Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Complete Guide (17 Sections) | Ludo.guide

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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the definitive arcade-style brawler where Nintendo's iconic characters clash in chaotic, fun-filled battles. Developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and Sora, this 2014 release for the Wii U lets you jump into the fray with familiar faces, mastering controls and character archetypes to outlast your opponents. It’s a lighthearted yet deep fighting game perfect for playing with friends.

This guide dives deep into the game's mechanics, covering everything from basic controls to advanced techniques. We'll help you navigate Classic Mode, understand board mechanics, master item strategies, and track down all the collectible trophies scattered throughout the game. Get ready to dominate the competition on your Wii U.

Basic Controls

Walkthrough

1
Access Training Mode (found at Games & More → Training) to practice controls, adjust fighter damage, CPU behavior, and item settings. The 'Training' stage's grid background helps visualize attack reach and launch distance. Enable the Trajectory Guide in the Pause Menu for further assistance.
2
Watch the 'How to Play' movie (found at Vault → Movies → How to Play) to learn the fundamentals of controlling your fighter.
3
Consult the Tips section (found at Vault → Tips → Techniques) for additional techniques and terminology.
4
Moving on the ground: Quickly tilt the left stick left or right to run. Gently tilting results in a slower walk. To reverse direction while running, quickly press the opposite direction on the stick, but be aware of a short skid animation; negate this by releasing the stick briefly before pressing the opposite direction.
5
Moving in the air: Press X/Y or Up on the left stick to jump. A quick tap results in a small hop. Use the left stick to control jump direction or move left/right while falling. A greater tilt yields more momentum. Most fighters can perform a second jump in the air, allowing for directional changes. Running off a stage edge grants only one jump. You can jump off opponents' heads up to four times, with each subsequent jump being shorter. Pressing down while in the air causes you to fall faster. Since version 2.0.0, pressing two jump inputs (X and Y for GameCube controller, or A and X for Pro Controller) simultaneously results in a short hop; this trick does not work if jump is set to Up on the left stick.
6
Shielding: Press ZR (or R for GameCube controller) while on the ground to activate your shield and block damage. The shield shrinks with prolonged use or damage. A broken shield leaves you stunned and vulnerable to punishment. Opponents can grab you while you are shielding. Shields regenerate when not in use.
7
Rolling Dodge: While on the ground and shielding, tilt the left stick left or right to perform a rolling dodge in that direction.
8
Spot Dodge: While shielding, press down on the left stick to perform a spot dodge. This allows for a quicker counter-attack opportunity compared to other dodges.
9
Air Dodge: Press ZR (or R for GameCube controller) in the air to perform an air dodge. You are limited to one air dodge per aerial state; you can use it again after taking damage or landing.
10
Directional Air Dodge: Hold any direction while performing an air dodge to move in that direction. This aids positioning but leaves you more vulnerable after the dodge. Air dodges can be used for recovery back to the stage. Spamming dodges slows your fighter and reduces invincibility frames, increasing vulnerability.
11
Ground Smash Attacks: Press A and a direction on the left stick simultaneously to perform a Smash Attack. Holding A charges the attack, increasing damage and launch distance. The right stick can also be used for Smash Attacks if configured.
12
Ground Neutral Attack: Press A to perform a neutral attack. Many fighters can perform combos by tapping A, with the final hit often having the most launch power. These are effective for racking up damage at close range.
13
Ground Forward Tilt: Tilt the left stick in the direction your fighter is facing and press A to perform a Forward Tilt. These generally have better reach and more damage than neutral attacks but are slower.
14
Ground Down Tilt: Press the left stick down and then A to perform a low-hitting attack. Some fighters have unique effects, like King K. Rool burying opponents or Incineroar launching them for juggling.
15
Ground Up Tilt: Tilt up on the left stick and press A to perform an Up Tilt, which typically sends opponents upward, enabling combos with further Up Tilts or aerial attacks.
16
Tilt Attack Configuration: Tilt attacks can be assigned to the right stick/C-Stick via Smash → Controls → your name → your controller → the right stick/C-Stick (defaulted to Smash Attack) → Tilt Attack → Save. This helps prevent accidental Smash Attacks.
17
Dash Attack: While running, press A to perform a Dash Attack. The opponent is sent in your running direction, but missing can lead to punishment.
18
Grab: Press R (or Z for GameCube controller) to grab an opponent. Tapping the button adds small amounts of damage. Tilting the left stick in a direction performs a throw. If you delay the throw too long, the opponent can escape. You can grab opponents who are shielding. Missing a grab results in significant lag, allowing the opponent to counter.
19
Neutral Aerial: Press A in the air to perform a Neutral Aerial attack.

