Receiving damage while guarding?

[OTAOTES]

I don't know if there was some explanation that I missed about this in-game but I keep receiving damage from swords/spears while guarding with swordsman style. Sometimes even with the brawler style having the iron gauntlets equipped. Anyone else experiencing the same?

[Popastique]

Don't know about swords, but certain spear attacks can go through - especially when it comes to certain bosses or elite enemies ( not your usual *spear to the face* guys ) which tend to do AOE spear attacks instead.

[Velesianus]

A lot of sweep attacks that hit from the sides ignore blocking.

Several spear wielding enemies in the game have a little min-sweep that they throw into combos that do this plus some have larger full sweep attacks (AoE'slike he's saying above).

[Sentient_Toaster]

Some attacks will break through your passive block. Some may be completely unblockable, or have very very tight timings to do so (like, I personally don't bother trying to block swordsman set for iajutsu, as it's ludicrously fast.).

The armor items that let you block blades and bullets are to be able to block any at all when using bare hands, like... brawling without those is going to be problematic against even basic enemies given that most of them use blades.

[dook]

most attack from heavy weapons break your block, leaving you vulnerable to following hits.
Most spear thrusting attack requires you to face the attack almost perfectly in order to block though. Gun attack also needs to be facing the attack to block though highly inconsistent.
Most sweep/attack from below from any weapon will ignore block completely

Block only works best against knife, sword and maybe unarmed (not that many in game so idk) opponents. Spear, heavy weapon and gun enemies usually require you to dodge.

[Napalmburner]

There's a generic sword moveset that goons have where they perform a slashing attack that goes from their bottom right to their upper left; you cannot block this.
Or maybe you can, just have to be a specific distance away.

IDK, I can't ever block that whenever they do it despite their other moves being blockable.

[MisterPool]

Evade is more reliable against spearmen since so much of their stuff gets through.