--------------------------------------- SOUL CALIBUR III Interview with a madman -an in-depth FAQ of Voldo (V 1.01) Copyrighted by Hua Zheng (aka ZEN) 2005 Email: zenthirteen@yahoo.com zenthirteen@gmail.com --------------------------------------- Table of Contents I. FAQ History A. Version History B. Words from the Author II. Origin of the Madman III. Moves of the Madman IV. Soul of the Madman A. Think like a madman B. Move like a madman C. Fight like a madman 1. Pokes 2. Counters 3. Combos/Juggles 4. Wake Up Game 5. Break-ins 6. Defense D. Pose (yes, pose) like a madman V. Path of the Madman VI. Credits and Thanks ============================================================================= I. FAQ History A. Version History -Version 1.01 December 16, 2005 Fixed minor Format errors, typos and some mis-spelled buttons. -Version 1.0 December 14, 2005 Basic Guide complete, featuring the most updated combos and insights of Voldo -Version 0.5 December 12, 2005 Started the FAQ. B. Words from the Author I have been a fan of fighting games since they first hit the arcades roughly 15 years ago, and I must've say that none of the series grabbed as much attention from me as the Soul Calibur series. Soul Calibur III especially intrigues me as it not only offered an array of smooth 3D interactions, but also featured a balanced fighting system between two equally matched opponents. I honestly pondered whether I should start this FAQ or not, as I know there a lot of players who had just as much combat experience of the character as I do (if not more so). But I could not hold back my excitement with this newest version of the series (Soul Calibur 3) as Voldo has finally risen to be a top tier contender! Thus I dedicate this FAQ to any Voldo fans or any folks who would like to try him but had shunned away from him in the past due to the complexity of his move list. To make this FAQ easy to read, this FAQ will adopt the following popular system to annotate his moves. 7 8 9 A = Horizontal Attack Button 4 N 6 B = Vertical Attack Button 1 2 3 K = Kick Button G = Guard Button (Mentally place your joystick over the Matrix above, where N rest at the center of the Joystick.) *For no particular reason, but all moves performed in this FAQ are done while the player is facing right towards the enemy. Real game play may vary due to the possible camera angle changes during the stage* This FAQ will also use the following abbreviations to help experts and novice player alike to speed read most of its paragraphs. BT = Back Turned/Blind Stance MC = Mantis Crawl MC/H = Mantis Crawl (Head towards the opponent) MC/F = Mantis Crawl (Feet towards the opponent) DN = Knocked down FD = Face Down and DN FD/H = Face Down (Head towards the opponent) FD/F = Face Down (Feet towards the opponent) FU = Face Up and DN FU/H = Face Up (Head towards the opponent) FU/F = Face Up (Feet towards the opponent) CR = Caliostro Rush # A = Tap the A button #[A] = Hold down the A button , = Then (e.g. A, B means press B after A) + = And (e.g. A+B means hold down Both A and B buttons) _ = Or (e.g. 11_77 means the move can be performed by either double tapping on the 1 direction or on the 7 direction) ~ = Slide. Command must be inputted immediately after the first action. (WC) = While Crouching, Hold down G then 1_2_3. (some moves also recover WC) (WR) = While Rising, while at WC position, let the joystick return to N. GI = Guard Impact CH = Counter Hit ST = StunGB = Guard Block ! = Unblockable # = Author's Notes. Either insightful, or funny, or completely throws you off on a tangent on the topic of your mental stability :) e.g. #: The button A can be interchanged with any other button or directional inputs. # II. The Origin of the Madman Well, Voldo is, Voldo. I will updated this area with more information from either the game itself or other researches when I have more time on hand. Name: Voldo Age: 50 Sex: Male Nationality: Italian (so one assumes) Height: 6 Feet Weight: 185 lbs Eye Color: Unknown #: I have always wondered why most Japanese games include HT/WT and even bust sizes in a fighting game. It is not like this is the "SC3-Blind Date Edition" # Job: Former Assasin Weapon: A pair of Katar Style: Unknown (read my notes below if you are interested) Personality: Quite, the really quite type... the kind that sits back in a room and thinks of ways of how to mutilate your body. Relative: Vercci (former Master) #: Some tidbits about Voldo. -His weapon were a pair of Katar, and according to the author's research, it was used more as a ceremonial weapon than an actual weapon. And even when it was used, it was more a defensive tool