Tips

Practice movement and attack timings in Training Mode.
Experiment with different jump heights and air dodges for recovery.
Be mindful of shield break vulnerability.
Use directional air dodges for strategic positioning.
Avoid spamming dodges to maintain effectiveness.
Charge Smash Attacks for maximum impact.
Learn your fighter's specific tilt attack properties.
Use grabs to punish shielding opponents.
Master aerial attacks for combos and edge guarding.

Spirit Board

To access the Spirit Board, navigate to Spirits → Spirit Board (Target List). The Spirit Board presents a list of bounty targets, which are spirits trapped within puppet fighters. Defeating the fighter gives you a chance to free and obtain the spirit. As of Ver. 4.0.0, there are 951 spirits to battle, though some require summoning, beating a challenge, or finding them in Adventure mode first. The symbol in the top left corner of a spirit's artwork indicates its class: a hexagon for Support Spirits and a larger circle for Primary Spirits. The color of the symbol denotes the spirit's type, which affects strengths and weaknesses. Grab Type (Green) beats Shield Type (Blue), Shield Type (Blue) beats Attack Type (Red), and Attack Type (Red) beats Grab Type (Green). Purple signifies the Neutral type, which has no strengths or weaknesses. Only your primary spirit determines your team's type.

Each spirit on the Target List has a timer counting down, indicating how long you have to battle it before a new spirit appears. Even if you defeat a spirit, you must wait for the timer to expire before a new one replaces it.

Unlocking more targets in the Target List:

Initially, you can choose from 6 spirits. Four padlocks on the edges of the board can be unlocked to increase the maximum number of targets to 10. To unlock more targets, you must meet specific conditions:

Battling spirits will eventually unlock 3 more targets: Win or lose against 5 spirits, 15 spirits, and 30 spirits. Claiming the 'Ice Climbers' Challenge (Seek out a bounty target 30 times) also rewards an additional target. These battles do not need to be against unique spirits.
Beat the 'Link' Challenge (Win against a Legend class spirit) for one extra target. A Legend class spirit has a 4-star ranking.

From Ver. 3.0.0, these steps can also be completed within 'DLC (downloadable content — extra missions or items released after launch) Spirits'.

Board Items:

In the Target List, clicking 'Board Items' (top right corner) reveals 5 items that affect the spirits on the list. Faded icons indicate you don't have the item or cannot use it. The items are:

Shuffle All: Reshuffles all spirits.
All Primaries: Reshuffles all spirits to primaries.
All Supports: Reshuffles all spirits to supports.
Filler: Immediately fills all open spaces.
Rematch: Restores a spirit that disappeared from the Spirit Board. You can rematch spirits you've defeated and collected, or those that left because you lost too many times. You cannot rematch a spirit whose timer has expired and has been replaced.

Board items can be obtained from the Vault Shop (Gold), shopping (SP), challenges, as rewards for clearing Classic Mode, or by defeating spirits on the Spirit Board (indicated by an orange icon). Activities are a passive way to acquire them. Explore activities, unlocked by playing Adventure and defeating the master running them, can yield Support Items. Charlie, found in Mushroom Valley, takes 6 hours to find items. Using board items 10 times gets the 'Sonic' challenge panel, worth the effort 3 'All Supports' items.

Fight Screen:

The fight screen displays conditions and the stage in the bottom left corner, which vary depending on the spirit you are fighting.

Tips

Understand spirit types (Green > Blue > Red > Green, Purple is Neutral) to gain a significant advantage in battles.
Keep an eye on the timer for each spirit; they will eventually be replaced.
Unlock additional targets by consistently battling spirits and completing specific challenges like defeating a Legend class spirit.
Board items can significantly alter the Spirit Board, allowing you to refresh targets or focus on specific spirit types.
Rematch items are useful for re-challenging spirits you've previously encountered, whether you won or lost.

Obtaining spirits by defeating them on the Spirit Board.

Summon

Summoning spirits in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U allows you to obtain new spirits by combining existing spirits, cores, and SP (Spirit Points). You can access this feature by navigating to Spirits → Collection → Summon.

