wtf is a "parry"

[Proud Facebook Mom]

...and why does the game keep suggesting I use it. It doesn't do anything

[WaaghMan]

A parry (F key/LB button) is when you use your shield to break an enemy guard (if they are blocking with their shield) or counter an enemy attack if you do it with the right timing.

Breaking an enemy guard is easy and a quick way to defeat shielded enemies. Countering is another story, it requires precise timing and it's a risky move (you'll get hit if you time it wrong). It's not required to beat the game, but it's a satisfying move nonetheless.

To perform a parry you need to have a shield equipped. The first shield is in a chest right beside the first checkpoint in the dungeons.

[Proud Facebook Mom]

Think I got the hang of it. Thanks.

Awesome game so far. Loved Ziggurat!

[WaaghMan]

Yes, the parry window is very small. Also light shields are easier to parry with than heavy shields.

[Smugass Braixen-Chan]

A parry is when you deflect an opponent's weapon with your own weapon, which leaves them open to attack. In most games that let you parry, you do it by hitting the block command just as the enemy's attack connects.

[WaaghMan]

Originally posted by Pinkamena Diane Pyro:

A parry is when you deflect an opponent's weapon with your own weapon, which leaves them open to attack. In most games that let you parry, you do it by hitting the block command just as the enemy's attack connects.

That's right, however in Pharaonic it doesn't work that way, there's a specific Parry button. Just telling to avoid confusion.

[Proud Facebook Mom]

Originally posted by WaaghMan:

Originally posted by Pinkamena Diane Pyro:

A parry is when you deflect an opponent's weapon with your own weapon, which leaves them open to attack. In most games that let you parry, you do it by hitting the block command just as the enemy's attack connects.

That's right, however in Pharaonic it doesn't work that way, there's a specific Parry button. Just telling to avoid confusion.

It also eats your stamina, rendering the parry effectively useless. You bounce back, your opponent bounces back, a waste of precious seconds you could have spent on something useful like an attack or dodge.

[WaaghMan]

Originally posted by Westenra:

Originally posted by WaaghMan:

That's right, however in Pharaonic it doesn't work that way, there's a specific Parry button. Just telling to avoid confusion.

It also eats your stamina, rendering the parry effectively useless. You bounce back, your opponent bounces back, a waste of precious seconds you could have spent on something useful like an attack or dodge.

What do you mean by "you bounce back"? After a successful parry you have plenty of time (provided its a 1vs1) to deliver a flurry of attacks, or recover your stamina and get some space / cast some spells / heal if you were at a bare minimum.

[Proud Facebook Mom]

All things I could have done without a parry.

[WaaghMan]

Originally posted by Westenra:

All things I could have done without a parry.

Except for the enemy being stunned and all that.

[Proud Facebook Mom]

That "stun" state doesn't last any longer than their normal downtime between moving and attacking. In fact it's probably shorter! The difference is now they're pi$$ed and I'm out of stamina :p

[Maikel]

Im using them a lot, even with big shields. The enemy is stunned for a whole combo, and cant dodge any of them, so its pretty satisfying if you pull it out indeed! Also useful when facing lots of enemies, as a crowd control tool.

[Majora]

Originally posted by Westenra:

It also eats your stamina, rendering the parry effectively useless.

It's true but it's almost negligible, at least if your shield has a good swiftness value. But I agree that unless you have a specific setup and good knowledge of the enemy attack patterns, they feel a bit underpowered, and I say that as someone trying to parry as often as I can. It starts to shine when you begin to have a good stamina pool and a weapon that doesn't eat much of it (I've found the Scorpion claw to be a very good weapon with a decent damage/stamina ratio).
But yeah, parries could benefit from a longer stun duration, even though there's a fine line between making them great and overpowered.

[TheGZeus]

Yes, at low levels (below 6 or 7) the parry feels a bit pointless without riposte. However, once you get more stamina and better gear, it becomes very useful.
That said, I'm doing a build that's more about shield-hiding right now, because I'm really bad at parrying :p

[You Kissed a Boy and Liked It]

Technically speaking, what this game (and the 'Souls' games et al.) has is not a parry per se, but a repel / deflection.

A parry diverts an on-coming action using its own momentum; while what takes place in this game, is more of a 'rebounding' of the opponents' attacks -- something far more akin to a repel / deflection.

The Soul Calibur fighting games (Dreamcast / Playstation / Xbox/360) had parry / repel mechanics more representational of what the respective terms actually mean: Parried attacks would cause the attacking character to either (*it changed as the series progressed (read: regressed!)) stagger towards the direction they were attack (generally to the side of the defending character); repelled attacks would cause a deflection of the oncoming attack, momentarily 'stunning' the attacking character.

I suggest checking these out (for both players and devs) as a reference for what these respective defensive manoeuvres look like.

[animalmagic]

Originally posted by Westenra:

Think I got the hang of it. Thanks.

Awesome game so far. Loved Ziggurat!

yeh i started about an hour ago combats great as i geert the hang of it
thankfully the developers havent added any artificial delays to movement
its beautiful