The salt weekend begins tonight
Update: The open beta for Guilty Gear Strive is now available for all PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 players. Downloading requires approximately 11 GB of space on the PS4.
Mankind knew he couldn’t wait to try Guilty Gear Strive’s net comeback code, so instead of hiding it from the world, Arc System Works is about to open its doors to almost everyone who wants to play.
The open public beta for Guilty Gear Strive is scheduled to run in just a few hours, so we’ve compiled everything you need to know to get started before entering online games since the servers will be available for character guides and gameplay will flow.
First, it’s probably important to know when / where the beta will be available, so this test will only be available to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners.
The beta client can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store starting tonight, February 18, at 19:00 PT / 22:00 ET, and the servers are scheduled to run at the same time.
if you can’t find the beta version listed in the PS Store on consoles, you can add them to your library from the version of the market website and then download them from the library mentioned in your system of your choice.
It is not expected that there will be a period of maintenance downtime, but the servers unexpectedly went offline earlier on Thursday for those who went into action earlier and remained as such for about five hours.
This open beta test period is scheduled to last until Sunday, February 21, at 6:59 am PT where the application will likely be played without connecting to the server.
There are 13 playable characters, the vast majority of which will be available at launch – leaving only Anji Mito and the 15th unannounced participant.
ArcSys has released videos for each of them, which you can view by clicking on the following links: Giovanna, Nagoriyuki, Leo, Ramlethal, Zato-1, Millia, Ky Kiske, Potemkin, May, Sol, Axl, Chipp, and Faust.
They also made the overview of the systems below to present the different mechanics available in Strive, such as the modified / improved Roman Cancel ability.
Newer / unfamiliar Guilty Gear players may also want to check out some additional beginner’s guides, and fortunately, content creators like Rooflemonger and LordKnight have covered you there, as the in-game beta tutorial doesn’t learn too much about nothing.
Even veterans will have a lot to learn, as Strive is a very different beast on the field, where battles are much more grounded than regular flight combos and the elimination of most Gatling options. The damage production is also very high, so blocking, bursting and the correct use of the Roman Cancellation are more important than ever.
Unlike last year’s first beta, there are several ways to spend your time outside of online matches, including a robust workout mode and offline mode versus if you just want to take your computer or a friend on the couch.
Also, different from what we had to play before is that Strive now runs on the net return code instead of the delay, which fans were asking for from the initial revelation.
Professionals and others who have had the chance to play have already stated that it may be the smoothest online game they have ever experienced in a fighting game.
While these brilliant reviews are promising, we should keep in mind that these players generally invest in the best internet available and play on cable connections, so the general public may see a slightly different outcome.
Although there will be no connection filters present in the beta version, Strive actually displays the ping and return frames that happen in matches, with reports of games with 200 ms + still remaining playable. The higher the number, the worse the match.
Many also test intercontinental matches, joining the lobbies of other countries, so don’t be afraid to climb the Japanese tower to see how it holds you.
PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to play online, so anyone with Sony consoles and an internet connection can play Strive.
The almost universal lobby system returns, as does its unique ranking system, although standard matching search is also available. Some have reported that the feature is not working properly when the beta started, but hopefully it has been fixed for the main event.
Those who want to take part in the full action will have to wait about two months, as Guilty Gear Strive is scheduled to appear on PS4, PS5 and PC on April 9th.