So, when I'm down on the ground, it's over...

[MGB | Screaming Internally]

I'm starting to feel like I might as well just put the controller down the moment that happens. I noticed it all the time in this installment. I've played this series on and off since II, and I've never really experienced something like this. At least not nearly this bad.

Whenever I'm down, it's like my character gets paralyzed. He/she is just lying there like an idiot while my opponent unleashes all kinds of hell on me. Literally like 80% of my health bar gone in an instant, and all I can do is just watch it happen. It's particularly prevalent against Siegfried and Raphael.

It usually goes like this:

Fight starts, I get some hits in, opponent get some hits in. Then I get swept, and that's when I know that it's over. I try to get up and block - not working. I try to get up and block low - not working. I try to roll back - not working. I try to roll to the side - not working. I try to get up and do a GI - not working. I try to get up and do a Reversal Edge - not working.

And then I'm dead.
And I just sit there thinking "Okay... So that just happened. What exactly was I suppose to do against that?"

So what I'm asking is just that. What the hell do I do? It would be nice to actually fight instead of being stuck in some kind of eternal loop of punishment.

And instead of GIT GUD, maybe come with some actual advice, kay? Thanks. I'm not just whining about the game here (although this post was admittedly written amidst a whole evening's worth of frustration), I'm genuinely looking for advice. I feel like I'm missing something crucial that most others seem to get.

[ChaozGamer]

this aint tekken, hit the block to pop back up or ukemi at the proper moment

[wifi-warrior]

Hope your match with me wasn't in the 'frustration' category? There was a really funny moment in there. (when I tried my BT B+K x20 and you instantly CE'd. I've never regretted it quite like that)
Ironically I was wishing Groh had less neutral that hits ground. A few characters oki with everything, a few are blessed with sweeping(horizontal) oki, there's a thread on this page with someone upset about Ivy's RO ability, all the characters have something painful.

[MGB | Screaming Internally]

Originally posted by Glue | Clayton:

Hope your match with me wasn't in the 'frustration' category? There was a really funny moment in there. (when I tried my BT B+K x20 and you instantly CE'd. I've never regretted it quite like that)

No that was a good time!

[Nervantoss]

When you are the ground it could be very difficult to weak up, an of course many people on online abuse it. Maxi Raphael or Yoshi are very good at it. Using Mid and low attack.
Using reveral can be helpful for beginner.

be sure you look this guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CGywTK9B1g

Good luck.

[Nicely]

If you're actually down on the ground you're way better off than you are if you're being juggled. Being on the ground is one of the best places to turn the game around

[Clide]

So on a grab or certain moves that leave you in a stun animation or make you flop on the ground you can ukemi after those moves hit you in any direction. Ukemi is up, down, left, or right + mash block button. For example if azwel 6A+B me i can hold up and mash block to ukemi to the side. Other than that you can hold block, block low, side roll up or down, roll foward, roll backwards, or do nothing. The only time those options dont work is when you are stuck in a 50/50 or your opponent is doing a combo that ukemi traps you.

Tbh you don’t really need to know how to ukemi but it helps because you can’t escape some setups without doing a ukemi. I recently just learned how to ukemi so even without knowing how to ukemi i was still getting up fine just doing those 7 things.

[Cegopi]

When your opponent goes down and you prepare a "welcome back" attack for when he hets up (or a keep down there attack if he chooses to stay on the ground), that technique is called an Okizeme, and it happens in every fighting game, not just SoulCalibur VI.
In 2d fighting games a good okizeme would be a slow projectile attack (such as hadouken) and that would force the opponent to block as soon as he gets up so you can keep the pressure.

What you need to do to counter an okizeme is the perfect answer against the upcoming attack, many people will choose another sweep attack to send you back on the floor so you may want to block low more often. You will have to "guess" (what a joke, right? but it's the truth) the upcoming attack and if you fail it you will get crushed xD.
Ukemi may not always be the right choice, sometimes just be quiet on the ground (or roll a bit to the sides) and wait for their next attack and wake up after that.

[Discane]

There is such thing as ukemi.
You hold some side (4 2 8 6) and tap B.
Your character will stand up as fast as he can.

