what to do when enemies parry you?

[Ttttr]

what to do when enemies parry you?
perfect parry you, are you able to avoid damage? I've tried holding my shield up, blocking with a sword, dodging backwards, but every time they perfect parry/parry me, they seem to just "glide" forward and always do damage. What am I meant to do? If they parry me should I start sprinting away to avoid damage or what?

[Incrediblejimmy]

Just like you can't be blocked when doing a master strike, they can't either.

[Valden21]

In my experience, there's three things you can do, and they all require enough practice to get the timing down. The first is that you can counter an incoming Master Strike with a Master Strike of your own, but that has a very small window of time in which it can be done. With enough practice, you can learn to recognize that window of time and take advantage of it. The second thing is that there's a really small window of time, right at the beginning of a Master Strike, where you can dodge backwards. But it's not always easy to see, and only with enough practice can you learn to recognize it.

The third option is just not let yourself get in that situation. Never attack more than once or twice in a sequence unless you're good at chaining attacks. Use the clinch, A LOT. Attack when your opponent's defenses are down. Control the space between you and your opponent; there's a reason why Captain Bernard mentions that. All of these things are useful for preventing enemy Master Strikes.

[DargonBlak]

the final strike of a "weapon combo" cannot be blocked (weapon combos require a specific attack sequence of 3 or 4 strikes, and a successful final strike cannot be blocked)

however, if you notice an NPC setting up a combo, you can sometimes back step out of range of the final strike, and avoid the attack (back step often - force NPCs to reset)

Master Strikes are different...

a master strike is initiated by a character blocking at "just the right time" (learn from Bernard) - (note most combat NPCs know master strikes, so always play defensively)

once initiated, by a more-than-perfectly timed block, the master strike scripts the character through multiple automatic attacks that cannot be blocked or interrupted (tiko)

i have never successfully gotten out of range of a master strike

but i have used master strike to kill an enemy that was to my side when surrounded (Band of Bastards DLC final melee)

[SympliKrazi]

All good tips up there.

Player skill means very little when Henry's skill levels and attributes are low
Get exp and skill up Henry by continuing to practice and you'll see a big improvement in combat overall.

And upgrade you weapon, as your strength or agility permits.

Originally posted by DargonBlak:

however, if you notice an NPC setting up a combo, you can sometimes back step out of range of the final strike, and avoid the attack (back step often - force NPCs to reset)

Perfect blocking and Master Strikes may take a bit to get used to, but side stepping and back pedaling (ASD) can help you dodge at least some of those combo/masterstrikes. As both above comments have mentioned. Keep moving

fyi: the opponent will try and match your speed, so if you turn off run speed(caps lock i think?) and move around in walk speed, the combat pace will also be a tick slower and not so stressful.

Finally, stamina is important. Even if Henry gets pummeled, Stamina will soak up most of the damage, so manage it wisely and try make sure that bar doesnt fall below 25%-50% too often. And when it is low, retreat retreat retreat.

[Kryten]

I really like the combat system and the idea behind the combos, but sadly the whole combo thing rarely happens because attacking is so risky with the way master strikes work.
For me most fights were a waiting game...just waiting for the enemy to attack so I can master strike him. Lately I try to get a bit more action into it, forcing clinches more often to get attack windows (only really works well with higher strength and/or certain perks) or just risking to attack to try a combo. I have to repair and heal a bit more now, but at least its more fun :D

[SympliKrazi]

Originally posted by Kryten:

I really like the combat system and the idea behind the combos, but sadly the whole combo thing rarely happens because attacking is so risky with the way master strikes work.
For me most fights were a waiting game...just waiting for the enemy to attack so I can master strike him. Lately I try to get a bit more action into it, forcing clinches more often to get attack windows (only really works well with higher strength and/or certain perks) or just risking to attack to try a combo. I have to repair and heal a bit more now, but at least its more fun :D

I'd say that sums KCD combat up for me too. Till I level up Henry's skills, then combat becomes a breeze, more or less.

Oh yeah, for my earlier post, if i may add: Unlike most other games, the rule of the thumb is generally, "the best defense is a good offense". KCD seems to work the other way around in combat. "The best offense is a good defense", cuz both block and Masterstrike, when unlocked, are the same button. And if you dont learn to block, then every incoming attack will have Henry taking full damage, and that's gonna be a very short fight...

[Judeo-communism]

Nothing. It's RNG based from Henry's Warfare vs Enemy's Defense. The only thing you can do is pass the RNG checks when attacking a targeted enemy, or cheese the game by relying on archery, horse kiting, stealth or only using your own Master Strikes. That's it. That's all this game's combat is when you "gitgud." Timing, animations, attacking unguarded directions, Feinting, none of it matters.

[Grubbs008]

I just use the mod on nexus that removes Master Strikes from the game for everyone. Makes it quite more enjoyable imo.

[ShepherdOfCats]

Originally posted by Kryten:

I really like the combat system and the idea behind the combos, but sadly the whole combo thing rarely happens because attacking is so risky with the way master strikes work.
For me most fights were a waiting game...just waiting for the enemy to attack so I can master strike him. Lately I try to get a bit more action into it, forcing clinches more often to get attack windows (only really works well with higher strength and/or certain perks) or just risking to attack to try a combo. I have to repair and heal a bit more now, but at least its more fun :D

Agree with this. Strange that they went through the effort of creating those combos and animations, and then came back and decided to put master strikes in so that half the time you can't appreciate them.

That's why I'm really disappointed to see master strikes returning in KCD 2