Crescent moon is default moon style for Melty Blood. If you played any of the earlier game, this style will be familiar. It has 300% meter, Reverse Beat (chaining your attacks backwards), EX guard, EX Shield, dodge (pressing 2A+B), and can activate HEAT mode.

HEAT mode can be entered by pressing A+B+C (light, medium, and heavy) together when your meter is over 100%. During HEAT mode your red health will regenerate, timer stops, and you can perform Arc-Drive and Circuit Spark.

At any time you go over 300% meter, you will enter MAX mode. In MAX mode you have access to Arc-Drive and can Circuit Spark. A Circuit Spark is a burst activated when ABC are pressed together while in hitstun (getting hit). If you perform a Arc-Drive, your meter will go back to 100%. However if you perform a Circuit Spark your meter will reset to 0%. After your MAX mode depletes, you meter will go back to 200% meter.

At any point you press A+B+C together in MAX mode you will go into BLOOD HEAT mode. BLOOD HEAT is similar to both HEAT and MAX mode, but can't Circuit Spark. You regenerate red health faster then HEAT mode, your Arc-Drive becomes Another Arc-Drive which is a better version, and you can perform Last-Arc. Last-Arc automatically performed when you successfully EX Shield (Please note that some characters require you to EX Shield in the air). Your meter will reset back to 0% when depleted, Another Arc-Drive, or Last-Arc is used.

Crescent Moon's Shield Bunker can be performed by pressing 214D. Shield Bunkers allows you to shield an attack and counter back. This can be done in neutral or during blockstun however it will cost you 50% meter for performing it out of blockstun.

Half Moon has 200% meter,Reverse Beat, dodge, and better Shield Bunker. Half Moon DOES NOT have BLOOD HEAT, EX Guard (Performing guard right before you get attacked), and holding Shield. They also have a 6AA which can be performed after 5A to help with combos or blockstrings

When your meter hits 200%, you will automatically go into HEAT mode unless you are in hitstun. Works similar to Crescent Moon. During Half Moon's HEAT mode, red health is regenerated and will auto Circuit Spark if you get hit. You also have access to Arc Drive. Meter resets back to 0% after depleted. One other thing to note is that you can Circuit Spark if your not in HEAT mode ONLY if you have 200% meter.

Extra thing to note is that you can still EX Shield (though it is just called Shield for Half Moon) and if successful performed it you will auto Shield Counter which sents the opponent in the air allowing you to follow up. Another thing about Half Moon is their Shield Bunker (which is performed by pressing 214D) cost 100% meter instead of the 50% meter from out of blockstun, but is faster and has better recovery.

Full Moon has 300% meter, BLOOD HEAT mode, EX Guard, Shield Counter, and charge meter (pressing A+B+C together). Full Moon DOES NOT have dodge, EX Shield, and Reverse Beat.

Similar to Crescent's MAX mode, you can enter MAX mode automatically when your meter reaches 300% however you will not regenerate health nor will the timer stop. During MAX mode you can perform Arc Drive and Circuit Spark however after doing so your meter resets back to 0%. If your meter depletes without using Arc Drive, Circuit Spark, Initiative HEAT, or BLOOD HEAT your meter goes back to 100%. Also during MAX mode if you press ABC while your attacks are being hit or blocked, you will cancel your normals and specials allowing you to extend your combo and enter Initiative HEAT. Entering Initiative HEAT will instantly recover all your red health.

You can enter BLOOD HEAT by pressing ABC while in MAX mode. During BLOOD HEAT you instantly recover all your red health, can perform Another Arc-Drive, and perform Last-Arc.

Full Moon can't EX Shield however they can perform a Shield Counter by pressing 236D after successfully Shielding an attack. Full Moon's Shield Bunker works the same as Crescent Moon's Shield Bunker

If you want more details and more in depth mechanics, I suggest you check out the wiki[wiki.mizuumi.net]. I got most of my information on moons from there. I'll add more stuff here if needed.


What is hitstun?
When you get hit your character will be in a state where they can't move or do attack (you can still Circuit Spark to get out of the hitstun). This is called hitstun and it varies depending on what attack you got hit by.

What is blockstun
When you are blocking you will be in a state where your character is well blocking.

What do you mean by 236 214 or whatever numbers
They are called Numpad Notations. Look at your numpad and compare it do your stick, pad, or whatever you use to move. Think of the placement of the numbers. 5 is neutral (standing still), 6 is moving forward, 4 is moving backward, 8 is moving upward or in this case jumping, and 2 is moving downward or in this case crouching. 7, 9, 1, and 3 are moving diagonally. So a 236 would be a quarter curcle forward or moving downward to diagonally down-forward to forward for those of you who are new to fighting.