Super Smash Bros. for Wii U All Star Mode FAQ
Copyright 2015-2016
Version 1.06
Written by White_Pointer

e-mail: wh1tepointer@yahoo.com.au

Version History:

1.00: First completed version of guide
1.01: Fixed some typos and formatting, added some extra information
1.02: Added Mii Fighters to Character Strategies section
1.03: Added Mewtwo (DLC character)
1.04: Added Lucas, Roy and Ryu (DLC characters). Added Dream Land 64
and Suzaku Castle (DLC battlegrounds)
1.05: Added Cloud (DLC character). Added Pirate Ship, Midgar, Peach's Castle
64 and Hyrule Castle 64 (DLC battlegrounds)
1.06: Added Corrin and Bayonetta (DLC characters). Added Umbra Clock Tower
(DLC battleground)

Contents of this Guide:

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Legal Information
3.0 About the game
4.0 What’s in this guide?
5.0 All Star Mode Overview and Stages
6.0 Character Strategies
7.0 Acknowledgements and Credits

1.0 Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those of you who have the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. no doubt noticed
that there is a challenge for finishing All Star on Hard mode with ALL
characters. Many players would have just said "forget that" and used one of
their golden hammers to clear that challenge. But not me. For some reason, I
decided to actually complete this challenge the hard way, and once I did, I
decided to write this guide, so those of you out there who also want to do it
have a point of reference. So, this guide was born.

2.0 Legal Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This guide is intended for personal use only. No profit can be made from this
guide under ANY circumstances, it is to be used for non-profit only. This guide
will ONLY be hosted on Gamefaqs, unless you have my written consent to publish
it on your own site and you MUST e-mail me to request my permission to use it.
Please explain in your e-mail what the theme of your site is, the approximate
amount of unique visitors you receive each month and what materials the site
covers. This guide may not be altered in any way, shape, or form.

3.0 About the game
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the fourth game in the Super Smash Bros. series
and is often also referred to as SSB4 or Sm4sh. The game is also available on
the 3DS with a few differences, namely the available stages, a different game
mode (Smash Run vs Smash Tour) and different challenges. It was released late
2014 and features the biggest roster of characters in an SSB game to date.

4.0 What’s in this guide?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This guide contains information on how to beat All Star mode on hard with all
characters. For the purpose of this guide I'm only focusing on hard mode as
there is a challenge in the game to beat it on hard with all characters.
However most of the strategies described here will obviously also work on easy
and normal. If you want to beat All Star on hard with all characters, this
guide is for you.

Why should you do this challenge manually instead of just hammering it, I
hear you ask? Well, there's a few good reasons:

- The satisfaction
- You'll complete other challenges along the way
- You'll gain gold, trophies, custom moves and items as you progress

All good reasons! So what are you waiting for?

I'm going to assume you know what you are doing when it comes to Smash, so I'm
not going to be explaining how certain mechanics of the game work or anything
like that. If you want help with that kind of stuff there are other good FAQs
out there.

5.0 All Star Mode Overview and Stages
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.1 Overview
************

All Star mode is a play mode in SSB4 that pits you against all of the game's 48
default characters, fighting groups of 6 or 7 of them across 7 stages. In
between each stage is a rest area that provides a limited number of healing
items. You do not automatically heal damage taken in between stages, and you
only get one stock for the whole thing, so you really need to work on taking
minimal damage and using the healing items in the rest area strategically. 

It's one of only a couple of modes in the game where you can NOT use customs,
so you must use the default version of each character.

In each stage of All Star, you will always battle the same AI opponents. You
will fight up to three at a time...three start the battle, then the others
spawn in one by one as you get KO's. Once the final AI is KO'd, the stage is
beaten and you'll move to the rest area.

The battleground for each stage is randomly chosen from a group of 4 or 5
possibilities based on a game the AI opponents in that stage appear in.

Usually, the AI on Hard mode is smart enough to not just walk straight into
charged smash attacks, so whenever I suggest to use a smash attack below, I
usually mean to use an uncharged smash attack.

### WHAT IS TRUE ALL STAR MODE? ###

True All Star mode is not a separate selection in the menu. This is just what
the game calls All Star mode once all of the characters have been unlocked. In
order to complete the challenge, you'll need to finish "True" All Star mode
with all characters on hard.

Note that you do not need to finish the mode with the Mii fighters or any of
the DLC characters in order to complete the challenge.

### DAMAGE AND LAUNCH POWER ###

You'll no doubt notice that the normal game rules are slightly altered in All
Star Mode.

- In general, the damage and launch power of the player physical attacks is
buffed, while the damage and launch power of AI opponents physical attacks is
nerfed.
- In general, the launch power of the player projectiles is nerfed, while the
launch power of AI projectiles is buffed.

So, keeping this in mind, with a few notable exceptions (which I'll outline
below), you don't need to worry too much about the AI KOing you with physical
attacks. However, due to their decreased launch power, this DOES mean that they
can and will tag team combo you and rack up damage VERY quickly if you're not
careful. However, on the flip side, you DO need to worry about being KO'd by
projectiles - and in particular there's a number of them you absolutely need
to avoid. Again, I'll outline these below.

5.2 The Rest Area
*****************

In the rest area, you get 4 healing items to use:

Maxim Tomato
Fairy Bottle
Heart Container
Heart Container

- The Maxim Tomato heals you of 50% damage.
- The Fairy Bottle heals you of 100% damage, BUT ONLY if your current damage is
100% or greater.
- The two Heart Containers both completely heal you of all damage and return
you to 0% regardless of how much damage you've taken.

You can only use each of these items once.

Note that moves that heal you of damage, such as Wii Fit Trainer's Deep
Breathing and Wario's Motorbike Eating do NOT work in the rest area. Similarly,
moves that can cause self damage, such as Link/Toon Link's bombs, Duck Hunt
Duo's Trick Shot and King Dedede's Jet Hammer also do NOT damage you (so you
can't do this in order to push your damage to 100% to use the fairy bottle for
example).

The rest area also gives you stuff to collect. On hard mode you get two items
after finishing each stage - usually a trophy and a wrench (although the rest
area before stage 7 gives you two wrenches). A wrench gives you either a
custom move or equipment. You also gain gold in this mode, usually around 700G
if you manage to finish it (although this isn't necessarily linked to the rest
area).

5.3 Stages
**********

=== Stage 1 (2007-2013) ===

Opponents:

Robin, Lucina, [Corrin], Greninja, Dark Pit, Shulk, [Bayonetta],
Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma

Possible Battlegrounds:

Kalos Pokemon League, Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit Studio, Skyworld, Colosseum,
[Umbra Clock Tower]

Notes:

In general, this stage shouldn't cause too many issues. Robin can be annoying
if he/she decides to charge and spam Thunder and Arcfire at you, so it might
be an idea to target him/her first, and then make sure you target Wii Fit
Trainer when he/she shows up as that charged Sun Salutation can possibly KO
you if you are near the edge of the stage. When Rosalina shows up, get rid of
her asap as she and Luma can hit hard.

