GGST/Gauges

Life Gauge

This gauge displays your remaining life. If the gauge is depleted, the round or match will end.

All characters have 420 life, but that doesn't mean each character can take the same amount of damage. Each character has a defense rating that scales the damage they take per hit, and as characters pass certain thresholds of their remaining life they take less damage per hit. See Guts and Defense Ratings to learn more.

Tension Gauge

Tension is a highly important resource in Guilty Gear. It's located at the bottom of the screen and directly affects what options a player has available at any time. Knowing the features and subtleties of the Tension Gauge system is a definite requirement for high-level play. The Tension Gauge starts every round empty, so don't be afraid to use it all each round if you can.

The Tension Gauge ranges from 0 to 10000 and is divided into two sections, each representing 50% (5000) Tension. The gauge displays one gear for each metered action you can take, for a maximum of two.

Gaining Tension

To increase the Tension Gauge, perform some type of offensive action. This includes attacking the opponent, or simply advancing towards them. As a general rule: the more aggressive the action against the opponent, the faster the Tension Gauge will fill up.

Moving towards the opponent slowly builds Tension. The rate of gaining Tension varies by character (see a character's Full Frame Data page for more details).
Clashes or being taunted by an opponent builds 10% Tension
Normal moves build Tension on hit or block
Special moves build Tension on start-up in addition to on hit or block
Hitting the opponent with a Gold Burst completely fills the Tension Gauge
Getting hit by an attack builds a small amount of Tension
Blocking builds a small amount of Tension, Instant Blocking doubles it (except against Guard Crushes)
Guard Crushes build Tension identically to other attacks of the same Attack Level

Block and Hit Values
Level	On-Block Tension	On-Hit Tension
Lv.0	150	300
Lv.1	200	400
Lv.2	250	500
Lv.3	300	600
Lv.4	350	700
Notes: Tension Gain when blocked by an airborne opponent uses On-Hit values. Tension Gain is halved for jumping normals (air specials are unaffected). Tension Gain is increased by 50% on Counter Hit.

Spending Tension

Once you have Tension to spend, there are a myriad of options available, whether it be spending large amounts on a powerful resource or small amounts on augmenting your defense. Be warned however, that playing too passively can result in you losing it all.

Roman Cancels cost 50% Tension
- Canceling the Roman Cancel costs 36~48% Tension
Overdrives cost 50% Tension
Faultless Defense consumes Tension on use and on block
Going into Negative Penalty will remove all of your Tension

Faultless Defense Gauge Consumption
Level	Gauge Consumption (Strikes)	Gauge Consumption (Projectiles)
Lv.0	250	62
Lv.1	300	75
Lv.2	350	87
Lv.3	400	100
Lv.4	450	112

Tension Gauge maximum value is 10000.
Holding ground Faultless Defense takes 400 frames to empty the gauge from max, air Faultless Defense takes 200 frames.
- (Holding Faultless Defense in the air consumes twice as much Tension as holding Faultless Defense on the ground.)
During Instant Faultless Defense, Tension is reduced by the normal amount for Faultless Defense and then increased by the bonus amount for Instant Block.

Tension Balance

Tension Balance is a modifier used to determine the final Tension Gain modifier - the more offensive actions you take, the more Tension you will gain. Aside from simply attacking and advancing towards the opponent, performing Homing Jump combos, Overdrives or successfully performing Instant Blocks greatly increase your Tension Balance. Conversely, retreating from the opponent at a distance without attacking will decrease Tension Balance, and by extension, the Tension you will gain. For example, Sol will lose approximately 1100 Tension Balance when backdashing next to the opponent, and approximately 2000 Tension Balance when backdashing at mid range from the opponent.

Tension Gain Modifier
Tension Balance	Tension Gain
< -20000	50%
≥ -20000	70%
≥ -15000	80%
≥ -10000	90%
≥ -5000	100%
≥ 5000	110%
≥ 10000	120%
≥ 15000	130%
≥ 20000	150%
25000	Positive Bonus

Tension Balance Gain Attack Values
Level	On-Block	On-Hit	On Blocked
Lv.0	15	40	10
Lv.1	35	90	20
Lv.2	55	140	30
Lv.3	80	200	40
Lv.4	100	250	50
Notes: Tension Balance Gain is doubled on Counter Hit.

