Tips for playing Clive Rosfield

Summary

• Clive excels in midrange combat with his slashes and Eikon abilities for powerful control.
• Use Clive's various launches to catch opponents in unexpected ways and maximize combo potential.
• Take advantage of Torgal for extra damage, Pile Driver for versatility and Heat Smash for strategic attacks.

After weeks of speculation and rumors, the final DLC character for Season 1 of the Tekken 8 was finally announced at the Game Awards. Although Tifa was at the top of many people's wish lists, the place would instead be filled by another Final Fantasy character — Clive Rosfield from the sixteenth main game.

Clive was to be released just days after the announcement, with Tekken players start to figure out the basics of this blade-wielding protagonist pretty quickly. But it has already become clear that Clive, with his magical abilities and elemental attacks, is very different from everything else Tekken 8 have seen so far, so it might be worth keeping these handy tips in mind when trying to use him in practice and in a real fight.

8 Prioritize his medium attacks

Clive proves to be one of the best midrange characters in the game

Simply put, Clive is one of the best middleweight fighters in the game. His great sword slash and far-reaching Eikon abilities allow him to easily control the neutral game. For example, Prominence, which is a dual sword slash, is almost a full-screen attack, which is incredibly difficult for the enemy to dodge.

Many of his basic sword attacks also just have 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 mid and long range as that is where he will be most effective, as he excels at keeping enemies at bay with his powerful weapons.

7 Switch between Clive's launchers

Clive has several 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 to launches that Clive has hidden up his sleeve. But while some will activate during a sidestep, others require Clive to stand in place or engage the enemy first.

As a result, it can be a good idea to mix these up mid-fight to play mind games with the opponent, forcing them to guess where the launch is coming from. Of course, given Clive's combo potential, it can also inevitably lead to a lot of their health being completely destroyed, making him a true force to be reckoned with.

Torgal can be used to extend combos and to carry an opponent to the wall

Clive brings his faithful canine companion Torgal to the fray, and while he can only be called out for a quick attack, he can help either carry an opponent to the wall or simply push them back when they start to get too close. The most common way to use Torgal is through the Fine Hound move, where he comes into action after Clive damages his blade and sends the enemy to the other side of the screen.

Given that Clive excels in this area, Torgal can be used as a stop to punish the opponent and keep them on their toes. This extra damage from Torgal also has the potential to activate a wall break, leading to even longer combos.

5 Use the Radiant Backflip as a wall extender

Radiant Backflip pushes 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 neutral, but when the enemy is up against a wall, it can launch them high enough to either start or extend a combo.

It also gives Clive plenty of time to perform some extra moves after it's done thanks to the quick and fast animation. Clive has some decent combo extenders when the enemy is pushed against a wall, but the 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

The Zantetsuken is a powerful attack that Clive can unleash after raising the bar seen under his health bar. This stack can reach up to five stacks, but it can only be recharged by using specific attacks. However, given that a fully charged Zantetsuken will melt an enemy's health bar, Clive players should always try to charge it up so they can perform a quick finisher on their opponent.

The easiest way to fill this gauge is through Clive's Soul Cleaver, which is a mid-range sword slash that's already a basic part of Clive's toolbox, meaning it'll probably be thrown out a lot during a match anyway. Many of these moves will also boost Clive's gauge even if the enemy blocks, which is why it's so worth learning what these moves are – and how to charge Clive's Zantetsuken as quickly as possible to finish a match in style.

3 Never be afraid to throw out the pile driver

A knockdown mid attack that is incredibly versatile and has a huge hitbox

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

Also, given that Pile Driver is also a mid-attack knock down, this means that 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 incredibly strong it is in action.

2 Take advantage of His Heat Smash

Clive's Heat Smash is extremely safe to cast, even if the opponent is blocking

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

Therefore, throwing out Clive's Heat Smash is much less risky compared to many 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 floor breaks.

1 Activate Phoenix Shift to unlock more moves

Grant's Clive some tricky swipe attacks and high mobility moves

Clive can enter his Phoenix Shift in a few different ways, but it's by far the easiest through his 1.1 — also known as Double Blow. When in this mode, Clive will have some sneaky swipes that can catch the opponent off guard, along with a devastating long-range attack called the 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 the block, meaning there's virtually no risk of 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.