If you have the Corrin and Bayonetta DLC, both of these characters are added
to this stage, making a total of 9 opponents to make it noticably more
difficult. Neither Corrin nor Bayonetta pose much of a KO threat to you
(though be careful if Corrin charges the Dragon Fang Shot), but they can both
pile on the damage pretty quickly if you're not careful.

If you draw Kalos Pokemon League as a level, use the hazards to your advantage
and try to lure the AI opponents into them. Just make sure you don't get hit by
Rayquaza (the big green serpent-like pokemon) or the swords if they spin around
as these can be instant KO's. Don't get stuck on the platforms if they rise
either. If you draw Skyworld, try to keep the majority of the fight on the
higher platforms and don't spend too much time on the lower platform as the AI
is harder to KO down there, and it's easier for them to tag team you. The
other battlegrounds are pretty standard.

If you have the Bayonetta DLC, Umbra Clock Tower will be added to the rotation
for this stage. As far as battlegrounds are concerned it's reasonably stock
standard with no hazards to worry about.

=== Stage 2 (2001-2006) ===

Opponents:

Lucario, [Lucas], Ike, Zero Suit Samus, Toon Link, Bowser Jnr, [Roy], Olimar,
Villager

Possible Battlegrounds:

Castle Siege, Mario Circuit, Garden of Hope, Pyrosphere, Smashville,
Town and City, [Pirate Ship]

Notes:

This stage can be either straightforward, or kinda frustrating. You really need
to watch out for Lucario's charged Aura Sphere, Olimar's up and forward smash,
and Villager's up and forward smash. All of these moves have incredible launch
power in this mode and will KO you even below 100% if you aren't careful. In
particular watch out for Olimar and Villager's smash attacks, try to take them
out as quickly as you can. Villager's bowling ball once KO'd me on 80% damage,
that's how powerful it is.

If you have the Lucas and Roy DLC, both of these characters show up in this
stage, making a total of 9 characters for this stage which makes it
substantially harder. Lucas will be one of the starting opponents and Roy
joins in after Bowser Jnr. Both characters can pile on the damage quickly
but luckily neither of them have huge KO potential in this mode. If they
put extra damage on you though it'll make the final encounters with Olimar
and Villager a bit more hairy.

If you draw Garden of Hope, you can use the Aristocrab to your advantage. Try
not to destroy the bridge as you rack up damage on the AI, then when he shows
up (the screen will zoom out and bubbles will appear on the side he's about to
appear on) jump over him. The AI rarely avoids him so you'll net easy KO's.
Just make sure you avoid him because he'll probably KO you if he hits you.
If you draw Mario Circuit just keep the Karts in your mind. Generally they
aren't much of an issue though as long as you stay away from the sides of the
stage whenever it stops moving.

The stage hazards on Pyrosphere are not present in All Star mode, so you don't
need to worry about Ridley, the bugs or the guns making your life difficult.

If you have the Pirate Ship DLC battleground, it can show up in this stage.
However, it's pretty stock standard with no hazards to speak of. Good thing
too, this stage is annoying enough without needing to deal with cannons
firing at you.

=== Stage 3 (1994-1998) ===

Opponents:

Sheik, Ganondorf, [Cloud], Jigglypuff, Charizard, Pikachu, [Mewtwo],
Diddy Kong, Ness

Possible Battlegrounds:

Pokemon Stadium 2, Kongo Jungle 64, Bridge of Eldin, Onett, [Midgar]

Notes:

I hate this stage. It's really, really brutal. In particular, the combination
of Pikachu and Charizard, plus whatever the third character is at the time
(often Diddy) can make your life hell. Pikachu loves to spam his projectile,
that bounces across the stage and interrupts any attack you might be doing,
and Charizard always somehow manages to time his strong attacks to hit you when
you are hitstunned. Moves you need to watch out for are Sheik's Burst Grenade,
Charizard's Flare Blitz, Ness' up and down smashes (his yo-yo attacks) and
Ness' PK Flash. They can all instant KO you if they connect. Try to take out
Pikachu and Charizard as quickly as you can, and be very careful of Ness as
he'll show up last and you'll probably have taken a lot of damage by then.

If you have the Mewtwo DLC, Mewtwo will show up as an additional opponent on
this stage to give this stage a total of 8 opponents. He'll spawn in after
Pikachu. He's actually not too much of an issue though, just get rid of him
quickly before he has a chance to charge a Shadow Ball (shouldn't be too
difficult as he's a pretty light character). If you get hit by a Shadow Ball
though...well...you know what will happen, so make sure you get rid of him
quickly.

If you have the Cloud DLC, Cloud will appear in this stage as one of the
starting opponents. He's not too hard to get rid of, but if you let him
charge his limit break and he throws out a limit break Blade Beam, that's
going to ruin your day pretty hard. Cloud's addition also pushes the number
of opponents for this stage to 9, making it quite a bit harder than if you
didn't have the DLC.

Luckily the possible battlegrounds you can get here don't have any hazards to
really worry about (aside from the car in Onett which is easily avoided). King
Bulbin does not appear in Bridge of Eldin in All Star mode so you don't need to
worry about him blowing the bridge up. The stage transformations in Pokemon
Stadium 2 also don't happen so you don't have to worry about those.

If you have the Cloud DLC, Midgar is added to the rotation of possible
battlegrounds. The summon materia do not show up in All Star mode, so you
don't need to worry about the AI grabbing a summon and completely boning you.

=== Stage 4 (1991-1993) ===

Opponents:

Fox, Falco, Meta Knight, Wario, King Dedede, Kirby, Sonic

Possible Battlegrounds:

Halberd, Gamer, Lylat Cruise, Orbital Gate Assault, Windy Hill Zone,
[Dream Land 64]

Notes:

Your biggest threat here BY FAR is King Dedede. While the other AI opponents
can certainly inflict damage on you, King Dedede's Gordo will KO you if you
are anywhere near 100% damage. Unlike other 1-hit KO moves the AI has in this
mode, which you can often see coming (eg, Samus' Charge Shot), the Gordo
basically comes out immediately, and he often throws it out right in front of
you giving you no chance to react. When Dedede shows up (he'll arrive after 2
KO's) you MUST target him and get rid of him as a priority, otherwise a stray
Gordo will end your run super quickly. Sonic can often be annoying in this
stage at the end as well...while he won't really KO you, he can make a nuisance
of himself and add on a bit more damage than you ideally would like.

Battleground hazards in general aren't too bad here...make sure you avoid the
claw, laser and cannon shot on Halberd, and don't get caught in the explosions
on Orbital Gate Assault. You should try to knock the AI into those explosions
though for easy KO's, and the AI sometimes SD's on this stage too. If you draw
Gamer, do your best to avoid the Mother whenever she shows up, because if she
hits you, you're most likely dead. It's very annoying to KO Dedede here,
removing that huge threat, only to be KO'd by the stage.

If you have the Dream Land 64 DLC, this battleground is added to the rotation
for this stage. The tree does blow you around which can be a little annoying
but it's nothing game changing.

