Standard movement:
walk (4/6), dash (44/66), jump(7/8/9), high jump (1/2/3 before your jump) , double jump (7/8/9 in midair), airdash (44/66 in midair)
Arcana Heart 3 uses a 5 Button System.
The layout is
ABC
D_E
A = weak attack
B = medium attack
C = strong attack
D = homing
E = arcana/other attacks
The attack buttons are self explanatory.
You also have 5E 2E and j.E. 5E and 2E are special normals which can be charged to become either a guard crush which sends your opponent flying towards the wall (5[E]) or a launcher (2[E]). Both are air-unblockable. When charged, these moves also gain the properties of the arcana you chose. For example: Thunder Saki uses 5[E] and the enemy hits it with an attack. The attack will clash with the charge frames of 5[E] due to thunder's ability to clash with just about everything. j.E is just an aerial normal with no arcana-based special properties. For many characters it knocks the enemy down, but each one has different uses.
Your primary combo string is A>B>C>E
You can add in certain moves, depending on your character's moveset to allow more moves. IE: 5A 2A 5B 6B 5C.
Also canceling usually works like this: normal > command normal > special > super > arcana super/arcana blaze. Not every move has every cancel property, so understand that you probably will never go this far.
Your homing button (D) is one of the big things which have changed since the beginning of Arcana Heart. Homing is what lets you fly into the air. As it name states, press D and you home in towards your opponent. You can adjust your trajectory by holding a direction during it. You no longer need to hold D during it to continue flying, you also will continue to fly until you take another action, whether it is attacking or blocking. There is no penalty for attempting to block thanks to the change in the system.Neutral homing (5D) is the fastest.
Homing uses NO METER, normally. However, for using Homing to cancel you have three options, all of which consume one bar from your total meter.
To offensively Homing Cancel, just press D after hitting with an attack. Arcana special moves are different, and they don't all follow the same rules. Some can be homing cancelled on whiff, most only on hit and/or block, and some not at all.
You also have two distinct defensive cancel options, both of which can be used in the air. Be careful, as both of these can be baited. It takes experience to know which one to use, and when.
1. 4D Guard Cancel: It's is exactly the same as you performing 4D any other time. You get a backdash with invincibility, which turns into normal homing(grounded 6D if you do it on the ground). During the backdash portion you're invulnerable, and after a certain amount of frames you can cancel into an air attack. Good for punishing obvious moves with a lot of recovery, and certain blockstrings.
2. 6D Guard Cancel: This is identical to the standard 6D, with one exception, you move forward with a temporary barrier which automatically clashes with all attacks(not throws). Good for punishing and sticking close to your opponent, or blowing through strings with short recovery that can't be punished any other way. You can cancel into specials very shortly after activating this GC, much faster than 4D.
Other commands:
Throw (A+D): Every character can use 3 different ground throws, and only 1 kind of air throw. Your 3 ground throws are neutral, back, and forward. Most neutral throws launch your opponent much like a 2E allowing you to combo, or do a short string which you can homing cancel to continue. They have a much larger tech window than the other throws. Forward and back throws leave your opponent on the ground, but have a smaller tech window. Air throws are all unique to each chara, and have many different properties.
Force gauge: This gauge located by your character's portrait controls 2 things, Burst and Extend Force. It will automatically refill by itself (or you can speed it up with Metal's charge) after usage. If you Extend Force, the gauge comes back very quickly in the matter of seconds. Bursting and Arcana Blaze make your Force Gauge refill very slowly. These two uses of that meter can only be used when the meter is 100%, so pay attention and learn to make the decision. Without the threat of EFC a lot of chars cannot do a lot of damage.
Arcana Burst (C+E): Depletes your force gauge near your character portrait to perform an un-punishable (though blockable) burst to knock your enemies away.
Extend Force (A+B+C): Drains your force gauge down to zero. Acts as a roman/rapid cancel, lets you free cancel air normals to make your air combos longer. Your attacks are faster, and your Arcana will give you additional properties through the duration. This also is the only way to use your Arcana's strongest attack, the Arcana Blaze. This move can only be performed while grounded.
Arcana Gauge: This is your "Super" bar located at the bottom of the screen. Everyone starts with 1 stock and you have a maximum of 3 stocks. You increase your gauge by attacking, blocking, and getting hit (There are exceptions, Metal can only increase by getting hit or using a command charge, Flower can increase theirs by sitting by a plant). If you use your gauge, you will see that it becomes red. Your maximum gauge will not increase until it becomes all gold again.
Super moves: Uses up one stock on your arcana gauge.
Critical Heart: This is your strongest move which uses all 3 stocks on your arcana gauge. If you use Extend Force, your Critical Heart becomes stronger, and either has an extension added to it, or there's an animation change.
Arcana Blaze: The strongest move which your arcana has to offer. You need to Extend Force and it's performed with 236A+B+C.
Teching: Explained in detail in the wiki
here.
Differences is that the homing bar does not exist anymore, but ground and air teching with the D button uses no meter in AH3.
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