rather a dagger. -His fighting style does not exist. I don't care what other die hard Voldo fans may protest, but I could not find an actual account fighting style that was even similar to his. It seems more like a mix with some Middle Eastern fighting style, and some acrobatic moves, and finally some good old drunken steps. -I heard that the creator of Voldo was actually the head designer of SC series. And the reason behind is to create a fighter that can function as well while back turned in a 3D environment. -Voldo is 50 and some odd years old. The old man must have done a lot of Yoga to remain still that nimble and agile. # III. The Moves of the Madman I will eventually cover this section when I have more time at hands after the holidays. Until then, I would honestly suggest spend some time in practice mode with the madman to familiarize with his moves. Now, let's move on... IV. The Soul of the Madman Finally, we have arrived at the heart of this FAQ. It is here where novices shall become experts, and experts become masters, and masters... in turn come back and criticize how ridiculous my advice had been. A. Think Like a Madman Well, before you read any further, you must come on term with me on an empirical fact about Voldo--he IS different. It is his difference that make him such a difficult character to master and the same difference that make him rises above others. Always keep in mind that Voldo was a psychopathic assassin, and his moves reflect just that. It is for that reason that you need to keep your opponent constant guessing of your moves or what other tricks you may have in your pocket. With that much said, most players would probably say that the safest thing to do with Voldo is vary his move list and play a very dynamic game with the opponent. Though that philosophy itself is very novel and sound at a first glance, it will not win your many games as your opponents smarts himself or against an expert. The reason is simple, most of Voldo's moves, are, albeit dynamic and odd, they are not safe at all. A good player will soon learn your recovery windows and punish you dearly for that (Setsuka comes in mind for that). I propose the following, instead of trying to fool your opponent by your endless streams of moves, focus rather on the basic element of the game, and defeat your foe both psychologically and physically through counter damages. That way, not only will your fair well after your opponents have uncovered holes in your moves, you will also do well against an expert of the game who is often skilled in guard impact. #: You probably realize by now that this FAQ's main purpose is for versus play and though some of the tips and combos offered by it may be helpful against a CPU opponent, most of time you will find yourself cursing in frustration as the AI for some reason did not get baffled by your moves. # Before we go on, let's cover Voldo's Pros and Cons in this version of Soul Calibur and why I insist that he has Top Tier potential. ---- Pros ---- -Good reach. Though he has only a pair of Katar, Voldo's reach is amazing with his basic A,A _ B,B attacks or 2K _ 3K kicks. His lunge moves have even better coverage, though they tend to be a bit unsafe if blocked by opponent. -Excellent Speed. It is Voldo's speed that shall amaze your opponent, and how you abuse it even further earns you the many winning streaks that follow. -Can guard while back turned. Back turned for Voldo is not a bad thing, in fact, Voldo fights much better while his back is turned (we shall cover that in the following passages) -Can guard impact while back turned. -Fantastic guessing games with your opponent. -Fast Unblockables. -NO JUST INPUT MOVES! NIL! NADA! Felis Namida for your fingers! -Good Ring Out Potentials. -He makes no sound. This IS very important in SC3. Most of characters make their signature sound when they attack and in turn those served as warning signs for your opponent. Voldo is mute, so your opponent has no choice but to mentally guess what attacks are coming from you. ---- Cons ---- -Average Damage Dealt. Though Voldo can get some good damage with a couple lucky counter hits, those are hard to set up and rather unreliable in the heat of a battle. -Extra Damage Taken. Since the game rewarded you with back guard and back GI, the game left the fact that if you are attacked while BT, you will still take the extra 50% damage on the first hit if you are hit. -Low Combo Damage Yield. Most of Voldo's staple combos had been removed or nullified from this version by changing the recovering position and the timing of his two launchers (1K and 3B). A Voldo player can now