Skip to Content

The King of Fighters Allstar PvP Guide: How to Earn More Victories in PvP Battles

The King of Fighters Allstar is an action RPG that plays a lot like classic beat ‘em ups but as it is based on a fighting game series, it should be expected that the fun and excitement of playing fighting games will be incorporated heavily into the game. While boss battles in the main story and some events somewhat resemble matches in a fighting game, the PvP Arena, League Battle, and Tournament serve as the core representations of the competitive aspect of the game.

Although You can almost consistently use the same team and strategy across various game modes under the “battle” category of The King of Fighters Allstar, game modes under the “match” category that involve fighting teams of other players hold slightly different mechanics and considerations. In the arena, for example, you will not be able to use strikers or support characters. League battles, on the other hand, have conditions that vary from one season to the next. Only friendly and tournament matches are real-time, so for both the arena and the league battle, you will be going against A.I.-controlled teams.

PvP matches across all genres of games that have it often entail having a certain level of experience prior to partaking in. If you have just started the game and still in the process of grasping the controls, features, and mechanics, then we recommend spending more time on PvE combat more and while you are at it, we likewise recommend checking out our beginner’s guide.

Along the lines of requisites to consider before attempting to engage in PvP matches also include getting to know fighters and teams you may encounter in matches. While there are info to gain from guides within the game as well as combat experience itself, we urge you to go through our tier list and teams guide to have an idea about the top fighters and teams in the game. If you are still at the point of choosing which fighters to invest in, both these guides may influence your decision. We also have a guide on battle cards that can help you have a better understanding of how these mechanics can help boost your fighters’ efficiency in combat.

In the following The King of Fighters Allstar guide, we will be entirely focusing on PvP combat and give you some basic tips and strategies on how to raise your chances of victory with each match you engage in. Keep in mind that while combat power or CP is a clear determinant of general strength as far as fighters and teams are concerned, they are not the sole factor that determines the victor in each match.

1. Do Not Use Auto Mode

Auto mode or even semi-auto mode helps make main story chapters and power up dungeon battles less tiring as well as makes it all fun to watch. For all its worth, even higher difficulty level dungeons and main story chapters can become a challenge to complete if you are relying on auto battle for the entirety of the battle. This is because the A.I. will simply use each skill as they become available while also leaving the abilities to block and dodge attacks to unknown probabilities. In effect, using auto battle leaves a lot to luck although higher CP in PvE almost always make up for it.

the king of fighters allstar auto mode

In PvP combat, enemies are expected to be a lot more challenging, even in the arena and league matches where enemies are not players in real-time but rather A.I.-controlled as well. As teams you face in PvP matches are set up by real players, a more careful approach and strategy is important to have. It is normal, especially for beginners, to sometimes feel that you may not perform as much differently as the A.I. does and that is completely okay. The truth is, while you may need some time to practice using manual controls on your fighters to be efficient, it is not as challenging as doing so in a 2D fighting game.

The King of Fighters Allstar makes it simple and easy to have good controls over your fighters. Take note as well that blocking and dodging does not have cool down periods like the offensive skills of the fighters. In essence, you can use these both as much as you like and time each usage better than the A.I. does. With some fighters being more familiar to you than others, you will surely approach some differently than others. That, on its own, already gives you an edge over auto mode as it will employ practically the same approach across all fighters they battle against.

2. Get To Know Each Available Fighter Better

As you play and progress through story chapters and dungeon battles, it is highly likely that you will have your personal group of favorite fighters in the game. It may go beyond a top three or six fighters and chances are that you will not be able to use each one manually in combat. As it is highly recommended that you use manual controls when engaging in PvP battles, it goes without saying that you should know how to utilize to top fighters before you use them in the arena or league battle.

the king of fighters allstar fighter info

Getting to know how to use your fighters efficiently is just a part of becoming a competitive fighter in PvP battles. A huge chunk of the expertise you need grow comes from getting to know the opposition, meaning, having a fairly good idea about the opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses. While you will mostly see most of the same characters in many PvP teams, it will be helpful to actually use some of those characters in battle just so you will have a better idea of how they move and what each one of them can do.

As most of these characters are rare and some may still not be in your collection, the next best thing is to read their profile in the fighter codex. To do so, tap the grid icon at the upper right side of the main screen to bring up the menu, then tap the codex icon. From there, you can tap on the fighter codex, the character you want to know more about and then the “check profile” button.

