Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4 PlayStation 4 Guide 1

It can be tough being a Dragon Ball fan, can't it? Not every licensed game's good enough to scratch that insatiable itch for Akira Toriyama's action packed creation, but thankfully, while not perfect, Dragon Ball XenoVerse is actually pretty great. As such, we're sure that many of you have already rushed out and grabbed your copy, but it takes more than child-like enthusiasm to be an effective Time Patroller, you know. While we may have stated that the title's quite accessible in our review, we've still gone ahead and put together a handful of hints and tips that'll hopefully help out the decidedly green warriors among you. And by green, we don't mean that this is strictly for Namekians, either.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4 PlayStation 4 Guide 3

Your race doesn't matter too much

It's not every day that you get to create your own Dragon Ball character, so picking and choosing your avatar's race and gender can be a gruelling affair. But try not to worry about it too much, because while each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, most of these can be compensated for as you level up your fighter and distribute skill points, or equip gear that boosts specific statistics.

However, if you're into maximising your chosen race's potential, then this argument potentially goes out of the window. That said, racial bonuses and differences are actually somewhat negligible to begin with. For example, the Majin race are described as being slower than the other races, but in reality, they can still fly fast enough when they're locked onto a target. Meanwhile, the Frieza race supposedly have weaker attacks, but in practice, the actual reduction to the damage that they can do is barely noticeable for the most part.

In conclusion, it's probably best to just create a character that you like, rather than worry about which race is the most effective. After all, everyone can equip the same techniques, and you can even make numerous different warriors without losing any progress, if you're really keen to try something new.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS3 PlayStation 3 Guide

Patience is key

Initially, it's quite easy to blitz your enemies into submission with melee combos and super moves, but as you progress through the game, the artificial intelligence will quickly become wise to your offensive tactics. It's not long before your opponents start blocking and countering much of what you do, which means that you'll need to adapt to a slightly different approach.

Indeed, patience is key when you're up against later foes, especially when there's more than one of them. You may not think it at first, but movement can be crucial during such brawls, as you'll often need to put some distance between you and your enemy as you think up some new tactics. There's no shame in flying away as quickly as possible if you're outnumbered, as this can let you funnel your aggressors to your position in a more manageable manner.

Because higher level opponents have more stamina and more ki, they'll be able to evade and pull off powerful attacks much more frequently. As such, watching your foe's movements becomes increasingly important. If you think that they're going to teleport away the second that you touch them, wait it out instead; let them come to you, and play them at their own game. The pros don't make openings – they wait for them to appear.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4 PlayStation 4 Tips

Stamina and ki are super important

We can't stress enough how important it is to manage your stamina and ki bars correctly. Run out of stamina at the wrong time, and you could be on the receiving end of a massive combo, unable to block or teleport to safety. The problem is, stamina's pretty hard to regulate. It only regenerates when you're stationary or moving at normal speeds, so holding it back for when it's needed most should be a top priority.

All defensive manoeuvres require stamina, with evasive skills requiring a rather large three bars. You won't have to worry too much when you're high level and you've got a hefty amount to go around, but for the first ten hours or so of your adventure, you're going to want to know when it's best to use it up. It may sound strange, but sometimes it can be more beneficial to take a few hits instead of teleporting away as soon as your opponent's first punch makes contact. If your foe's clearly going for a maximum damage combo, then by all means, zip to safety, but we'd recommend waiting to see whether they're going to bring out a powerful super move before mashing the dodge button, which allows you to save stamina for more pressing situations.

As for ki, the opposite is true. Whenever you see a good opportunity, you should let loose with a super or ultimate move, because ki can be regained quickly, and without much fuss. You acquire relatively large amounts just by hitting your enemy a few times with basic melee blows, and as such, you should almost always have plenty on hand. The real question, then, is when is it most effectively used? Well, you should try adding strike skills to the end of your normal combos, while blast techniques are generally more varied, meaning that it's best to experiment and find which moves fit your playstyle. Although having said that, even we can't resist firing off a kamehameha whenever we think we can get away with it.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4 PlayStation 4 Walkthrough

Don't be disheartened by tough parallel quests

Parallel quests make up much of XenoVerse's content, and within the first few hours, you may come across some slight difficulty spikes, especially if you've been tackling the story missions. This is because parallel quests, by and large, provide more of a challenge than plot based affairs, as many are designed to be tackled with a team.

But sometimes, they can be tricky even with two other fighters by your side, and it's easy to become a bit disheartened as a result. Don't fret, however, as many quests offer up optional objectives that aren't necessarily meant to be beaten at your current level. For example, completing certain hidden objectives might make a more powerful opponent show up at the end of the quest, and you may get bonus rewards for beating them. That said, you shouldn't always expect an easy fight, especially since your previous opponents will have likely taken their toll on your health bar.

It can help, then, to bring along some health restoring items, or find some other, more experienced players to help you out online. Our advice is that if you ever find yourself really stuck on a parallel quest, leave it, and come back to it when you've levelled up some more, so that you can be on equal ground with your rivals.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse PS4 PlayStation 4 Guide 2

Don't bother getting frustrated with the online fights

We understand that sometimes, you just want to jump online and test your skills against another human being – and that's fine. But you have to realise that XenoVerse simply isn't geared towards being a competitive fighting game. Some members of the unlockable cast are clearly more powerful than others, while various techniques are incredibly easy to spam once you know how.

Because of this, we'd definitely recommend going online only if you know what awaits you. Strolling onto the scene thinking that you're going to have an amazingly fun time sadly isn't realistic, unless your idea of fun is trying to find a way around someone's broken 360 degree special attack for the twentieth time in two minutes.


Have you got any Dragon Ball XenoVerse tips to share? Do you have any burning queries regarding the release? Show us your power in the comments section below.