no longer bank on taking over 40% of their opponent's life off one juggle. -Bad Priorities. Though some of Voldo's moves still retained their good CH damage and ring out potentials, their priorities are horrid. (66B, 66A+B) Any returning Voldo Vets had probably realized what I had stated now and knew that he had improved drastically in his ability to survive from the last version. However, his damage yield had reduced even further which makes him that much trickier to use. B. Move like a Madman Voldo moves like no others. Those who consider Voldo has a short reach often open their eyes in awe by how far the old man can cover in a brink of eye by going into some funky stances. If done right, Voldo's movement in combination with his attacks should become seamless, making it VERY difficult for your opponent to read and thus creating windows of opportunity of attacks for you. With that much said, there are three main stances that Voldo often uses and abuses. Whether of not a player can smoothly transition between one to the other and taken full advantage of each stance's strength is the key between an expert and a novice. I shall go over each stance in details as followed. #: Very important note about this FAQ. I have always used buffering techniques to initiate eight way run moves and thus all eight way run move will be recorded as a double inputs on the direction. I shall explain the buffering techniques in greater detail in the fighting section to those who need a more detailed explanation. # ~Blind Stance~ (BT) | B+K | 1K | 11_77 A | 1A | 66K | (WR)K | 6A+B | 6B,[B] | This is probably the one stance that you will spend a lot time fighting as Voldo. The above are some popular moves the author frequent uses to switch to blind stance from normal position; they are by no means exclusive. For some reason, Voldo has increased his reach while his back is turned in this version. And since you can still guard and GI as usual while back turned, there is little reason why you should not remain in this stance. However, there are few things to keep in mind about the blind stance. -Extra damage taken. Though you can guard and GI, that does not remove the extra 50% damage penalty for getting attacked from the back. Also keep in mind that some stun moves result better combo potential when hit the back. In this case, yours. -Eight way run is disabled. No big deals really since your guard is disabled while eight way running. However, this does make it a lot difficult for you to dodge certain attacks. -You can still jump while back turned, just hold down G then 7_8_9. -If you successfully guard an attack while in BT, you will be turned to normal stance. ~Caliostro Rush~ (CR) | 236 | 4[A+K] | (WC)123 | [A+B] | (BT) 236 | This is my personal favorite stance due to the number of moves you can perform while Voldo is crawling on the ground. Since the move itself is a bit long, (at least 30 frames I think), you can execute your moves at any point of the rush to mess with your opponent's GI timing. Plus CR offers a good mix of high, mid, and low attacks that put safe distance between you and the opponent if executed. Here are some pointers to better utilize your CR. -Voldo dodges all high attacks while in CR, and some mid A moves as well. Unfortunately listing them here would be very time consuming if not tiring on my behalf, so I would leave that discovery for you to explore :) -CR has no cancel (with one exception which is posted below). If you don't execute a move, Voldo will SLOWLY get up at the end of the rush, and I do mean slowly, so if you wish to delay the attack, count to yourself to ensure you won't the command input. -Though (WC)123 can initiate CR, you can cancel it by holding 1. The window for CR is also a lot shorter than the actual CR. I know the game gave these two moves two different names for a reason, but hey, they used to be the same move and give almost similar results. Such were the reasons for my decision. -The two throws from CR are great (236 A+G _ B+G), however, keep in mind that Voldo jumps pretty far (about 3 paces) and if your opponent is near a ring and dodges, you will find your self a long way from home... -The two throws can be effectively used to go to the other two stances, BT (A+G) or the MC (B+G). They can also be used to effectively jumping over your opponent or dodge low attacks, just be aware of the ring edge. ~Mantis Crawl~ (MC) | 2B+K | (WR)[B] | 4[K] | (BT)2B+K | (BT)44K | (CR)B+K | (CR)[B] | This stance is a double edged sword for Voldo. Though he has a few solid combos and ring out potential in this stance, Voldo can dodge only high attacks and can