Actually using some of the fighters in actual combat may sound challenging, especially since you may not have invested anything on them to prepare them for battle. In such cases, you can opt to replay the earlier story stages for that exclusive purpose or, on a farming stage, use your top fighter along with two characters you want to test out. What you would want to look into are the special moves that you should avoid connecting to you, moves that cannot be blocked effectively, as well as moves that can cause negative effects. Seeing them here will leave less surprises for you in the arena and league battles.

3. Use Your Active Skills Efficiently

Each fighter in The King of Fighters Allstar holds their own set of active, special, and ultimate skills to use in combat. Although the damage and overall impact each skill does vary from one to the next, and from one fighter to the next, each one can deal damage that is hundreds of percent more than a basic attack. As such, that should make each skill usage as valuable especially in PvP combat as each skill activation that is blocked or dodged by an opponent is a ding on your part and can leave you open to counterattacks as well. For efficiency, be sure to time each skill activation right and as much as possible, use it for guaranteed hits.

how to use active skills in the king of fighters allstar

One way of ensuring that your special moves will connect is by activating it immediately as your basic attack connects. If you have played or watched some 2D fighting game matches, especially pro level ones, you will notice just how standard it is to always start off with a jab or a short kick before activating a special attack. For most fighting games, even the sequence within which special and ultimate attacks must be carefully followed and executed for maximum damage.

Chaining basic attacks in The King of Fighters Allstar is easy as continuously tapping on the attack button ensures a combo and once a punch or kick is unguarded, the rest of your attacks can follow. With this in mind, the key to doing more damage or at least ensuring that special attacks will successfully connect is to use them anytime within or immediately after the chain of basic attacks.

As far as chaining special attacks together, it varies from one fighter to the next. Whenever you are using your best fighters in the story stages or power up dungeons you have beaten before, be sure to test and discover your own combos. Take note that combos continue to connect while your opponents are in the air and that many fighters can launch their opponents into the air as well.

4. Learn To Punish

As we mentioned earlier, special moves pack a lot more damage than normal attacks but using them indiscriminately may leave you open to a counterattack. This concept is useful to keep in mind especially against A.I. opponents. Categorically, you can classify special moves in the game into two groups, ones that leaves the user completely open when blocked and punishable and others that has long executions that leave a lot of room for counterattacks with a roll behind the user.

how to punish opponents in the king of fighters allstar

This is where using as many fighters as you can in actual combat become very useful as you will be able to gauge more accurately how long an opening becomes available whenever an opponent uses a special skill that misses or becomes blocked. While it may take some time and practice to perfectly get it right, having a bit of knowledge on the concept alone can already give you a good edge in both the arena and league matches.

5. Strategize Around Fighter Types

In general, we would recommend playing defensively against any team in the arena and league matches. This means choosing to block and dodge more in events of uncertainties as to whether or not you can make your basic attack connect. However, given that fighter types make stats, and consequently damage and HP, relatively unique for each fighter, consistently being highly defensive across all types of opponents may not always work that well.

the king of fighters allstar strategies

In addition to varying attack, defense, and HP values, game modes within the match category of The King of Fighters Allstar are timed ones and defeating all opponents is not the exclusive way to win a match. If the timer runs out and both players still have fighters available, the winner is decided with which team has more HP. With this in mind, playing too defensively while owning an attack type team against a defense type one might just land you a defeat.

If you read our beginner’s guide or have played the game enough, you would notice that fighters are either attack type, balanced type, or defense type. You can see the fighter type icons at the side of each one’s portrait so be sure to take note of it before the start of the battle. Naturally, you can play a bit more defensively if your team is swerving more towards the defense type compared with your opponent’s team and, in contrast, be a little more aggressive in a reversed situation. Regardless of how you play it, always follow the 2 previous tips as far as attempting hits and counter-hits are concerned.

This ends The King of Fighters Allstar PvP guide and we hope that you learned much from the simple tips and strategies we shared with you. Take note that earning more victories in PvP always leads to being matched with more challenging opponents. As such, do not be discouraged if you still take in some losses and instead be proud of making it to those challenging matches. In any case, do not be immediately threatened by fighters and teams with higher CP as combat skills, patience, and timing can more than make up for a disadvantage in raw power.

If you have fought a team in the matches where you feel that requires something beyond what is covered by the tips and strategies we mentioned and seem insurmountable, let us know of your unique experiences in the comments below!