In this Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Samus/Dark Samus Guide, we will guide you on how to play if you choose Samus as your character of choice in a fight. We will highlight all the moves that are specific to Samus, plus her defending moves, special moves and her final smash. In addition, this guide will also give you a better understanding of her moves, for if you find yourself fighting against Samus.

This guide will focus on Samus’s attacks like neutral attacks, special attacks, and grounded attacks. We will also detailed the amount of damage each attack deals to an opponent. In the end, we will finish off with what her final smash looks like and what it does to your foe.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Samus Guide

Below we have listed all the attacks that are specific and special to Samus. Refer to each attack for a better understanding of how Samus combats in the stage.

Introduction

Samus comes into the game specializing around her based special attacks. As a brawler in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, she is not the best for beginners as she can be difficult to play and can be hard to master if playing for the first time.

Her strengths lie in her versatile and safe zoning strategy. Her Charge Shot and Missile force out enemy movement. Since her Charge Shot is her primary attack, your focus with her would be the to create space so that you can charge up the attack.

Grounded Attacks

This section of the guide contains all the grounded attacks that Samus can perform while on the stage.

Neutral Attacks

Samus has two Neutral Attacks. The first one is a straight punch that is quick and deals 3 damage. The punch is then followed up by her second neutral attack that is an overhead smash dealing 8 damage.

It is worth mentioning that between your two punches, enemies can pull up their shield which can put you ad a disadvantage. So it is best to skip the second attack altogether.

Defensive Attacks

Samus has two Defensive Attacks. The first one is a Ledge attack that deals 9 damage, while the Wake-up attack deals 7 damage.

Dash Attack

Samus’ dash deals 10 damage, where Samus halts her forward momentum briefly, then shoulder-tackles a nearby foe, launching them up and away into the sky.

Her dash can be risky if you use it haphazardly, as it leaves you vulnerable when it is shielded or whiffed, but it has a strong knockout potential.

Smashes

Samus has three smash attacks.

Side Smash

This attack deals 14 damage, where Samus thrusts here Arm Cannon in one of the three angles in front of her, causing a large eruption that blows foes caught in the blast radius. This is a slow but powerful knockout smash attack that can be modified by tilting the control stick up and down while charging.

This attack is best used to punish opponent’s laggy moves and for deterring ledge hanging opponents. Comparatively, this side smash is quite fast than other side smashes, however, it is not so great as a poking option.

Up Smash

This attack deals 3×4, 6 damage, where Samus delivers a series of Arm Cannon blasts in a front to back sequence above her that juggles her victims before knocking them up in the air.

This attack deals great damage, but can be relatively risky to throw out predictably. Also, the last round that she fires deals the most damage than the rest of her attacks.

Down Smash

This attack deals 10 (12) damage, where Samus clears out enemies both in the front and her back with this two part leg sweep. This attack is risky because of its laggy vulnerability. However, its start up speed is decent compared to most smash attacks, so you may be able to connect with it against unsuspecting opponents.

Tilts

Samus has three Tilt Attacks.

Side Tilt

This attack deals 10 damage, where Samus produces a roundhouse kick that knocks enemies in front of her. If the enemy is hit by her boot, it deals max damage. Since this attack has a good knockback power, this gives you enough space to charge up your Charge Shot to continue your attacks.

Up Tilt

This attack deals 13 damage, where Samus performs a kick that starts from over head and smashes down with her boot. This attack is primarily used as an anti-air to hit opponents in the front.

If the attack hits the opponent, you can start combos against grounded opponents. Its best to space yourself in this attack, because if this attack is shielded, you can be left vulnerable to an opponent’s tilt or jabs.

Down Tilt

This attack deals 12 damage, where Samus smashes her Arm Cannon into the ground in front of her that causes a big explosion that launches opponents sky high. Since this attack pops enemies right in the sweet spot, you can follow up with juggles or threaten to follow up with an air attack. This attack is best as a knockout move against high damage opponents thanks to the quick speed it has.

Grabs

Samus has five Grab Attacks. The first grab deals 1.3 damage. The Front and Back Throw deal 10 damage each. The Up throw deals 12 damage, while the Down throw deals 8 damage.

Samus has a rare tether grab. Unlike most fighters, she doesn’t have to be within point-blank range to ensnare her enemies. Samus sends out her Plasma Whip a short distance that reaches just beyond her side smash range, and immediately puts the first foe hit by its unshieldable hitbox into Samus’s grab lock.

The drawback to having a ranged grab is that it’s incredibly slow compared to conventional grabs. Samus’s grab takes a quarter of a second to activate from a standing and walking position, and slightly longer from dashing.