=== Stage 5 (1986-1990) ===

Opponents:

Yoshi, Captain Falcon, Dr Mario, Marth, Mega Man, [Ryu], Palutena, Pit

Possible Battlegrounds:

Port Town Aero Dive, Woolly World, Yoshi's Island, Wily Castle, [Suzaku Castle]

Notes:

In terms of AI opponents, this stage is actually one of the easier ones in my
opinion (with a couple of exceptions, you'll see why in the character
strategies section). Generally speaking, the only AI opponent you really need
to worry about here is Mega Man, his forward smash even uncharged is enough to
KO you pretty early. So needless to say, when he arrives to the battle, you
should target him immediately. The rest of the opponents here, while they can
certainly inflict a lot of damage on you, will very rarely hit you hard enough
to KO you. On the flipside, if you are using a character that's mostly
projectile based, this stage can be the bane of your existence, as Pit and
Palutena love using their reflectors.

If you have the Ryu DLC, he'll show up on this stage after Mega Man. Overall
he's not a huge threat here...he's strong and can inflict damage quickly but
he's not really a KO threat.

This stage features the battleground that most players complain about in All
Star: Port Town Aero Dive. When the stage platforms stop moving and lower you
onto the track, there's a chance the F-Zero cars will zoom through and if you
are hit by one, it's practically a guaranteed KO. They can KO you on as little
as 50%, so always keep an eye on the background whenever you are on the track
and be ready to do some quick evasion. The AI can also be KO'd by the cars
though, so it's not all bad. If you draw Wily Castle, try not to get caught in
the explosion if Yellow Devil is destroyed and you should be fine. Woolly World
is also the source of complaints but I'm not entirely sure why, it's a great
stage to get KO's on and you get plenty of warning before the floor disappears.
Once the floor disappears, stay up on the platforms and let the AI come to
you...if you stand on the rocket in the middle, you can often up smash the AI
to oblivion as they drop down from the platform above to get to you.

If you have the Ryu DLC, Suzaku Castle is added into the battleground rotation
for this stage. There are no hazards here but it can be a little tricky to
negotiate with lots going on. Be careful of the walkoff blast zone to the right
of the stage. A good strategy seems to be to stick to the smaller platforms
on the left and attack the AI as it comes to get you.

=== Stage 6 (1984-1986) ===

Opponents:

Zelda, Link, Samus, Bowser, Peach, R.O.B., Duck Hunt Duo

Possible Battlegrounds:

Mushroom Kingdom U, Mario Circuit (Brawl), Norfair, Duck Hunt, Skyloft,
Wrecking Crew, [Peach's Castle 64], [Hyrule Castle 64]

Notes:

The first thing I should say about this stage is, if you have a heart container
left, you NEED to use it to return to 0% damage before jumping into this stage.
There are three major AI opponents with early 1-hit KO moves you need to worry
about here: Zelda's Din's Fire, Samus' Charged Shot, and Duck Hunt Duo's
Trick Shot (ie, the exploding can), with the final one on that list being the
most aggravating. If you go into this stage with damage already taken, you're
just going in with a much higher risk of being instantly KO'd by one of these
moves. Straight away, you should get rid of Samus and Zelda, and then get rid
of Duck Hunt Duo as quickly as you can when he joins the battle. As for the
rest of them, just make sure you don't take on too much damage (which increases
the chance of the aforementioned moves 1-hitting you).

I should also note that the AI in stage 6 and 7 seems to go up a gear and is a
lot more aggressive, so be prepared.

For the battleground hazards, the only one here you should be concerned about
is Mushroom Kingdom U - particularly Nabbit. If he appears, he'll randomly
target a fighter (so he might go for you, or one of the AI fighters), and if he
goes for you and catches you in his sack, he'll float to the top and KO you
unless you break out (the more damage you've taken, the harder it is to break
out). The bombs and barrels are there in Wrecking Crew, but neither should be
much of a problem.

Norfair's lava waves and the Karts on Brawl Mario Circuit do not appear in All
Star mode.

If you have Peach's Castle 64 and Hyrule Castle 64 DLC battlegrounds, these
will be added to the rotation for this stage. Both are pretty standard affairs
without any real troublesome hazards to worry about.

== Stage 7 (1980-1984) ==

Opponents:

Donkey Kong, Little Mac, Luigi, Mario, Pac-Man, Mr Game & Watch

Possible Battlegrounds:

Luigi's Mansion, Pac-Land, Delfino Plaza, Flat Zone X

Notes:

This stage only has 6 opponents instead of the usual 7. Like Stage 6 before it,
the AI in this stage seems to play much more aggressively. In general though,
even though it's the last stage and some moves might seem scary on paper,
there's not a lot to worry about. Moves like Luigi's Super Jump Punch, DK's
Giant Punch and even Little Mac's KO Uppercut will not KO you (unless you're
already at stupid high damage) due to the nerfs to AI launch power. They'll
still cause you lots of damage though so it's still not good to be hit by them!
Pac-Man is your biggest concern here honestly...make sure you are not standing
underneath him to open an opportunity for him to drop the fire hydrant on you,
as this has high KO power. Many of his projectiles are deadly too,
particularly the key and even the apple. It's a sensible idea to take him out
as quickly as you can. I've never actually been hit by Game & Watch's number 9
Judge Hammer in All Star so I don't know if it can actually 1-hit you or not
- but because it's a physical attack, I suspect not. Best to err on the side
of caution and avoid it anyway!

For battlegrounds, Flat Zone X is easily the worst to get here. It's small with
really tight blast zones with stage hazards that can quickly rack up damage and
KO you. The rest of the possible battlegrounds here aren't bad at all...
Pac-Land is actually awesome to get, just concentrate on smashing the AI off
to the left as the screen is scrolling, and sometimes they may even get stuck
on obstacles like the hydrants and SD.

Luigi's mansion doesn't break apart in All Star mode, so if you find
yourself on high damage on this stage, it's often a good idea to stay on the
bottom level to reduce your chances of being KO'd. If you are on low damage
though stick to the higher levels as it's easier to nail KO's up there.

6.0 Character Strategies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6.1 Strategies
**************

Characters are listed here in character select screen order, left to right, top
to bottom. This was the order I actually finished it with so I could easily
keep track.

I've ranked each character into a difficulty tier: Sleep Mode, Easy, Moderate,
Challenging and "%^$# this game is stupid!". This may not reflect your own
personal experience, but this was accurate for me so it should at least give
you an idea of what to expect.

New to version 1.02 of this guide are strategies for the Mii Fighters. Note
that I have included them here for completeness sake because you do NOT need
to finish All Star mode on hard with the Mii Fighters to unlock the challenge.
If you still want tips to beat the mode with the Mii Fighters though, they are
now included. Note that unlike regular characters, you can use whatever custom
specials you want in this mode with Mii Fighters (however, equipment still
has no effect).

New to version 1.03 of this guide are strategies for the first DLC character,
Mewtwo. Mewtwo and any future DLC characters will appear in the list below
corresponding to where they appear on the character select screen once
installed. Note that you do NOT need to finish All Star hard mode with Mewtwo
or any other DLC character in order to unlock the challenge, they are just
added to the guide for completeness.

New to version 1.04 of this guide are strategies for the second set of DLC
characters: Lucas, Roy and Ryu.

New to version 1.05 of this guide are strategies for the 5th DLC character,
Cloud.

New to version 1.06 of this guide are strategies for the final DLC characters,
Corrin and Bayonetta.

