Opponent perfect blocking

[Snobby Hobo]

I don't really understand how this mechanic works - or better, if I do, why it exists.

It seems that all enemies have a chance to perfect block, which immediately opens you up for an attack they always seem to land. This feels asymmetric, considering you perfect blocking opponents gives you initiative, but hardly guarantees a free strike.

What is the player supposed to do against this? Not attack ever? How do I avoid getting perfect blocked?

[Vote Quimby]

Look at enemy weapon. Did you trained with Bernard yet? He tells you alot on how to counter enemy attacks.

[Dwang Zhongson]

The game combat depends on stats, so you better train with Bernard. High stats will mean that you will get master strikes more rarely, and will more often win clinches which open an enemy for your attack.

[ArmedTerror]

There is no way to completely prevent them, but it is entirely possible to avoid them. Master strikes do create openings for you when you perform them, but you need to make sure you aren't attacking in the direction their weapon goes or where their shield is after performing them. The enemy runs out of stamina just like you do, so if you want to play aggressively, you have to be super aggressive. As soon as you get an opening, don't stop the attack. Even if they master strike you, keep going at them. It will wear them down, and then their ability to master strike is decreased. Get really good with feint attacks. If you time them right then the enemy won't even know what hit them. Henry's skills are also very important. Better strength and overall weapon skill will really help you wear the enemy down faster. If you are up against someone with much better skills than you, you will almost definitely have to play on the defensive. If you are fighting someone with more vitality and strength than you, then you will run out of stamina far faster than him. The same goes for you when you eventually do have really high skill levels. Combat gets a lot easier and more fast paced the better your Henry is developed. I regularly take out camps of Cumans without getting master striked once, and I do it it under a minute most of the time. There are a lot of nuances to combat that you will pick up the more you play.

[Humpenstilzchen]

You are right. The system is not ideal because there is a set chance for enemies to perform masterstrikes which forces you to do the same to not be at an disadvantage.

Don´t confuse perfect blocks with masterstrikes. Perfect blocks only block, masterstrikes though perfect block and land an unavoidable attack on the enemy.

Always use masterstrikes over perfect blocks. You can learn them from Bernard.

[Robepriority]

Perfect Block windows are determined by attackers warfare compared to defense.
The bigger the gap the bigger the window - in AI terms more likely.

[Snobby Hobo]

Originally posted by Humpenstilzchen:

You are right. The system is not ideal because there is a set chance for enemies to perform masterstrikes which forces you to do the same to not be at an disadvantage.

Don´t confuse perfect blocks with masterstrikes. Perfect blocks only block, masterstrikes though perfect block and land an unavoidable attack on the enemy.

Always use masterstrikes over perfect blocks. You can learn them from Bernard.

I didn't even have Master strike at the time of writing. The game is extremely obtuse about its mechanics for whatever reason.

Still, the fact that the opponent can perform these is a detriment to taking initiative. Like you said: it feels almost always safer to just going for a riposte of your own rather than taking it to them.

I'm also still very confused about the way enemy blocking behavior works. The tutorial states you need to "mix things up" and "strike where they are not holding their sword"; but neither seem to have any impact whatsoever. Their sword just warps to whatever angle I'm throwing a strike from, or occasionally not.

[Ol'Chum]

What I personally don't like is how a drunk peasant with a wooden spoon can Master Strike late game Henry 5 times in a row while doing 0 damage. It's just comical that he has the skill to perform it but not the stats to actually do anything. Aaaaand then die to 1 hit

[Munkieshines]

Originally posted by Snobby Hobo:

Originally posted by Humpenstilzchen:

I'm also still very confused about the way enemy blocking behavior works. The tutorial states you need to "mix things up" and "strike where they are not holding their sword"; but neither seem to have any impact whatsoever. Their sword just warps to whatever angle I'm throwing a strike from, or occasionally not.

My hundreds of hours on console and now here on PC I can confirm, a controller will help you IMMENSELY. Also, this confusion comes from not understanding how Warfare works versus Defense. Aside from all the Attribute and Skill increases, I personally see Warfare as determining if you get past their defense. The best part is, it levels up with ANY fighting, so you can take the.... i think its Punch Me or something (from Milan in Rattay), where you fist-fight 4 opponents at your own pace in 1v1 combat. Beat them, slowly. Counter their punches but do not counter attack. Hit them with jabs, and jab combinations. Fist-fighting raises Warfare without a huge risk of armor/weapon damage or death. Give it a go, and see if it helps any.

Edit: I have no clue what the hell quoting did here, but I hope the message makes it to the right eyes :/