Elphelt Valentine Confirmed for GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Season 3! Releasing Today, December 8!

The Game of the Year 2023 event was a massive hit with award winner announcements across various categories and the latest updates on a wide range of titles. While writing this article to share the news, I am a gamer at heart first and foremost, so my excitement has been through the roof all morning on Friday, December 8. There were plenty of surprise announcements, but several titles had confirmed they would share new details during Game of the Year 2023—including GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-. Following the prior announcement that the second new playable character for Season 3 (launched in August 2023) would be revealed, a highly anticipated, fan-favorite character has officially joined the fight!

「GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-」Season3の新プレイアブルキャラクターがTGA2023で公開決定！

A Rock, Metal, Death, and Love Reborn Elphelt Valentine Joins the Fight!

Arc System Works announced the new playable character, Elphelt Valentine, for GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- alongside a brand-new reveal trailer! As a highly popular character who first debuted in GUILTY GEAR Xrd -SIGN-, she is one of the Valentine series created by the Universal Will and is Ramlethal Valentine's younger sister. In Xrd, she wore a wedding dress-like outfit and was aggressively marriage hunting. While the trailer gives off a completely different vibe from her appearance at the end of the GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- story mode, the character profile on the official website reveals why!

Ignite the drive within your soul
Sweet daydream bullet train

Elphelt is one of the Valentines created by the Universal Will.
She loves animals and nature and can't bear to see anyone alone.
She will charge into any problem head-first, shielded by impenetrable optimism.

After the battle with the Universal Will, she takes on a position within Illyria Castle, but isn't able to keep up well with the work.
Although no one blames her for making mistakes, this very fact weighs on Elphelt, and she runs off.
What can she do to bring smiles to people's faces? Elphelt finds the answer to her quandary in the form of a microphone.
Her band Speothos Venaticus is active on the scene to this day.

GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Official Website

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how she arrived at the conclusion to form a band... but she's cute, so it's all good! Featuring an Ease of Use rating of 5 stars on the official site, even players who aren't great at fighting games should have a blast playing as her. If you haven't played GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- yet, this is the perfect chance to jump in! As for her release date, Elphelt Valentine will be available after maintenance concludes on Friday, December 8, 2023, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM JST (scheduled)! In other words, you can play her starting the very day of the announcement!

You can purchase her individually for 880 yen (tax included), or get her as part of Season Pass 3, currently available for 2,750 yen (tax included)! In addition to Elphelt Valentine, Season Pass 3 includes the previously released Johnny, two upcoming characters, two additional battle stages, and a Color Pack, making it a fantastic value. If you haven't purchased Johnny yet, definitely consider picking up Season Pass 3! Arc System Works also released the familiar Starter Guide video, so be sure to study up before she goes live!

New Online Vs. Mode, TEAM OF 3, Announced!

GUILTY GEAR OFFICIAL X

While excitement is running high over Elphelt Valentine releasing right away, Arc System Works also revealed one more piece of new information—a new online vs. mode, TEAM OF 3,! The mode features a battle where players team up with three characters. Given labels like 3-PLAYER TEAM BATTLE and online vs. mode, it offers a different experience from a traditional KOF-style 3-on-3 match where a single player selects three characters, though further details remain under wraps. With a release scheduled for 2024, expect more details in the coming months! Keep an eye on GUILTY GEAR OFFICIAL X (@ArcSystemWorksU) and stay tuned for the latest updates!