ARMS – Twintelle Guide

Twintelle is one of the most popular characters in the ARMS game for the Nintendo Switch. This is partially do we her character design and partially due to how good she is in the game. This ARMS Twintelle guide covers everything you need to know to go from a novice Twintelle player to one of the best. She has all the tools she needs to take on every other character and Arm combination, so let’s jump right into our Twintelle guide.

As a quick note, before you delve into this Twintelle guide, make sure you already have a general understanding of the game. We’ve compiled a list of tips and advice to get you started and this Twintelle guide assumes you already know the basics when it comes to playing ARMS.

Arm Selection

You have quite a few choices when it comes to Twintelle’s ideal Arms. The Arms you choose should complement your play style with Twintelle, which can vary considerably from player to player. We’ve already covered the general benefits of each Arm in the game, so let’s take a closer look at Twintelle’s play styles and the Arms that work best with each.

Rushdown Play Style

• Crackers / Poppers
• Sparky
• Megaton
• Thunderbird (default)

If you play an in your face rushdown style of Twintelle (detailed below), then you’re going to want at least one Arm that’s quick and agile for counter punches. If you get a lot of counter punch opportunities then going with double Light Arms isn’t a bad idea. While a lot of people prefer the Poppers, the Crackers perform almost the exact same purpose and inflict more damage.

The problem with Light Arms is that they can be beaten by most other Arms in the game. If you have problems with this or simply prefer heavier Arms you should equip at least one Medium Arm. Sparky or Thunderbird work well because they still have decent speed (Sparky moreso than Thunderbird) and they shock stun when charged. This allows Twintelle to follow with a throw or another attack for additional damage.

You wouldn’t normally think Heavy Arms such as the Megaton would work with a rushdown strategy, but it has a great benefit in that it beats or trades with all other Arms. That means if you’re attempting to play very aggressively and your opponent is attacking at the same time (which will happen often with this play style), you’ll still win the clash or trade at the very least since the Megaton will go through most other Arm attacks. Now you don’t want double Megatons, but having one to use for these situations isn’t a bad idea.

Slowdown Play Style

• Sparky
• Megaton
• Thunderbird (default)
• Parasol (default)

If your Twintelle play style revolves heavily around her slowdown ability, you don’t need a ton of speed, but you want to be able to capitalize on every slowdown situation. Sparky and Thunderbird are both great for this because they’re Electric element Arms and they’re moderately fast. You have plenty of time to slowdown the opponent’s attack, dodge to either side, then tag the opponent with a charged Sparky or Thunderbird for a shock stun.

Megaton also works well in this situation if you only slowdown one of your opponent’s Arms. The Megaton will go through or trade with the other Arm should the opponent try to stop your attack. The Parasol also comes in handy because it has a wide hit box and can be difficult to avoid. If the opponent tries to move to either side to evade your attack after a slowdown, the Parasol has a high chance of connecting.

Default Arms

• Chilla
• Parasol
• Thunderbird

If you haven’t unlocked any new Arms or any of these recommended Arms, the default Arms aren’t terrible. Chilla has decent speed and will ice an opponent if they hit while charged. Ice doesn’t guarantee a follow-up attack like the shock stun does, but it drastically slows the opponent’s movement speed. You can easily close in on them and go for a surprise grab or get in a better position to start a rushdown barrage of attacks.

The Parasol has a wide hit box that will catch a lot of opponents that would normally dodge a Chilla or Thunderbird. It’s a Medium weight Arm so it still loses to Heavy weight Arms, and the speed isn’t great, but as a secondary Arm coupled with a Chilla or Thunderbird it works as a great second attack after an ice or shock stun effect.

As an Electric element Arm, the Thunderbird should always be in your arsenal unless you absolutely need the speed of double Chillas. The shock stun is too good to leave behind because it guarantees a follow-up attack and can lead to big damage, especially if you have a Rush Attack available. You can also add a decent amount of curve to the Thunderbird. It’s not as curvy as a Boomerang or similar Arm, but it will curve a lot more than a Chilla or Parasol. You can use this to hit enemies behind obstacles or as they’re retreating.

Slowdown Ability (Star Struck)

• Slows down attacks.
• Adds recovery for any attack slowed.
• Charges Arms.

Twintelle’s primary ability is her Slowdown. When you dash and hold the dash button, or jump and hold the dash button, Twintelle hovers in place and creates a force field that slows down everything but the lasers from a Dragon-type Arm and charges her Arms. The Slowdown causes the person attacking to have more recovery on their attack, which makes it much easier to punish them with a counter punch. Immediately following a Slowdown you can then dash in any direction.

It’s extremely important to note that the aerial and ground Slowdown abilities are not identical. Twintelle’s aerial Slowdown does not activate as fast or slow down as well as the ground variant. If you jump and try to slowdown and attack there’s a much higher chance you’ll get hit compared to slowing down an attack while on the ground. That doesn’t mean you can’t take to the air with Twintelle, just know that you need to be a little preemptive with the Slowdown in order to get the same results while airborne.

Ideally you want to slowdown an attack just long enough to determine which direction the attack is going, then dodge in the opposite direction and throw out a counter punch (if you’re close enough). Even if you use the Slowdown on an attack, that attack is still coming and will hit Twintelle if you don’t move out of the way.

While the Slowdown stops almost every attack, Twintelle is vulnerable immediately after the dodge that follows a Slowdown. If you’re fighting against a Twintelle, try to attack as soon as she moves following a Slowdown and her defensive options will be limited. This means you should have a plan of attack any time you use the Slowdown and you’re moderately close to an opponent, whether that’s to dodge the next attack, toss out an attack of your own, or just react to whatever the opponent may do.

Mobility Options

• Standard dashes.
• Additional dash after Slowdown.

Twintelle is one of the most mobile characters in the game. She’s right up there with Ribbon Girl, Mechanica and even Helix in terms of her mobility options. While staying on the ground is generally much safer than taking to the air, Twintelle is one of the safer aerial characters in the game.

When you take to the air with a jump, Twintelle can use the Slowdown to give her an extra air dash. That means you can jump into the air, dash in any direction as you activate the Slowdown, wait to see how your opponent reacts, then dash a second time in any direction. This gives her a lot more versatility in the air and leads directly into her aerial rushdown (below).

If you’re at a distance, you should be constantly using the Slowdown and charging your Arms, dodging back and forth or even toward the opponent. You don’t need to use a full Slowdown here, just long enough to keep your Arms charged. If it looks like the opponent might attack, hold the Slowdown a bit longer to potentially catch the attack and punish it.

Keep in mind the Slowdown has a moderate amount of recovery, even when used on the ground. A skilled opponent can hit Twintelle right after a Slowdown if they’re good. Do not use the Slowdown if the opponent has Rush available unless you feel confident you can react in time to dodge away from the initial Rush. This is much easier to do if there’s an obstacle in the way, but a skilled player can activate Rush to make you use Twintelle’s extra dash, then hit you as Twintelle becomes vulnerable following the second dash. In this situation it’s best to stay on the ground and use normal dashes instead of going into the Slowdown and charging your Arms.

Aerial Rushdown

Once you score a knockdown with Twintelle you usually have time to move in close and start her aerial rushdown strategy. If you have an Electric element Arm you can land a shock stun, then go for a throw or follow-up attack to knock the opponent down. After a throw you usually need to dash forward two or three times to get close, but you have enough time to do this in most situations.

After a knockdown, get right next to the opponent and jump into the air to start the Slowdown. The best timing for this is to start the Slowdown just as the opponent is getting up off the ground. If you can nail this timing the opponent’s options will be severely limited. If they attack in any way it will automatically be caught in the Slowdown and you can dodge to avoid it, then counter punch. Fast Light Arm attacks can be a bit more difficult to dodge, but it can still be done if you time the Slowdown and dodge well.

If the opponent simply blocks while you’re hovering over them, you can throw or dash back to relative safety. A throw at close range is extremely difficult to react to. In most cases the opponent would have to guess that you’re going to do a throw before you do it if they want to avoid it. If you land a throw, dash toward the opponent while they’re on the ground and start the aerial rushdown strategy all over again.

Should the opponent dash in either direction, you can cancel the Slowdown with a dash of your own in the same direction. At this point you’re usually safe to toss out a single charged punch. However, it really depends on which Arms your opponent is using and which Arms you’ve equipped Twintelle with. Faster Light or Medium Arms generally work better than Heavy Arms, but all three weights can work depending on your positioning and which Arms your opponent is using. All you need to do is be able to beat your opponent to the punch.

At this close range, if you air dash/dodge in the same direction as the opponent dodges, you can generally attack before they do. You also have the height advantage which makes it easier for you to hit them and harder for them to hit you. All of this adds up to a huge advantage for Twintelle that only resets if you score a hit and knock the opponent down again. When executed correctly it’s a very difficult situation for more players to be in.

General Strategy

While every match is different and varies widely depending on the opponent, what Arms they have equipped and what stage your fighting on, we can offer some general advice on how to play Twintelle. Adjust this advice as necessary depending on your specific circumstances.

Start off the match by tossing out at least one punch or dashing backward and throwing a punch. This checks the opponent and allows you to get a slight advantage on charging your Rush meter. If you have some distance between yourself and the opponent you can toss out a few more punches to build more Rush meter. If you opponent does the same thing, move in to stop them from building meter.

From here you should pay close attention to the opponent. You can continually charge your Arms with short Slowdowns as you approach the opponent. If they have Light Arms such as the Popper, it’s best to approach with normal dashes instead of going for the Slowdown charge. Remember that you can dash backward if you try to use a Slowdown and the opponent doesn’t throw out an attack. This won’t always keep you safe, but it’s generally safer than dashing in any other direction.

Ideally you want to wait for your opponent to throw out a punch, then either use the Slowdown on it, or simply dodge and counter punch. Once you’ve knocked the opponent to the ground you can quickly dash over to them and start the aerial rushdown strategy, or you can back away and stall the game if you have a life lead or don’t want to risk taking damage. Twintelle excels at playing defensively until she gets a knockdown and can move in safely.

For information on the best characters in the game or other advice you c an check out our ARMS game hub!