➤ Destruction All Stars: guide to take the first steps 🕹

This February will be remembered in the annals of Sony consoles and more precisely in the history of the PS Plus, for having given away one of what should have been the launch titles of the new PS5, the frenetic and colorful All Stars Destruction. After we all wondered how the hell this game worked, finally, from today, we were able to get our hands on it and understand something. The gameplay is a mix of Burnout, Rocket League and a parkour simulator, all crazy stuff. Between escapes at the last moment, drifting and falling into the void, we were able to draw up a sort of survival manual for Stars, a guide to get started to the best.

First steps

The aim of the game, in general, is quite simple. We need to be able to outlive our opponents by inflicting as much damage as possible to vehicles or characters. Said this is simple, but how do you do it?

Character commands:

X - jump
Left Analog - movement
O - Dodging
∆ - Forcing enemy cars
R1 - Character Breaker Activation
L1 Personal Car Summon

Car controls

R1 - Accelerator
L2 - Freno
L1 - Car Breaker Activation
O - Handbrake
Right analog - Side and front shot

When we start a game, the title gives us the possibility to choose, right from the beginning, between 16 characters, each characterized properly with his "physical" ability and his personal car, also equipped with a sort of Power up. Once our character has been decided, we throw ourselves into the arena, on foot, having to choose between the vehicles scattered inside it or running around running between walls and platforms like madmen, trying to avoid death from a car accident.

Survival tactics

Our advice is to immediately look for load the skill bars and half evocation. To do this you will have two possibilities, the first is to walk around collecting i pink crystals scattered around the arenas, or, with a vehicle, destroying the others.

In both cases you will get to load the bars thus having an advantage. Don't even skimp on the use of turbo, front and side, both to attack other players but above all as an evasive maneuver. In our games, more than a few times, the side shot has made the bad guys fail. Obviously, changes of direction are the order of the day and we advise you to keep your finger fixed on the handbrake to try to avoid those who want to hit you from behind or from the front. Another of the fundamental maneuvers is the rapid ejection.

This operation allows us to get out of the vehicle we drive at any time, whether it is being destroyed or just started to use. There map at the bottom right is another essential help. Your position is always fixed in the center while all around you you will see the cars of the participants as arrows whose tip indicates the direction of travel, instead of dots to indicate those "on foot". The use of this map and the indicators on the screen, together with evasive maneuvers (turbo, drift and ejection) are the basis for being able to survive, and perhaps win, the first games of Destruction All Stars. Let's see them together in detail

The Turbo

The first of the four fundamental maneuvers that we will analyze is the activation of that ability of any car you drive that will allow you to get out of several burning situations: the turbo. We can assert that the turbo in Destruction All Stars is not intended as for example on Burnout or NFS, but rather it is a sort of very fast shot, forward or sideways, which enhances the attack power of our car. With any car they both have a timed recharge (it takes a few seconds, nothing special) and there is no way to reactivate it instantly. However, the time that separates you from using the sprint and reloading the next is what makes the difference between victory and defeat.

How and when to use the turbo

Each of the game modes has different dynamics but there are general rules that you can follow regarding the use of the turbo:

Never waste it, always use it for a purpose
If you see someone in front of you pointing at you like a raging bull, sprint sideways without delay
Be careful to use the front turbo in melee, there may be someone with the special ability of the active car and he can steal your demolitions
The front sprint, as well as being good as a ram, is great as an instant speed boost, use it to get out of any chase situation
The side shot, remember the side shot! No really, always remember that, sometimes you tend to play as a destruction derby but it's much more technical and the side shot makes the difference.

The drift

Another fundamental of the game are the drift, sudden changes of direction. Throughout the game, you can't help but notice how the cars you're chasing magically disappear from your view in an instant. Know that 90% of the time it is because they have changed direction and maybe they are on your heels, a bit like the feeling that the unfortunates felt against Anakin Skywalker. To avoid being neutralized, immediately learn how to use the O key and be the one to eat your opponents.

How to best use drifting:

Never use them as a brake, there is a brake!
When being chased, aim for a wall or pillar (or even better a ravine in gridfall) and use the drift to get your pursuer trapped.
Use the Drift + Front Sprint combo for a better chance of survival

The quick expulsion

The third command we are going to see is thequick ejection from the vehicle. Even if it seems simply an action to take to get out of the car and change it or to go around collecting pink crystals, know that it is much more, which is why we have included it in the fundamentals. Yes, it is actually a simple maneuver, simply having to press triangle when you want to get out of the car, but how and when are vital. It can save us from thorny situations and even give us an advantage.

How to take advantage of the quick expulsion

If the car is in bad shape, you can use it as a decoy to lure an opponent and then eject yourself at the last moment
If you need crystals and the platforms are far away to get there on foot, you can approach your car at speed and eject near them.
Fundamental in Gridfall - Combo with the character breaker, when you are about to fall into the ravine, eject yourself and use the double jump to save yourself. Combo: ∆> R1> X> X

The mini map

Last, but not least, of the main aspects to be able to exploit to improve in Destruction all Stars is the careful use of the mini map, located at the bottom right. In the center of it there will always be your character with the fixed direction towards the top of the screen. Around it you will see the cars and characters of your team in blue and the opponents in orange. The cars will be small directional triangles, while the characters on foot are represented by dots. Always keep an eye on the position of the components of both teams and try to use it to turn the various clashes in your favor. The mini map can seriously help you with all other maneuvers that we analyzed, especially the evasive drifting and rapid ejection. Remember to always take a look below and you will see that you can win in any game mode.

Have you already used these maneuvers? Did you manage to win any games? Let us know in the comments.