King of Fighters XIV: Strategy Guide (2023)

When it comes to fighting games like Kings of Fighters 14 things are going to be difficult anyway, you’ll have to spend a certain amount of time in the training mode to get you through the game in the harder difficulty modes (let’s be honest, real gamer always play fighting games at harder difficulties). Nevertheless, here is a complete King of Fighters strategy guide to help you out!

King of Fighters XIV: Strategy

The training mode allows you to understand the basics, and the tiny bits of information you need to play the game with ease, in this way you can also stop mashing random buttons hoping that you’ll win and actually implement your fighting style with confidence. In this guide, our main focus is going to be the beginner players who are looking for the basic ins and outs of The King of Fighters 14. So read the following King of Fighters strategy guide if you want to be on the road to becoming the next veteran of the game.

Controls: Simplified

You won’t find a tutorial on controls in King of Fighters 14, so this is important in short words, in-game you can benefit from a simple four-button arrangement, composed of a light and heavy attack button (LP, HP) and a light kick and heavy kick button (LK, HK). With these four initiatives, you can take everything in your hands in the game, from command inputs with the directional pad a solo button to compositive button presses that instate special moves universal to each and every character.

Rush!

There’s a feature called a rush mechanic that allows you to traverse the essential combos by just smashing the lighter jab button while hitting an enemy. For example, the primary rush can be used as the very first in a string of combos, where you follow up that set of attacks with a different ability. Experiment using a rush with your character of choice in training, and distinguish the exact moment when it either ends or it sends your enemy swaying away.

That’s exactly when you’d like to cancel (move into) a different move, it doesn’t matter if it’s a standard command strike (like an uppercut) or a super (a more robust ability that requires a meter, which we’ll get into in a bit). Most of the experts usually study and focus the frames to be absolutely accurate, but with enough practice and patience, you can engrave that timing into your muscle memory.

Defense

The secondary point you need to understand about a fighting game is defending yourself from your opponent’s aggression. In this segment, we’ll provide you all with all the brief details about defense in King of Fighters 14.

The Super Meter

Jumps

In King Of Fighters 14, there are a lot of defensive points, though the best aspect to start is understanding that there are a lot of jumps in the game. It might sound weird, but understanding how all of the defensive moves work is crucial to countering dodging opponents’ attacks.

Take the leap, which is a primary initiative by merely smashing the direction pad up instantly. It’s a small jump that can clear many abilities (like Lori’s ground-based fireballs) and immediately put you in a place to strike your own attacks. If you were able to use a greater jump, you’d clear a projectile with ease, but you’d take longer to recuperate from it, and your window of opportunity will be lost.

Dashing

Go ahead, dash forward and backward to escape some specific moves, and still get back into the battle instantly. Dashing is especially useful against grapplers, who have a very short range to work with. Back-dashing out of reach of a command grab and counter-attacking can assist you to break away from their big life pools. While creating a perfect strategy, the dashing maneuver can not be ignored in King of Fighters 14.

Offense As Defense

As the legends say: The greater the defense the better the offense. That’s practically very true in-game likes KOF, which has a guard crush mechanic.

In brief, by constantly stomping on an enemy who is blocking, you’ll break away at a guard crush meter near their life bar, which can eventually break, leaving them temporarily defenseless. (You can also activate that state by putting down an enemy  mercilessly without retaliation to abrupt them)

Distinguish And Utilize

Your duty throughout each match is to identify what type of player your enemy is and utilize that weakness. If you discern them guarding often or zoning using projectiles or different sorts of things to keep you away from them, go ahead and be more disruptive.

Furthermore, if you need to take some rest and find yourself in difficulty or in edge, you can always use the blowback move (HP, HK) to throw your enemy away. But, make sure you have a plan after, whether it’s using a big leap (press down, then up) to get away for some other command-moving process, particularly to your character.

Extra Terms

There are several obscure terms in the King of Fighters 14 community, but here are some ideas that can help you with the game.

• Anti-air. A strike that either prevents or oppositely counters an aerial strike. A classic example is Terry Bogard’s Rising Tackle. By pressing the down direction and then holding up and a punch button, Terry will ascend directly up to attack his opponent. In various cases, this progress has priority (it strikes first or hits alternatively of an enemy attack), creating it as an exceptional anti-air move that can seal down a leaping fighter.
• Cross-Up. This is one of the several useful skills you can master with a character and possibly one of the greatest radical tactics you’ll begin accumulating up on. The phrase relates to handling a move that will deceive or confuse your enemy directionally so that they block inaccurately and open themselves up to both damaging normal attacks or the start of a combo. Look for alternative movements that seem backward while going forward, many of which can be triggered by a directional press and a heavy charge while in the air.
• Normals. When immigrants play fighting games, they are frequently triumphed by command moves, like the classic hadouken (fireball) and Shoryuken (uppercut) from other fighting games. But what utmost people don’t describe to you is that normal attacks (with LP, HP, LK, HK), normally in tandem with just one cardinal way, can truly work likewise to a command strike. Try forward + HP or down + HK out on each character, and you’ll attain some mighty innovative tools for your armory.
• OTG. Additionally identified as “off the ground,” this is an opportunity to combo a player that you’ve thrown flying with a different previous move.
• Punish. As one of the countless important ideas at any level of the game, discover how to punish and you’ll go incomparably. Punishes can include combos, but in low-level play, they normally just include supers (or the more robust climax variant for at least three levels of the meter). Some characters have what’s described as a full-screen punishment, where they can fly beyond the arena to immediately meet their enemy. An ideal opportunity to use this is when someone is in the midst of missing an uppercut or power move.
• The Lab. This is what professionals call education, and you’re going to need a lot of it. Spend time with your beloved fighter in practice against a blockhead CPU.

So there you have it! A complete King of Fighters strategy guide to help you become the best player.

Also Read:

• King of Fighters All-Star Tier List