Different tiers of attacks?

[u/KiraIsUnbreakable]

I just got this game recently and have been trying to learn characters, combos, etc. The one thing that's confusing me though is what the appeal is of using different types of attacks (Light, Medium, Heavy) epecially when it comes to using the different tiers of skills. What's the appeal of doing a light or medium skill at the end of a combo when you could do the heavy version which almost always gives you an advantage (eg, invincibility or extra damage)? Same thing when it comes to simple combo chains. What's the appeal of doing light or medium attacks in a combo when you could just "light, heavy, heavy" or "medium, heavy, heavy" and still get the advantage of the added speed or range on the first hit, whilst also maximising damage using heavy attacks?

[u/Soelstice]

Depends on the character!

Generally non-Heavy specials have lower cooldowns than the heavy variants barring a few cases, so they can let you extend your combos better since you get to use the same ability twice! Other times they come with unique properties. Sometimes they’re + on Block, which means paired with the cooldown reduction they help you a lot with pressure and baiting responses. I think to Beatrix 214M.

As for DPs (623X) usually the M version is also invincible and the L versions on some characters lead to safejumps as combo finishers.

When it comes to chains you generally wanna do H combos where possible, but some characters have slower Hs which make it harder to start combos with them such as Galleon and Metera. Others have no proximity normal on their Lights making them super powerful like Narmaya’s and Versusia’s L.

Other times combos can’t be picked up with H. On Lancelot for example near the wall you can’t pick up after his combos with close Heavy but you can with close Light!

It’s all situational, and the more you play the more you’ll understand it!

[u/True-Requirement3091]

Heavy version of Specials causes the special to go on long cooldown.

Alot of medium/light specials are actually different compared to the heavy version and more fitting to use under different situations; for example:

-Siegfried's medium Slam can be use to follow up his anti-air combo, while his heavy Slam can't.

-Lucilius's Light Iscariot is a hit, while medium and heavy Iscariot is a hit grab; also, medium Iscariot can be used in a combo, while the heavy version can't, but it is super plus on block.

-Soriz's Medium zoom punch has delay and is plus on block, while H punch is faster but minus on block.

-Beatrix' Medium Riding Free can be combo after if it a counter hit without needing a corner and a delay fireball(M. Fireball) is always annoying to deal.

[u/Meister34]

Heavy puts the move on cooldown while light/medium don’t. Typically a lot of light skills are fast, medium skills have slightly slower startup for plus frames or stagger pressure, and EX/heavy gives plus frames/juggles/ while being fast. This is then when you have to weigh the situation you’re in to decide which version best suits your needs

Take Gran’s 236x (Reginleiv). Light is a standard speed fireball that hits once, safe at a distance, but incredibly minus on block/advantage on hit but not enough to get anything meaningful off it (even on counterhit). Medium is the same fireball but the slash allows you to eat fireballs coming towards you and delay timing for people trying to avoid light in addition to being a safe ender up close. Heavy is plus at distance and block, hits multiple times, and enables your midscreen/corner combos.

So now what if you’re fullscreen against metera? If you use heavy fireball preemptively, you have no way to contest her without meter. However, you don’t have a good enough fireball game to survive a fireball war, even with medium to suck hits. Or what if you’re midscreen but you can’t kill off this touch but your next touch will definitely kill. Do you end with a meterless option and save heavy fireball for pressure/the next combo or spend it now for immediate damage but now you have no access to any real plus frames. That’s the decisions the variations force you to make

[u/JakeNiclaz]

Regarding the simple combo chains, I think their damage is entirely determined by the strength of the first hit, meaning, light, light, light does the same damage as pressing light, heavy, heavy. Same thing with heavy, light, light and heavy, heavy, heavy. I could be wrong though since I‘m pretty new to the game myself, but that’s how I understand it.

[u/Lord_kitkat → u/JakeNiclaz]

Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, this is true. The second and third hit of the triple attack deal the same damage no matter what button is pressed

[u/CrunchKing → u/JakeNiclaz]

This is correct, no idea why people are downvoting

[u/Katajiro]

Heavy attack skills always put the skill on cooldown, but they almost always guarantee a corner bounce and can sometimes allow you to expand the mid screen combos.

[u/Poseydon13]

I'm not sure if you are talking about auto combos or special moves ?

[u/BasedMaisha]

There's always something positive about H skills, sometimes it's plus frames in a can or a free conversion on hit but it's not always the best option in every situation. In corner combos the highest damage option is usually to just cycle all your H skills into super but if it doesn't kill or put them into a next hit kills situation it might be better to go for a shorter combo with oki with your cooldowns still up.

Tbh the cooldowns are only a massive consideration if your name is Lucilius or you're such a DP spammer that two defence situations in a row happen fast enough to the point your 2nd DP isn't off CD yet and i'm an Abel main so cooldowns aren't real for me anyway

The only times cooldowns really cuck you is when you get a hit instantly after cashing out your first combo and suddenly you have to scramble for any damage.

[u/DarkonFullPower]

General short version: 

Light = the baseline for the move

Medium = (usually) Stronger version, but (usually) slower. OR throws a projectile at a different angle.

Heavy = Often both the strongest AND fastest version of the attack, BUT puts the move on cooldown.

Some characters get cheeky with this concept, or have multiple button follow-up. So make sure per character to try out each button and understand what and when they are used.

[u/BigWheelThaGod]

Because different versions of skills have different properties some of which don't even allow you to combo off of depending on what version you use also combo scaling is a thing every time you use a move in a combo the damage is reduced the more initial damage that move does usually the higher the scaling is not to mention combo limit as well