Is it better to parry or dodge?

[stormguru888]

I personally have more success dodging than blocking for bosses. I'm on the Aratra boss.

[Æthelred]

You need to do both. Brink guard and Reflection can stop enemy's combos so usually it's the better option BUT there are enemies that will still apply ailment build-up even if you don't take damage on brink guard (like Volby's nail when aflamed) and also there are attacks (usually magic), that has chip damage to which you need to dodge.

[stormguru888]

Originally posted by Æthelred:

You need to do both. Brink guard and Reflection can stop enemy's combos so usually it's the better option BUT there are enemies that will still apply ailment build-up even if you don't take damage on brink guard (like Volby's nail when aflamed) and also there are attacks (usually magic), that has chip damage to which you need to dodge.

Thanks for this information. I have 0 points in Brink guard and will invest skill points for this. I've been playing this game the hard way the whole time although I welcome a challenge.

[ZexxCrine]

Originally posted by stormguru888:

Originally posted by Æthelred:

You need to do both. Brink guard and Reflection can stop enemy's combos so usually it's the better option BUT there are enemies that will still apply ailment build-up even if you don't take damage on brink guard (like Volby's nail when aflamed) and also there are attacks (usually magic), that has chip damage to which you need to dodge.

Thanks for this information. I have 0 points in Brink guard and will invest skill points for this. I've been playing this game the hard way the whole time although I welcome a challenge.

you dont need to invest points in brink guard per-se. you just need to be aware its a great defensive option with good upsides. the stamina damage you take when successfully brink guarding is very minimal even with no investment. it can be made even more minimal with investment of course.

[stormguru888]

Originally posted by ZexxCrine:

Originally posted by stormguru888:

Thanks for this information. I have 0 points in Brink guard and will invest skill points for this. I've been playing this game the hard way the whole time although I welcome a challenge.

you font need to invest points in brink guard per-se. you just need to be aware its a great defensive option with good upsides. the stamina damage you take when successfully brink guarding is very minimal even with no investment. it can be made even more minimal with investment of course.

I'm open to all strategies. I've made it to the 4th boss just by spamming power attacks with the greatsword lol. It's super fun.

[oinkratpig]

Goes for basically every game with both parrying and dodging (like Lies of P). Gonna refer to Brink Guarding as parrying because "Brink Guard" is kind of awkward to say in some contexts.

Generally you want to do both, as both have pros and cons you can exploit to your advantage. It's best to adapt to the situation. If you REALLY don't want to adapt, I suggest using Brink Dodge since there are way more dodgeable attacks than parryable ones.

Brink Guard = Harder to do, but more forgiving of mistakes

Brink Dodge = Easier to do, but more punishing of mistakes

Probably forgot some stuff, but:

Advantages/disadvantages

Brink Guard (Parry)

Advantages

(A) Skills that involve Brink Guard.
(B) Deals stamina damage to enemy.
(C) Fast combos can be negated that dodge otherwise can't. Dodging has a "cooldown," while parrying does not. This means if the boss is spamming attacks, your dodge cooldown may be too long to dodge the attacks in succession (you may not be able to spam the dodge button fast enough to dodge certain combos).
(D) Failed parries will often just fall back to a guard, meaning mistakes are more forgiving.
(E) Non-committal. If you mess up a parry you can attempt to quickly re-time it or do something else.

Disadvantages

(A) Not using skills that involve Brink Dodge.
(B) Less mobility. If the boss is moving while attacking, you won't catch up to them anywhere close to as quickly as dodging in their direction.
(C) Some attacks are unparryable, meaning you can't use parrying as a catch-all for every attack.
(D) Chip damage from some attacks (like Volbaino's hot nail).

Brink Dodge

Advantages

(A) Skills that involve Brink Dodge.
(B) More forgiving timing. Your invincibility is longer and moving that small distance may result in an attack missing you anyways.
(C) Unparryable attack negation. You can mitigate damage that parrying can't.
(D) Dodging will often put you in an advantageous position, like behind the enemy. Enemies take time to turn around, meaning more time to deal damage - and in this game hitting enemies' back results in more damage anyways.

Disadvantages

(A) Not using skills that involve Brink Guard.
(B) Refer to BG advantage C.
(C) More punishing mistakes. Since your invincibility doesn't last the full animation, you're committing to the dodge and can't "change your mind" like you can with parrying.
(D) Sometimes attacks force you to dodge a specific direction to be optimal. This may put you out of position, reducing ability to punish effectively.

[sgrey]

Originally posted by stormguru888:

Originally posted by ZexxCrine:

you font need to invest points in brink guard per-se. you just need to be aware its a great defensive option with good upsides. the stamina damage you take when successfully brink guarding is very minimal even with no investment. it can be made even more minimal with investment of course.

I'm open to all strategies. I've made it to the 4th boss just by spamming power attacks with the greatsword lol. It's super fun.

In about 3 bosses you will have just so much fun :)

[stormguru888]

Originally posted by oinkratpig:

Goes for basically every game with both parrying and dodging (like Lies of P). Gonna refer to Brink Guarding as parrying because "Brink Guard" is kind of awkward to say in some contexts.

Generally you want to do both, as both have pros and cons you can exploit to your advantage. It's best to adapt to the situation. If you REALLY don't want to adapt, I suggest using Brink Dodge since there are way more dodgeable attacks than parryable ones.

