What is Burnout in Street Fighter 6, explained

A topic I know a helluva lot about

Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 brings a lot of powerful new mechanics to the party. Not only does the player begin the round will ready access to a fistful of EX (now “Overdrive / OD”) moves, but they can also utilize mechanics such as Drive Parry, Drive Rush, and the game-changing Drive Impact. All of these tools can bring a swift end to your opponent’s good day.

But, of course, these abilities do not come for free, and greedy usage of the above will lead to a miserable state of affairs known in the Street Fighter 6 universe as “Burnout“.

What is Burnout in Street Fighter 6?

Burnout is a state entered by a chosen fighter when they have exhausted their Drive Meter, either through overuse of the Drive mechanics, multiple failed Parries, or eating major damage while the gauge is low. When your fighter enters Burnout, the Drive gauge greys out, and the character model becomes saturated of color. Additionally, the animation changes to depict a worn, fatigued state.

During Burnout, a player has no access to Overdrive moves, Drive Parry, Drive Impact, or Drive Rush. Additionally, they are slightly slower to recover on Block, and suffer from reduced speed and reduced damage. Yikes. Worse yet, if a fighter in burnout is hit with a wall splat from the opponent’s Drive Impact, they will enter the classic Street Fighter “Dizzy” state, opening themselves up for a whole world of hurt.

In the video below, Dee Jay enters Burnout after failing to manage his Drive Meter. Note his decreased speed, lack of tools, and vulnerability after being wall-splatted by Lily.

What can I do when in Burnout?

All is not lost. You can still Block attacks, though your recovery will be slower. You still have access to all of your moves (except OD variants) and your Super moves, though damage will be reduced. Additionally, the fighter will recover from Burnout, and this recovery will be accelerated by landing attacks, and for successful defense. If you become Dizzy, you will fully recover from Burnout afterward.

So, you are not totally defenseless, but you are most definitely fighting from the low ground. Chances are you got yourself into this mess, so suck it up, buddy, and prepare to fight back to a position of neutrality. Of course, if your opponent enters Burnout, then it is an opportunity to go on the attack, doing larger damage and launching unchallenged Drive Impacts. BUT, remember your foe still has their Supers, so don’t swagger in like you own the place.

Your opponent remains a threat to the very last sliver of health, no matter what. You dig?