=== Mario ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Concentrate on smash attacks...forward and up smash mostly. His dash attack
is also pretty good at popping opponents into the air, allowing you to finish
them with well timed up or forward airs. His back throw also has decent launch
power. His tilts and the rest of his specials (aside from his Cape when used
as a reflector) aren't too useful though.

=== Luigi ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Much the same as Mario, concentrate mostly on up and forward smashes. Use his
Super Jump Punch if the opportunity is there. Luigi Cyclone is also a good
move to use, particularly if the AI opponents are all grouped together. You
likely won't get many KO's with it but it's great for creating space. If you
want to be a little cheeky, connecting with a fully charged or misfired
Green Missile is almost a guaranteed KO, but it's hard to land as the AI will
usually shield or dodge it.

=== Peach ===

Difficulty: Easy

Peach's smash attacks are actually pretty insane here. Her up and forward
smashes just destroy the AI in All Star, and her mobility allows her to stay
mostly out of trouble too. If you manage to use Toad to counter a strong AI
attack it should also result in an easy KO. Her Peach Bomber isn't bad for
launching either, but keep in mind it does throw her backwards after it
connects which gives the other AI opponents in the match a chance to punish
you.

=== Bowser ===

Difficulty: Easy

Bowser's forward smash will KO in only two hits, (sometimes even 1 hit if you
hit a light character on the edge of the stage) but it's pretty slow to come
out and leaves him pretty exposed afterwards too, so don't just spam it and
expect to win. You should also use his Bowser Bomb and down air when above 
the AI, and his down smash if you find yourself surrounded. His forward air
has a fair bit of launch power on it too. Bowser's up smash here is also super
powerful so use it if the AI is coming from above you.

=== Yoshi ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Yoshi's strategy is pretty similar to Bowser really, except he doesn't hit
quite as hard. Use forward smash and Yoshi Bomb as your main tools, mixing in
his up smash, forward air and Egg Roll for good measure (his Egg Roll actually
has great launch power in All Star mode, but you usually get interrupted out
of it before you connect, so use sparingly). His dash attack can also get the
job done but you'll need to put a fair bit of damage on them first.

=== Rosalina & Luma ===

Difficulty: Easy

I found Rosalina surprisingly easy here. Most of her Luma based attacks have
very high launch power, so concentrate on using those and you're most of the
way there. Her up and down aerials are also very good. If you lose Luma, her
stock forward smash can also get the job done until he comes back.

=== Bowser Jnr ===

Difficulty: Challenging

Bowser Jnr is pretty difficult to beat All Star mode on hard with. His up and
forward smashes work pretty well, but they both need to be timed perfectly
as they have long animations and if you miss you're just asking to be pounded.
Best strategy I found was to rack up damage using his aerials and Clown Cannon,
then finishing them off using his down smash (or up smash if they are coming
from above you). I also found that using the Clown Kart Dash and timing a 
spinout to hit an AI opponent has pretty awesome launch power, so use that
when you can when fighting on the larger battlegrounds. If you manage to
connect with a hammer attack after using Abandon Ship, that also usually
results in a KO.

=== Wario ===

Difficulty: Challenging

Wario's a bit of an odd one...he hits fairly hard, but his attacks come out
pretty slowly, and his mobility kinda sucks, as do his aerials. Concentrate
on well timed forward and up smashes, and use the Wario Bike to also get some
KO's in...like Bowser Jnr if you manage to turn around on top of the AI it's
got good launch power. If you do a wheelie and land on top of them that's
practically a guaranteed KO too. Keep a Wario Waft in the bank to use when you
are surrounded, if it's fully charged that also almost always results in
multiple KO's. His forward tilt is surprisingly effective here so use that
when you can.

=== Donkey Kong ===

Difficulty: Easy

You shouldn't have any problems really with Donkey Kong, almost all of his
moves are great here. Keep a Giant Punch charged up and just forward and down
smash the AI into next year. His Spinning Kong and Hand Slap are fantastic, not
just for creating space, but can lead to KO opportunities as well with his
aerials. His tilts can also be used to rack up damage and keep spacing. In
short, DK is awesome here, so lay waste.

=== Diddy Kong ===

Difficulty: Challenging

In contrast to his current 1v1 status, Diddy actually has a pretty difficult
time here as he doesn't really have many good ways to inflict lots of damage
on multiple opponents at the same time. His best move here, as it is in 1v1,
is his up air, so try to pop the opponents into the air then use a well timed
up air to send them into orbit. His forward smash is okay, and is up smash is
decent, but don't expect to KO with either of them until pretty high damage
percentages. His Monkey Flip kick variation is a decent option too. You can
also get KO's by colliding with the opponents with Rocketbarrel Boost, but this
is pretty difficult to pull off.

=== Mr Game & Watch ===

Difficulty: Moderate

G&W was another character I was expecting to have a difficult time with but
found him easier than expected. All of his smash attacks are super powerful in
this mode, and his down air is a terrific tool to use if you find yourself
above the AI opponents...in fact all of his aerials have high priority and do
good damage. His down tilt is actually really good here too if you time it
properly. If you can land a number 9 Judge Hammer, that also results in an
instant KO.

=== Little Mac ===

Difficulty: Sleep Mode

Little Mac is probably the easiest character to finish All Star with on hard,
next to Ganondorf and Ike. Just forward smash, forward smash, forward smash.
Use up smash if they are above you. Mix in his KO uppercut whenever that gets
charged up for some variety. That's really all there is to it, it doesn't get
any simpler. You'll KO most opponents with just 2 uncharged smash attacks.

=== Link ===

Difficulty: Easy

Not quite on the same level of Little Mac, but Link also doesn't have too many
problems here. Your biggest KO move is his dash attack, so use that while 
inflicting damage with his other moves how you see fit. His up air and down air
are also pretty good for KO's, and if you land a Spin Attack on either the
ground or the air, that also has good launch power. His up smash is also very
powerful and will KO at pretty low percentages. Utilise his projectiles to
increase the damage then let loose with his many reliable KO options.

=== Zelda ===

Difficulty: Easy

Wait, what? Zelda, easy? Well yeah, she is. Her forward and up smash have
pretty insane launch power here, and her dash attack is also stupidly strong.
If you manage to connect with both hits of Phantom Slash, at any decent damage
percentage that'll also send opponents flying to their doom. If you're feeling
clever you can also net KO's with a perfectly placed Farore's Wind. You can
gain KO's by reflecting strong projectiles too. Sweet Spotting her forward or
back air is also pretty much a guaranteed KO.

=== Sheik ===

Difficulty: "%^$# this game is stupid!"

Sandwiched in between a bunch of easy characters is one of the hardest. Almost
nothing about Sheik is good in All Star mode. Her smash attacks suck, her tilts
suck, most of her aerials suck and most of her specials suck. Her only three
redeeming moves really are her back air, her up smash, and Bouncing Fish, but
you still need to inflict a lot of damage first before any of these can
reliably KO. The Burst Grenade is an okay option for inflicting damage, though
the AI will shield it more often than not. The needles are bad unless you are
down to just one opponent left. You'll have a very hard time getting KO's here
on normal stages, so cross your fingers that you get a lot of stages with
walk-off areas. This will be painful...you've been warned.

