Nier: Automata's 2B in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is not the character Nier from Granblue Fantasy, that's a different character

You ever feel drunk on power in a video game? Like suddenly you’re moving too fast and hitting too hard and the rules of the universe are yours to bend and break?

That’s kind of how I felt at first picking up 2B in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising. As part of a thorough effort to make the beloved Nier: Automata heroine’s appearance as faithful to her original game as possible, 2B has been imagined as a deadly jack of all killing trades. Boasting an arsenal of weapons for every imaginable situation, movement and mobility options that no character has, and explosive damage via fast normal attacks with shocking range, 2B is an all-offense character who I expect we’re going to see quite a bit of in tournament settings.

2B has a move for everything

2B has taken her sci-fi android arsenal in its entirety with her into the sky realm. In addition to the signature katana, she rapidly switches between many of the weapons you remember from the game: missiles, lasers, attacks from the Pod buddy, the works.

You have an attack for every situation and range, from the straightforward to the tricky, as well as mobility that no other character in the game boasts: 2B can float while hanging off her pod, double jump and even sprint across the screen in an instant. Even the self-destruct ability is intact. Its only use is to remove 2B’s skirt.

The only place 2B isn’t amazing is at extreme long range, where she’s got a pretty good laser attack, a grappling hook that you’re not allowed to block, goes through fireballs, and can start combos, and a super laser which is like the grappling hook but even better. That’s “not amazing” for 2B.

The only limit on 2B’s assault is the SKL gauge from Automata, which here replaces the usual EX moves and cooldown that all the other characters use. 2B can use whatever move she wants, but all but one special move consume SKL meter, which you get back pretty quickly if you remain on the offensive. The limit on special moves means that you can’t lean on them too hard and eventually need to move in and land a normal hit to really start dealing damage.

Once you block 2B once, though, she can start her guessing games. By mixing up normal attacks and different special move finishers, 2B can confuse opponents into blocking or dodging at the wrong time, give herself more chances to keep attacking, and eventually break through with a counter hit. This is the general idea for GBVS rushdown characters, but 2B has so many options that she still manages to stand out. Flexibility is the order of the day here, and 2B needs to make a read or get a setup going to crack a strong defense.

2B has insane range and damage

Even if she runs out of SKL meter, 2B’s normal attacks are also superb, and once you’re at about halfway across the screen from her, you’re no longer safe.

When GBVS first came out with its base cast, there was this feeling that outside of say Katalina, the game was trying to keep away from traditional fighting game pokes. Despite all the swords and spears, there weren’t too many characters who actually reached out and stabbed you with them from range. Those who did, like Zeta, had some major drawbacks. (In Rising, Zeta is now ridiculously good thanks to Ultimate moves and her nasty corner setups.)

A couple of years later, the game— along with the types of characters who get added to it— has changed considerably, and 2B gets to just hit you from halfway down the screen.

The core of 2B’s arsenal is the 5M standing medium slice series. This fast attack’s hitbox is massive and it slides 2B forward, thus covering even more ground than it first appears to. It’s hard to visually understand just how long 2B’s range is until you’ve been hit by this move a few times. Whiff the first strike? No problem! Mash M again and another slice comes out at lightning speed! They can’t punish you! Sidesteps lose too! Belial used to have a move half this good, and he was considered best in game off it.

And don’t forget the long-range 5H strike, which defines this character’s abnormal range. This is a pretty fast move for this kind of range, and a lot of characters can’t reach 2B from the edge of the blade. The various high-damage follow-ups to this move ensure that if 2B lands this hit, you are dead. When fighting 2B you need to remain aware of this range and this move at all times.

To be fair, “insane damage” is pretty much par for the course in Rising. But needless to say that even with low or no resources, 2B has ample ways to turn a single hit into a big payoff. And if she drives you into the corner, she’ll make it really hurt.

Drawbacks?

2B’s moves are pretty fast, but she lacks the fastest moves in the game that are standard for most characters. She has to do without the game-defining dashing light attack, the move that is always correct. She also has a jab that’s one frame slower than others, which sounds like a minor handicap but is more like a medium one: it ultimately means that other characters can get away with moves that are normally unsafe against most characters.

As is common for an offense-loaded character like this, she’s not great on defense. Her moves largely aren’t designed for it, so her biggest weakness is when you get that first hit and start to move in on her. The SKL meter stays down while 2B is getting beat up, so it's tough for her to regain her momentum once she's lost it.

As far as defensive specials, 2B’s parry is extremely risky. The timing window is very precise– you can't just mash it out– and just how much you can punish the opponent depends on the kind of move they used. If you’re not very sure of the exact move your opponent is going to use, it’s more likely you’ll just get counter hit trying to parry. 2B’s only truly invincible move costs half her super meter: it’s a great move that hits all around her, but if they block it, she’s really dead.

Fun factor 5.0

I’m having a blast playing this character, though. I’m coming from Zeta, and I had been asking myself if I was having all that much fun playing Rising anymore. Maybe I needed a drastically different gameplan— highly offensive to match the offense-oriented Rising— or maybe I was getting bored with Zeta’s more straightforward move set. In any case, if you want to have a lot of toys, maybe consider 2B. Though going by the amount of people I see playing her online, I don’t think anyone needed convincing…