P4AU/Gauges

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Normal and Shadow Type Characters

When picking a character at the character select screen, players can choose between Normal Type and Shadow Type versions of most characters. This is similar to the Groove System in Capcom vs. SNK 2.

  • Elizabeth, both versions of Sho, Adachi, Marie, Margaret, and Shadow Labrys do not have Shadow Types.
  • Labrys DOES have a Shadow Mode, so there is Shadow Type Labrys (with Ariadne) as well as Shadow Labrys (with Asterius) (which can be a bit confusing!).

Each version plays slightly differently and has access to unique mechanics:

Normal Type Shadow Type
Awakening Yes No
Life Normal Normal+2000
A+C+D Input Burst Shadow Frenzy
Auto Combo New Old
SP carries between rounds No Yes
Attack Damage 100% 80%
Awakening SP Skills only when Awakened any time
Instant Kill Yes No
  • New characters such as Yukari and Junpei have the same Auto Combo between Normal and Shadow Types.

The implications of these changes can drastically change how players approach these characters. For example, Normal characters instantly become more threatening once they reach Awakening because they gain access Awakening Supers as well as 50 SP to use them. Shadow characters must decide between conserving SP and unleash Shadow Frenzy at an opportune time or using their SP sooner for Awakening Supers, Guard Cancel Attacks, etc.

Consider each version carefully when selecting a character - you can't switch types until the match is over!

SP Gauge

The SP Gauge normally versus when in Awakening. Only applies to Normal Type characters!

The SP Gauge starts each round at 0 and has a max of 100. SP grows over the course of the match through attacking, defending, and other actions. If a character enters Awakening, then the max becomes 150, and the character gains an extra 50 SP for free.

For Normal Type characters, the SP gauge resets to 0 and Awakening is removed at the beginning of each round, so it is a good idea to use all available SP each round.

For Shadow Type characters, SP does carry over between rounds, so it may be beneficial to conserve SP at the end of one round so you can unleash it at the beginning of the next round.

Gaining SP

Gaining SP is pretty simple: do just about anything! Attacking, blocking, and even getting hit all give you SP. You can also completely fill your SP gauge by hitting the opponent with a Max Burst.

Shadow Type characters gain SP much faster compared to the normal counterparts and SP even carries between rounds!

The amount of SP gained per hit in a combo scales with the combo. The exact details about this scaling are currently undocumented.

Reduced SP Gain

After performing attacks that consume SP (such as Skill Boosts, One More! Cancels, Guard Cancel Attacks, and Instant Kills), the amount of SP you gain from standard actions will drop significantly for a limited amount of time (speculated to be 90% reduction for 180 frames), similar to systems found in BlazBlue and Guilty Gear.

Combos that are started during this time will suffer reduced SP gain throughout the entire combo, even if it lasts beyond the cooldown window.

First Attack

Getting the first hit in a round gives a bonus 10 SP to the attacker in addition to the normal SP gain of the attack. If both players trade for the first attack, then both players get the bonus!

Skill Boost

Narukami's SB Zio. Notice he flashes blue.

Skill boosts are similar to EX attacks in games like Street Fighter 4.
Skill boosts cost 25 SP and enhance a character's special attacks by giving it new properties such as increased damage, reduced recovery, new attack angles, or something entirely unique.

When performing a Skill Boost, the character will flash blue briefly and have a blue silhouette trailing him/her until the move ends, hits the opponent (if the special is a grab) or is interrupted.

SP Skill Attack

Narukami performing one of his supers. The characters are frozen in place briefly.

SP Skill Attacks (commonly known as super attacks) cost 50SP and are giant flashy attacks. They usually do lots of damage or have other interesting properties such as invincibility.

Normal Type characters have at least one super that is disabled until he/she enters Awakening, but Shadow Type characters do not suffer this restriction.


When performing a super, the characters will briefly freeze in place (commonly known as "Super Flash" or "Super Freeze"), the background will change and the character's portrait will appear in the background briefly.

You can also perform super cancels in order to create bigger combos.

Supers are great for use as combo enders thanks to a property called Minimum Damage.

SB SP Skill Attack

Similarly to Skill Boost specials, supers have powered up versions called SB SP Skills that cost 75 SP.

