2XKO is Riot Games’ first fighting game. You would think that they would go easy, but in fact, they launched a game with rich systems and complex mechanics. This is not a simple game by any means, and if this is your first fighting game, you might have a harsh time at first.
Learning combos, selecting the perfect character (called ‘champions’ here), and understanding all its general mechanics will take some time. But if you’re willing to spend the hours, you might find a really satisfying experience. Let us help with these friendly tips and tricks for beginners in 2XKO.
How To Pick A Character
Discovering what character you want to master can be one of the most beautiful things when you start a new fighting game. At the same time, it’s not an easy process, since there are usually many options to choose from and you might not have all the time to test them all as you’d like.
2XKO doesn’t have that many champions (just 12 for now), and you’ll likely be using two at all times. So, what should you keep in mind? First of all, if you have never played League of Legends or watched Arcane, give a good look at all the characters available. Do you like the specific style of anyone? When you see their moves, do you think they are cool-looking?
This is no joke; if you really want to learn how to play 2XKO, you’ll have to spend dozens of hours looking at the same characters. They better be to your liking, right?
Then, it’s all about playstyle. Someone might say that how difficult a character is would also be an important factor, but don’t worry about that now. If you really like them, you’ll put in the time to learn how to play them. It’s that simple.
You can try any character for free in Practice and Combo Trials.
Going back to playstyles, a short summary. If you like zoners/characters that throw projectiles and other stuff on the screen, try Jinx, Teemo, and Caitlyn (this one isn’t really a zoner, but follow me for now). Heavy characters that work best in short distances: Darius, Braum, and Blitzcrank. Illaoi is also heavy, but her tentacle makes her a bit more special.
For more melee champions but with more mobility options, Vi, Warwick, and Yasuo. Ekko is a wild card with his Afterimage ability, and Ahri has projectiles and good mobility, but isn’t as strong.
The good part is that you won’t have to learn different commands for your Supers, Ultimates, and Assist Tags — they all have the same buttons.
2XKO: Complete Champion Moveset Guide
Have all the unique and special moves of your characters in one place. Here you will find all the comands for the champions in 2XKO.
Should I Spend Real Money Buying Characters?
As with every free-to-play title from Riot Games, 2XKO lets you use real money to unlock characters. You start with only half of the roster unlocked, and you can spend a free Champion Token to unlock one instantly. For the other five, you have the chance to use microtransactions (KO Points) or learn in-game Credits.
A single Champion costs 10,000, which requires quite a bit of work. You have three Weekly Missions you can complete for 800 Credits each, and three Daily ones that give 250 each. You can also get around 500 Credits per character when you complete their Combo Trials for the first time, and the Tutorial section will give you some more Credits.
Online matches also give you some Credits: 25 if you win, 10 if you lose.
So… you’ll learn quite a few Credits if you put in the time, especially during the first hours of your journey. Then, you’ll have to rely on Missions and matches. If you want all the characters available right away, take your wallet and buy those KO Points. But if you’re patient, you’ll be able to unlock the full roster by only playing.
At the time of writing this, Caitlyn has an exclusive event that lets you unlock her without using money. Check our guide to learn more. This might be repeated with future champions as they release.
How To Choose A Fuse
Fuses are a universal mechanic in the game that you choose after selecting your champions on the character select screen. There are a handful to select from, and you might be confused about which ones you should use.
My advice for newcomers is this simple: start with Juggernaut. This one lets you play with only one champion. While you might think this is a disadvantage, you’ll get to learn one single character quickly, and you’ll get some buffs, like more Super Meter and other details.
If you really, really want to start playing with two characters, no matter what, then select Double Down. This is the easiest and most useful one of the bunch, and it lets you combine your Supers (or a Super and an Ultimate), which is really easy to do.
You need to unlock the Fuses Freestyle and 2X Assist in the Tutorial section.
Beware Of Combo Trials
Newcomers to fighting games might think that Combo Trials is where you should be spending your sweet time, learning what your character can do, and not moving forward until you complete every single trial. Wrong!
