Dabi Guide
Contributors: Siridian (PS), Nugget (PS)Last Update: -
Dabi excels at playing defensively and sneaky. His main strengths are that he is really good at catching enemies off guard, no matter where he is and he can pretty effectively defend his team and provide excellent support when in a team fight. He really shines when fighting indoors and in closed spaces; walls and corners are his best friend. Since he has no movement you want to avoid open areas and places with little to no cover.
He's not a DPS character, meaning unlike most of the cast, he does not excel in running off and getting kills, the best way to utilize his strengths while limiting his weaknesses is to stick with your team and provide support and defense.
Best Map: UA Island / Chaos City
Alpha Skill - Arson
This ability allows Dabi to fire a slow homing projectile towards the opponent that inflicts the Burning (Blue) status, dealing damage over time (DoT). It's mainly used as a pressure tool, as a nuisance so to speak. Due to its slow tracking, unlike most alphas you cannot use it at a distance, or to snipe opponents. So the best way to utilize this is by shooting at a general direction from the backline while your team fights an enemy team. This will do a few things:
- The enemy will not only have to fight off your team, but they will also have to watch out for these slow, homing fireballs, so they will constantly be dodging or blocking (for the likes of Kendo and Red Drive's beta skills), and this will create openings for your team.
- Even when they think they got away from the main fight (especially if you have your α maxed) they do travel quite a bit so it may catch them off guard and they'll be on the lookout.
- These alphas cause no practical knockdown, so if the enemy is stunned or unaware of you, you can get in a solid 3-4 hits before they realize what's happening and make a counter play.
Below level 4, the range, size, and tracking is pretty sub-par, which is why its best to get it to level 4 at the start. The reason you want to level this up last is because this is the worst ability in his kit. However it is useful to have it at least at level 4 to assist the team and sometimes catch opponents running away.
Dabi has a trick to using his alpha. Instead of just spamming your alpha, you want to dash and then jump and shoot at the same time. Once you hit the ground, you will automatically dash, which will allow you to repeat this process. This trick allows you to shoot faster while keeping yourself agile, and once one gets the timing, it will come naturally.
Beta Skill - Shadow Fire
Arguably Dabi's best tool, this ability allows Dabi to set traps that trigger a flame pillar when an enemy gets too close, dealing damage and inflicting Burning (Blue) status. They can also be placed midair. Even though both your allies and yourself can see the trap from far away, these remain invisible for the enemy until you're almost on top of them, so it makes them a great tool to use in and outside of battle. You can have up to 5 at a time on the map and each trap does 4 ticks of damage before the enemy gets knocked down. These traps can stun enemies without GP, making them unable to act the moment they start taking damage.
Blocking Projectiles
Beta can also be used to block a projectile for one hit or to counter/trade a close range attack (such as an Iida rushing in, or a non-hardened mode Assault Kirishima using his own beta). If the enemy has a traveling armored move (such as Shigaraki's gamma or All Might's beta), the enemy will only take 2-3 hits of damage and fly through the trap. This is true if the trap is on the ground or in the air. However, if they don't have GP, they can sometimes get stunned and/or knocked down by the trap if these are higher level than the enemy's abilities, mainly for slower abilities.
Smart Traps
The traps are best used as actual traps. When not in a fight, place them around the map in certain locations such as doorways, hallways, alleys, narrow paths, known healing locations, ramps, jump pads... The possibilities are endless. You can also surround the enemy with traps after they are knocked down, blocking or greatly hindering their escape.
Recon Tool
Always play around your traps in a fight, do not just toss them out and move the fight elsewhere, the idea is to bait the enemy to come to you, so always play around them. The best use for these outside of combat is also the ability to know where an enemy is. When rescuing civilians (or using them as bait) you can always place a trap on a civilian and wait for when you see and hear DMG numbers pop up. If you know where it was coming from you can be certain that it was that trap you placed on the civilian and thus know the enemy's location.
