How does stagger work?!

[Dataseries]

For the love of God, can someone please explain to me how stagger works in this game? Are there any rules whatsoever for when an enemy gets staggered? Stagger = mini stun that cancels enemy intent (such as attach animation, etc.).

After playing for a while, I still haven't deduced any coherent, simple to understand and memorize rules for staggering. It isn't just "heavy attacks stagger" or something like that. It also seems to change with frenzy level (difficulty), but in a way that is not conveyed by the game at all in terms of visual or any other sort of information I can parse.

[Rahk]

I've actually been meaning to test out the knockdown and flinching mechanic myself to see what's up, just from what i've played I think some attacks have a certain chance to cause a flinch or knockdown and I may be wrong but whether or not the rot is in the middle of an attack or not influences it.

[Shampoo My Ass Hair]

It might be very weapon specific for what interrupts what, so it might not be a general pattern you can memorize. Ie heavy attacks always interrupts

I play a lot of striker, so I can speak as to when “hitstun works” for striker. This might crossover to other weapons, other people can speak on that.

The light attacks before the headbutt are not reliable and I never assume it will interrupt any mob. Act like it’s false hit-stun and the enemy will attack through it.

Focus attacks consistently interrupt most of the mobs up to the heavy elites(flamingo,Yammo, gourdo,etc…). So if the mob is attacking a focus attack will knock them out of their attack animation. For striker it’s punching a ball in midair or throwing it as soon as you catch it. I can stun lock a lot of mobs with this attack, ie the snortoise can’t spit as they get constantly staggered

The headbutt consistently interrupts trash mobs and knocks them down. Medium mobs it interrupts but doesn’t knock down. Against heavy elite’s it’s situational. Ie flamingos headdive, if you headbutt then in the face while the beak I stuck in the ground, you’ll get a knockdown.