The insane Tekken 7 and AMC’s The Walking Dead collaboration is finally upon us, as the nefarious leader of the Saviors Negan makes his way to the playable roster. It’s truly weird seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s face alongside the likes of Heihachi Mishima and company, but once the initial awe wears off figuring out how to use this new combatant is going to take some time. Luckily we have a handy guide to get you started wielding Lucille with deadly precision.

A quick note: we will be using numbers to designate attack buttons, so please use the following key to figure out which button is which depending on how you’re playing:

Left Punch = 1 = Square (PlayStation 4) = X (Xbox One)

Right Punch = 2 = Triangle (PlayStation 4) = Y (Xbox One)

Left Kick = 3 = X (PlayStation 4) = A (Xbox One)

Right Kick = 4 = Circle (PlayStation 4) = B (Xbox One)

Intimidation Is Key

Much of Negan’s offensive arsenal revolves around his second stance called Intimidation (3+4), where he brings Lucille to his shoulder and changes his walking stance. Many of Negan’s normal attacks can enter Intimidation stance by holding the attack in, including his quick Shove (2+3), Tenderizer (Down-Forward + 1, 2), and Blood Moon (Down-Forward + 2).

While in this mode Negan’s options open up considerably. He gains a lightning quick and powerful high attack in Grand Slam (1+2 while in Intimidation), Crowbar (1+3 while in Intimidation) is slower on start-up than a normal throw but quickly knocks the opponent back if it connects for solid distancing, and Beatdown (2 while in Intimidation) will cause a hard knockdown on counter hit with just one button press. Learning Negan’s Intimidation tactics will be paramount in any player wanting to succeed...even with its obvious weaknesses.

No Intimidation Is Without Its Weaknesses

The major downside to Intimidation stance is the loss of mobility, which will hamper its effectiveness. Negan loses the ability to dash and sidestep, so quick movements to dodge attacks are out. He also cannot duck while in the stance, so defending against lows with anything other than a counter is nigh impossible. Perhaps worst of all he only blocks if the player is holding Back, neutral blocking is disabled during Intimidation.

The loss of this mobility makes effective use of the Intimidation stance much tougher, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely useless. Negan attacks very fast out of the stance, and most of the moves cause a stun state or knockdown of some kind giving him plenty of time to block or move once out of the stance.

A Switcheroo Into The Fire

Negan’s Into the Fire throw (2+4) gives him an interesting tool as the move see Negan throw his opponent behind him, switching screen sides in the process. With zoning and stage control being such a key part of Tekken 7’s strategy, we’re confident this basic throw could be a key competitive edge.

Say Negan is stuck near a wall and an opponent is closing in, if Negan hits this throw he gets out of the corner and throws the opponent into the corner in one fell swoop. Note that this throw will not cause a wall bounce, it is strictly a hard knockdown, but getting away from the wall is reward enough to keep this throw in the back of your mind.

The Special State of Negan

Negan has a lot of what we call “special state” moves, where connecting them (mostly) on counter hit will trigger an extra animation that causes more damage. These are common across the roster, but Negan seems to have more than most of his supporting cast.

Bad Break (Down + 2) is a basic downward swing of the bat, but if it connects on counter hit Lucille will get lodged in the opponent’s head. The extra scene that follows -- complete with a quick zinger from Negan -- will cause some extra damage to the opponent. Face Shredder (Forward + 2, 2) doesn’t even need a counter hit, as long as the second hit connects Negan will grind the barbed wire into his opponent’s face and get some extra life bar taken off. Knowing when these moves occur and how to trigger them could lead to big damage and make a huge difference in a close match.

Negan’s Secret Weapon

Even with the Intimidation stance and all of his Lucille-based attacks, there’s one move in Negan’s moveset that really sticks out to us. It’s a move that will have specific situational use, but if it’s mastered it’s a move that every player facing a Negan player will need to look out for. You could say its his secret weapon...which fits because the move is called Secret Weapon (Down, Down-Forward, Forward + 1).

When activated Negan pulls out a knife from his left side and lungs at the opponent with shocking quickness. This move if timed right could easily interrupt any attempt to attack, as its wicked fast start-up could catch anyone off guard. Missing the move does leave Negan open to some hurt, so try not to use it too often, but in a pinch this Secret Weapon will get Negan out of trouble.

With these five beginners’ tips in mind you can take to the Tekken 7 arena and lay a Savior-sized beatdown on any opponent foolish enough to step up. There’s a lot to analyze with this guest character and we’re sure advanced strategies will be coming soon, but based on what we see here Negan could make a major impact on the Tekken 7 scene, leaving the rest of the roster to simply say “not cool.”

For more, check out our guide on the other Tekken 7 character available today Julia Chang, and elsewhere in gaming here’s a look at the Internet’s reaction to the Pokemon Sword and Shield reveal.