These enhanced versions typically gain enhanced properties like increased damage, the ability to inflict an Ailment, or the ability to combo afterward!

The character will flash blue during startup, just like with SB Skills.

Shadow Frenzy

P4AU ShadowFrenzy.png

Shadow Frenzy is a mechanic exclusive to Shadow Type characters that allows for fancy combos. Press A+C+D with 100 SP to activate Shadow Frenzy. The SP Gauge turns into a purple timer with 100 points and Shadow Frenzy ends when the time reaches 0. During Shadow Frenzy, you can:

  • Cancel any special or SB attack into any other special or SB attack
    • Each special/SB attack can only be used once per string
  • All normals are jump cancelable on hit and block
  • Perform attacks that cost SP at the cost of reducing the amount of time:
    • At neutral, the timer decreases by 1 point every 12 frames
    • Performing a SB Skill immediately reduces time by 6.5 points
    • Performing SP Skills and Awakening SP Skills immediately reduces time by 12.5 points
    • Performing One More Cancels, Guard Cancels, and Guard Cancel Evasive Actions immediately reduces time by 25 points

You can cancel into Shadow Frenzy off of most attacks, similar to One More Cancels, and can easily confirm most hits into damaging combos.

The startup when canceled into is very fast, but if performed at neutral the startup is slightly slower (unverified). The startup of both versions are fully invincible until the animation ends.

If the round ends while a character is in Shadow Frenzy, then half (rounded down) of his remaining Shadow Fury time is converted to SP at the start of the next round.

Guard Cancel Attack

P4Arena GuardCancelAttack.png

Press 6+A+B while blocking to perform an attack with guard point against all attacks and throws that blows the opponent away on hit. Guard Cancel attacks cost 50 SP and can help a player who is in a defensive position reverse the momentum of a match.

Combos that start with a Guard Cancel Attack can not kill the opponent regardless of how much damage they deal. The opponent will always survive with at least 1 health.

Guard Cancel Evasive Action

P4Arena GuardCancelRoll.png

Similar to Guard Cancel Attack, press 6+A+C while blocking to immediately cancel your attack into an Evasive Action. This also costs 50 SP and serves the same purpose - to escape the opponent's offense. Use it carefully, though, as you can be grabbed out of a Guard Cancel Evasive Action, just like with normal Evasive Actions.

One More! Cancel

It even works with projectiles!

One More! Cancels are analogous to Roman Cancels in Guilty Gear or Rapid Cancels in BlazBlue and cost 50 SP. Press A + B + C after your attack either hits or is blocked by the opponent to cancel the recovery of the attack and immediately return to a neutral state.
One More! Cancels can be used to extend combos, cancel the recovery of long attacks to make them safe from counter attack, or to reset block strings in order to continue attacking the opponent. Note that if you whiff an attack (an attack that does not touch the opponent at all), then you can not perform a One More! Cancel.

There are a few attacks that cannot be One More! Canceled at all, such as Bursts, Kanji's super command throw, and Furious Actions.

Instant Kill

P4Arena Yu MyriadTruths.png

Instant Kill attacks are aptly named: they instantly defeat your opponent! Press 222+C+D to perform your Instant Kill (Shadow Labrys instead uses 222+A+B). Each character's Instant Kill is unique and has very different properties, but most have lots of startup invincibility.
The character portrait will flash white when an Instant Kill is available. There are a few specific conditions that must be met in order to be able to perform an Instant Kill:

  • Must be match point for you (if you win the round, you win the entire match)
  • Must be able to use your Persona (no Mute or Persona Break)
  • consumes 100 SP

Visually, you will notice that the background is different compared to supers and most cause the HUD to disappear when they connect.

Persona Gauge

P4Arena PersonaGauge.png

The card shaped symbols below each character's life gauge represents each persona's life. A card is lost each time the character OR his persona is hit (including by zero damage attacks such as Bursts and escaped grabs) when the persona is visible.

Different characters have different amounts of cards; for example, Elizabeth has 6, Akihiko has 2, and Sho has none! Most characters have 4, like in the previous game.

Persona Break

P4Arena PersonaBreak.png


If all cards are lost, then the character enters Persona Break. While in Persona Break, attacks that use the Persona such as C and D attacks, some Specials and Supers, and Bursts are all disabled.