The other thing you must always do after a fight is place a trap where the enemies body was after you KO them. This will cause their ally to trigger the trap when they go to retrieve their badge. If you play Dabi you must get into this habit.
Finisher
If the enemy has an insta-rez character on their team, 3 traps is all it will take to finish an enemy. Each trap does an additional tick of damage to DOWN'd enemies.
Gamma Skill - Ring of Fire
Dabi's best defensive ability. This skill is a single hit move that creates a fire ring that blocks anything the game considers a projectile. The only exception being Ibara.
While projectiles are blocked, melee attacks are not, and enemies can roll right into your ring and attack you, so when you pop your gamma make sure you're moving around and/or place some traps in there too. During a fight it's also a good idea to place some traps in specific spots and use a gamma to protect them from other projectiles. If you're healing, make sure to also keep an eye out for your surroundings.
The gamma lasts long enough to pop a small HP/GP drink at levels 4 and above. Keep in mind that the ring does not have a roof, therefore, enemies can still attack you from above if they are high enough.
The gamma will do an initial instance of damage when casted, however, its main damage comes from the ring itself. If you catch an opponent on the edge of the ring, they will take a maximum of up to 5 hits before they get knocked down. It also inflicts the Burning (Blue) status.
Gamma damaging the enemy. Gamma blocking attacks.
The ring also goes through walls, so if you hear someone or are predicting someone's will turn the corner, you can pop the gamma to catch them.
Special Action - Unquenchable Flame
Dabi's Special Action is a self-reviving ability. When DOWN, you can use this to let out a mini gamma and pick yourself back up with half your HP and no GP. In theory, it sounds really good, however, there are many flaws. You can only use it in the safe zone, so if you happen to be thrown into the Poison Mist, you will not be able to use unless you crawl back to the safe zone. You also cannot use it while being attacked or pushed, so for it to work, you need to remain undisturbed for about 1-2 seconds once you're on the floor and Dabi is on his stomach, since it can get further delayed if you're behing thrown out by the knockback of other abilities. The other issue with this skill is that if you're hit in the exact same frame as you revive yourself, the mini gamma will pop out, but you won't revive yourself.
People are usually very aggressive to finish a DOWNd Dabi to prevent him from getting up, but if you can get it off it has some benefits. The biggest strength is actually the fact that the activation strikes enemies that are on top of you or extremely close. This means that if the opponent is trying to execute you or they just so happen to be right on you, you can use your Special Action and smack them away, dealing damage and inflicting Burnint (Blue). It does especially high damage if they get stuck in the mini gamma's ring.
This ability does not benefit from the Special Tune "Reinforced Revive".
Basic Attacks
Ground Melee
A 2-string combo, starts with a punch leading into a kick. Both applying the Burning (Blue) status when landing. A solid option when the enemy gets too close or rolls into your gamma. The kick sends enemies back a decent bit, making space and pushing them out of your gamma if they rolled into it. The punch has a decent speed, slight lunge when tracking, and not that much endlag, making it a good tool that you can just throw out. The kick has a slight lunge when tracking aswell, but has more endlag making it a bit more risky. The punch is also good at interrupting moves without hyperarmor thanks to its speed. For example, Shinso's beta, since it has a slight wind-up. If you punch and it lands before he can get beta out it will interrupt him, avoiding damage and allowing you to follow up on the stagger. This is something you'd do if gamma is on cooldown, otherwise use gamma for interrupting moves as it is safer in most cases.
Air Melee
A fast descending punch that sends enemies downwards and applies the Burning (Blue) status, when tracking activates it changes Dabi's momentum towards the enemy. When landing on the ground, air melee can be canceled into ground melee, though on HP this isn't recommended as it causes a bug where the enemy gets i-frames after they are hit by the punch of ground melee. In this case following up with an alpha on HP is a viable alternative for some extra guaranteed damage. Air melee's speed makes it a great way to get out of untrue combos that leave you slightly airborne, for example, Aizawa's alpha->melee->gamma can be interrupted with air melee after you are hit by Aizawa's melee.