Combo Trials can be pretty hard for new players, and they also don’t really teach much unless you have a background in the genre or good intuition. They are not useless, mind you — they can give you a quick look at a character’s specific tools and combo theory. However, where you should spend more of your time is…
No Single-Player, So Practice
The dojo. The Lab. The good old Training Mode. I know it can be boring, but the reality is that the vast majority of players learn how to play with a good mix of online matches and Training Mode. Here you can spend as little as a few minutes to warm up your fingers, and as long as hours to discover routes with your characters and practice your execution.
I strongly believe spending time in this mode, like at least a few hours a week, will make wonders for your level and understanding of the game. Give it a try for a few weeks, and then see the results for yourself.
Here are a few settings I recommend to have just enough information on screen to know what you’re doing:
- Hitbox Display: On
- Hurtbox Display: Off
- Collision Display: Off
- Data Display: On
- Frame Meter: On
- Frame Meter For Assist Champion: On
- Frame Meter Properties: On
- Input History Display: On
The Essence Of Combos
What would be a game like 2XKO without combos, right? While they are arguably not the most important part (learning all the universal mechanics of the game is), if you want to deal good damage and use most of your characters, you’ll have to learn some.
Using specific sites and watching YouTube is the best for this, but way before that, you need to start easy. Some universal combo theory in the game: you can create combos with your different attack buttons as long as you go from weaker to stronger (which means from Light to Heavy). If you try to do them the other way around, it will never work.
For example, a general route is Light -> Medium -> Heavy. You can generally add a Special move, like Light -> Medium -> Heavy -> S1, and then end with a Super.
This rule also applies when you’re in the air, though your moves properties will change, and how long your rival is stunned will depend on a lot of things. For example, you could start on the ground with L -> M -> H -> crouching H (this is a launcher) -> Jump -> L -> M -> and a special move or a Super.
As a general tip what will enhance your combos, check out which of your character’s moves can hit off the ground, because it’s something you’ll use a lot in this game. Also, using a charged Heavy and using Dash to cancel is a strong mechanic.
Should I Use Pulse Combo?
Following the previous tip, the question arises: Should you use Pulse Combo? This is basically the name for auto-combos in 2XKO, and in certain ways, it can be useful for newcomers: by simply pressing Light, Medium, or Heavy multiple times, you’ll perform a specific combo, without having to worry about any other inputs. If you have a meter, you will even finish the combo with a Super or Ultimate.
This has some value when you’re just starting, because it lets you do some cool stuff without needing execution or much thought, and it gives you a broad idea of what your character can do.
Whether you use it or not, it’s up to you. I personally wouldn’t recommend it because this control scheme leaves out many options for your character, and when you are ready to change to the standard scheme, it might feel like you haven’t learn how to play — though you’ll have learned a lot of spacing and general mechanics, even if you don’t realize it.
Know Your Defense Mechanics
Being offensive is important, but sometimes knowing how to defend yourself is as important or even more. 2XKO features many defensive mechanics that you can use, and here’s a brief explanation of them:
|
Move |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
Block |
Simply input Back or Down Back as you get hit. Standing Block covers regular attacks, overheads, and air moves, but low attacks are only covered by Low Block. |
|
Tech Rolls |
If you have been knocked down, hold Back or Forward to roll to that side when you wake up. |
|
Get Up Attacks |
After a knockdown, hold S1 or S2 for a safe* counterattack. |
|
Break |
It uses all your Break gauge to create an explosion and throw your enemy away. Press S1 or S2 + Tag while getting hit to activate it. |
|
Anti-Air |
For when your enemy jumps at you. Each character has specific moves for this, but all of them can Anti-Air with crouching Heavy. |
|
Retreating Guard |
Block and then move backwards a short distance. You need to press Back + Dash after blocking an attack. (It doesn’t work with lows.) |
|
Push Assist |
Use your Assist to push your enemy further away while blocking. Beware that it counts as an Assist Action (it has a short cooldown). |
|
Parry |
You can avoid an attack if you parry right before it. If successful, it will leave your enemy exposed (unless you parry a projectile). However, keep in mind that it costs one bar of meter, and if you’re unsuccessful, you won’t restore the bar automatically. Parry has a macro assigned. |
*As long as the enemy doesn’t use it to their advantage.
Forget about parry until you have many hours in the game.
2XKO: Caitlyn Guide
Take aim and excel with one of the best characters in 2XKO with these tips and tricks.