Tension Balance minimum value is -25000 and maximum value is 25000.
Positive Bonus is only received upon performing an action such as landing an attack or clashing, and won't passively occur from movement alone.
Positive Bonus keeps Tension Balance at 25000 for the entire duration regardless of player action.
Once Positive Bonus ends, Tension Balance is reset to 12500.
After receiving a Negative Penalty, Tension Balance is reset to 0.
Overdrives immediately grant 5000 Tension Balance on activation.
Roman Cancels, whiffed attacks, and getting hit does not change Tension Balance.
Instant Blocking grants an additional 1000 Tension Balance on top of the amount gained from normally blocking the attack.
The farther away from your opponent, the faster your Tension Balance naturally decreases.
Tension Balance will automatically decrease and eventually reset back to 0 if standing still and not pressing any attacks regardless of current Tension Balance.

Full details on how actions modify Tension Balance are currently unknown, but it is believed to function similarly to previous titles. See the Xrd section for details.

Tension Gain Penalty

After using any Roman Cancel or Overdrive, the amount of Tension any action builds is reduced by 90%. The duration of the penalty varies based on what is used, and begins once the move has fully recovered or is interrupted. Using another penalty-causing action during penalty will have no effect unless its duration is longer than the current remaining duration.

Tension Gain Penalty
Move	Tension Gain Penalty Duration
Blue Roman Cancel	120F (2 seconds)
Purple Roman Cancel	240F (4 seconds)
Red Roman Cancel	240F (4 seconds)
Yellow Roman Cancel	480F (8 seconds)
Overdrive (Standard)	180F (3 seconds)
Overdrive (Extended ※)	460F (7 2⁄3 seconds)
Negative Penalty	600F (10 seconds)
Note: If you cancel the Roman Cancel, the duration is reduced by half.

※ Most Overdrives use a standard 180F duration, but a few exceptions exist that use a much larger 460F duration, including:

Potemkin's Giganter KaiGuard:
AllStartup:
10+1Recovery:
17Advantage:
+100
Zato-1's Sun VoidGuard:
AllStartup:
11+14Recovery:
Advantage:
Jack-O's Cheer Servant OnGuard:
-Startup:
3Recovery:
12Advantage:
See Notes
Happy Chaos' Super FocusGuard:
-Startup:
5Recovery:
6Advantage:
-
Testament's NostroviaGuard:
AllStartup:
11+19Recovery:
Total 53Advantage:
+63

While almost all moves only begin Tension Gain Penalty from after recovery, Sol Badguy's Heavy Mob CemeteryGuard:
Ground Throw: 150Startup:
13+7Recovery:
49Advantage:
is unique and begins it immediately after super freeze, giving it a functionally much lower duration.

Tension Gain Distance Modifier

A general Tension Gain modifier can take effect depending on distance from the opponent, stacking multiplicatively with other Tension Gain modifiers.

Outside of round start range (≥504 distance) and until 3/4 screen away, the amount of Tension characters build is reduced to 80%.
At 3/4 screen away (≥1009 distance) or further, the amount of Tension characters build is reduced to 60%.

Tension Gain R.I.S.C. Modifier

A general Tension Gain modifier takes effect depending on one's current R.I.S.C. Level, stacking multiplicatively with other Tension Gain modifiers.

R.I.S.C. Level Modifier
R.I.S.C. Level	Tension Gain Increase
0% or less	0%
1% to 50%	+20%
51% to 74%	+50%
76% or more	+100%

Burst Gauge

Top: Half-Full Burst Gauge
Bottom: Full Burst Gauge

This gauge shows whether or not you have a Psych Burst available, and if not, how close you are to getting it back.

While at first glance, Psych Burst may simply look like a "combo breaker", there is actually much more to it. There are two different types of Bursts: Blue and Gold. Both have different effects, and understanding how each can be used is crucial to high-level play.

To perform a Psych Burst, press plus any other attack button with a full Burst Gauge. The Burst will blue or gold depending on what the character's current state. The differences between each are described below.