=== Ganondorf ===

Difficulty: Sleep Mode

Like Little Mac, Ganondorf only needs two uncharged smash attacks to KO most
opponents here, making an All Star run with him incredibly easy. His attacks
come out slower than Mac's but that doesn't really matter much. Just use
lots of forward smashes and up smashes if they are above you, and use his down
air if you are above them. Feel free to mix in a Warlock Punch every now and
then and you should knock this out pretty quickly.

=== Toon Link ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Toon Link doesn't have quite as many reliable KO options as regular Link does,
but that doesn't mean he's bad. Still quite the opposite. He's got great tools
at his disposal for inflicting damage quickly with his projectiles and Spin
Attack, and has reliable KO moves with his up smash, down smash, forward smash
(make sure you follow through and connect with both hits) and down air. You
shouldn't have too many issues with Toon Link.

=== Samus ===

Difficulty: "%^$# this game is stupid!"

Remember how I said earlier that most of the player projectiles have been
nerfed in All Star mode? This makes Samus a real exercise in frustration given
that she is very projectile based and her most reliable KO move under normal
circumstances is her Charge Shot. Adding to the misery is that her forward
smash has really bad range. So what on earth do you do? Gotta rely on your
down smash and tilts a hell of a lot, that's what. Her down tilt and up tilt
are both pretty decent here, and both pop the opponents up which opens up
opportunities to catch them in a Screw Attack to possibly KO them off the top.
Don't be afraid to use her grab to throw opponents away and create some space.
Her bombs and homing missiles can also interrupt opponent attacks too. Despite
what I said earlier, her charge shot CAN still KO, but at much higher
percentages than it normally would. Use her forward smash if the chance is
there because that's also pretty good if you sweet spot it. Her sweet spot back
air can KO too, but you'll probably find this pretty difficult to land given
how floaty Samus is in general and how relentless the AI can be when juggling
you. Good luck!

=== Zero Suit Samus ===

Difficulty: Challenging

I didn't expect ZSS to be too difficult but I was quickly put in my place.
Despite the fact that she has good, powerful kill moves, they mostly come out
pretty slow even though her general movement is pretty fast, but her biggest
issue really is that she has trouble damaging multiple opponents at once. Once
you have inflicted enough damage though, Her forward smash and up smash is what
you should mainly be focusing on, and her back air is also quite good. If you
manage to pop opponents up into the air, her Boost Kick is a very reliable KO
move, and her Flip Kick can also KO if you catch them in the air with it. Do
you best with moves like her down air, forward air, throw, Plasma Whip and
tilts as well as her smashes to get the damage up, then use the aforementioned
KO moves to finish them off.

=== Pit ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Pit surprisingly doesn't have too many issues in All Star mode. His forward and
up smashes are both really good, especially if you connect with all the hits.
You can also KO pretty early with Upperdash Arm, so don't forget you have that
move at your disposal. He's got one of the best jabs for All Star mode as well,
being able to hit multiple opponents multiple times. Mix in Palutena's Bow for
a little extra damage whenever you have some space between yourself and the AI.
His aerials are also really good at piling on the damage. His back throw is
also a decent KO option at higher percentages.

=== Palutena ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Palutena was another that turned out easier than expected. Her smash attacks
are slow, but have super long reach and are actually super powerful here. The
rest of her moves aren't very good aside from her up air. You can bring on a
lot of damage pretty quickly by using her Autoreticle from a moderate distance,
the AI rarely attempts to avoid or shield it for some reason. But all you
really need to do is concentrate on her smash attacks and you should be able
to tick her off your list.

=== Marth ===

Difficulty: Challenging

If you manage to land your tippers 100% of the time, Marth should be a breeze.
The reality is, you're not going to land your tippers 100% of the time, or
even 50% of the time, so this makes All Star with Marth a lot harder. The good
news is that his jabs have decent reach and can hit multiple opponents at once
from range, and while the AI normally doesn't just walk into a charged smash
attack, they have a tendency to sometimes walk straight into a charged Shield
Breaker, so feel free to use that if you think you have enough space to charge
it. If you manage to connect with a Dancing Blade this also has decent launch
power.

=== Ike ===

Difficulty: Sleep Mode

Ike ranks up there with Little Mac and Ganondorf as probably the easiest
character in All Star mode. All you really need are his smash attacks...while
they come out slow, they are super powerful, and usually just two uncharged
smash attacks is enough to KO. Mix in Eruption and charged Quick Draw for some
variety. His down air is also fantastic. You should be able to cross Ike off
your list with your eyes closed.

=== Robin ===

Difficulty: Moderate

I expected to have a lot more trouble with Robin than I actually did, given
how a lot of his strength comes from projectiles (male Robin is the default,
so I'll refer to him as a he). You can certainly still use Arcfire and various
levels of Thunder, but these are for inflicting damage. You'll need to get up
close and utilise mainly smash attacks with Levin Sword to get the majority of
your KO's, but this shouldn't be too much of an issue. A good strategy is that
once you are down to just one AI opponent left, use Nosferatu on them as many
times as you can before it runs out to regain health before KO'ing them, so
you don't need to rely so heavily on the healing items in the rest area.

=== Duck Hunt Duo ===

Difficulty: "%^$# this game is stupid!"

Uggh. This character man. I was really hating life while attempting this with
Duck Hunt Duo. His projectiles can be used to put damage on but that's about
it, like other player projectiles they are weakened and you're not going to get
KO's even with well placed Trick Shots. His smash attacks are slow with a lot
of end lag, so if you miss, you're cruisin' for a bruisin'. His tilts are
useless. His back air and neutral air are about his only half decent moves
here, so you need to mix those in with as many forward and up smashes as you
can actually connect with. His down air can also be useful if you manage to
sweet spot it. Be prepared to retry with DHD over and over and over again and
hope the RNG gives you friendly battlegrounds to fight on.

=== Kirby ===

Difficulty: Easy

Float up into the air, then use his Stone to drop on their heads. For some
reason, the Hard AI has real problems avoiding this move (while being able to
avoid similar moves from Yoshi, Bowser and Dedede), and they will often group
up underneath you in an attempt to get to you, meaning you'll often hit 2 or 3
at once. 3 or 4 good hits with Stone is enough to KO them. If you want some
variety, you can mix in his forward smash and Hammer Flip. Using the Stone
strategy, you should be able to knock this one on the head easily...so to
speak.

=== King Dedede ===

Difficulty: Easy

You can adopt a similar approach to Kirby here, by floating above the AI and
then using his Super Dedede Jump to smash them into space. However, the AI can
and will see the move coming and dodge/counter it, so you can't rely on this
move alone to get the job done. Utilise all three of his smash attacks - they
are all good here - as well as his dash attack and Jet Hammer. Dedede is kinda
like Donkey Kong in that you can't really do a lot wrong with him, although
his Gordo is not very good in the first place but if the AI hits it back at
you, you can be KO'd by it, so try to avoid using that.

