Guilty Gear Strive Season 3: New mechanics, moves & character revealed

Guilty Gear Strive Season 3 has just been unveiled, and it could be the game’s biggest shake-up since its original release. The fighter will introduce several new mechanics, expand movesets, and introduce new characters and stages.

Arc System Works took to the stage at Evo 2023 ahead of the Guilty Gear Strive Finals to give players a glimpse at the future of the popular anime fighter.

Two trailers debuted, with one showing off battle changes for many members of the 15-character roster, in addition to several new mechanics which could fundamentally change the way the game is played.

In addition to this, we also got a glimpse at new moves for each character. Shortly afterward, a second trailer played, revealing a beloved fan-favorite character who will finally be landing in Season 3.

Johnny returns for Guilty Gear Strive Season 3

Swashbuckling sky pirate Johnny is finally making an appearance in Guilty Gear Strive Season 3. A gorgeous-looking trailer shown off at Evo 2023 showcases Johnny’s rapid moveset and signature speedy sword. He is the first character revealed for Guilty Gear Strive Season Pass 3, with one more to be released later in 2023, and two more coming in 2024.

Additionally, players can expect Season 3 to introduce two new stages, as well as additional colors for each new character, and two new colors for every previously-released character, to boot.

Players will be able to go hands-on with Johnny when Season 3 lands on August 24, 2023.

New mechanics & moves coming to Guilty Gear Strive Season 3

Arc System Works also revealed that Guilty Gear Strive Season 3 will introduce new special moves for six players in its roster, with more being added to its full roster of 15 in future updates. We saw a glimpse of characters like May, Ramlethal, and more getting new options to add to their already lethal toolkits.

More significant however is the introduction of several new system-wide mechanics. These are named Wild Assault and Deflect Shield.

Wild Assault

Wild Assault costs 50% of a player’s Burst Gauge, and will allow you to perform a rapid lunge attack toward your opponent. In the trailer, Wild Assault shows that it can be used to quickly close distance, or even be used as a combo extension. It is somewhat reminiscent of Street Fighter 6‘s Drive Rush mechanic. Wild Assault can be performed by pressing quarter-circle forward and D at the same time.

Arc System Works

The trailer notes that the specific properties of Wild Assault are character-specific.

Deflect Shield

Deflect Shield costs 50% of a player’s Burst Gauge, and allows you to block any incoming attacks, including overheads, low attacks, and projectiles. The mechanic will be usable by any character in Guilty Gear Strive’s Roster and can be performed by pressing quarter-circle back and D.

Arc System Works

Together, Deflect Shield and Wild Assault could prove to change the way that Guilty Gear Strive is played, specifically in neutral situations. By introducing an active defense, players will have to think and counterattack slightly more proactively than before.

For more news from Evo 2023, be sure to check out all of our coverage here.