Some characters in this game (if not every) have some attack which deals decent dmg to an opponent on the ground but ukemi will save you from this most of the time.
Also opponent may try to time his attack perfectly so even on wake up your fastest option of 6 frames 4A+B+K will be interrupted. Keep that in mind sometimes you only can block or GI.

[Gaxkang]

There's various guaranteed damage on the ground in this. There may be a stun involved or not. You will hold block, but nothing will happen for a little while. Some damage you take will be huge.
You can try ukemi to see if may make a difference sometimes. It may not tho.
So you don't really want to get knocked down.

Sideroll can tend to be pretty useless...its usefulness is real specific I suppose. Moves can tend to track.

I believe a stun will prevent an ukemi...tho I've sometimes seen people ukemi with the word stun on the screen, I dunno how.

Otherwise on wakeup you get to predict/guess if someone is going to hit low or mid or a break attack even. Online quality may affect the timeliness of your inputs getting there.
In any case you don't really want to wait to see the startup of a move to decide...because you typically cannot register a block when you see startup.
Some moves do not look the way they will hit, and you will get blown up by them unless you know them and you act accordingly. And if blocked, that may mean more blocking.

If someone goes for a throw on wakeup, if you RE on wakeup...that will stop the throw with no worry of having to break it, and may cover other possible attacks too if they don't do a throw. If they use a break attack, you will get blown up.

Some characters definitely want to knock people down, Siegfried for example. Nightmare wants it too, tho it may be a more online thing for him.

Basically in this the high damage, guaranteed damage stuff others do to you you want to do to them first. Since it can be hard to catch up if an attack or sequence takes nearly half or half of lifebar.
You can think of it as a DPS race.

Ya also want to remember lots of stuff, including very damaging stuff, is either not punishable or minimally so, unless it's sidesteppable and you attack quick.

[AGA | prinnyuber]

Dont know myself either cuz the get up game is different from player to player and who they are using at the time. Just make do on how you approach them.

[RiftHunter4]

Ukemi and low block are your friends but yeah. If you can't get back up, you're dead.

[B(.Y.)BIES!]

Learn to "ukemi". Plus there is amounts of actions that can be done while regaining stance.

[Thundercracker]

Originally posted by Jake Macross:

If you're actually down on the ground you're way better off than you are if you're being juggled. Being on the ground is one of the best places to turn the game around

that depends, it's a bad place to be against sigfried, for example. you dont wanna be caught laying down by an astaroth, either.

Originally posted by Gaxkang:

Some characters definitely want to knock people down, Siegfried for example. Nightmare wants it too, tho it may be a more online thing for him.

that's not just online, otg 2a+b grants terror charge on hit.

Originally posted by Clide:

So on a grab or certain moves that leave you in a stun animation or make you flop on the ground you can ukemi after those moves hit you in any direction. Ukemi is up, down, left, or right + mash block button. For example if azwel 6A+B me i can hold up and mash block to ukemi to the side. Other than that you can hold block, block low, side roll up or down, roll foward, roll backwards, or do nothing.

you've also got wakeup attacks on all buttins, meaning A, B and K.

but yes, you're right. every situation has a proper response, and that includes getting up off the ground.

[ShadowSplit]

Had a similar issue with several Siegfrieds faced today. I haven't fought many of them since I started playing, but these were tricky to understand much less to defeat. He's strangely fast for a big sword user and some of his attacks make you guess wrong. Some mid seem like low so I often misjudged what he's up to. Sly little bugger, he is.

[Gaxkang]

Originally posted by NorthWind:

Had a similar issue with several Siegfrieds faced today. I haven't fought many of them since I started playing, but these were tricky to understand much less to defeat. He's strangely fast for a big sword user and some of his attacks make you guess wrong. Some mid seem like low so I often misjudged what he's up to. Sly little bugger, he is.

That sorta stuff, along with using unreactable moves and moves that are not punishable/plus on block are the keys to the online game.

I still shake my head at what is not punishable on block in this, and how much of it is very damaging or abusable.

I still feel damage is way too high in the game and there just isn't enough of a real punishment game. Trying sidestepping can be unreliable, it just isn't enough really.