not guard or GI. Unless you are planning on psyching your opponent out or use this move in the middle of combo, avoid going into it. Experts or even shmucks who had learnt your moves will punish you severely for going into this stance needlessly. -The 66K is a good move for catch folks off guard or hitting a downed opponent. Keep in mind that you can ring yourself out with this move and if they do block it, it is almost guaranteed that a WR move will hit you due to the delay. -The 8_2 can be used to avoid B attack, but try not rely on them as those moves has very low priorities to dodge most of attacks. -There are actually two other minor stances that you can perform with Voldo while in the MC. ~Land Fish~ While hitting 8_2, hit A_B_K, Voldo will start swimming/attacking on the ground. Keep in mind that these moves are very linear and Voldo can only do three of them in a row. Also keep in mind that Voldo will swim in the direction of his head, try not swim away when you meant attacking. ~Down~ (DN) Well, this is not a stance exactly, but Voldo can go to either BT or MC easily from this position and attack freely no matter if he is face up, or face down, or feet away, or feet towards. Voldo in DN is more aggressive than most characters, your opponent will think twice before launching an Ukemi thoughtlessly. C. Fight Like a Madman Finally, the meat, the bones, the soul of this FAQ has unfolded before us. It is from here, you shall follow the path of a serial killer and claim world domination through silent assassination. Get it? Silent Assassination... Never mind the bad pun, let us get up to speed in how to actually win with Voldo once and for all. $$$ Buffer Technique $$$ Now, if you are an expert of the game and knows all there is about buffering, please skip to the next session and comment on the rest of my work. If not, I believe the following passage would provide very helpful to your game play. I have mentioned before that I do not use eight way run directions and instead used double tapping motion for them. And the reason behind is obvious-you can not buffer eight way run motion precisely if you do not double tap them. Even though Buffering had existed as early as some of the 2D fighting games in the early ages, NAMCO had taken them to such an extend and reward those who do well easier time at victories. #: A technical note on buffering: Since each game second is 60 frames, and most of pokes are 11~13 frames. If you can correctly buffer a motion or buttons of a power move prior, it will make the power come out a lot faster (not mentioning more stylish). # For example, if you tap 11 while A is still been animated, by tapping B right after the animation ends, Voldo will go directly into his Rat Chaser move, which normally can only activate after holding 1 or 7 after initiate eight way run. Another type of buffering aside from directional input is button buffering. These are lot simpler than directional buffering, since timing is less an issue in these instances. All you have to do is holding down the first button still after the command had been executed, and hit a second button, the game will register it as a dual button input. #: Do experience a bit with button buffering, some moves when buffered too early. The computer will only register the input of the second button and not the first button that had been held down. And holding down G while hitting A_B to throw no longer work, as G supercedes any further command input. # A good usage of button buffering is abusing the [A+B] move. If you wish for a low attack then let go the B button after Voldo goes into CR then tap K and he will do the slide. Otherwise, holding the B and K will make Voldo change into MC and will juggle any opponent that has been blocking low. Keep in mind that I expect any of you who read further has a full understanding of the buffering techniques, and will not mention it again as I diagnosis further fighting strategies and techniques. $$$End of Instruction$$$ 1. Pokes #: I must admit that I hate poking in a fighting game, it seems somewhat unfitting to initiate a fight with a slap over the wrist instead of a full round house over the face. But it is only a video game, and it only mimics actually fighting and fighting style, so I shall cast my personal opinion aside and use what ever is most useful within my arsenals. # Voldo is an excellent poker. His speed is awesome and reaches fair. Especially with an arsenal of variations behind his belt, you can just out poke about anyone. ~ A _ A,A These should be your standard poke. They hit very fast and can catch opponent who likes to sidestep off guard. The single A attack also buffer really well with any eight way run motion, so you can create endless break in patterns with careful usage. Be careful when you are faced against the Greek sisters though, they tend to out A,A you in a pinch. ~ B _ B,B I almost always prefer the B,B version than the single B. Unlike the single A, the single B has a bad delay and do not buffer that well. Most of opponent will be able to see your power moves coming out, thus, punish you heavily for them. B,B on the other hand, put opponent at a safe distance or initiate a third DN attack off CH. ~ 6B _ 6B,B This is a fast poke, but the first hit has horrid reach and only hits high. The second one will put you in BT with enough frames left over for GI against possible counter from opponent. Keep in mind these move has a horrible tracking radius, even worse than the standard B,B. ~ 1B _ 1B,K _ 1B,K,K The first one is a mid hit that dodges high hit as well, the second hit is a fast flip that will put you into MC, and the last hit is a fast hit to catch your opponent with. Use it sparingly or you will find yourself getting DN during the second hit all the time. ~ 3B _ 3B,B These moves won't hit an opponent that is 2A you, but it will hit most of folks when they are using high pokes. Due to the animation of the move, you can delay the input second hit and use it as a counter for someone who tries to poke back at you after blocking the first hit. ~ (WR)B _ (WR)[B] _ (WR)B,B The first hit is fast and it juggles. Incase you whiff the first one, input the second one immediately to avoid been punished. ~ 2A This move has good speed, but it has bad reach and can put you at a bad situation if your opponent blocks it and then initiate a fast WR attack. Unless you are desperately in need to 2A someone's poke pattern, even then I would suggest use the following... ~ 2K ...instead. Good speed and good reach; this move has been Voldo's signature poke since the Soul Edge days. The best part is that this move put enough room between yourself and the opponent, so even if you both initiate a WR move, it will be a trade off at its worst. ~ 3K A very quick kick, kind of remind me of Yoshi's 3K from the Tekken series, only it has a much better reach in SC3. This is a safe move. ~ 22_88 K A kick with a slight delay, vary this and the 2K can mess up your opponent's timing for GI. ~ 1K Ah, the ever trusted Mule Kick. Even though this move is Voldo's only juggle starter now from the normal stance, it has lost some of its priorities in this version. Still, you can safely dodge most of high A attack with a 1K and watch them fly to the air while your back is turned. ~ (WR)K This is a circular kick that will put Voldo in BT. It has good reach, priority, and damage. Horrible delay if blocked, you can still safely GI any incoming attacks though. ~ (BT) A _ A,A These two are golden. For some odd reason, their reach and speed are better than then standard ones. The best part, this moves will put your opponent and you at even frames even if both attacks are blocked, so you can continue your rock, paper, scissors game with him/her for a bit longer. ~ (BT) 1A This is a fast poke that hit low and put you back to the standard pose. Use this for a quick turn around, or if you wish to add pressure with more of your lunge moves from the standard position. ~ (BT) 4A This is not a poke by definition, since it is actually a GB move with a slightly longer execution. But it is a fast GB, at it will send your opponent sailing across the ring on a clean hit. It is a pity that it only hits high. ~ (BT) B _ B,B Even though these won't reward you a third hit off counter, their recovering is slightly better, in which you can buffer some directional input after the first B. ~ (BT) 6B _ 6B,B The first hit of the chain is worthless. Though it crumbles on CH, it has no reach and is high, any high, mid poke will hit you out of it. The full chain, however, offers two solid hit off CH. Still, it is best saving this poke as a surprise move to throw off your opponent's timing. ~ (BT) 2B This move looks like the standard 2B _ 2B,B. But it has a slightly different property; it will pop your opponent up slight on hit, in other words, if you hit them just once near the rim of the ring... ~ (BT) 2K This is a fast low kick that will put you at great disadvantage if blocked. Still, the speed of this move often catches your opponent off guard. ~ (BT) 1K This kick has delay and great reach. You won't interrupt any pokes with this move, but you sure can throw someone off if they are used to block or GI your 2K move. ~ (BT) 3K Though it looks like the standard mule kick, it actually has the same property of the 1K on a CH. This simply means that you will juggle the opponent slightly higher for a better damaged yielded combo. 