Aerial Attacks

This section of the guide will cover all the Aerial attacks that Samus has.

Neutral Air Attack

This attack deals 10, 9 damage. In this attack, Samus spin kicks in the front and behind her. This is a very basic air to air attack that Samus has, and if performed very early in the jump can be quick to hit the opponent.

This attack is best used to land with on grounded enemies, where you can hop and activate this move as you land on your opponents. The damage it deals is moderate, which is why its better to charge your Charge Shot after you successfully hit an opponent.

Forward Air Attack

This attack deals 3, 1.6×3, 5 damage. In this attack, Samus fires a series of blasts from her Arm Cannon, where the blasts begin above her head and end at her feet. This attack is a great deterrent against enemies out in front of you.

Since it covers a wide angle in front of you, it is also a great edge guarding tool from top to bottom. It also works great for Samus as a ledge recovery option. When you are hanging off a ledge, double jump into this attack, where the opponent guarding the edge will have to deal with explosions all around them, giving you the opportunity to land back on the stage.

Back Air Attack

This attack deals 14 damage. Samus swings a kick behind her that knocks opponents away. The best way to use this attack is when fighting multiple enemies, and you have to guard an edge, while also fighting another opponent in the front. Back air can take care of the opponents recovering behind you.

Up Air Attack

This attack deals 3, 1.3×3, 4 damage. In this attack, Samus performs an upside down spinning drill attack with her legs, while launching vertically in the air. If an opponent is hit by this attack, they are launched even higher in the sky.

This attack is great because of the short start up, and short end lag, which in return sets you up for multiple combo setups. This attack gives Samus the advantage of being a fierce air fighter, as she can have the advantage while combo juggling opponents above her.

Down Air Attack

This attack deals 14 damage. Samus uses her Arm Cannon to attack anyone below her. This attack has the potential to knock out enemies with higher percentages. Otherwise, spiking enemies on a solid floor gives you air control advantage for potential combos.

Special Moves

Samus has 4 special moves. All of them are detailed below.

Neutral Special – Charge Shot

This attack deals 5 damage, but 28 on full charge. We have been mentioning Samus’s Charge Shot all through the guide above, and this is because Charge Shot is Samus’s staple attack. Charge Shot is fired from her Arm cannon and is an energy projectile. The shot can be charged, with the most damage dealing when it is fully charged.

If the shot is charged to the maximum, it deals a big amount of shield damage to opponents. Otherwise, this you can continuously shoot Charge Shots that deal less damage, but is great to harass opponents.

Side Special – Missile

This attack deals 12 damage on Super Missile, and 8 damage from Homing Missile. In this attack, Samus releases a Homing missile that follows the opponents and hits them. However, there are two versions of this attack, one is the Homing Missile, and the other is the Super Missile.

Homing Missile allows you to set your trajectory of the missile, while the Super Missile is a high velocity high damage missile that shoots across the screen. The Super Missile deals the most damage, but it’s trajectory cannot be controlled like the Homing Missile that allows you to position the enemy where you want them to be.

In defense of Super Missile, it deals more knockback effect granting you more combo opportunities to follow up with more attacks.

Up Special – Screw Attack

This attack deals 3, 1×7, 2 damage. In this attack, Samus spins in the air, where it deals multi hit combo to opponents caught nearby. This attack works best for recovering enemies, as a combo finisher, or even recovering yourself back to stage.

This attack also deals large shield damage to opponents, while also being very fast starting up with the move. All in all, it is a very good defensive option you have when playing as Samus.

Down Special – Bomb

This attack deals 4, 5 damage. In this attack, Samus turns into her Morph Ball and lays a Bomb that explodes after a second. If Samus is in the radius of the explosion, it boosts her in the opposite direction of the blast.

This is an excellent way to attack enemies on the ground while Samus is airborne, as this allows you to harass victims with a projectile while you are descending back to the stage.

Bombs are also excellent offensive projectiles against recovering opponents. Place a Bomb right next to the edge when the opponent is grabbing the ledge. If timed correctly, you can follow up the blast with an air attack to knock them out for good.

Final Smash (Samus / Dark Samus) – Zero Laser

In the Final Smash, both versions of Samus unleash a powerful long ranged beam that can be angled up or down while firing. The enemies caught in this beam are sucked into the crater and take very high amounts of damage.

For other characters, check out our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters Guide.

Read more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Guides.

This concludes our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Samus/Dark Samus Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Samus/Dark Samus Guide – How to Play, Attack Moves

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Samus Guide

Introduction