On the summon screen, you'll see a list of spirits available for summoning. To view more spirits, you need to possess at least one of the required cores or spirits for their summon. Clicking on a spirit will display its specific requirements. Next to the spirit's name, you'll see 'Owned:' counters indicating how many of the required spirits and cores you currently possess. The larger circle below the spirit's name shows the total number needed. You can click this circle to select specific cores or spirits if you have multiple options or if the requirement is general (e.g., 'Any Neutral Type'). The 'Autofill' option will automatically select the necessary cores and spirits from your collection, prioritizing cores over spirits. The game prevents you from sacrificing favorite spirits. You don't need to dismiss spirits beforehand, as the required ones are dismissed as a group during the summon, and you'll still receive bonus SP.

If a spirit appears as a silhouette, it means you only have some of the requirements. Clicking the silhouette will reveal the missing components. A '!' next to 'Owned:' indicates a required spirit that you still need to find; consult the Spirit List for locations. If a spirit has visible artwork but the name is '???', you can add it to your collection by summoning. A visible name with a green tick in the top right corner means you already own that spirit, but you can summon another copy. If the spirit's artwork appears faded with a green tick, you own the spirit but lack the requirements to summon another.

If you've sold cores for SP, rest assured that you cannot sell a core needed for an un-summoned spirit. There are two milestones related to summoning: 'Summoned a spirit for the first time!' and 'Summoned a Legend spirit for the first time!'. Additionally, the Mewtwo [Spirits] challenge (Obtain a Legend class by using Summon) rewards you with 5 Snack (L). A Legend class spirit has a rank of ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Most summonable spirits are initially obtained only through summoning, though some can be found in Adventure Mode. Once summoned, these spirits may appear in the Spirit Board or Vault Shop. The list below details all summonable spirits, their unlock methods, and requirements. There are a total of 133 spirits that can be summoned.

No.	Rank	Name	Series	Class	Type	Unlock	Cost / Slot	Max Stats (Lv. 99)	Skill / Trait	Effect
24	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Gold Mario	Super Mario Series	Supports	-	Summon (Metal Mario + Super Mushroom + Fire Flower + 2,600 SP)	⎔⎔⎔	-	Super Armor	Makes it more difficult to flinch or be launched.
28	⭐⭐⭐	Cat Princess Peach	Super Mario Series	Primaries	Shield	Summon (Rover + Baby Peach + 1,200 SP)	⎔⎔⎔	Power: 9346 Attack: 4853 Defense: 4134	Weight ↓	Become faster, but also easier to launch.
45	⭐⭐⭐	Birdo	Super Mario Series	Primaries	Grab	Summon (T-Rex + Starly + 1,600 SP)	⎔⎔	Power: 8516 Attack: 3917 Defense: 4599	None	None
52	⭐⭐	Thwomp	Super Mario Series	Supports	-	Summon (Rock Pikmin + Rocky + 1,200 SP)	⎔⎔	-	Weapon Resist ↑	Decreases damage taken from melee weapons like swords and whips.
64	⭐⭐	Nabbit	Super Mario Series	Supports	-	Summon (Duster + Any Support + 1,300 SP)	⎔	-	Item Gravitation	Draws nearby items closer.
66	⭐⭐	King Bob-omb	Super Mario Series	Primaries	Attack	Summon (Shake King + Bob-omb + 1,000 SP) then Spirit Board	⎔	Power: 7248 Attack: 3590 Defense: 3248	Strong Throw	Slightly increases the power of grabbing and throwing attacks.
70	⭐⭐⭐	Shadow Mario	Super Mario Series	Primaries	Neutral	Summon (Vince + Eddy + Any Neutral Type + 1,700 SP) then Spirit Board	⎔⎔⎔	Power: 8007 Attack: 4444 Defense: 3563	None	None
76	⭐⭐	Sprixie Princesses	Super Mario Series	Supports	-	Summon (Wanda + Princess Shokora + 1,200 SP)	⎔	-	Fairy Bottle Equipped	Start battles with a Fairy Bottle. Heal when at least 100% damage is taken.
78	⭐⭐	Cappy	Super Mario Series	Supports	-	Summon (Ezlo + Boo Mario + 1,000 SP) then Spirit Board	⎔	-	Strong Throw	Slightly increases the power of grabbing and throwing attacks.
93	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Master Cycle	Mario Kart Series	Primaries	Grab	Summon (Mach Rider + City Tripper + Excitebike + Any Attack Type + 2,500 SP)	⎔⎔	Power: 10,440 Attack: 5471 Defense: 4568	Speed ↑	Slightly increases run speed.
94	⭐⭐⭐	Paper Mario	Paper Mario Series	Primaries	Neutral	Summon (Cut Man + Cardboard Box + Any Neutral Type + 1,700 SP)	⎔⎔⎔	Power: 9724 Attack: 5042 Defense: 3962	Water Weakness	Increases the damage taken from water attacks.
99	⭐⭐⭐	Shadow Queen	Paper Mario Series	Primaries	Attack	Summon (Vivian + Gengar + 1,600 SP)	⎔⎔	Power: 9359 Attack: 5475 Defense: 3884	None	None
103	⭐⭐	Mallow	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	Supports	-	Adventure Mode / Summon (Prince Peasley + Kracko + 1,000 SP)	⎔	-	Trade-Off Attacks ↑	Start battles with 30% damage and higher att