2. Counters Counter moves are what you use after GI, when your opponent whiff, or simply used to put distance between yourself and the opponent. These moves are often fast with good priorities, and a very BAD delay if used in close quarter and blocked by your opponent. ~ 66B The Demon Elbow. This has been another one of Voldo's signature moves. It, however, no longer has the priority as it did in the previous version of the game, if you try to trade off with your opponent's lunge move, you will more than often find yourself face planted on the ground. The ring out potential still exists, but lessened since the last version as well. ~ 66A+B,K _ 66[A+B] These are Voldo's standard lunge moves. If the kick is blocked, then Voldo is at a safe distance, albeit turned 90 degrees. The second version of the set offers slightly more damage, but will put you at total disadvantage if blocked. Both moves can ring out somewhat when near the edge. ~ 6A+B A solid move that will DN your opponent and put Voldo in BT. ~ (BT)6A+B A fast power move that sends your foe flying across the ring. It, however, hits only high, so make sure you can hit them with this and punish them dearly with it. It also becomes unblockable after Lv 3 Soul Charge. ~ (BT)2A+B This is your bread and butter move. It has great reach and dodges both high and mid attacks. You can also perform this move from FD/F to surprise your opponent. The ring out potential of this hit is also phenomenal. ~ (CR)A+B Go, Voldo, Go! If your opponent whiffs from afar and has bad recovery, you can almost catch them for sure with this move. I wouldn't suggest using this as a move to close the gap as the recovery is pretty bad if blocked. (Unless they are next to a wall) 3. Combos/Juggles Unlike the other popular 3D series released by NAMCO-Tekken, SC3 does not promote long, endless juggles. Especially with the engine of air control, long chain of juggles seems not only improbable, but also impossible to perform in the heat of a match. Instead, the game reward stun combos, ground combos that take advantage of your opponent and catch them crumbling again and again. Voldo, unfortunately, can't take advantage of these traits as most of his crumbling moves will put him out of reach and his one CH stun starter has horrid recovery if blocked at close or mid range. The combos and juggles I offer here are thus tried and true combo by me; they are often short, but as solid as they will come. ~ 1K, 2B+K, K This combo will always hit, except that you have to learn the timing of 2B+K a bit to ensure the third hit. If you hit the opponent too soon, the game engine will register it as a juggle and not only can they do recovery roll, they can always air control a bit. If you hit too late, then it will be an Ukemi, and the opponent should be able to block as soon as they land. Wait 1/10 of second or so after 1K, then hit 2B+K. If you do it right, the game will register it as a Ukemi even when the opponent is still in the air, you will see it when you do it right as they will be rolling on the ground. Then all you have to do is hit K to finish the combo. 2A+B won't work, but can be used in case you failed this combo and wish to play a wake up game with them. ~ 1K, 6A Do this fast. You literally have to register the 6A right after the 1K or the combo will not link. It will send your opponent flying, but for some reason it does not ring out at the range opposing to a clean 6A hit. ~ (CH)1K _ (BT)3K, 66A This does good damage and will ring out if close enough to the edge. I personally prefer the first combo since it is rather safe, but if you wish to take advantage of the ring, then be sure to use it. If you hit them to a wall, use A+B instead, you will do so much damage, that they won't even know what had hit them. ~ (CH)66A+K, K As silly and useless as this move may seem during normal game play, it actually does roughly 35% of your opponent's life off a counter hit. Set up, that's the hard part, my vote is on the soul charge, and then you still have the hitting part to worry about... ~ (CH)1A+B, B, A+B This is the signature move that Voldo comes with the game. You can add a bit spice to it by... ~ (CH)3A+B, 1A+B, B, A+B This quite overwhelming, you can also [A+B] instead of A+B for a guessing game afterwards for another 100 or so damage. ~ (CR)[B], 7A+K, B Learn this one well, it will force your opponent to block high for awhile the next time you go into CR. The trick is the timing of 7A+K, depend on where you hit them in the fall, the camera will rotate differently and make the B whiff. #: This is 7A+K not, 9A+K no matter what the camera angle may look like when you hit them. It for some reasons turns and moves for a perfect follow up.