Psych Burst Frame Data
Version	Damage	GuardHow this attack can be blocked.	StartupThe number of frames between inputting an attack and when the attack becomes active. Includes first active frame.	ActiveThe number of frames for which a move has hitboxes. Occurs after Startup.	RecoveryThe number of frames after a move's active frames during which the character cannot act assuming the move is not canceled.	On-BlockThe difference between the attacker's recovery and the period that the opponent is in blockstun. This Frame Advantage value is based off the fact that the very first active frame touches the opponent.	Invuln
Gold Burst	0	All	18	6	22+9 after landing	-10	1~45F Full	+29
Blue Burst	0	All	14	6	33+9 after landing	-30	1~27F Full	+11

R.I.S.C. Level resets on activation.
Psych Bursts become airborne on frame 1.
Gold Burst has an Attack Level of 2, Blue Burst has an Attack Level of 1.
Blue Burst has 6 frames of hitstop.
Recovery, On-Block and On-Hit values listed are while initially grounded.
- If activated while airborne, recovery is until landing + 9 frames after landing.
- If activated while airborne, Gold Burst is fully invincible until landing.

The Burst Gauge starts the match 100% filled and it is carried over between rounds; if you use your Burst at the end of one round, you will be waiting a while before you can use it again. Using a Burst will deplete 2/3 of the Burst Gauge, however, if you perform a Blue Burst and it fails to hit, the entire gauge will be depleted.

Building Burst

The Burst Gauge is 15000 units. There are two ways for the Burst Gauge to increase: over time, and when taking damage.

Passive Burst Gain

The less life a character has, the faster their Burst Gauge builds.

100%~51% life = 60 Burst units gained every 60 frames
50%~26% life = 120 Burst units gained every 60 frames
25% life or less = 180 Burst units gained every 60 frames

Burst Gain on Hit

The amount of Burst Gauge gained by getting hit is proportional to the base damage of the attack, increasing by 5% per hit in the combo. The full formula is given below:

(50 + Damage × 5) × (1 + (Hit Count - 1) × 0.05)

Some attacks deal additional scaling when used as the first move in the combo. Subsequent hits in the same combo will have an increased hit count value for Burst Gain calculation.

Universal examples include:

: Hit Count +1
: Hit Count +1
Throw: Hit Count +4

R.I.S.C. Level Gauge

This gauge shows your current R.I.S.C Gain, which builds as you block the opponent's attacks and depletes as you get hit. As long as the gauge isn't empty, you will continue to take unscaled damage from attacks, even in a combo. When the gauge is full, you also run the risk of taking a powerful R.I.S.C. Counter Hit. See here to learn more.

Positive Bonus

By breaking the wall or maxing out Tension Balance, you enter Positive Bonus state, during which "POSITIVE" will appear in the corner of the screen next to your character's portrait, denoting Positive Bonus, and the player will have the following buffs for 10 seconds (600 frames):

Automatically gain Tension over time, at 4.2% Tension per second
- Increases even during move hitstop
Tension Gain Rate increased by 50%
Tension Gain Penalty duration decreased by 90%
Damage for all attacks increased by 10%
Damage taken from all attacks decreased by 10%

Needless to say, this is an extremely powerful state, allowing the player to build a huge amount of Tension and spend it all without fear of Tension Gain penalties. This creates situations where you can conceivably pressure the opponent and then continually Roman Cancel or Overdrive to extend that pressure, or open the opponent up and still have Tension to spare on converting the hit into a full combo. Even if you are put on defense, the enormous Tension Gain and reduced damage taken makes it much easier to escape pressure and avoid being defeated.

Negative Penalty

By continually performing actions that lower your Tension Balance, you enter Negative Penalty state.

If a player consistently attempts to walk back, backdash, or air dash backward at range from the opponent (or sits in one place and does nothing), "DANGER" will appear in the corner of the screen next to your character's portrait. If the player still keeps avoiding all types of contact, "NEGATIVE" will appear, denoting Negative Penalty, and the player will lose all stored Tension and will have Tension Gain Penalty for 600 frames.

Keep-away or run-away tactics will not incur Negative Penalty if the player is actively using some form of offense. Even if it's passive, it's more than enough to not get penalized. For example, if an Axl player remains full screen and tries to keep the opponent away from him using long-range attacks, he will not get penalized.