WWE 2K23 Early Reviews: 10 Major Details We Learned
2. Two Payback Abilities Can Be Stored
First brought into the franchise in WWE 2K19, the Payback abilities - special mannerisms assigned to each Superstar that give them a form of advantage in a match - have been revamped to allow for two abilities to be stored per match, though only one can be stored at a time. To switch between them, press down on the D-pad. Once you've used your first Payback, the game will automatically switch to the second.
To use a Payback, the momentum bar, indicated by the blue bar on the HUD, must first be filled a certain amount, as shown by a small vertical white line. This will slowly move down as the match progresses and you become weakened, meaning you won't have to entirely fill the bar late into a match. Pressing R2 and triangle on PlayStation or RT and Y on Xbox executes a Payback.
The full list of Paybacks in WWE 2K22 - and, it seems, in WWE 2K23 - is below:-
- Resiliency, giving players an easy escape from pinfalls and submissions.
- Low Blow, giving players a cheap tactic to hit their opponent where it hurts most.
- Poison Mist, another cheap move that sees players emulate Asuka and spray mist in your opponent's face.
- Power of the Punch, giving players a pair of brass knuckles to hit their opponent with.
- Run-In, giving players the chance to call for backup.
- Move Thief, giving players the opportunity to steal their opponent's own moves.
- Blackout, giving players the chance to darken the venue a la the Undertaker.
- Comeback, giving players the chance to execute one of many in-game comeback sequences.