Tekken 8 is easily one of the biggest fighting games on the market, as it has retained fans with exhilarating gameplay and fighters with distinctive combat styles, which can sometimes contradict their personalities.
For instance, Ling Xiaoyu is an ambitious young lady who also cares deeply for her friends and family. But, underneath that benevolent nature lies a fierce warrior, trained in Baguazhang and Piguaquan-based Chinese martial arts.
She has incredible counter-punish tools and mix-ups to overwhelm opponents, backed by multiple stances, which come at a steep learning curve. For those willing to play Xiaoyu in Tekken 8, we have discussed below some of her best moves, combos, and more.
Basic/ BnB moves of Ling Xiaoyu in Tekken 8
Ling Xiaoyu in Tekken 8 has access to a vast catalog of movesets, which facilitates a variety of mixup options. Although learning all her inputs can be advantageous, you would ideally want to use the ones that yield frame advantage and exert powerful blows on opponents.
Below are some of her best BnB/basic moves to use in a battle. The list also includes some of the crucial inputs from her stances:
- Belly Chop: d/f 1
- Fan Dance: 1, d 2
- Storming Flower: d/b 1
- Shooting Star: u/f 3+4
- Flare Kick: u/f 4
- Soaring Blaze: f, f 4
- Cross Lifting Palms: b 1+2
Art of Phoenix (d 1+2)
- Phoenix Cannon: During Phoenix 1+2
- Double Serving: During Phoenix 2, 1
Rain Dance (b 3+4)
- Dark & Stormy: Back facing opponent 2, 1, 4
- Cyclone Left: Back facing opponent f 3+4, 3+4
Hypnotist (u/b 1+2)
- Spin Sicker: During Hypnotist 2
- Blue Luan Sweep: During Hypnotist 3
With more time in practice with Xiaoyu, you should be able to discover other moves that work best for you.
Tekken 8 Ling Xiaoyu combos
Combos are crucial to any fighter in the fighting game, and Ling Xiaoyu is no exception. She has access to a variety of move strings, which can offer the necessary juggle on a challenger, converging from launchers and counter hits.
Basic/BnB combos
The BnB combos are easy to execute and are usually accompanied by a launcher or a hellsweep. The key here is to learn when your opponent has a frame disadvantage to initiate.
- Input: u/b 3> During Phoenix 1> While standing 2> Back facing opponent 1, 2> f, f, F, 3> During Phoenix 1+2
- Input: d/f 3> While standing 2, F> f 2> f 3, 1> Back facing opponent 2, 2> Back facing opponent 4
Counter-hit combos
You need to time your attack perfectly to execute a counterhit. It can then be converged into the following combos:
- Input: Back facing opponent 1> f 3+4, 3+4> d/b 4> f 3, 1> 1, 2> u/f 4, D> While standing 4
- Input: During Phoenix 1+2> While standing 2 (hold)> Back facing opponent 1> 1> 1, 2> f, f, F 3> 1+2
Heat combo
Lastly, the following combo has been curated to provide extra juggle on an opponent, thanks to the pushback force from the Heat engaged:
- Input: b 1+2> d/f 2> During Heat d/b 1, F> f 3, 1, 4> f, f, F 3> During Phoenix 2, 1
Tekken 8 Ling Xiaoyu playstyle
Ling Xiaoyu’s playstyle in Tekken 8 comprises powerful pokes, excellent mix-ups, and stances. These elements combined can easily overwhelm opponents, forcing them to make a hasty mistake. This will further create an opportunity for her to launch a counter-punishment combo.
Her Phoenix stance in particular is a pain to play against considering it has a lot of extensions, ranging from launchers to power crushes. She can unleash them all while maintaining a crouching position. Unless a challenger is equipped with powerful mid-attacks, shaking Xiaoyu out of her stance can be quite a chore.
Aside from the Art of Phoenix, she is also equipped with safe moves like Belly Chop, Fan Dance, and Flare Kick, all of which serve as her primary poking tools.