# ~ (CR)B+K, 9A+K, B Similar combo, different directions. Sometime the camera will shift a great deal and force the B to miss. If you think you are going to whiff, either press A+B or K for a safe get away. ~ (BT)66K, 9A+K, B Similar concept as the combos before, you have to wait just a bit after you launch your opponent to get the perfect pounce. It also serves as a great ring out if you wish to hit them early/later. The reason why it works so well is that 7_8_9 A+K send opponent spinning and nullifies their ability to air control. There is nothing prettier then hit them once in the air and watch them spiral down to the bottom of the pit... 4. Wake Up Game (Previously written up as Ukemi Wrongly) A wake up game is the art to pounce on your opponent while they get up. Though Voldo has many options, only a few of them are actually safe. I would suggest soul charges instead of a wake up game, you will do more damage in the long run. But in case you insist, here are some useful ones... ~ A+B _ [A+B] There is almost no question as which one you should use as [A+B] offers so much more choices as it put you in CR afterwards. I suppose A+B is viable is your opponent hasn't tech rolled yet, but why the hell are you even bother with Ukemi if you know he/she is going to roll away? ~ 2A+B This is a fast move that will catch most folks. The problem comes when they guard instead of rolling, you will suffer a lot of disadvantages if that happens. ~ 66K Fast Flip, you can also follow up with few more guesses while you are BT. ~ B~A,B Use this when they are right next to you, I would suggest do all three hits or face a really bad delay. ~ 4B This is a very fast unblockable move, it will catch anyone who tries to get up with G suffer a good deal. You can always hit A,A or let go the button at anytime if you think your opponent is going to poke you. ~ 1[B] Though this too is an unblockable move at close range, you better get ready to poke once you finished picking them up from the floor. ~ (CR)A+K This offers a very fast slide that will knock most of foes off their feet, even though this move offers you NO advantage in frames when you hit. ~ (CR)B+K If they are unfortunately enough to get up and blocked the wrong way, finish it off with one of the combo listed above. ~ Any mid/low pokes listed above. 5. Break-ins #: Break-ins are what I call routes of attacking. I am sure there is an official slogan for it or a more educated word for it. But since this is my FAQ, I am afraid you have to settle for Break-ins. :) # I consider most players I face experts of the game when I play. Even when I do play newbies, I still won't let my guard down. Though you can obtain victories though odd moves and crazy combos, it is safer to assume that most of player you face has the ability to guard most of your attacks then counter or even worse, GI then attack. Thus, you need a plan when you attack to ensure that no matter what kind of opponent you face, you will have a good chance of pinning them down. Listing different break-ins will be too time consuming if not pointless since most of them varies from opponent to opponent and from matches to matches. I will, however, give a few examples as what I meant by break-ins. ~ A, 11B, B, B Often your A pokes end with A,A or A,B,A_[A]. So if your opponent is GI happy or a turtle, he/she will either guard mid/high or GI the same region, but if you buffer the Rat Chaser during A, it will come right after A, and mess up their guard and GI. ~ (Whiff)A, B, A When I play Voldo, I take advantage of his A,A and abuse them to no end. It is when my opponent think that is my staple move, do I bring out his better juggles and mid hits. Even though a whiff is often bad, but once you have trained your opponent's eyes to react to A,A, when you do miss the first one, they would either duck, low poke or try to counter attack. You can then follow up with the build in combo above or the simple A,K and catch them in their act. Also, whiffing intentionally can bait out even a GI expert's GI whiff. ~ (BT)B, 66K Simple tactic is used here. Use the B to lock your opponent in mid guard while buffering the 66 for the low attack and set up for a juggle. B, however, can easily be GI since it is a mid attack. ~ 6B, 66A+G 6B pushes Voldo towards his opponent and it is often finished off with B for a safe attack and transition to BT. If you buffer in the motion of the throw during the first move, you can cut down the execution time of Bloody Drill and catch your opponent "off guard" just as they rise up to guard the second mid attack. ~ (CR)A, A+G_B+G Same "Hit-Throw" technique as above. In order for you to get these kinds of techniques work, you have to spam some safe pokes over and over again to build habits into your opponent's reflexes. ~ A, 22K, 66A+B, K This is a sample of customized combo built via the buffer system. It offers a good high-low game plus a good recovery when blocked. 