usual directional Dodge that grants you a moment of invulnerability.

* **Vulnerable, but very fast**: Unlike a Spot Dodge or an Air Dodge, *Dashes do NOT make you invulnerable*; however, this technique allows you to avoid damage, close up the distance rapidly and confuse the opponent.

* **Forward Dash and Sprint**: If you are dash in the direction you’re facing, you will gain a burst of speed and start to **sprint** pretty fast! Keep holding the direction you’re facing to keep sprinting. You can stop sprinting any time by releasing the direction or doing any attack.

* **Sprinting is faster**: Forward Dashing repeatedly is much slower than Forward Dashing once and sprinting – so if you want to move fast, just dash once and keep holding the directional button.

* **Back Dash**: If you dash backwards, you will do a pretty big hop back. This move has a slight cooldown, but makes it possible to avoid a nasty attack and retaliate almost immediately when spaced right.

* **How to do a reliable Back Dash**: Holding the straight direction has a shorter turn delay than turning using the diagonal+direction. So if you're looking to turn the other way and Forward Dash, use straight. If you want to ensure the Back Dash, use the diagonal (back+down diagonal). The difference here is a few frames, so it isn't massive, but for ease of execution this can be significant.

* **Dash Jump**: If you “combo” a forward dash into a jump before you begin to sprint, you will do a fast-moving low jump. This technique lets you go just over mines and enemies – and combines really well with an air dLight on most weapons.

* **Sliding Spot-Dodge**: If you quickly combo a Forward Dash into a Spot Dodge (i.e. release all directional buttons and press Dodge again), you will do a sliding spot dodge. Good for longer invulnerability and baiting.

* **Dash Dancing**: You enter a “Dash Dancing” state any time you dash forward and backwards and continue to do so. (or start backwards and forward and so forth) You stay facing your original direction during this state. This move can confuse your opponent, and makes you look pretty cool.

## Gravity Cancel

Gravity Cancel provides the ability for a player to attack with a ground move while in the air. The player has to dodge without holding any direction in the air and immediately make his move. All ground moves light or heavy can be used with Gravity Cancel. This technique is really useful to extend a combo or to break the recovery of an opponent. It is also possible to taunt into the air with this same method.

## Slide Charging

A slide charge is performed when a player uses a signature while falling off the ledge. It is done simply by running towards the ledge and then using a signature move. Note that not every signature can be slide charged. It is also possible to perform a reverse slide charge which consists of facing the opposite direction falling off with a slide charge.

## Ledge Cancels

Performing a down light attack, down signature, groundpound or a dash when the bottom of your character's hurtbox is in the platform will result in a ledge cancel. Jumping sideways makes ledge cancelling easier since you hover over the platform for a longer period of time. Ledge cancelling is also possible right after dropping through a platform.

## Soft Edge Air Cancel

If a player jumps, and the top of the arc of their jumps has them very close to a soft platform, that is, similar to where a player would be when standing on a platform, Down Air or Ground Pound attacks can become Down Light or Down Signature attacks. If the player were not to make an attack, however, they would stay fully airborne and even fall beneath the soft platform. This is because a down attack will snap the player to a platform, making them stand on it, if they are very near the platform. This is due to the game mechanic necessary for grounded down attack on a soft platform to activate, rather than just drop the player down through the platform.

## Gadget Catching

By pressing the grab button at the right moment, you can catch any Gadget thrown in the air. This technique is useful against opponents throwing bombs but also risky. To practice this technique, a special bomb catching training room is available in Training Mode.

## Fast Falling

Fast falling is done by holding the down key while in the air. The player will accelerate downwards a bit faster than normally. This allows the player to be more unpredictable and to make more accurate hits. Fast falling can be cancelled anytime by releasing the down key.

## Chase Dodging

Chase Dodging allows you to immediately do a follow-up dodge upon landing an attack against an opponent, which acts similarly to a normal dodge but is more powerful and can be immediately canceled into an attack. However you cannot Chase dodge in the opposite direction you're facing. Landing a grounded move gives you 2 Chase dodges, aerial moves give only 1 Chase dodge and Projectile signatures give 0 Chase dodges (ex. Sidra Cannon Nsig). Chase dodging has many uses for example: To land strings and true combos, get back on stage, follow up on a high force attack...