How to Play Link in Super Smash Bros Melee
Learn the basic moves., Learn strong and special attacks., Use Link's unique powers., Use your smash attack often., Strong attacks are still good when you don't have time for smashes. , Use quick attacks and the consecutive slashes to get cheap...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Learn the basic moves.
Analog Stick:
Move it lightly to walk or move it all the way to run.
Tap it hard to dash to one side.
Move lightly down to crouch or tap it quickly to drop through a floor (that has floor underneath it, of course).
Tap up to jump and tap up again to do a mid-air jump.
X and Y also allow you to jump as well.
Crouch:
That shield Link sports isn't purely for... well, sport.
It also is able to block ranged attacks from your opponents (i.e.
Sheik's needles or Samus' charge shot).
Crouching also severely reduces your knock-back from your opponents.
Since it is much harder to phase Link, crouching makes it aggravatingly difficult to remove him.
L and R buttons:
These are used to deploy your shield.
Many players forget how important using the shield is; it can save your life! Just don't let it run out (it shrinks), or you will be severely stunned.
L/R:+direction: (You use it to roll) Roll! For God's sake, if you get nothing else from this guide, roll! Rolling is an absolute must.
It is the key to victory and will save you from hundreds of points of damage.
Rolling will keep your enemies guessing as to when and where you will attack, and allows you to deal damage without taking damage.
Use rolling as often as possible! Z Button:
Grab.
Note that since you get a long range grab with the hook-shot, it will take a moment for the hook-shot to retract, so be careful.
While in the air, L (+ direction, it's optional):
Mid-air dodge.
Use this correctly to trick an enemy or survive a big blast (like Samus' charge shot) in mid-air.
A Button:
Quick attack.
It is the most basic attacks, use it to attack your foes.
Tap it quickly, multiple times for multiple quick stabs.
Good for getting an enemy off-balance for a moment.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick (left or right):
Smash Attack 1:
A slower but stronger swipe.
Use this often to send your enemies soaring! Smash Attack 2:
Using this effectively can damage foes extremely fast.
Press A again after using a smash attack to do a second smash attack.
Note that you can charge your smash attack and you can time your second slash to be more effective.
In multiplayer games, you can use the C-stick to do a quick smash attack in any direction, but note that you can only do a second smash if and only if you press the A button at the right time afterward, as if you were doing it with A-smash.
A Button+Analog Stick Up:
Quick upper swipe to knock enemies off balance.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Up:
A series of several strong swipes that you can link with other moves to score consecutive hits.
A Button+Analog Stick Down:
Use this to trip your enemy and get consecutive hits.
If you hit the ground, it'll take a second to take your sword out of the ground.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Down:
Use this to trip enemies on both sides of you, or to deal extra damage if you have the time.
While in air Tap A Button:
If you simply tap A, you'll do a light kick that tends to hit enemies even if they are in the middle of an attack.
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick:
This will swing your sword and spin you around, dealing considerable aerial damage.
Also good for attacking a grounded enemy from the air to knock them into the perfect position to use another attack.
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Down:
A very strong attack, quite capable of killing someone, you will plant your sword straight down and nail anyone you hit.
Hold it down and score up to three consecutive hits (note each hit will be weaker).
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Up:
Use this for enemies that are above you.
It does leave you slightly vulnerable. , B Button:
Bow:
Hold down B to use your bow.
Excellent for long range damage.
Be weary; enemy shields can deflected back the arrows at you, and in which case, you should use your shield also.
If you crouch, Link's Hylian shield may actually protect him.
B Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Left or Right:
Boomerang:
Use this with a direction and a smash attack to send it further.
Throw it at angles to keep your enemies guessing where it will hit as well as off-balance.
Since it is a boomerang it will come back but hurt the enemy and not you.
B Button+Analog Stick Up:
Spin attack.
Extremely effective move.
Excellent for getting back on the stage (if you're falling), as well as knocking enemies away, ground or air.
Use it when you have enemies on both sides of you.
Extremely effective when many enemies are around.
B Button+Analog Stick Down:
Take out a bomb.
You can do a bunch of things with these, even if they aren't very powerful.
You can keep enemies off-balance (allowing you to go in for an attack), you can disarm motion sensors and Bomb-ombs, and create a little chaos.
You can press B+down to throw it or tap A+Tap Analog left or right, or press Z.
A Button+Dash:
While running, press A to do a rushing swipe.
This will knock enemies off their feet allowing time for another attack. , There are only a few, but they work very well.
Blocking Projectiles:
Normally when playing Smash Bros., you would use the R button to create a colored circular shield that slowly disappears.
However, when playing as Link, it's best not to.
Instead, do absolutely nothing.
Link himself is holding on to a shield, which is nothing like the one summoned by the R button.
It is able to block most projectiles.
The advantage of it is that it cannot disappear or be broken by extremely powerful attacks.
Bomb Jumping:
During your recovery, pull out a bomb with Down+B.
Just before you use your third jump, throw it upwards.
Then, Up+B into the bomb.
When it hits you, you can use your third jump again. , Try to get a few in a row and time your second hit so that you land both.
The second slash sends enemies further. -
Step 2: Learn strong and special attacks.
,, One easy one is the rush attack + spin attack (rush in, he gets knocked off his feet, then use spin attack to deal more damage/send them flying). ,, -
Step 3: Use Link's unique powers.
-
Step 4: Use your smash attack often.