=== Meta Knight ===

Difficulty: Challenging

Meta Knight will probably cause quite a lot of frustration. His smash attacks
are just okay and his specials aren't very useful for KO's either. His up tilt
is decent though, and his up and back throws also have KO potential. One thing
is for sure though, perhaps more so than any other character really, you're
going to need to really pile on the damage before you can even think about
achieving KO's. Use his weaker attacks...his Mach Tornado and Drill Rush are
both actually pretty good at damaging multiple opponents at once, and his dash
attack is a decent fast attack option too. His aerials are ok for creating
space, especially if the AI is juggling you.

=== Fox ===

Difficulty: Challenging

I found myself failing and retying with Fox a lot more than I was expecting
to. He does have good, reliable KO moves with his up smash and up air, but
his forward smash is actually pretty awkward to use in All Star mode given
that he steps forward a LONG way with a fair bit of end lag which means the AI
can really punish you if you whiff it. The other moves he has that are decent
for building up damage are is forward air, down air, Fire Fox and his jabs, as
well as his Blaster obviously. Build up the damage, then finish them off with
up smashes or up airs. Only use forward smash when you have a bit of room for
error. His down smash is also good if you find yourself surrounded. His dash
attack is also a good tool to use to build up damage and also pop the AI into
the air, opening up opportunities for his aerials.

=== Falco ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Falco is nowhere near as difficult as Fox, mostly due to the fact that his
forward smash is much safer and much more reliable to land good hits with. His
up smash and down smash are also very good to use. To build up damage you have
plenty of options - his aerials, his tilts, his jabs, his Blaster and Fire
Bird are all good options, then send them to the stars with his smashes. Even
his reflector is good to use for spacing purposes.

=== Pikachu ===

Difficulty: Sleep Mode

Forward smash. Use Thunder if the AI decides to try to come from above you or
if you find yourself surrounded. That's really all there is to it with Pikachu.
He's not quite on the level of someone like Little Mac (you'll need a few more
good hits with his forward smash to get KO's) but it's still not difficult.

=== Charizard ===

Difficulty: Easy

Charizard falls into the same kind of category as Donkey Kong and Dedede...
pretty much everything you can do here will turn out to be good. He's got
powerful smash attacks, good specials for hitting multiple opponents, and
his Flare Blitz is about the only move in All Star mode where it's probably
just as powerful in the player's hands as it is in the AI's. Use his down air
or his neutral air if you find yourself above the AI opponents. You can't
really do a lot wrong with Charizard, just be careful not to get his big frame
caught in an endless AI tag team combo.

=== Lucario ===

Difficulty: Moderate

A lot of players dislike Lucario in All Star mode because he doesn't have good
KO power until his aura really starts kicking in. While that's true, that
doesn't mean you can't get KO's, and his KO moves are still good for adding on
the damage even if they don't KO. His back air and up air are fantastic, and
his forward smash, up smash and down smash are also excellent. His back throw
is also a good KO option. And while his Aura Sphere is nerfed (in the hands of
the player, anyway), it's never a bad thing to keep it charged up and ready to
go. Once you've taken enough damage that your aura is at full strength, you
can *actually* KO the AI opponents with just ONE half-charged smash attack.
While he's certainly at his most powerful with high aura, keep in mind you can
easily be KO'd by those problem projectiles, so don't be too afraid to use
those recovery items even if they reset your aura. It's all risk vs reward
with Lucario, in All Star mode perhaps more than any other mode in the game.
If you play your cards right though, he shouldn't be too much of a problem.

=== Jigglypuff ===

Difficulty: Moderate

As long as you don't play like an idiot and attempt to hit the AI with Rest
and Sing over and over again, you shouldn't find Jiggs difficult. She has an
AWESOME forward smash that has deceptively long reach and high launch power,
and her up smash isn't too shabby either. Tilts aren't too useful here, but
her aerials are good for piling the damage on. Pound is good to use here too,
and a fully charged roll will most likely result in a KO too if it connects.
Don't spam either of those moves though...just put the damage on, then up,
forward, or down smash to finish them off.

=== Greninja ===

Difficulty: Challenging

Greninja is probably the most difficult of the pokemon in this mode. His smash
attacks have the worst launch power of them all, and he's not particularly
adept at piling damage onto multiple opponents quickly. His tilts are decent,
and his aerials are passable...his down air is probably one of his more useful
moves. Like Meta Knight, you're really going to need to focus on building up
damage first before thinking about reliably getting KO's here, unless you
manage to nail a few cheap ones on stages with walk-off areas. His smash
attacks kind of need to be charged even slightly to get KO's, and his Shadow
Sneak can also be a reasonable KO option at higher percentages. Once you are
down to 1 or 2 opponents left on each stage, you can spam fully charged Water
Shurikens at them. I wouldn't recommend using Substitute, even if you connect
with it, the other AI opponents you didn't hit can easily punish you.

=== R.O.B. ===

Difficulty: Challenging

R.O.B. was definitely harder than I was expecting. He does have some powerful
moves in his arsenal, but it's actually difficult to really get good
connections with a lot of them. His forward and down smashes are good though
not spectacular, however his up smash is close to the best All Star mode up
smash of all. Also good is his neutral air and up air, both lay down the hurt
and both can potentially KO too. The Arm Rotor is a good move to use and has
KO potential if you manage to land the last hit nicely. Throwing out his Robo
Beam is often a good idea as well because it pierces through and hits all of
the AI opponents if they are standing in a row - however, don't use it on
stages that have reflector characters because if they reflect it back at you,
they can actually KO you with it. Try to play the spacing game as much as
possible with R.O.B. Your mileage with him may vary.

=== Ness ===

Difficulty: Easy

Ness is right up there as one of the easiest characters to use in All Star
mode. His forward smash as you would expect is where the majority of your KO's
will come from, and it's VERY good here. If you're good at directing PK
Thunder 2 (ie, when you hit yourself with PK Thunder to turn yourself into a
missile) you can also score some pretty sweet and very satisfying KO's. I got
a triple KO - all three AI opponents with a single PK Thunder 2 when I played
through it...it's the best feeling :) His other smash attacks are okay though
don't have the same launch power as the bat, and his up air is good too.
Obviously, his back throw is a very strong KO option if you want some variety.

=== Captain Falcon ===

Difficulty: Sleep Mode

Not quite on the level of Ganondorf, but pretty damn close. Play it much the
same as Ganondorf, just forward smash them into next week and use your up
smash if they come from above you. Mix in a Falcon Punch and Raptor Boost
to get a few different KO's now and then, or use a sweet spotted forward
air if you're feeling clever.

=== Villager ===

Difficulty: "%^$# this game is stupid!"

The fact that the player's projectiles are nerfed in All Star mode makes
Villager very sad, because the vast majority of his arsenal (again I'll call
him a he as the male is the default), including his forward and up smash are
considered projectiles. So, needless to say, Villager has a very hard time
here. So what can you do? His up air and down air are both good options here,
they both do good damage with KO potential at high percents. His down tilt is
also a good KO option, you might be surprised at how powerful it is in this
mode. Most of all though, you really, really, REALLY need to abuse Timber.
This is not considered a projectile in this mode, so plant the seed, make the
tree grow (if it pops up on an AI opponent, even better) and then chop it down,
timing it so the tree falls on top of the AI. They very rarely make much of an
effort to avoid the falling tree, and it's got stupidly strong launch power on
it. This move is slow obviously, and it's not fun if you plant a seed then get
hit across to the other side of the stage, so it's by no means foolproof, but
it's the best option you've got. His back throw is also an option for KO's.
You can still use his smash attacks for KO's by the way - however I would
STRONGLY advise to not use them on stage 4 and 5 especially when the reflector
characters are opposing you. Not much in this game is more irritating than
being KO'd by a reflected smash attack.

