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Find out how you can master Broly and Bardock in Dragon Ball FighterZ
Here's everything you need to master the new fighters set to drop in Dragon Ball FighterZ.
There's no denying the impact Dragon Ball FighterZ has had on fighting games, and from the very beginning, the frantic and colourful design caught the community's eye and begged to be played. While the already established cast of fighters has been picked apart, there are two new fighters on the horizon – Broly and Bardock.
It's hard to learn a new character in any game, so we've put in the work and compiled these short guides to boost your power levels when picking up these DLC characters.
Bardock maximises his power level
© Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
Get to grips with Broly
Broly is a big boy, in fact he might actually be the biggest boy. Towering above the rest of the Dragon Ball FighterZ cast, Broly takes great delight in tossing them about like forgotten toys. Unlike the rest of the cast, he has access to armoured normal and special attacks, and a series of command grabs, setting him apart from the other Saiyans and making him that bit more unique.
All aboard the pain train
Thanks to his intimidating size, Broly will easily overwhelm opponents with his moveset. Standing head and shoulders above everyone else has its benefits, like armoured normal and even more armoured special moves that can hit you from a range you're not prepared for. All of the attacks feed into the idea that Broly is an unstoppable machine, especially when he requests that you join him on the Lariat Express.
The Lariat Express is a direct armoured journey straight to the corner, with complimentary damage – that's to say that quarter circle forward and any attack button will blow through any projectile and normal attacks your opponent throws out. And if an armoured charge wasn't enough, Broly can activate his Powered Shell to deflect any incoming projectiles as he slowly ambles towards his foes.
Furthermore, Broly can even combo off of his Eraser Blow, a giant green projectile ball in the corner that allows him to continually press any opponent that stands in his way.
Green with envy
Complementing Broly's impressive normals are his glowing green supers, Eraser Cannon and Gigantic Meteor, both of which pack a devastating amount of damage. Not only is Eraser Canon a great level one, but instantly cancelling the startup into another fast super, like Adult Gohan's level one super, will allow the tagged in character to continue the combo and expand on the team's potential.
There's also an option to create a slow moving version of Gigantic Meteor, sacrificing the instant damage for a slow moving tiny green ball that will allow Broly to mix up his opponent, and net even more damage.
Broly uses his level 3 super attack
© Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
The smash and grab
In the right hands, Broly can be oppressive, and has some extremely versatile tech to capture players after switching out their main character with his Dragon Rush.
Even without a standard sliding knockdown, switching the standard attack with a hit brag that he follows his opponent to the ground with, or air Smash attack, Broly is still able to create situations that favour him greatly. Something as simple as switching sides with his opponent, through the use of his Gigantic Strike grab in the air, can create a massive advantage and turn the tide in his favour. Even in sticky situations, Broly will always be able to blow through single attacks with both his medium and heavy normals, thanks to his armour and ability to close down an opponent with sheer force.
Utilising Broly's armour and pressure will prove vital in his game plan, and force opponents to fear hitting buttons which, in turn, open up the possibilities to start using his grounded command grab: Giant Claw. There's so much to learn with Broly, but players willing to experiment with him on point will surely find a plethora of options at their disposal, and a safe means of applying pressure and damage through smart use of the Eraser Cannon.
School those young'uns with Bardock
If you're not sure who Bardock is, now's the time to speak up. As the father of Goku, Bardock boasts some extremely familiar hair, and packs a punch – just like everyone else in his bloodline. Unlike Goku and the rest of the later generations, Bardock has not quite mastered the Kamehameha and lacks a beam special. Without the aforementioned projectile stream, Bardock relies on singular ki blasts and those bulging biceps of his to get up close and personal.
Keep your friends close and your enemies within Rebellion Spear range
As Bardock, you'll aim to stick in close to your enemy and whittle them down with relentless offence. Moves like Rebellion Spear, a fast forward advancing attack that's safe when blocked, and his Raging Meteora, a flurry of punches that launch Bardock towards his enemy, can be extremely frustrating to keep out. As an added bonus, both medium and heavy Raging Meteor attacks will cause a sliding knockdown when performed on the ground, and can cause the same knockdown when used in the air after a Smash (the outcome of grounded heavy attacks).
Keep your opponents guessing
Outside of his special moves, Bardock also has a strong set of normal attacks to keep his opponent guessing. With access to a fast low-hitting light attack, and the ability to combo from his generic overhead (forward and medium attack) at certain ranges, you'll be able to pressure your opponent until they break – which plays nicely into the brawler archetype that Bardock is centred around.
Bardock charges up his powerful Ki blast
© Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
Keep mixing it up
It's clear that Bardock is built for damage and some serious mix ups, with moves like medium Rebellion Spear allowing him to crossover his opponent and attack while he falls to the ground. He also has the option to make all of his block strings safe by finishing them with his light Rebellion Spear, which only leaves him at a tiny disadvantage.
On top of some tricky shenanigans, Bardock also demands respect thanks to his fully invulnerable one bar super, Saiyan Spirit. With the help of an invincible super, Bardock can blow through an opponent's offence and turn the tide of battle in his favour, as well as having the luxury of tacking on additional damage to Saiyan Spirit by following it up with his Riot Javelin at the cost of one more meter. There's even some potential to combo after Bardock's Saiyan Spirit super, with the help of an assist like Vegeta.
When you start to compile all of Bardock's tools, you'll find that not only is he an exceptional point character by himself, but that he can be extremely tricky to block. The only caveat to his offense is that he lacks a slide, which is necessary to punish certain attacks, and a long ranged projectile beam as well as a lacklustre Ki Blast. All of these tiny weaknesses mean that he'll struggle at mid-long range without the help of a beam assist. To make up for this, you can easily pair him with the likes of Cell, Goku Black, Goku, or Vegeta to make sure he gets the most out of his toolset.
Now that you've got the tools and basic understanding of these new characters, it's time to hit the hyperbolic time chamber. Just don't forget to stick your head out from time to time, because there's still six more characters to come.
