Team Ultimate Jutsu & Combination Attacks
Mastering Team Ultimate Jutsus and Combination Attacks is crucial for dominating your opponents in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. These powerful techniques leverage the synergy between your chosen team members to unleash devastating, cinematic attacks that can turn the tide of any battle. Understanding their mechanics, activation conditions, and strategic deployment will elevate your gameplay significantly.
Understanding Team Ultimate Jutsus
Team Ultimate Jutsus are special, high-damage attacks that require specific character combinations to activate. When performed, your entire team participates in a visually spectacular and incredibly potent assault. Not all character combinations have a unique Team Ultimate Jutsu, but many iconic duos and trios do.
Activation Requirements:
- Specific Team Composition: You must have a pre-determined team of characters that possess a compatible Team Ultimate Jutsu. For example, Naruto (Sage Mode), Sasuke (Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan), and Sakura (Great Ninja War) can perform a powerful Team Ultimate Jutsu.
- Awakening Gauge: Your Awakening Gauge (the yellow bar below your health) must be at least 50% full. The more full it is, the longer the attack will last and the more damage it will inflict.
- Chakra: You need a significant amount of Chakra to initiate a Team Ultimate Jutsu. Aim for at least 3-4 Chakra bars.
Performing a Team Ultimate Jutsu:
- Select Compatible Characters: Before a match, ensure your team consists of characters known to have a Team Ultimate Jutsu together. A good resource for checking these combinations is the "Character Select" screen, where compatible characters often have a small icon indicating a shared Ultimate Jutsu.
- Build Awakening Gauge & Chakra: Engage in combat, land hits, and use Chakra charges (hold / ) to fill both your Awakening Gauge and Chakra bars.
- Activate: Once conditions are met, press + + (PS4) or + + (Xbox One). The timing is crucial; you need to be close to your opponent for the attack to connect.
- Follow-up Prompts: During the cinematic, be prepared for quick-time event (QTE) button prompts. Successfully hitting these prompts will increase the damage and effectiveness of the Team Ultimate Jutsu.
Strategic Tips for Team Ultimate Jutsus:
- Punish Openings: Team Ultimate Jutsus are slow to initiate. Use them when your opponent is vulnerable, such as after a failed Substitution Jutsu, at the end of their combo, or when they're recovering from a powerful attack.
- Awakening Link: Consider activating your Team Ultimate Jutsu when your Awakening Gauge is completely full. This will trigger a more potent "Awakening Link" version, dealing even greater damage.
- Guard Break Potential: While not guaranteed, a well-timed Team Ultimate Jutsu can sometimes break an opponent's guard, especially if they've been guarding frequently.
Combination Attacks: The Support System's Power
Combination Attacks are distinct from Team Ultimate Jutsus and are a core part of Ultimate Ninja Storm 4's support system. These attacks involve your main character and one or both of your support characters working in tandem to extend combos, create openings, or deal burst damage.
Types of Combination Attacks:
- Support Drive: This is the most common form. When your Support Gauge (the blue bar under your health) is sufficiently charged, you can call in a support character to perform a quick attack by pressing (PS4) / (Xbox One) or (PS4) / (Xbox One).
- Linked Awakening: While in Awakening Mode, certain character combinations can perform a special "Linked Awakening" attack by pressing + (PS4) / + (Xbox One) near an opponent. This is character-specific and often involves a unique animation.
- Assist Combo: During a standard combo, you can sometimes seamlessly transition into an assist attack by calling a support character at a specific point. This extends your combo and can prevent the opponent from substituting out.
Performing Combination Attacks:
- Fill Support Gauge: Your Support Gauge fills as you deal and receive damage, and by successfully landing attacks.
- Call Support: Press / or / to call in your left or right support character, respectively. Experiment with different characters, as their support actions vary (e.g., some launch, some stun, some guard break).
- Integrate into Combos: Practice calling supports mid-combo. For example, after a few normal attacks, call a support to extend the juggle, then continue with your main character's attacks or a Jutsu.
Strategic Tips for Combination Attacks:
- Combo Extension: Use supports to extend your basic combos, preventing opponents from using Substitution Jutsu and maximizing damage.
- Guard Breaking: Some support characters have attacks that are particularly effective at breaking an opponent's guard. Identify these supports and use them when facing defensive players.
- Chakra Management: While Combination Attacks don't consume Chakra directly, they help you maintain pressure, allowing you to build Chakra for your own Jutsus and Ultimate Jutsus.
- Team Synergy: Choose support characters whose abilities complement your main character. For instance, if your main character lacks close-range options, a support with a quick, close-range attack can be invaluable.
By effectively combining Team Ultimate Jutsus for burst damage and Combination Attacks for consistent pressure and combo extension, you'll become a formidable force on the battlefield of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4.