Tips For Playing Clive Rosfield

Summary

• Clive excels in mid-range combat with his sword slashes & Eikon abilities for powerful control.
• Use Clive’s various launchers to catch opponents off guard & maximize combo potential.
• Take advantage of Torgal for extra damage, Pile Driver for versatility, & Heat Smash for strategic attacks.

After weeks of speculation and rumors, the final DLC character for Season 1 of Tekken 8 was finally announced at the Game Awards. Despite Tifa being at the top of many people’s wishlists, the spot would instead be filled by a different Final Fantasy character — Clive Rosfield from the sixteenth mainline game.

Clive would be released only days after the announcement, with Tekken players beginning to figure out the basics of this blade-wielding protagonist pretty quickly. However, it’s already become clear that Clive, with his magical abilities and elemental attacks, is far different from anything Tekken 8 has seen thus far, so it can be worth keeping in mind these handy tips when trying to use him in practice, and in a real battle.

8 Prioritize His Medium-Ranged Attacks

Clive Is Proving To Be One Of The Best Mid-Range Characters In The Game

Simply put, Clive is one of the best fighters in the game at mid-range. His large sword slashes and far-reaching Eikon abilities allow him to easily control the neutral game. For example, Prominence, which is a double sword slash, is almost a full-screen attack, which is incredibly hard for the enemy to avoid.

A lot of his basic sword attacks also just possess an absurd range to them, such as his back 2, which is a high move that can be thrown out incredibly quickly. As a result, keep Clive at the mid to long-range since that’s where he’s going to be the most effective, as he excels at keeping enemies at bay with his powerful weaponry.

7 Alternate Between Clive’s Launchers

Clive Has Multiple Launchers That Can Catch The Enemy By Surprise

Echo Breaker, Wyrm Killer, and Stone Smite — these are just a few examples of the many moves that can lead into launchers that Clive has hidden up his sleeve. However, while some will be activated during a side step, others require Clive to stand in place or to engage the enemy first.

As a result, it can be a good idea to mix these up in the middle of a battle to play mind games with the opponent, forcing them to guess where the launch is going to come from. Of course, considering Clive’s combo potential, launching an enemy can also inevitably lead to a good stack of their health being completely annihilated, making him a true force to be reckoned with.

Torgal Can Be Used To Extend Combos And For Carrying An Opponent To The Wall

Clive brings his trusty canine companion Torgal with him to battle, and though he can only be called out for a quick attack, he can help to either carry an opponent to the wall, or simply push them back when they start getting too close. The most common way to use Torgal is through the Fine Hound move, where he will spring into action after Clive deals some damage with his blade, launching the enemy to the other side of the screen.

Considering Clive excels at this range, Torgal can be used as a keep-away device to punish the opponent and keep them on their toes. This extra lick of damage from Torgal also has the potential to activate a wall break, leading to even longer combos.

5 Use Radiant Backflip As A Wall Extender

Radiant Backflip Presses The Enemy Against The Wall To Open Up New Combo Potential

Radiant Backflip is Clive’s Wings of Light 3 attack, which sees him sprout wings and perform a backflip. This particular move can be a little risky to throw out in the neutral, but when the enemy is up against a wall, it can launch them high enough to either begin or extend a combo.

It also gives Clive plenty of time to execute a few extra moves after it’s finished thanks to the quick and snappy animation. Clive has a few decent combo extenders when the enemy is pushed against a wall, but Radiant Backflip has proven to be one of the most effective for its speed and reliability.

4 Pay Attention To Zantetsuken

Clive Can Charge Up His Deadly Zantetsuken Ability With Specific Attacks

Zantetsuken is a powerful attack that Clive can unleash after raising the bar seen underneath his health bar. This bar can reach up to five stacks, but it can only be charged up through the use of specific attacks. However, considering that a fully charged Zantetsuken will melt an enemy’s health bar, Clive players should always try to charge it up so that they can execute a quick finisher on their opponent.

The easiest way to fill this meter is through Clive’s Soul Cleaver, which is a mid-range sword slash that is already a basic part of Clive’s toolkit, meaning it will probably be thrown out a lot during a match anyway. Many of these moves will also bolster Clive’s meter even if the enemy is blocking, which is why it’s so worth learning what these moves are — and how to charge Clive’s Zantetsuken as quickly as possible to end off a match in style.

3 Never Be Afraid To Throw Out Pile Driver

A Knockdown Mid-Attack That Is Incredibly Versatile And Possesses A Huge Hitbox

Pile Driver is Clive’s down +1 +2 attack, which can be used in his regular stance. The reason it gets a special mention is because of how versatile it is as an attack, since not only can it easily extend a combo thanks to its large hitbox, but it can also flip an opponent who’s already on the floor and will push them back to prevent them from recovering too quickly.

Additionally, considering that Pile Driver is a knock down mid-attack too, it means if it lands, it completely shuts down the opponent’s offense. Needless to say, this should always be one of Clive’s go-to moves, considering how immensely strong it is in action.

2 Make Good Use Of His Heat Smash

Clive’s Heat Smash Is Extremely Safe To Throw Out, Even If The Opponent Blocks

Clive’s Heat Smash ability will see him unleashing the power of the Phoenix as flames swirl around him. If this lands, it sends the opponent upwards and inflicts major damage, but even if they manage to block, it will still be powerful enough to send them a decent distance back, and it is also plus on block, letting Clive do whatever he wants after the attack has been used.

Therefore, it’s much less risky to throw out Clive’s Heat Smash compared to a lot of characters in the game. It’s also worth noting that Clive has another Heat Smash-like ability, Phoenix Shift, which is a little trickier to use but also leads to a floor break.

1 Activate Phoenix Shift To Unlock More Moves

Grants Clive Some Tricky Sweep Attacks And Moves With High Mobility

Clive can enter his Phoenix Shift in a few different ways, but by far the easiest is through his 1,1 — also known as Double Blow. When in this mode, Clive will acquire some sneaky sweeps that can catch the opponent off guard, alongside a devastating long-range rush down attack known as Bolt Boot.

Bolt Boot is a mid-attack that sees Clive teleport across the stage before knocking the opponent away, but what’s most impressive about it is that Clive is safe on block, meaning there’s virtually no risk to throwing it out. Learning how to activate Phoenix Shift, and becoming familiar with Clive’s extra moves in this state, can help turn the tide of an intense battle.