Strikeborn How to Uptilt: Launcher Input and Air Combo Guide

To uptilt in Strikeborn, land one or two M1 hits, then hold jump (Space on PC) so your third M1 becomes an air launch. Alternatively, the uppercut is simply hit three of the standard M1 string — the same string normally ends in a down slam on hit four, so you choose the outcome by stopping or continuing. Creator footage describing the mechanic states: "Holding space after your first M1 or second will cause your third M1 to become an air launch, forcing you and your opponent into an aerial state, allowing for a slam, a move, whatever you want to do."

Note that keybinds here reflect typical PC conventions and creator HUD observations; there is no official keycard, so confirm your binds in your own client, especially on controller or mobile.

Which M1 hit is the launcher

This is consistent across Yuji, Guts, and Sukuna: hit three is the uppercut and hit four is the down slam. If you auto-complete the string expecting a pop-up, you will bury the opponent and lose the route.

What the launcher does

The uptilt performs an air launch that sends both you and the opponent into an aerial state, setting up a slam, a move, or continued M1s. On Yuji, this aerial state is described as fully true — the target cannot ragdoll out of it. It also has defensive value: uptilting guard-breaks a blocking opponent, stunning them and allowing a fresh M1 combo. Aerial routes into a double air combo ending in a down slam are also cited as one way to build a black flash stack.

Converting the uptilt into an air combo

1. Land the uppercut (hit three). Decide before the string whether you want a down slam (finish/edge guard) or an uppercut convert (air route).
2. Stop the string on the uppercut — do not auto-complete hit four.
3. Jump or dash with the opponent immediately, while they are still rising, not after they have peaked.
4. Use one aerial M1 and one aerial skill you have already tested. Several skill slots have different air versions (Guts showcases called out air variants of slot 1 and slot 4).
5. If you still have height, M1 again. If you are about to hit the map boundary or ravine, wall-jump or drop out.
6. Advanced extend: after uptilting someone in the air, back dash while pointing your camera toward their body to bounce and extend, then dash around their block and keep M1ing. With Yuji, after a full air string you can uppercut in the air, turn around, and back dash to trigger your second air combo.

Character differences: Yuji vs Guts vs Gon

The uptilt is universal but not identical. Yuji is the most air-combo-friendly: his faster M1s make the uppercut confirm easier, and his slide kick (slot 2) is described as "possibly your most important move" because it confirms easy air combos.

Guts is more limited. His uptilt does not hold the target in the air — they start falling the second you stop M1ing — and his air launch behaves more like a setup for a down slam or move and ragdolls, so it is not true. A dedicated Guts air route starts from his arm cannon (slot 4) hold-S variant, which launches you and the enemy up; a back dash after it starts an air combo. The September 2026 patch made the Guts air route more consistent and more forgiving, but removed the super downslam front-dash extender and allows opponents to evade out of the air combo.

Gon also has a unique uptilt-linked variant that can knock a launched target back down. Gon and Jinchuriki have incomplete kits, so uptilt-related behavior for them comes from early showcase footage and may not reflect the current build.

Timing, spacing, and device pitfalls

• Decide before the string: stop on hit three for an air route, complete hit four only for a down slam or edge guard.
• Jump or dash with the opponent immediately after the uppercut; dashing after they have already peaked is the classic dropped conversion.
• Only use aerial skill variants you have already tested — do not learn a new air version mid-fight.
• On controller, stick dead zones and held directions can eat the uppercut: if your M1 string never launches, flatten the stick during the string, then steer in the air.
• On mobile, keep dash off the thumb cluster you use for M1 strings and enable shift lock if offered, or air routes turn into camera spins.
• Ping matters: if routes drop online but work in training, shorten to an uppercut plus one aerial action and keep a dash saved for the escape.

Common mistakes

• Auto-completing hit four and burying the target instead of launching — the most common launcher error, a habit imported from games where the fourth hit launches.
• Buffering a skill on hit four expecting a pop-up, which buries the opponent and drops the route.
• Dashing under or after the opponent instead of moving while they are still rising.
• Chasing height or overextending — a long air combo over the waterfall is visible across the map and attracts third parties; if your route needs more than two inputs after the air M1, consider a wall jump or pad launch instead.
• Testing an untested aerial skill for the first time in a real fight.
• Assuming pre-patch clips still work — the September 2026 Guts changes removed the super downslam front-dash extender, and air combos can now be evaded.

If your uptilt slams instead of launching, your grounded string auto-completed — stop on the launcher and practice it alone.

Practice routine for the uptilt

• 20 grounded M1 strings where you stop on hit three and do not auto-complete hit four.
• 20 uppercut converts into one aerial M1.
• 10 wall jump extensions after uppercut converts.
• 10 pad launches that start or continue a fight.
• Each skill slot: grounded, hold-forward, hold-back, and air variants.
• Mark a route "true" only after it worked ten times, not once.

Strikeborn is in early access and combat patches change launcher and air-combo behavior — recheck these inputs after each update. Ping and 100-player server conditions can drop routes that work in training, so treat any written combo as a candidate, not a guarantee.