Leveling Paths
Balanced Path: Trap Oriented
On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light. In flames of death's eternal reign, we ride towards the fight. When the darkness has fallen down, and the times are tough all right. The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight
Balanced Path: Ring Oriented
Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel, through the wastelands evermore. The scattered souls will feel the hell, bodies wasted on the shores. On the blackest plains in hell's domain, we watch them as they go. In fire and pain, now once again, we know
Trapmaster Path
So now we fly ever free. We're free before the thunderstorm. On towards the wilderness, our quest carries on. Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight. Deep inside our hearts and all our souls
Ringleader Path
So far away, we wait for the day. For the lives all so wasted and gone. We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days. Through the fire and the flames, we carry on
Why is Alpha Lvl.4-9 not recommended first?
As the red day is dawning. And the lightning cracks the sky. They'll raise their hands to the heavens above. With resentment in their eyes. Running back through the mid-morning light. There's a burning in my heart. We're banished from a time in a fallen land. To a life beyond the stars
Techs
No Dabi techs are currently available in this guide.
Combos
Gamma -> Melee 1 -> Dash -> Melee 1 -> Dash -> Melee 1-2/Ring DMG
A combo that lets punish enemies that get too close to him. It only really works on HP, as people with GP can still attempt to dodge it.
Recommended Normal & Special Tunes
Normal Tunes
Strike Slots: Beta DMG > Gamma DMG > HP DMG > Alpha DMG
Assault Slots: > HP DMG > Alpha Defense > Beta Defense > GP DMG > Gamma Defense > Melee DMG
Rapid Slots: Rapid Bakugo > Rapid Toga > Twice
Support Slots: Overhaul > Ibara > Momo > Compress > Kurogiri > Cementoss
Technical Slots: Nejire > Toga > Shoto
Special Tunes
| The list of recommended special tunes (not ordered): | ||
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Willpower A solid option to extend Dabi's survival. Because his kit is very defensive, being able to survive one extra hit can make the difference in whether he survives or not. |
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Wall Runner Another solid tuning. Dabi is a no mobility character, so this tuning is useful for both survivability and comfort. This also allows you to equip different Ability Cards such as support ones, as normally your two ability card slots would otherwise be occupied by Rapid Cards. |
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Critical Permeation - |
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Electrification A good tuning on Dabi since he can get a lot of guardbreaks with his traps, and he will usually be close to the enemy when doing so in battle, so chances are you will be able to stun the enemy with this tuning and take advantage of the situation. |
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Full Burn A strong tuning, as it increases the time his PU/PC is active, which in turns means he does extra DMG and has shorter cooldowns for a longer amount of time. Because PU/PC is usually used when the player is in trouble, it won't be hard to take advantage of the tuning's effect. |
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Symbol of Peace Dabi builds his PU/PC meter pretty slowly usually, sometimes he might not even get it, that's why this tuning is useful by greatly filling the PU gauge and quickly grant Dabi the means to get out of a troublesome situation. |
Recommended Builds and Costumes
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Villain Costume (White Hair ver.) (Heat) A really good costume blessed by both special tunings and normal ones. The high amount of strike slots makes it easy to build high beta and HP DMG, and even has some slots for gamma DMG ones like the support slots for Overhaul and the rapid ones for Rapid Bakugo. Special tuning wise, this costume supports both Willpower and Wall Runner, two solid tunes that will greatly extend his survivability and comfort.       |
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Disguise: Hoodie (Combat) A good costume that's lacking on normal tunes in exchange for strong special tuning combinations, such as Electrification + Wall Runner or Critical Permeation + Wall Runner.     |
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Villain Costume (White Hair ver.) (Dangerous) A costume that does alright in the normal tuning department, but that allows builds such as Full Burn + Symbol of Peace to make sure you get Plus Ultra early and make it last longer.    |
