Guilty Gearmainstay Faust returns inGuilty Gear Strivewith his iconic paper bag helmet headpiece and gigantic scalpel. In the recentArc System Workstitle, Faust is still traveling around the world sharing his interesting views on philosophy. A man trying to change himself after a traumatic fast, he now fights for his own goals.
RELATED:Guilty Gear: Best Characters In Arc System Works' Franchise, Ranked
In combat, Faust boasts an extremely flexible kit that allows him to build counter-offensives towards different attack strategies. As a Unique character, Faust places a huge emphasis on wide attacks that hit enemies whenever they think they’re safe. How canStriveplayers capitalize on his unique toolkit?
Updated August 05, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:With Arc System Works announcing “Another Story” DLC forGuilty Gear Strive, fans of the hit fighting game can explore a side story from the perspective of Ramlethal Valentine as the main story rages on.
And while fan-favorite Faust doesn’t have a lot of involvement in this side story, hopeful Faust mains might want to maintain mastery over the character in case some characters get updates. With that in mind, Faust mains need to understand how some advanced Faust mechanics work - such as his movelist, adjustments, and the sheer power of managing expectations.
14Mind The Movelist
As with other fighting games, a key tip in understanding Faust’s overall gameplay lies inunderstanding his movelist. And this isn’t just because Faust is a member of a fighting game. Rather, the unpredictable nature of his kit means players need to identify precisely what he needs to use to achieve a particular outcome.
There are certain elements in Faust’s toolkit that players need to know immediately in order to capitalize on his rather “random” animations in the game. Players may want to try stringing these combos together in order to prevent enemies from advancing for the offense:
13Maximize Confusion Through Movement
Due to Faust’s weird movements while conducting attacks, jumps, and dashes, he is easily one of the most annoying enemies players can face in combat. As such, players should capitalize on theenemy’s attempt to use “traditional” tacticswith regards to guards, dodging, and evasion when fighting Faust.
To capitalize on Faust’s ability to confuse opponents, players should try to maximize defensive play by taking advantage of throws and dodges whenever possible. Players should also abuse opportunities to strike opponents in long intervals so they don’t ever get the opportunity to strike back and create a counteroffensive.
12Stand To Taunt Foes
Given how “random” Faust’s movement could be, players are expected to move around to disorient enemies with his odd movement animations. However, other skilled players in the game likely study Faust’sunique movementsin order to counter other players who want to use Faust’s confusion to their advantage.
As such, players who notice their enemies anticipating Faust’s wonky movement might want to do the opposite. Basically - just stand up. The lack of “predictability” in reading Faust’s wonky patterns might disorient foes enough that it seems like Faust is taunting them to attack. While this does make Faust more unpredictable, players need to be careful. When enemies do attack a neutral Faust, players need to be able to counter swiftly or this strategy can hurt real bad.
11Adjust - What Could This Be?
One of the most defining aspects of Faust’s kit would be “What Could This Be” (236P), which is a projectile attack that summons a random item from his arsenal. This is pesky for foes, especially since some of Faust’s throwables may or may not be damaging to them. And for Faust players, this means they need to be able to adjust to whatever item is thrown at the opponents.
RELATED:Guilty Gear Strive: Every Playable Character, Ranked
Instead of simply using 236P from neutral in order to start a combo, Faust should use this at the end of comboswhile pressuring opponents. That way, players can easily dodge items like the Bomb and the Trumpet that could be used against him. At its core, it helps to always be on the prowl for quick exits after using 236P, and only after that should Faust be on the offensive again.
10The King Of Unconventional
Faust is already a uniquely unconventional character inGuilty Gear, andStrivewill emphasize this even more. For those who fight against Faust, they’d see him mostly as an oddly-moving character. Somehow, Faust can dodge even the trickiest of moves with weird twists and turns.
This weird movement pattern is the highlight of Faust’s moveset. Thanks to his strange moves and penchant for crawling, his hitbox rapidly changes. This forces enemies to switch strategies constantly to face him. This level of unpredictability is a great strength that players should capitalize on.
9Stop, Drop, And Roll
Crawling remains Faust’s iconic movement pattern, and players should maximize on the opportunities this brings. Whereas usual crouching will provide low block at the cost of non-movement, Faust’s crawling mechanic allows him to avoid most neutral attacks.
Moreover, this weird movement also enables him to dodge a lot of punishment the opponents could give him. Players should learn how to maximize this crawling, to get past a lot of typical mixups from opponents.
8Mind The Meter
Despite Faust’s flexibility, players need to remember that his special moves do heavily rely on his Tension Meter. In turn, players might be at a disadvantage if they don’t have enough juice to dish out some of Faust’s fiercer combos. To counteract this, players can keep the pressure on opponents through his Command Grabs and throwing items for distractions.
RELATED:Mortal Kombat: Best Factions In The Franchise, Ranked
For added time, Faust can dish out his Roman Cancels to give him more time to prepare for his movements. Granted, this will cost him his Meter, but it’s a worthwhile price if it also distracts an opponent.
7Get That Low Blow
Interestingly, Faust’s low crawling not only works for movement, but also for securing some heavy hits. Granted, Faust does have a limited amount of attack options from this vantage point. Enemies who also play Faust will likely be able to predict these attacks. But either way, the following three go-to movements are worth a shot.
6Master The Neutral Poke
Given the RNG-heavy dynamic of some of Faust’s main attacks, it’s important to have a basic sense of what Faust can do when moving regularly. Thankfully, some of his basic attacks enable him to dish out decent damage that can string into some neat combos. When used properly, these can also open more possibilities for trickier attack patterns.
5Dynamic Command Normals
Due to his erratic nature, it makes sense for Faust to have some of the most creative Command Normals in the game. Depending on the strategy, players can use a wide range of Command Normals to turn the tide against opponents.
