Street Fighter 6 has introduced the Drive Gauge mechanic, allowing players to perform a Drive Impact in combat. This move can be used both offensively and defensively, allowing for all kinds of new strategies that will be vital components in the Street Fighter 6 competitive scene, so it’s vital that you learn how to use it.
In Street Fighter 6, the player will have six green blocks beneath their vitality bar. This is the Drive Gauge, and it’s tied to different mechanics. The Drive Gauge is depleted whenever you block, and it’s used for things like the Drive Parry (blocking an attack to restore Drive Gauge) and Overdrive Attacks (empowering special moves at the cost of Drive Gauge blocks). Once the Drive Gauge runs out, the player will enter a “Burnout” state and won’t be able to use any Drive mechanics until it has slowly refilled.
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How To Perform A Drive Impact In Street Fighter 6
If you use Street Fighter 6’s Modern Type controls, a Drive Impact is performed by pressing L1. If you are using Street Fighter 6’s Classic Type controls, press Heavy Punch and Heavy Kick together, which is usually R1 and R2 on the Default settings. These controls can be remapped in the options menu, so feel free to change it if you want a different layout.
When To Use A Drive Impact In Street Fighter 6
Using a Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6 will drain one of your Drive Gauge bars, so make sure not to spam it, as you’ll quickly enter the Burnout state. This means there’s a risk/reward element with the mechanic, and you need to monitor your Drive Gauge, especially as you’ll be using it for other things.
Drive Impact has multiple uses as an offensive weapon. If it strikes an enemy in Neutral, it will damage and knock them back. If they perform a regular attack and you get the Drive Impact out before it connects, it will block the attack and damage the enemy. Be warned that Drive Impact can only absorb two hits before being broken, so if an enemy throws out three hits before your Drive Impact connects, it will block the first two, but the third will go through, and you’ll be knocked out of the move.
Drive Impact will be broken if the enemy uses a throw instead of an attack. You need to perform the throw during the first few frames of the Drive Impact, as leaving it too late will allow it to connect, and you’ll take the hit. Also, a Drive Impact cannot block a Super Arts Move!
Drive Impact will push a blocking enemy back but won’t damage them, and if they parry a Drive Impact, it will knock them back a small amount. If the opponent is next to a wall and you hit them with a Drive Impact, they will smash against the side of the stage and be knocked to the ground. This gives players an excellent option for punishing overly-defensive players, forcing their opponent to be wary of their positioning on the stage.
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The best way to use Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6 is as a counter to an enemy Drive Impact. If you manage to pull off a Drive Impact just after the enemy initiates their move, then you will take some recoverable damage, but they will take damage and enter a weakened state, where you can follow up with a combo and deal extra damage. This timing game is the essence of Drive Impact, and knowing when and when not to use it is a vital part of the game.