Brink Guard = Harder to do, but more forgiving of mistakes

Brink Dodge = Easier to do, but more punishing of mistakes

Probably forgot some stuff, but:

Advantages/disadvantages

Brink Guard (Parry)

Advantages

(A) Skills that involve Brink Guard.
(B) Deals stamina damage to enemy.
(C) Fast combos can be negated that dodge otherwise can't. Dodging has a "cooldown," while parrying does not. This means if the boss is spamming attacks, your dodge cooldown may be too long to dodge the attacks in succession (you may not be able to spam the dodge button fast enough to dodge certain combos).
(D) Failed parries will often just fall back to a guard, meaning mistakes are more forgiving.
(E) Non-committal. If you mess up a parry you can attempt to quickly re-time it or do something else.

Disadvantages

(A) Not using skills that involve Brink Dodge.
(B) Less mobility. If the boss is moving while attacking, you won't catch up to them anywhere close to as quickly as dodging in their direction.
(C) Some attacks are unparryable, meaning you can't use parrying as a catch-all for every attack.
(D) Chip damage from some attacks (like Volbaino's hot nail).

Brink Dodge

Advantages

(A) Skills that involve Brink Dodge.
(B) More forgiving timing. Your invincibility is longer and moving that small distance may result in an attack missing you anyways.
(C) Unparryable attack negation. You can mitigate damage that parrying can't.
(D) Dodging will often put you in an advantageous position, like behind the enemy. Enemies take time to turn around, meaning more time to deal damage - and in this game hitting enemies' back results in more damage anyways.

Disadvantages

(A) Not using skills that involve Brink Guard.
(B) Refer to BG advantage C.
(C) More punishing mistakes. Since your invincibility doesn't last the full animation, you're committing to the dodge and can't "change your mind" like you can with parrying.
(D) Sometimes attacks force you to dodge a specific direction to be optimal. This may put you out of position, reducing ability to punish effectively.

Noted. Thanks!

Originally posted by sgrey:

Originally posted by stormguru888:

I'm open to all strategies. I've made it to the 4th boss just by spamming power attacks with the greatsword lol. It's super fun.

In about 3 bosses you will have just so much fun :)

This game is big league quality. A true gem. I'm ready for it!

[Soul Thrive]

I reflect more but still have to dodge alot so both

[Oddless]

aside from dodging elemental attacks I still find myself varying between them depending on the attack, if im confident then I brink block, otherwise brink dodge. sometimes I brink dodge the final attack of a boss for better better combos

[volcz]

I did my entire playthrough without touching reflection or counter attacks and a bigger focus on dodging rather than brink guarding. Was hella fun. Personally, I find the brink dodges more satisfying than the brink guarding but to each their own :) Like how you aren't tied down to 1 particular style.

[parent child bowl]

You don't need Reflection, but if you can be arsed to learn to do it consistently, it's a great tool.

[Teorus]

GS main here.
Counterstrike from GS tree is op tool. With counterstrike chance and counterstrike shift nodes you can interrapt most of your actions for counterstrike and you can chain it vs fast chained attacks.
You can brink guard/counterstrike almost all attacks in this game - even those crazy AoE and projectiles.
counterstrike deals crazy damage to enemy stamina, and even restores full spirit if you brink guard with it.
Only few attacks in game can't be parried and must be dodged.

Do not worry about some chip elemental damage. My advice - never sell necklace and rings with elemental resistance and save atleast one necklace and one ring of every type. Just check boss elemental attacks, then equip jewelry with resistance, and you can ignore these status effects. Potions for removing elemental status can be your emergency option.
And spend consumables for boost your own damage with elemental damage. These things are great, give you 10-20% dps boost if you know which one is boss weakness.

[Baron01]

You need to use both.

Brink guard is good way to bring enemy stamina or stagger bar down. It also allows you to continue regenerating stamina at successful brink guard.

Brink dodge, and only brink version as normal dodge is inferior as it simply drains your stamina, has its place in the game, particularly when you fight bosses who can imbue their attacks with elemental effects. Elemental damage still partially damages you even if you brink guard it so it is often better to dodge it. Bosses usually have only selected special attacks with elemental effects so you can dodge those and brink guard the rest.

Brink guard was superior until latest patch as you received more skill proficiency and was gaining skill points faster but the latest patch fixed this, or at least brought brink dodging closer.

[Broso]

Reflection is hard to pull off but it's also quite busted. One successful reflection can open up even the biggest bosses to a devastating combo chain, making battles much easier and manageable than if you were to just brink guard and dodge and only doing chip damage all the time.

[Baron01]

Originally posted by Broso:

Reflection is hard to pull off but it's also quite busted. One successful reflection can open up even the biggest bosses to a devastating combo chain, making battles much easier and manageable than if you were to just brink guard and dodge and only doing chip damage all the time.

I assume OP meant to compare brink guard against brink dodge/dodge. Reflection, which is the true parry in Khazan, is completely different beast and due to its additional animation has completely different timing than most other defensive actions, including Counter.

I honestly think Reflection additional animation was a mistake and it should have been the same as Counter or brink guard, press the buttons just before the attack hits. If the skill is too powerful for such straightforward timing, reduce its effectiveness or add a timer to it.