=== Olimar ===

Difficulty: "%^$# this game is stupid!"

The problems that plague Olimar are very much the same problems that plague
Villager - most of his attacks, including his smash attacks are considered
projectiles...so they've all been nerfed...and not only that, but like</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Villager, they can be reflected back at you and KO you. Unlike Villager though,
Olimar doesn't really have any other options. Your best bet is you stick to
using aerials and throwing pikmin onto the AI opponents to inflict damage, then
finish them off with a smash attack (and in the case of playing AI opponents
that have reflectors, especially in stage 4 and 5, cross your fingers they
don't reflect you). Keep in mind that with Olimar, almost all of his attacks
are affected by the pikmin, even his throws. The red and purple pikmin have the
best launch power, while the blue pikmin has the best throw power. Use yellow
and white to throw at the AI to increase damage, and ALWAYS stay on top of the
number of pikmin you have...you always want all three with you at all times
otherwise you may find yourself shooting blanks when you attempt at attack.

=== Wii Fit Trainer ===

Difficulty: Challenging

I'd heard horror stories about Wii Fit Trainer, so I was expecting the worst
when I got to her (I'll refer to her as a she as the female is the default).
Honestly though, while she was no doubt tough, she's nowhere near the level of
characters like Olimar, Villager and Duck Hunt Duo. She's actually got a pretty
damn strong forward smash on her, though it's quite slow, but it hits on both
sides with good KO power. Her down smash, also while slow, has good launch
power and hits on both sides at the same time as well. Her up smash is good if
you actually manage to connect with it, but it has a very small hitbox right
above her so I wouldn't rely on it at all. Her back air is also a strong move
with good KO power if you sweet spot it, and her up throw can actually KO here
too, believe it or not. Her down tilt is also a move with good launch power.
Keep a Sun Salutation charged up and ready to go as a good way to finish off
an AI opponent you've sent off stage. She'll probably take you a number of
attempts, but she's not too bad overall.

=== Shulk ===

Difficulty: Easy

The first time I finished this on hard mode with Shulk, I thought I had
accidentally played it on normal mode. He's actually super easy and all you
really need are his smash attacks, mostly his forward and up smash. Not only
do they do good damage with high launch power, but they have long range on them
too. You're not really going to need anything else...throw in his down smash
if you are surrounded and that's about it. Don't worry about using any of his
Monado arts - they don't seem to have much of an effect in this mode anyway.

=== Dr Mario ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Overall Doc is probably a little easier than Mario - while he moves slower,
his attacks have much higher damage and launch power to them, plus you have
the addition of Dr Tornado which is much better than FLUDD in this mode. If
you aren't use to him, it might take you a while to adjust to his lack of
mobility, but eventually you should be able to knock this out without too much
effort. Up smash, forward smash and down smash are all good here, as are most
of his aerials. Back throw is also a potential KO option.

=== Dark Pit ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Dark Pit is practically identical to Pit, so use the same strategy. That is,
focus on up and forward smashes, trying to make sure all the hits of each move
connect. Use his Electroshock Arm too and back throw as alternative KO options.
As with Pit, his jabs and aerials are great for piling on the damage. Not much
more needs to be said really.

=== Lucina ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Yes, I've actually ranked Lucina as easier than Marth in All Star mode. This
is mostly due to fact that you don't need to worry about tippers...Lucina's
sword actually has good KO power in this mode the entire way along, unlike
Marth. So use lots of forward and up smashes, Dancing Blade and charged Shield
Breakers and you shouldn't have too much trouble here. Just make sure you
compensate for her lack of range.

=== Pac-Man ===

Difficulty: Challenging

Pac-Man unfortunately has issues in All Star mode, his unique playstyle kind
of backfiring here. His usual kill moves are his various projectiles and they
just aren't very effective, plus his smash attacks are all slow and short
ranged. Use the Fire Hydrant in addition to his Bonus Fruit projectiles to
push up the damage (throwing the key into the hydrant works pretty well),
although be very careful about doing this in stage 4 and 5 where you run into
several deflector opponents (remember the Hydrant can be deflected too, and
also remember the opponents can grab some of the Bonus Fruit projectiles such
as the key and throw it back at you). His other options for damage are his
dash attack, Power Pellet and tilts, then try to use his smash attacks to
finish them off. This one is going to take a fair bit of perseverance, so
hang in there.

=== Mega Man ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Because of the nerfs to player projectiles in All Star, you'd be forgiven for
thinking that Mega Man has a really hard time here. Not so! Not if you don't
focus too much on his projectiles, anyway. His down smash in particular is
perhaps the best down smash at your disposal in All Star, hitting both sides
simultaneously for mega damage and awesome launch power. His up smash isn't
too shabby either. His forward smash has its uses, but don't concentrate too
much on charging it to the max unless you are sure you have the space to do
so. Another brilliant KO option is is up tilt - that is, his "Shoryuken". This
is a guaranteed KO for any opponent with a reasonable amount of damage on them,
and comes out pretty quickly too. His down tilt, forward air and dash attack
are good for racking up the damage, giving you your opportunities to finish
them off.

=== Sonic ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Sonic overall is pretty solid in All Star. He's nice and fast, with good moves
for inflicting damage quickly, including the Homing Attack, Spin Dash and his
aerials. His up tilt is surprising powerful here as well. Your main source of
KO's are obviously going to be his smash attacks...his forward and down smash
in particular come out very fast and are super strong, and his up smash is
slower but still very good. His back air is another great KO option if you can
time it right (it's often difficult to do so when three AI opponents are
coming to get you), and his back and up throw can get the job done too once
you've inflicted enough damage.

=== Mewtwo (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Mewtwo's not too bad here. The one thing to keep in mind though is that Mewtwo
is very light, so you can't take on as much damage as you can with many of the
other characters. You really need to be on the lookout for those problem
projectiles as they will tend to KO you much earlier than you might expect.
His forward smash and up smash are easily his best moves here, both are really
strong and have good KO power. His up throw is also good for nailing KO's and
his down air is also very strong, and not just as a spike either (its
actually got good KO power if you hit opponents into the stage too). His jabs,
neutral air and dash attack also aren't too bad at inflicting damage, and you
should make use of his Confusion move too, the AI doesn't do a very good job
of avoiding it and it's a good setup into a smash attack or as a reflector.
His forward air is okay but you'll probably find it difficult to land
consistently. His Shadow Ball isn't useless, but it won't KO until much higher
percents compared to normal modes, and obviously avoid using it against
reflector opponents.

=== Lucas (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Easy

Lucas is much the same as Ness. Concentrate on his forward and up smash in
particular, those moves are fantastic at damage and KO's, and hit multiple
opponents too. You can use PK Thunder 2 is you are feeling adventurous to get
KO's as well. You can use his other various projectiles and throws for
spacing if you need to. You shouldn't have too many issues finishing this
with Lucas.

