Anakin Skywalker: Non-Force Guide

Anakin is a very powerful Non-Force character. He has a quick saber, a great dash, a half decent aerial attack, and (besides Maul) has the only other normal movement speed on Villains.

One of the reasons Anakin is primarily chosen in Non-Force is his dash. Many people like it because it has a stun built into it. It does quite a bit of damage during the first "fan" of the saber and even more at the end. On top of that, the dash also has a chance to block.

Utilizing the dash is a primary tool, however people tend to over-use it and end up dead. The primary technique the inexperienced use as an Anakin is Dash-Roll. You can go into any Non-Force server and see an Anakin or Obi-Wan just dash-roll dash-roll dash-roll. While this may be deadly to the average player, to those who have seen it way to much, it is an easy kill. If you can avoid dash-roll it will save you more than actually doing the move. You are vulnerable as you are rolling, and there is nothing you can do about it. So the experienced enemy will evade or block your dash and watch you as you roll. They will then sprint or dash toward your rolling path and kill you as you stand up (because there is a quick recovery time after your dash).
Some people will also expect you to dash roll and if you dash them and they aren't prepared, you can always finish the dash and start your saber combo or backhand them. They will have likely dropped their block in preparation to dash a possible roll.

The dash is best used against an enemy who is unprepared. Catching them from the side, behind, or while their block is down is a lot better than just head on. Dashing them during these moments makes it so there is a pretty good chance to stun them. Be sure to read my Anakin and Obi-Wan force guides where I describe where during the dash you need to connect with the enemy.

A very valuable trick of dash you can use as Anakin is the fake dash. Now I'm not talking about glitching with slow run, you should all know now that I don't like glitching at all, I'm talking about sprinting and stopping without doing a dash. Because there are so many Anakin/Obi Dashers in game, there is an expectation of one dashing. So if you use this expectation to your advantage, you can possibly surprise your enemy. Try sprinting toward them but stopping the dash in front of them (out of saber range just in case). In most cases they will do something to try to defend against your dash. They could move, click their combo, dash also, sprint away, jump, there are plenty of things they might do. Most of the time if they do one of these you can really dash them at this point because a good portion of those moves will leave them vulnerable. So test out the waters with fake dash and see how people react. Since the game is online there is also a slight lag factor when you fake dash: it may look like you're closer to them than you really are which will make them react.

Anakin's combo is very powerful, in the sense that you can "null" easily with it, you can interrupt other combos with it, and it is very quick. Damage-wise, it is a little weaker than the other Villain's combos. You can kill the normal health characters with a full combo, but the higher health may take a couple tries. Occasionally the final swipe of the combo will knock an enemy down, and sometimes it won't. So when you are fighting a higher health character (normally against another Villain in FFA) be sure to back up after the first combo. They'll usually swing or backhand, and you can evade and finish them with a second combo. Just keep an eye out for when/if you don't knock down, because there have been many moments when I have been Vader and an Obi didn't get me in one combo and I've stunned them with a backhand.
Sometimes you will not kill a normal health character with a single combo. If you are not close enough to be hitting them on the start of the combo, you may only swipe them with the end of the combo (which generally takes about 50% health away from them). In these cases they usually do get knocked down with the final swipe so you can finish them, but be wary if they aren't stunned.

Single click is beneficial against those who are dashing you, even if it is a block-dasher character. Most of the time if you side step and single click while someone is dashing it will knock them down, then you can finish them with a combo. With a built-in-block dash type, it is still beneficial to use this tactic because it will likely save you from being knocked down and only take a little health (Yes even Grievous and Aayla if timed right). You can also single click when someone starts their combo on you. Just click once and it will interrupt their combo, then start your combo. In most cases yours next combo will start quicker because you didn't try to do a full combo. In other words, their recovery time seems longer since they were doing their combo. So you can then push forward with your combo, or spin around real quick and do a backslash.

Anakin's aerial is powerful because it has two uses. You can use it mid-air, and you can use it while landing. Always remember that when you are aerial attacking, there is a chance for you to be backslashed which usually stuns you.
Using the mid-air aerial is best when you turn your character's saber side toward your enemy (since the damage comes from this side). Now it's a mid air attack because it's likely you and your enemy are both jumping or force leaping across eachother's paths. These can be epic battles and you'll want to time it well because when you're in the air and click once, it goes really quick. You will want to be careful primarily against Aayla and Luke when doing this, because their aerials do damage in front, above and below them. So if you clash with them mid-air, try to angle toward their left side if you can.
Now the aerial can be timed when you land and do a lot of damage and sometimes stun too. If you leap over to someone and click just as you land, there is a good chance you'll be the victor in the clash. Sometimes if you turn so your back side is facing them as you land, the aerial will act as a backslash and stun them. Again, be wary of them turning around and backslashing. Sometimes if they are aware of me, I leap over and watch them backslash but I jump just before I land and if I have enough energy I do a couple side jumps. Since they were backslashing waiting for you they may not look up to find you and you can land on them anyway.
There are moments when you can force leap at an enemy and click just as you are reaching their head (when they are facing away from you), once you land and recover do a quick backslash. This surprises them since you came from behind, so they will likely step forward and try to combo you just as you are backslashing.

When playing on a Non-Force server, you'll want to be sure to use all the levels of height to your advantage. So be sure to use the roofs and ground, and practice on both equally so you know how to defend and attack on both. Anakin has advantages on both the roof and the ground. He is very powerful dashing on the ground and has normal movement speed so he can generally escape to safely fairly easily. Not only do roofs make it so you can see the surrounding area, but they are also a good defense point. Many people will see you on a roof and just jump up trying to get you. Mind the lag as sometimes it won't look like they are going to aerial. I generally sidestep as they land and hit them with a combo.
You can also dash off roofs and do some damage to your opponent. Normally this won't stun them, however sometimes it does a mid-air freeze on them and they will be vulnerable when they land. The mid-air freeze makes it so they can't do anything until they fall and you'll notice this because it looks like they are fully recovered but wont' be doing anything. It will also look like they are falling at an off angle.
The domed rooftops are great to stage a defense and an attack as Anakin. If you are on top of the dome and someone jumps up toward you, you can always dash them and do damage (sometimes stunning them). Also if they land on the flat area below you, they may do a combo to get you. If you're positioned correctly it won't damage you but you can attack them with a combo when they are in recovery from their swings.

When fighting on the ground with Anakin, be sure to realize where your escape points are (ie: corners to run around or roofs to jump on). You will definitely be targeted because Anakin is a known open space dasher. Most tactics to use on the ground have been discussed in other guides, but you'll want to be sure to manage your energy. Test your enemy with fake dashes, or do a real dash and see what they do. If they jump, next time do an aerial. If they block, try to go past them with your dash so you have room to breath when you recover. Remember you can be single clicked too, so don't think you're invincible when you're dashing (even CD).

Anakin is definitely one of the better Non-Force characters, and you should have fun playing him. Just remember that it's not all about Dash-Roll, and using strategy to beat your enemies is very helpful on Anakin.