Movement

 is one of the core components in Brawlhalla. While movement may seem obvious, there are nuances to the mechanics that differentiate good players from great players.

Movement
There are a few methods of movement in Brawlhalla, including running, jumping, dashing, dodging and even some attacks. Being able to make the most of all your movement options is critical to high level Brawling, as it can frequently mean the difference between life and death.

Running, Jumping and Recovery Moves
Running is the most standard way that a Legend moves around the stage. A Legend can move left and right via the left and right keys respectively. These keys also allow a Legend to move left or right whilst in the air.

Jumping allows a Legend to move up and down. A player can jump a maximum of three times before needing to touch the ground or a wall again. As well as jumping, a Legend can use their Recovery move to gain aerial height (presuming they are already in the air). Again, a maximum of three Recovery moves are permitted before the player must touch the ground/wall. However, in total, a Legend may only jump or Recovery a total of four times. There are three combinations of this:


 * 3 Jumps, 1 Recovery
 * 2 Jumps, 2 Recoveries
 * 1 Jump, 3 Recoveries

Each jump is preceded by a short startup delay (except immediately after an attack), and landing on the ground also puts you in a brief recovery state, during which you cannot attack, dodge, or jump again. Because of that, your opponent may strike you as soon as you touch the ground, so choose carefully where to land and use your dodge before landing if needed.

It is worth noting that while the first Recovery will be a standard Recovery, the following Recovery moves will be changed, referred to as Exhausted Recovery. That is, the second and third Recovery moves will only lift the Legend into the air by the same distance as a jump. Knowing when to use a jump and when to use a Recovery is important. Recovery moves of course give you the protection of the attack itself, however, some Recovery moves also limit your ability to move left or right. The decision between jumping and Recovering depends on circumstance.

Dodging
Dodging allows you to become invulnerable for a brief time, allowing you to avoid incoming attacks entirely. A successful dodge is indicated by the Legend flashing white and performing a dodging animation as a circle flares out briefly around them.

Dodge usage

Dodging can be used to:
 * Avoid incoming attacks and thrown weapons and items.


 * Reposition yourself, i.e. gain height (by dodging up) or cover distance (by dodging left or right). Useful for reaching a ledge after you have been sent flying from an attack.


 * Move around more efficiently and safely. For example, Legends jump in large ("floaty") predictable arcs that can leave you vulnerable to attack. Dodges can be used to "shave off" some of that arc and reach your desired location more efficiently.


 * "Setup" (bait) your opponent into thinking you will do a certain move, then dodging and attacking them while they are caught off guard. E.g. If you run toward an opponent, they may think you will attack, and thus attack you. But if you dodge away from them before their attack hits you, they are now open to attack because they will be either finishing their attack or "recovering" from it (in other words, unable to do anything until their attack animation finishes).


 * Cancel momentum when you are sent flying through the air from an attack. Though this may results in you not being able to use a dodge to reposition yourself (mentioned above) and get back onto the stage.


 * Perform your Signature attacks in the air – see the Gravity Cancel section above.

Dodge mechanics

You can dodge in any of the eight directions (left, right, up, down, and the diagonals), or in place (this is called a spot dodge). Dodging from the air into the ground at a diagonal does not stop your motion, and you will instead slide along the ground slightly for the remainder of the dodge.

The Cooldown is the time between the start of one dodge and the start of the next dodge, Downtime is the time between the end of the first dodge and the beginning of the next. A dodge gives you 22 frames of invulnerability.

A Legend's Dexterity affects how soon they can attack after dodging. Legends with a higher Dexterity can attack sooner after dodging than slower characters. Like attacks, dodges cannot be executed while a character is stunned from an attack. Also, like attacks, dodges are influenced by the character's momentum and direction of travel.

Dashing/Dash Jumping
When your Legend is grounded, pressing the Dodge button whilst holding a side directional button will lead to a Dash. Dashing grants your Legend a burst of speed. Inputting a dash once and holding the direction you dashed in continuously will result in you Sprinting.

A Dash jump is performed by dashing in any direction and pressing jump right afterwards.

Fast Falling
Fast falling is done by holding the down key while in the air. The player will accelerate downwards a bit faster than normally. This allows the player to be more unpredictable and to make more accurate hits. Fast falling can be cancelled anytime by releasing the down key.

Chase dodging, dodge cancelling
An advanced dodge technique is called the Chase Dodge. Mechanically, chase dodges permit more aggressive gameplay and open up more combo possibilities, particularly for low-Dexterity legends.

A chase dodge is a forward-only dodge that can be executed under the condition a Legend has successfully landed an attack (that is not a projectile).


 * Grounded moves give you 2 chase dodges, for example: Bow Slight
 * Aerial moves, gravity canceled moves and grounded moves that move your hurtbox in to the air give only 1 chase dodge, for example: Sword Nair, GC Hammer Dlight, Spear Dlight
 * Projectile signature attacks give 0 chase dodges, for example: Sidra Cannon Nsig, Yumiko Bow/Hammer Dsig

Further notes on chase dodges:
 * A chase dodge can be executed immediately after the attack, regardless of the Legend's Dexterity.
 * You can only do 2 seperate chase dodges in the air before a 3 second cooldown is applied.
 * On its face, a chase dodge is exactly like a normal dodge - it lasts the same amount of time and, like a normal dodge, allows the Legend to move while avoiding damage during it's duration. Unlike normal dodges however, an attack can be performed at any point in the middle of a chase dodge. The attack will execute immediately and stop the dodge - this technique is called a dodge cancel.

Gravity Cancel
If a player attacks immediately after an aerial spot dodge, they will perform a grounded light or heavy attack in the air. This is a gravity cancelled attack, often abbreviated to "GC".

This is considered an advanced technique, and is meant to be more difficult than most Brawlhalla techniques. All light or heavy ground moves – and even emotes – can be used with Gravity Cancel. This technique is really useful to extend a combo, break the recovery of an opponent, or catch them in the air with a well-timed surprise hit.

Ledge Cancels
Performing a down light attack, down signature, ground-pound or a dash when the bottom of your character's hurtbox is in the platform will result in a ledge cancel. Ledge cancels snap your Legend to the platform and immediately perform the move you inputted. Jumping sideways makes ledge cancelling easier since you hover over the platform for a longer period of time. Ledge cancelling is also possible right after dropping through a platform.

Short Hop
A short hop is a fast move where the playing quickly jumps forward and falls down, making them airborne but giving them little air time. This can be done by performing a dash-jump then immediately performing a fast-fall. Short hopping can be especially useful for quickly dishing out aerial attacks.