During Persona Break, the Persona Gauge will slowly refill over time. The more cards a character has, the more time they will be broken! The basic formula is:

seconds Persona Broken = # persona cards + 5

Some characters rely on their Persona to do the vast majority of their attacks like Yukiko, while other characters like Akihiko do not rely on it nearly as much. Sho cannot enter Persona Break, as he does not use a Persona at all!

# Cards Time P. Broken Characters
0 0F Sho
2 420F Akihiko, Ken
3 480F Chie, Kanji, Labrys, Yosuke
4 540F Aigis, Junpei, Minazuki, Mitsuru, Naoto, Rise, Yu, Yukari
5 600F Marie, Teddie, Yukiko
6 660F Elizabeth, Shadow Labrys
8 780F Margaret


Burst

A recovering Burst Gauge and a full Burst Gauge

Bursts are a special type of invincible attack available only to Normal characters that can be performed by pressing A+C+D and require a full Burst Gauge. When Bursts are unavailable, a black "B" will be shown instead. This "B" will slowly fill up over time and as you get hit. Once it's full, you can Burst again. The status of the Burst Gauge carries over between rounds, meaning if you burst at the end of a round, then next round you must wait until it refills to perform another Burst. Thus, Bursts are a precious resource and the risks of using one must be considered carefully, or else you may not have it when you need it next round!

An empty Burst Gauge takes 90 seconds to refill if you don't do anything. It is very unlikely that you will have to wait that long, as the following help refill it:

  • Hitting the opponent with your Auto Combo. The last normal (typically 5AAA) refills approximately 1/8th if your Burst Gauge.
  • Getting hit will raise the Burst Gauge slightly. It seems to be proportional to the damage taken/ number of hits received (unconfirmed).


Type Startup Total Time Invul (1F~) Frame Adv. P1 P2 SMP
Reversal Burst 16 68 28 -19 ?? ?? ??
Max Burst 14 35 21 +10 ?? ?? ??
One More Burst 14 35 21 +10 ?? -200 ??


Bursts in Persona 4 Arena have different properties depending on when a burst is performed.

Max Burst

Full SP if it hits! Refills Persona Cards too!

Pressing A+C+D while in a neutral state (meaning not attacking, blocking, or getting hit) will perform a Max Burst (also known as a Gold Burst). If the opponent is hit by an Max Burst, then the opponent is blown back and your SP and Persona Gauge will fill to max. The Burst gauge will also automatically start from 25% full instead of completely empty.

You can not combo into or from a Max Burst:

  • trying to hit an opponent in hitstun with a Max Burst will whiff. You can not combo into Max Burst.
  • you are invincible to all attacks after getting hit by a Max Burst until you recover. Thus it might be advantageous to simply lay on the ground until you naturally recover; however, this gives your opponent more time to set up an offensive, so you must weigh the risks/benefits of this tactic.


Defensive Burst

C-C-C-Combo Breaker!

Press A+C+D while blocking or getting hit to perform a Defensive Burst (commonly referred to as Blue/Green Burst) that blows the opponent away on hit and deals no damage. Defensive Bursts are used to interrupt your opponent's combo or pressure and allows you to prevent damage or reset the momentum of a match. Performing a Defensive Burst completely empties the Burst Gauge.

Defensive Bursts can be Disabled

Burst Gauge available versus disabled

There are times when Defensive Bursts are disabled, even if your Burst Gauge is full:

  • When being thrown
  • When being hit by a Super Attack or Instant Kill
  • When your Persona is disabled due to Persona Break or Mute
  • When being hit by certain attacks like Aigis' Megido Fire or Kanji's Bet Ya Can't Take This!

The Burst Gauge will be crossed out during these conditions.

One More! Burst

Make deadly combos or cancel your attack to make it safe.

Press A+C+D while performing an attack to immediately cancel your attack into a One More! Burst. One More! Bursts completely empty the Burst Gauge. Not all attacks can be canceled into a One More! Burst, for example Furious Actions and Narukami's Ziodyne can not be OMB'd.

One More Bursts have the following properties:

  • Launch the opponent into the air on hit, allowing for an easy combo.
  • Partially reverse damage scaling, meaning further hits in the combo will do more damage than they otherwise would.