Arms guide: rush attacks

The Rush move is every character’s “special” attack and the most valuable resource you have in Arms. When you throw punches, the meter next to your life bar very slowly builds. When it’s full and yellow, you can use a Rush by pressing RZ on motion controls or R on non-motion controls.

Your character will glow yellow and you’ll punch (or mash the punch buttons) as fast as you can to deliver a barrage of hits. Use it wisely and you will turn the match around or finish it off. Miss it, and get nothing.

About Rush

The exact form of the Rush actually changes depending on the weapons equipped. For example, gloves allow you to punch super fast and a missile rush shoots off one huge missile, but very slowly. This is very important: If you exclusively use slow weapons, you’re going to have a tough time getting a Rush to connect before your enemy can block. Because the Rush is such a pivotal move, you’ll be at a big disadvantage if you only pack slow weapons.

Rush damage also varies by weapon. You can expect 250 or so on the low end and 400 on the high end.

When to use Rush

Like most attacks in this game, Rush is best used as a counterattack. Wait for an opening during which the opponent cannot block or move, and immediately seize upon it. Because the move is so valuable, simply wasting it out of the blue for no particular reason is the single worst mistake you can make in a match.

There is one more good circumstance in which to use Rush: when your enemy throws a single punch at you. Rush will cancel out a single punch, but not two. If you’re carrying a fast weapon, you can see a punch coming, activate Rush, and immediately hit the enemy with the fast weapon, forcing them to take the full damage of your Rush.

How to defend against Rush

The safest and simplest way to defend against a Rush is to guard the moment you see the yellow flash from your opponent. You’ll take five damage per hit, but those shavings don’t really add up to much when you compare them to the giant chunk of life bar you could lose. If you’ve been blocking a lot, however, it’s possible that Rush could break through your guard entirely.

If you manage to dodge around a Rush from the side, continue to move around the opponent’s side and watch their punches. Right when both punches are out at the same time, they are most helpless.

It might be possible to counter their rush with a punch or grab if you’ve got a fast weapon. Players will often just keep right on punching even when you’re long gone, making it easy to counter them in this case. Savvy players, on the other hand, will turn quickly and begin the rush again.