Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition guide: New V-Triggers

In the single largest change from the original Street Fighter 5, every character in Arcade Edition now has two V-Triggers to choose from. This also means that existing characters all get a new optional power, which is certainly something to look into. The V-Trigger command remains the same (hard punch + hard kick). The power will change.

V-Trigger Types

V-Triggers generally come in two types: either a character enters a powered-up mode (Ryu, Laura) in which many of their existing abilities are enhanced, or they gain new, powerful moves that you can only use a precious few times. Now that every character has two V-Triggers, most characters now have their choice of which of these types they’d like to go with.

Power-Up Modes

The classic power-up V-Trigger is Ryu’s V-Trigger I (Denjin Renki). While activated, Ryu’s Hadoken and Shoryuken special moves become noticeably more powerful. Ryu’s recovery from throwing Hadokens decreases considerably, allowing him to pressure the opponent much more aggressively with his signature move. He also gains a charged fireball that can break the opponent’s block. The benefits of a V-Trigger are usually more multifaceted than sheer damage alone, offering new possibilities for a player who’s committed to going on the offensive.

In Arcade Edition, Rashid’s V-Trigger II (Easifa) drastically increases the power of his kick techniques (Whirlwind Shot and Eagle Spike) as well as giving him the new attack Haboob. However, Rashid can only use these enhanced specials a precious two or three times. This is a tradeoff with his V-Trigger I (Ysaar), which is a single powerful hurricane strike that clever players use to set up their opponents for a hit.

Extra Special Moves

For other characters, the V-Trigger grants new moves. Urien’s V-Trigger I (Aegis Reflector) creates a floating wall of energy that he can use in a myriad of ways for both offense and defense. Though it’s just one move, it’s one of the strongest and most versatile attacks in the game, and a single smart Aegis use can easily turn the match to his favor.

In Arcade Edition, Birdie’s V-Trigger II (Birdie Time) grants him two new chain attacks. One hits high and is useful for extending combos, and the other hits low and drags the opponent in. Both of these can interact with Birdie’s V-Skill, allowing him to knock the soda can and banana peel that he drops around the screen. This is a trade-off with his V-Trigger I (Enjoy Time), which powers him up all-around for a brief time.

Which should you use?

Which V-Trigger you’re going to use comes down to your individual character and how you like to play them. Some characters have one V-Trigger that’s blatantly superior to the other (like Chun-Li or Urien, who had the best V-Triggers in the game before Arcade Edition added a second option),. For others, it’s going to depend on your personal play style.

For example, Karin’s first V-Trigger (Guren-ken) is a fast and powerful strike for players who opt to focus on pressuring with her up-close offense and landing big combos. But her second V-Trigger (Guren Kyoho), which gives her the ability to grab her opponent’s attacks and counterattack for heavy damage, is for players who opt to poke from safety at medium range and annoy their opponents into playing into a counter.

It’s also possible that you’ll change your V-Trigger depending on the opponent you’re fighting. A close-range fighter may not want to get into the face of a grappler like Zangief or Abigail, and they may decide to change V-Trigger accordingly.