6. Defense Defense, huh? I actually don't Guard that often with Voldo. Once I learned my opponent's move I prefer interrupt their high horizontal pokes with 1K, or 1B, 2K. And counter their high/mid moves with my pokes. As far as mid/low moves, I tend to use GI to pull them in then play a guessing game with the wide array of high/low pokes and stances which Voldo possess. In other words, the best defense is offense with Voldo. If you can pin your opponent down with his pokes, and custom Break-ins, you should have little difficulties winning your matches. GI will help your game, but is not a must have when you play Voldo, it is there to switch the initiative between the attacker and the defender. But if you know how to keep the pressures up, then there should be little need for it, right? D. Pose like a Madman #: YES! Poses. You must think that I am out of my mind when I dedicated a whole section of space to something as trivia as Voldo's poses. But hey, look is half of the match, or was it "look is half of the catch"? # By poses, I meant in really, movements and evasions. I do encourage you do some useless stance changes or taunts when battling, it will often enrage them and send them to a frenzy to attack you, in which, more power to you, if you know how to evade them. Remember that a fight is as important psychologically as it is physically. ~Super Freak~ | A+K | 2A+K | 4A+K | 6A+K | 8A+K | While Voldo is in Super Freak, he dodges the first attack and side step a bit as well. Try not use this move to an auto combo or you will find yourself biting the latter half of the moves. The trick, however, is that the four directional inputted Super Freak moves can be inputted during the regular one and thus making dodging possible for Voldo. Plus, they will put you in either the MS or CR stances. ~MC - Freak Roll Escape~ | (MC/F)A+B | If you recall, I have said many times that MC is not safe; however, you can always use the Freak Roll to get away, then set yourself up for another set of attacks. ~Deadly Rose (Cancel)~ | 4A+B~G | This is not a safe move for Voldo when performed regularly, however, if you used it once or twice and let them know that you would be heavily penalized if they block your move. You can use the cancel freely in close range and change the initiative to your favor. ~The Mute's Dance~ | 22_88 A+B | Though there are two directional input there, I prefer the second one, just incase I accidentally buffer in a sidestep in there. This is a very interesting move. Voldo will step towards and spin twice. You can, however, attack while he is spinning. So far, I am only able to buffer in single directional command during the spins, no eight way run input yet. Depend on which stage Voldo is in, you can get either his normal moves or BT moves. ~Taunt (Cancel)~ | G+K, G | Voldo has one of most interesting taunt; the whole screen actually dims for him when he goes into the pose. Keep in mind that you can press G to cancel the taunt and then be able to have a normal match (from GI to attacking). Anyhow, the idea behind the poses is to create a dynamic Voldo while when you are not in the "zone" and makes your opponent unable to read you. The "zone" is basically between your effective poking range to your [A+B] or (CR)A+K _ B+K moves. V. Path of the Madman When I have more time, I will add Voldo's path in the Tale of Souls to help those who are interested. Until then, I would suggest the other sites on GameFAQs for your aid. VI. Credits and Thanks I first thank NAMCO for creating a splendid game-Soul Calibur III. I then thank GameFAQs for being the host of this FAQ. I also thank my good Friend Paul, thanks for being such a good sport after losing countless of battles to me :) My last thanks are for readers like you, for putting up with my occasion spelling/grammatical errors and odd sense of humor. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, feel free to email me at zenthirteen@yahoo.com zenthirteen@gmail.com ============================================================================= May the Legend Never Dies