Best Beginners Guide The King Of Fighters AFK Global Launch

The global launch of The King of Fighters AFK is here, and many new players are jumping in to try this fresh take on the legendary fighting series. Since this is an AFK-style idle RPG, the game works differently compared to the original KOF titles, which can be a little confusing at first.

To help you get started, this beginner’s guide will break down the core mechanics, character attributes, rarities, and skills so you can build a strong team right from the beginning. Also check out our King of Fighter AFK Codes, King of Fighter AFK Tier List and More!

Understanding Attributes and Rarities

One of the first things you’ll notice in KOF AFK is that characters come with three attributes:

• Star
• Sun
• Moon

These work in a rock-paper-scissors system, where one attribute is stronger against another. Paying attention to this can give you an advantage in battles.

Characters are also divided by rarity, which is shown by their color:

• Red = Legendary (strongest units, endgame worthy)
• Yellow = High rarity, strong early and mid-game
• Purple, Blue, and Brown = Lower rarity, mostly useful early on

As a beginner, you’ll mostly rely on yellow units until you start pulling red legendaries through the summoning system. Once you get them, make the switch—red units are your long-term investment.

Character Stats and Turn Order

Each fighter has a variety of stats, but one of the most important is Dexterity (DEX). DEX controls the turn order, meaning the higher a character’s DEX, the sooner they’ll act in combat. Prioritizing characters with good speed can help you attack before the enemy has a chance to respond.

Skills Explained

Characters in KOF AFK use four types of skills:

1. Normal Skill – Always available, basic attacks.
2. Active Skill – Stronger abilities with cooldowns. If both active and normal skills are available, the game prioritizes the active one.
3. Finisher Skill – Ultimate abilities that activate automatically when the Power Gauge (blue bar) is full. This skill takes priority even if it’s not the character’s turn.
4. Passive Skill – Always-on effects that grant bonuses like speed boosts, extra Power Gauge, or damage increases.

Within these, there are three attack styles:

• Strike – Standard attacks.
• Blast – Special attacks that cannot be countered.
• Grapple – Guaranteed hits that ignore accuracy and evasion (except against huge bosses).

Understanding how these skills interact is key to forming effective strategies, especially in PvP.

Team Formation Tips

Your formation matters more than just picking your strongest units. Some passives give bonuses based on whether a character is placed in the front row or back row. Auto-deploy doesn’t account for this, so manually position your fighters to maximize their strengths.

Targeting also varies by character. Some focus on the nearest enemy, while others go after the farthest enemy, the one with the lowest HP, or even enemies under damage-over-time (DOT) effects. This opens the door for deeper team-building once you expand your roster.

As a beginner, don’t worry too much about creating the perfect setup right away. Focus on learning how attributes, rarities, and skills work while gradually collecting stronger red rarity fighters. Once you get a feel for targeting and formation bonuses, you’ll start building teams that can handle tougher challenges.

With its AFK progression and strategic combat system, The King of Fighters AFK offers plenty of depth without overwhelming grind. Stick with it, and you’ll quickly grow a powerful roster that can take on any challenge.