-
Step 5: Strong attacks are still good when you don't have time for smashes.
-
Step 6: Use quick attacks and the consecutive slashes to get cheap damage.
-
Step 7: Find combos that work for you.
-
Step 8: Keep enemies on one side of you.
-
Step 9: If there are 2-3 enemies at once attacking you then use down B to draw a bomb and throw it at them with A.
Detailed Guide
Analog Stick:
Move it lightly to walk or move it all the way to run.
Tap it hard to dash to one side.
Move lightly down to crouch or tap it quickly to drop through a floor (that has floor underneath it, of course).
Tap up to jump and tap up again to do a mid-air jump.
X and Y also allow you to jump as well.
Crouch:
That shield Link sports isn't purely for... well, sport.
It also is able to block ranged attacks from your opponents (i.e.
Sheik's needles or Samus' charge shot).
Crouching also severely reduces your knock-back from your opponents.
Since it is much harder to phase Link, crouching makes it aggravatingly difficult to remove him.
L and R buttons:
These are used to deploy your shield.
Many players forget how important using the shield is; it can save your life! Just don't let it run out (it shrinks), or you will be severely stunned.
L/R:+direction: (You use it to roll) Roll! For God's sake, if you get nothing else from this guide, roll! Rolling is an absolute must.
It is the key to victory and will save you from hundreds of points of damage.
Rolling will keep your enemies guessing as to when and where you will attack, and allows you to deal damage without taking damage.
Use rolling as often as possible! Z Button:
Grab.
Note that since you get a long range grab with the hook-shot, it will take a moment for the hook-shot to retract, so be careful.
While in the air, L (+ direction, it's optional):
Mid-air dodge.
Use this correctly to trick an enemy or survive a big blast (like Samus' charge shot) in mid-air.
A Button:
Quick attack.
It is the most basic attacks, use it to attack your foes.
Tap it quickly, multiple times for multiple quick stabs.
Good for getting an enemy off-balance for a moment.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick (left or right):
Smash Attack 1:
A slower but stronger swipe.
Use this often to send your enemies soaring! Smash Attack 2:
Using this effectively can damage foes extremely fast.
Press A again after using a smash attack to do a second smash attack.
Note that you can charge your smash attack and you can time your second slash to be more effective.
In multiplayer games, you can use the C-stick to do a quick smash attack in any direction, but note that you can only do a second smash if and only if you press the A button at the right time afterward, as if you were doing it with A-smash.
A Button+Analog Stick Up:
Quick upper swipe to knock enemies off balance.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Up:
A series of several strong swipes that you can link with other moves to score consecutive hits.
A Button+Analog Stick Down:
Use this to trip your enemy and get consecutive hits.
If you hit the ground, it'll take a second to take your sword out of the ground.
A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Down:
Use this to trip enemies on both sides of you, or to deal extra damage if you have the time.
While in air Tap A Button:
If you simply tap A, you'll do a light kick that tends to hit enemies even if they are in the middle of an attack.
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick:
This will swing your sword and spin you around, dealing considerable aerial damage.
Also good for attacking a grounded enemy from the air to knock them into the perfect position to use another attack.
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Down:
A very strong attack, quite capable of killing someone, you will plant your sword straight down and nail anyone you hit.
Hold it down and score up to three consecutive hits (note each hit will be weaker).
While in air A Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Up:
Use this for enemies that are above you.
It does leave you slightly vulnerable. , B Button:
Bow:
Hold down B to use your bow.
Excellent for long range damage.
Be weary; enemy shields can deflected back the arrows at you, and in which case, you should use your shield also.
If you crouch, Link's Hylian shield may actually protect him.
B Button+Tapping of Analog Stick Left or Right:
Boomerang:
Use this with a direction and a smash attack to send it further.
Throw it at angles to keep your enemies guessing where it will hit as well as off-balance.
Since it is a boomerang it will come back but hurt the enemy and not you.
B Button+Analog Stick Up:
Spin attack.
Extremely effective move.
Excellent for getting back on the stage (if you're falling), as well as knocking enemies away, ground or air.
Use it when you have enemies on both sides of you.
Extremely effective when many enemies are around.
B Button+Analog Stick Down:
Take out a bomb.
You can do a bunch of things with these, even if they aren't very powerful.
You can keep enemies off-balance (allowing you to go in for an attack), you can disarm motion sensors and Bomb-ombs, and create a little chaos.
You can press B+down to throw it or tap A+Tap Analog left or right, or press Z.
A Button+Dash:
While running, press A to do a rushing swipe.
This will knock enemies off their feet allowing time for another attack. , There are only a few, but they work very well.
Blocking Projectiles:
Normally when playing Smash Bros., you would use the R button to create a colored circular shield that slowly disappears.
However, when playing as Link, it's best not to.
Instead, do absolutely nothing.
Link himself is holding on to a shield, which is nothing like the one summoned by the R button.
It is able to block most projectiles.
The advantage of it is that it cannot disappear or be broken by extremely powerful attacks.
Bomb Jumping:
During your recovery, pull out a bomb with Down+B.
Just before you use your third jump, throw it upwards.
Then, Up+B into the bomb.
When it hits you, you can use your third jump again. , Try to get a few in a row and time your second hit so that you land both.
The second slash sends enemies further.
,, One easy one is the rush attack + spin attack (rush in, he gets knocked off his feet, then use spin attack to deal more damage/send them flying). ,,
About the Author
Joshua Russell
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: