Aesthetics
As with all veterans returning from Super Smash Bros. 4, Palutena's model has a more subdued color scheme. Her chiton and armor feature simple detailing, and her face appears more realistic and expressive. Altogether, this makes her overall appearance more closely resemble how it was in Brawl and Kid Icarus: Uprising.- Palutena's sidestep now causes a visible warping effect when she disappears.
- Palutena is more emotive as she now smiles consistently rather than frowning.
- Palutena's skirt now has independent physics.
- Palutena's shielding animation is slightly altered.
- The golden door in Palutena's on-screen appearance now disappears without the transparency effects.
Attributes
Like all characters, Palutena's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).- Palutena walks slightly faster (1.21 → 1.271).
- Palutena runs faster (1.888 → 2.077).
- Her initial dash speed is much faster (1.5 → 2.035).
- Palutena's air speed is slightly faster (0.91 → 1).
- Palutena's max additional air acceleration is higher (0.1 → 0.105).
- Palutena's falling speed and fast falling speed are higher (1.4 → 1.55 and 2.24 → 2.48 respectively).
- Palutena's gravity is higher (0.105 → 0.12). In combination with her faster falling speed, this improves her vertical mobility, while not affecting her vertical endurance due to gravity no longer affecting vertical knockback between 70 and 110 degrees.
- Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 30).
Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).- Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 31 → 35).
- Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
- Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
- Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
- Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 50).
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack:
- the first hit has an altered animation. Palutena swings her staff downwards instead of jabbing it forward.
- The first hit and neutral infinite's finisher have less ending lag (FAF 26 → 25 (hit 1), 43 → 40 (finisher)).
- The first hit transitions into the neutral infinite faster (frame 15 → 11).
- The first hit has altered angles to keep opponents closer to Palutena (76°/70° → 361°/180°), and has gained a hitstun modifier of 4, allowing it to lock opponents and connect better into the infinite.
- The infinite has a lower hitlag multiplier (1.2× → 0.5×) and SDI multiplier (1× → 0.4×), a different launch angle to keep grounded opponents closer to Palutena (60°/110° → 361°), and a much larger hitbox (3.5 → 6u). This allows it to connect much more effectively, and rack up more damage overall despite each hit dealing slightly less damage (0.8% → 0.6%).
- The first hit has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 8-10 → 8-9).
- The first hit deals less knockback (30 base/60 scaling → 25/20 base/20 scaling), removing its guaranteed jab cancel setups from Smash 4, despite its lower ending lag and additional hitstun.
- The first hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.5× → 1.6×).
- The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 7×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Palutena more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
- Forward tilt and up tilt have flashier motion effects.
- Forward tilt:
- Forward tilt has less startup (frame 17, 25 → 14, 24) and ending lag (FAF 68 → 60).
- The first hit no longer has a sourspot (6%/4% → 6%), and the second hit deals higher, consistent damage (6%/4% → 7%), as well as more knockback (43 base/100 scaling → 78/80), allowing it to KO at around 130% near the edge.
- The first hit has different angles (48° → 90°/45° (clean), 285°/100° (mid), 20°/85° (late)), set knockback (43 base/65 scaling → 25/45 set/100 scaling, 25/40/100, 35/30/100) that is weight-independent, a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.8×), and it can no longer be SDIed (1× → 0×). These changes allow it to connect much more reliably into the second hit, regardless of the opponent's percent.
- The second hit has larger hitboxes (4.1u/2.8u → 4.8u/3.9u).
- Palutena's right arm is now intangible for the duration of the hitboxes.
- The move has a shorter hitbox duration by one frame (frames 17-24/25-39 → 14-23/24-35).
- The second hit launches at a slightly different angle (361° → 40°).
- Up tilt:
- Up tilt has less startup (frame 10 → 8) and Palutena can act faster (FAF 68 → 56).
- It has lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (looping hits), 2× → 1.5× (last hit)), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (5 → 3), causing the move to execute noticeably faster.
- The last hit deals higher, consistent damage (2.5%/1.5% → 4.5%), with knockback not fully compensated (60 base/195 scaling → 75/136), slightly improving its KO potential.
- The looping portion has a shorter duration (frames 10-38 (looping hits)/40-41 (last hit) → 8-22/24-25), and thus hits five times instead of six before the last hit, despite its faster rehit rate. This increases the move's ending lag by five frames, as its FAF was not fully compensated.
- However, the looping hits deal more damage (1.2% → 1.4%), and alongside the last hit's increased damage, the move's total output is still higher (9.7% → 11.5%).
- The last hit's hitbox was moved more upwards (Y offset: 19u/13u → 23u/17u). This improves its vertical range, but causes it to have a blindspot and makes it harder to hit opponents on the ground.
- The last hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (2× → 1.5×).
- Down tilt:
- Down tilt has a longer hitbox duration (frames 14-24 → 14-27), making it even more effective for 2 frame punishes.
- It launches grounded opponents at a lower angle (361° → 35°), improving its edgeguarding and KO abilities near the edge. It also launches aerial opponents at a higher angle (70° → 75°), improving its combo potential when used to catch landings and hit ledge-hanging opponents.
- Some of its hitboxes are larger and extend farther, giving it more range.
- Dash attack:
- Dash attack has significantly less ending lag (FAF 52 → 38).
- It deals more damage (9% → 11% (clean), 5% → 7% (late)), although with its knockback compensated (70 base/90 scaling → 71/76 (clean), 60/70 → 61/56 (late)).
- Its invincibility starts one frame later with its duration compensated (frames 4-15 → 5-16).
- It causes Palutena's shield to glow, indicating its hitbox.
- Forward smash:
- Forward smash has less ending lag (FAF 67 → 64).
- The hitboxes have a longer duration (frame 18-19 → 18-20), with the windboxes having a shorter duration instead (frames 20-31 → 21-31).
- The hitboxes have slightly more knockback scaling (97/96 → 100/102), while the windboxes have more set knockback (40 → 60 (clean), 26 → 35 (late)), improving the move's KO potential.
- Up smash:
- Up smash has less ending lag (FAF 68 → 64).
- It has a longer hitbox duration (frames 18-26 → 18-35), now lasting twice as long as before, although with a weaker late hit during frames 31-35. This allows it to punish dodges and landings a lot more efficiently.
- The mid and high hitboxes deal more knockback (55 base/85 scaling → 58/89 (mid), 55/87 → 62/92 (high)) and are larger (2.5u → 2.8u).
- Down smash:
- Down smash has less ending lag (FAF 72 → 69).
- The sweetspot has more base knockback (40 → 52), improving its KO potential.
- Its hitboxes are larger (2.5u → 3.7u (clean), 4u → 6u (late), 8u → 9u (windboxes)).
- The windboxes have more horizontal range (Z offset: 22u → 24u) and more set knockback (30 → 55), making them more effective for disrupting opponents.
- The clean hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.4×), while the late hit has a lower multiplier (1× → 0.85×).
Aerial attacks
- All aerials have less landing lag (20 frames → 12 (neutral), 12 → 7 (forward), 16 → 10 (back), 24 → 14 (up), 18 → 11 (down).
- Neutral aerial:
- Neutral aerial has lower hitlag multipliers (1× → 0.5× (looping hits), 2× → 1.5× (last hit)), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (5 → 4), causing the move to execute noticeably faster.
- It has larger hitboxes (3.4u → 4.2u (looping hits), 11u → 11.5u (last hit)), improving its utility for approaching.
- However, the last hit has a smaller hitbox against aerial opponents (11.5u → 9.8u).
- The looping hits have more set knockback (20 → 65/80 (hit 1, grounded opponents only), 65 (hits 2-6)), which in combination with the move's landing lag allows them to combo into several other moves, including an up aerial at high percents as a KO setup, and to be used for drag-down setups. However, the penultimate hit has a hitstun modifier of -13 (giving it roughly the same hitstun as the Smash 4 looping hits), so only the first five hits are effective for these purposes.
- The last hit comes out faster (frame 31 → 29).
- However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
- The last hit always sends opponents in the direction Palutena is facing. Combined with her faster dash speed and the move's lower landing lag, this allows it to combo into itself several times at low percents, greatly improving her damage racking ability.
- The last hit deals less knockback (30 base/180 scaling → 35/155). While this slightly improves its combo potential at low percents, it more drastically hinders its KO potential at high percents.
- Due to the looping hits' faster rehit rate, the move hits seven times instead of six. However, its damage values have been redistributed (1.7% (hits 1-5) → 1.4% (hits 1-6), 5% → 5.1% (last hit)), leaving its total damage unchanged.
- The first hit no longer has set knockback against aerial opponents.
- The beginning of the animation is slightly different. Palutena now spins her staff by knocking the lower part of it instead of letting it spin on its own.
- Forward aerial:
- Forward aerial deals more damage (9% → 10%) with no compensation on knockback, improving its KO potential near the edge.
- Back aerial:
- Back aerial no longer has a sourspot (12%/9% → 12%), and has slightly more knockback scaling (92 → 95), improving its KO potential.
- Its invincibility starts later and thus has a shorter duration (frames 3-10 → 7-10).
- It causes Palutena's shield to glow, indicating its hitbox.
- Up aerial:
- Up aerial auto-cancels significantly earlier (frame 64 → 42), doing so in a full hop.
- The looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (0.8× → 0.6×) and a faster rehit rate (5 → 3). As a result, the move executes noticeably faster, and hits six times instead of five, increasing its total damage (9% → 10%).
- The last hit comes out faster (frame 25 → 24). However, this is compensated by the multi-hits of up aerial having a shorter duration meaning the amount of startup remains the same.
- However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
- The move has more startup, with the looping hits having a shorter duration (frames 8-23 → 10-22).
- Down aerial:
- Down aerial has a longer hitbox duration (frame 10 → 10-11).
- It deals more damage (9% → 11%) with no compensation on knockback, making it a stronger meteor smash.
- The meteor hitbox is slightly larger (4u → 4.2u).
Throws and other attacks
- Grabs:
- Pivot grab has more range (Z2 offset: -17.4u → -18.9u).
- All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 32 → 40 (standing), 40 → 48 (dash), 40 → 43 (pivot)).
- Dash and pivot grabs have more startup (frame 9 → 10 (dash), 10 → 11 (pivot)).
- Dash grab has less range (Z2 offset: 13.7u → 13.1u).
- Pummel:
- Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 8 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 23 → 7), shortening its duration.
- It deals much less damage (3.1% → 1.3%).
- Palutena pummels the opponent by holding her staff vertically instead of horizontally.
- Back throw:
- Due to the Sakurai angle being lower against aerial opponents in Ultimate (45° → 38°), back throw KOs more effectively near edges.
- Down throw:
- Down throw triggers a hitlag effect on both Palutena and the opponent for 7 frames prior to release, rather than inflicting 5 frames of hitlag on the opponent upon release, and has more knockback scaling (25 → 30). This worsens its combo potential beyond low percents.
- However, it has less ending lag to compensate (FAF 50 → 46), and launches at a slightly higher angle (70° → 73°), which combined with Palutena's faster jumpsquat and jump speed slightly improves its combo potential at low percents nevertheless.
- Edge attack:
- Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).
Special moves
- Autoreticle:
- Autoreticle's shots are faster (frame 29/35/41 → 25/31/37).
- The shots deals more damage (2.9% → 3.5%) and knockback (20 base/42 scaling → 40/41), making them more effective for disrupting approaches. The changes now give the move a chance of tripping opponents.
- The shots have received negative shield damage (0 → -1.7), effectively dealing around half their usual damage to shields.
- The changes to locking make the projectile almost useless to start combos.
- Autoreticle's reticle is red instead of green. Additionally, Palutena illuminates her staff's orb with a blue light instead of a yellow one.
- Explosive Flame:
- Explosive Flame, previously one of Palutena's custom neutral specials, is now her side special. Since Reflect Barrier has been merged into her down special, she has effectively gained an additional move. This provides Palutena with another long-ranged attack option.
- It has significantly less ending lag (FAF 89 → 72).
- It deals considerably more damage (0.8% → 1.5% (hits 1-6), 4.2% → 5.5% (hit 7); 9% → 14.5% total) without compensation on knockback. This turns it into a much more effective finisher, KOing opponents from ground level at around 135% if all hits connect.
- It can be unleashed at two different distances away from Palutena depending on whether the control stick is tilted or tapped, improving its zoning ability.
- The looping hits have a lower SDI multiplier (1× → 0.4×).
- It has received negative shield damage (0 → -0.7 (hits 1-6), -2.7 (hit 7)), effectively dealing around half its usual damage to shields.
- The last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5×).
- Warp:
- Warp has one extra frame of intangibility (frames 16-31 → 16-32).
- It has a more stylish appearance.
- Counter and Reflect Barrier:
- Reflect Barrier has been merged with Counter; By default, Counter activates upon blocking an attack, but if it is a reflectable projectile, Reflect Barrier activates instead, akin to King K. Rool's Gut Check and Joker's Tetrakarn / Makarakarn. This allows her to respond to a larger variety of attacks using only one move, while also freeing up her side special for an additional move.
- The move has less startup with a longer counter window (frames 10-31 → 7-34), less ending lag (FAF 75 → 71), and grants intangibility earlier (frames 10-16 → 6-12).
- Upon activation, Counter has significantly less ending lag (FAF 56 → 37), as does Reflect Barrier compared to the previous side special (FAF 56 → 35), and the latter also has immediate startup (frame 8 → 1).
- Counter has more base knockback (40/20 → 50/30), with only the sweetspot having less knockback scaling (75 → 70), making it more consistent and improving its KO potential near edges.
- Projectiles reflected by Reflect Barrier have a much higher damage multiplier (1.17× → 1.4×).
- Reflect Barrier has a shorter duration (frames 9-66 → 1-42), and no longer possesses an offensive hitbox.
- Palutena can no longer directly access Reflect Barrier. As a result, she can no longer use its windbox on command to gimp opponents, or deter projectile use with the barrier's longer duration.
- Palutena closes her eyes instead of showing a angry look upon activating the move. Additionally, she no longer shouts "Counter" until she successfully counters a melee attack. Counter also glows blue instead of yellow.
- Black Hole Laser:
- Black Hole Laser produces a larger black hole and a wider laser, making the attack harder to avoid.
- The final hit has less knockback scaling (135 (trapped)/105 (collateral) → 127/97), reducing its KO potential.