The Basics

Adventure mode is a single-player story where Kirby must save the universe from a threat that has captured other fighters and is using their spirits to create puppet fighters. Spirits can be rescued by defeating their puppet fighters, and awakened fighters can be used instead of Kirby. Rescued spirits can aid you in battle or help overcome obstacles on the map.

Adventure mode can be accessed via: Spirits → Adventure.

This section provides an overview of navigating Adventure mode. For a detailed walkthrough, refer to the Maps & Guide section.

File Select

Managing Save Files

You can maintain three Adventure save files. Any spirit collected is shared across your main save file. To delete an Adventure save file, select it, hold L+R for three seconds, choose 'Yes', and confirm by selecting 'I'M SURE!'

Difficulty

Upon selecting a new save file, you can choose between Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties. This choice affects opponent difficulty and the amount of rewards you receive.

Spirits

Spirits appear on the map as glowing, burning orbs. Approaching a spirit reveals its identity and class (Hexagon for Support Spirit, Triangle for Primary Spirit). The top right corner shows the puppet fighter you will battle and their type, while the top left displays the spirit's rating. These symbols are further explained in the Fight Screen section.

Defeating the puppet fighter adds the spirit to your collection and grants rewards like Gold, SP, and Skill Spheres. These spaces cannot be replayed for farming, but spirits can be re-obtained by starting new Adventure save files. Some spirits are found in treasure chests, initially unlockable only this way, and will later appear on the Spirit Board. These do not count towards file completion or cleared spaces.

Fight Screen

Selecting a space leads to the fight screen, which is similar to the Spirit Board.

Conditions / Stage

The bottom left corner lists battle conditions and the stage. Conditions vary based on the spirit, ranging from opponent item effects to stage hazards like poisonous clouds.

Opponents Type & Strength

The top right corner displays the opponent's face and type. Flashing upward arrows indicate a type advantage against you, while downward arrows signify a disadvantage. The numbers represent the opponent's strength, correlating with their star rank in the top left. Higher numbers and star ranks indicate stronger opponents.

The opponent's color denotes their type, which determines strengths and weaknesses. Creating a spirit team with a type advantage significantly aids in battle.

Type Colors & Relationships

Green (Grab Type) beats Blue (Shield Type).
Blue (Shield Type) beats Red (Attack Type).
Red (Attack Type) beats Green (Grab Type).
Purple (Neutral Type) has no strengths or weaknesses.

Your primary spirit determines your team's type. When battling with a support spirit, the opponent retains their type.

Party

This section shows your selected fighter, your team's type, and strength. Upward arrows indicate a type advantage, while downward arrows show a disadvantage.

You can switch your fighter (initially only Kirby is available) by clicking this option. Clicking 'Spirits' (or pressing up) allows you to change primary and support spirits, select saved teams, or create a new team. If a support spirit has a skill that counters a stage hazard (e.g., Poison Cloud), a small tick appears on its artwork. You can filter for these skills by pressing R and selecting the desired hazard skill.

Maps / Portals

The map can be accessed by pressing L on the overworld but not in subworlds (areas accessed via portals). Portals are blue circles with a white swirl. A star next to a portal indicates that its associated boss, fighters, and spirits have been saved. Most of the map is initially covered in mist; maps in the Maps & Guide section have this mist removed for easier navigation.

Skill Tree

Exchange Skill Spheres for Adventure Skills to enhance your fighting capabilities and improve activities like the Gym. Skill Spheres are awarded for clearing spaces and sometimes sold in shops.