=== Roy (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Easy

Roy is significanly easier to tackle All Star with than Marth. Sweet spotted
forward and up smash are two very reliable kill moves and his Blazer also has
KO potential if you time it right. You can also up throw which is pretty much
a guaranteed KO once you've piled on a bit of damage too. Charge up his Flare
Blade every now and then for style points, especially if an opponent is
recovering. Overall Roy is great here - even his forward air and dash attack
can kill. Use Counter if you find yourself surrounded.

=== Ryu (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Easy

Ryu is a pretty unique character and that's cool. He hits pretty hard as well
so you shouldn't have any problems putting damage on. Use almost any move you
like to get the damage up although I wouldn't recommend his Shoryuken or Focus
Attack because they leave you very exposed for the other AI opponents to
punish you. Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (that's his side B) is a good move to knock
the AI away and create some space and use Hadokens where you can but keep in
mind they only hit one opponent at once. To KO, use his forward smash, up
smash, dash attack, forward air and back air. Even his back throw can get the
job done. He's not quite on the level of characters like Ganondorf and Little
Mac, but he's pretty close. Like those guys, his vertical recovery is pretty
poor, so be careful when you get knocked off the edge.

=== Cloud (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Cloud makes his debut in Smash and he's not too bad in All Star mode. His
biggest weakness of course is his recovery, so if you get knocked off stage
the AI can easily gimp you and end your run. It also makes you more prone to
dying from various stage hazards too so be careful of that. You're going to
want to concentrate mainly on forward smash to both pile on the damage and
get the majority of your KO's here...for some reason down and up smash aren't
quite as powerful. Down air and back air are also pretty reliable KO moves
in this mode. Dash attack can work okay, but I found the AI tends to
interrupt you before the attack comes out more often that not. Charge your
limit break whenever you get the chance and use it to get KO's as well...
his limit break Cross Slash is an excellent choice and can KO multiple
opponents at once too. Limit break Climhazard can also get the job done.
You may be tempted to use Finishing Touch when your limit break is charged,
but I found it quite unrealiable to land against the hard mode AI, so my
personal recommendation is not to use it here. Alternatively, once you have
the limit break charged you may just want to hang onto it to make recovering
easier.

=== Corrin (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Moderate

I found this more difficult than I thought with Corrin, but once I figured out
which moves were the best for KOing quickly it didn't turn out to be too bad.
Forward smash will be one of your primary ways of both dealing damage and
KOing, the range is kinda ridiculous on it and it actually has a tipper too.
Charging your Dragon Fang Shot and timing it correctly so the end of the
move (the bite) connects with an opponent will result in huge damage and
launch power as well. Up smash is good to KO with too but it's got pretty
short range on it. Up air is also not a bad option, and even up throw can get
the job done if need be. If you can time the Dragon Lunge correctly so you
impale the spear into the ground, activating the kick will also send them
flying, regardless of whether you pinned them down or not.

=== Bayonetta (DLC) ===

Difficulty: Moderate

Bayonetta doesn't have too much trouble here, all of her smash attacks but
especially her forward and up smash are very good in this mode, due to both
their range and their damage. Down smash can actually spike recovering
opponents if you time it right. Back air is a reasonably good KO option
but the rest of her moves don't have a large amount of kill power in this
mode, so you'll need to utilise her quicker attacks to inflict damage then
finish them off with her smashes in most cases. Don't bother trying to
activate Witch Time because you can only affect one opponent at a time and
you'll likely be hit by another AI before you have the chance to take
advantage of it. Don't try to be too fancy and you should nail it.

=== Mii Gunner ===

Difficulty: Moderate

The Mii Gunner is a bit of a weird one...the first few times you attempt it
you'll probably put the Gunner in the same category as Villager or Olimar as
most of the Gunner's attacks are considered projectiles. If you focus too much
on the forward smash, up air and forward air you'll have a hard time. So, don't
focus on those! Instead, make good use of up smash (the Gunner's up smash is
MUCH better than Samus' up smash, even though they look very similar), down
smash, up tilt and down tilt. You'll nail a lot of KO's easily this way. You
should still throw out a forward smash occasionally, especially if all three
AI opponents are lined up all nice in a row for you, but don't rely on it,
the launch power is awful and they'll often shield it. Unfortunately most
of the Gunner's specials are projectiles and are not much use in All Star.

=== Mii Brawler ===

Difficulty: Easy

Mii Brawler's forward smash is certainly very powerful in this mode, however
it's also very slow with a lot of end lag and is easily punishable, so throw
it out now and then but don't rely on it. Like the Gunner, up smash, down
smash, up tilt and down tilt are all very good here, especially his up tilt
which has similar KO power to Mega Man's up tilt. Depending on what specials
you give the Brawler, you can also most likely utilise those as well, most of
them are great as they are powerful physical attacks, which excel here.

=== Mii Swordfighter ===

Difficulty: Challenging

No doubt the hardest of the Mii Fighters is the Swordfighter. The
Swordfighter's best move here is honestly up smash, it's pretty powerful with
good launch power, although keep in mind the hitbox behind the Swordfighter
for this move is tiny (though the hitbox in front is pretty big). Forward
smash is decent, down smash is okay but you won't be KOing much with it. If
you find yourself in the air, up air can be very good when sweet spotted (but
it's very hard to sweet spot) and down air is also quite good too, especially
at damaging multiple opponents at once and knocking them away. The
Swordfighter's various customs can be useful, although obviously don't expect
to get much mileage out of projectiles. Stick with the specials that give you
good, powerful physical attacks. This will probably take you a few tries but
overall shouldn't be too bad.

6.2 Difficulty Tier Quick Reference
***********************************

Just for completeness, I've included this quick reference chart for how
difficult I found each character while playing through All Star on hard. You
may have a different experience, but this is my own personal experience from
my time playing.

This again is in character select screen order.

=== Sleep Mode ===

Little Mac
Ganondorf
Ike
Pikachu
Captain Falcon

=== Easy ===

Peach
Bowser
Rosalina & Luma
Donkey Kong
Link
Zelda
Kirby
King Dedede
Charizard
Ness
Shulk
Lucas
Roy
Ryu
Mii Brawler

=== Moderate ===

Mario
Luigi
Yoshi
Mr Game & Watch
Toon Link
Pit
Palutena
Robin
Falco
Lucario
Jigglypuff
Dr Mario
Dark Pit
Lucina
Mega Man
Sonic
Mewtwo
Cloud
Mii Gunner
Corrin
Bayonetta

=== Challenging ===

Bowser Jnr
Wario
Diddy Kong
Zero Suit Samus
Marth
Meta Knight
Fox
Greninja
R.O.B.
Wii Fit Trainer
Pac-Man
Mii Swordfighter

=== "%^$# this game is stupid!" ===

Sheik
Samus
Duck Hunt Duo
Villager
Olimar

7.0 Acknowledgements and Credits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nintendo, for making the Wii U console and this awesome game.
Myself, for writing this guide :)

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this FAQ, feel free
to email me.

Copyright 2015 by White_Pointer