Dark Souls 3: How To Parry Like A Pro

Faster paced than its predecessors, Dark Souls 3’s parrying system can be off putting even to veterans, but it’s surprisingly fun to master.

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Parrying has been a core part of the Soulsborne franchise since Demon’s Souls first launched on the PlayStation 3, but it’s never exactly been essential to completing any of the games. From Dark Souls to Bloodborne, parrying is important, but it’s never actually necessary when simply running through a standard playthrough. All the same, parrying is a core part of the Souls experience and can cut the difference when it comes to difficult boss fights or PvP.

Taking the time to master parrying always pays off, but doubly so in Dark Souls 3 – arguably the Souls game with the most aggressive combat and enemy design. While not every attack can be parried, an alarmingly high number can. Most enemies have at least one parryable, as well, rewarding attentive players with an eye for telegraphs. Even though most of Dark Souls 3’s bosses can’t be parried, the hardest ones (like Pontiff Sulyvahn) can.

Any Souls pro knows how to parry, but everyone has to start somewhere and Dark Souls 3 is a great entry point into the franchise’s gameplay. Faster paced than its predecessors, Dark Souls 3’s parrying system can be off putting even to veterans, but it’s surprisingly fun to master thanks to intelligent enemy design.

Dare To Be Bold

It’s important to play it safe, but there’s such a thing as too safe. Dark Souls encourages its audience to take their time and avoid rushing into combat, which can prevent more timid players from taking chances. Dodging has an inherent level of flexibility to it, but parrying really only has one specific window to work. Fail and players will take damage.

When it comes to Dark Souls 3, it’s important to play aggressive – even when on the defensive. Parrying has three specific motions when in action: the starting tilt, the actual parry while the shield is above your character’s head, and the finishing/missing animation. Watching the actual parry animation can help you better understand when to actually parry (usually a second before an attack hits).

From there, parrying is just a matter of actually getting up in the enemy’s faces. Keeping your distance is a safe strategy, but it means you’re never going to create a parry opportunity. Once an enemy is parried, they can be Riposted for a critical hit. Take chances and start replacing dodges with parrying.

Study Enemy Telegraphs

Virtually every single enemy in Dark Souls 3 can be parried, and those who can’t tend to be outliers. Dark Souls 3 is the most mechanical of the trilogy, offering players more control in combat if they take the time to study their opponents. FromSoftware excels when it comes to designing clear enemy telegraphs, so it pays to study when you’re actually fighting.

In the same way parrying has a visible three motion arc players can watch in action, so too do enemies with their specific attacks. Parrying is just as much about timing as it is about understanding the spatial distance between an enemy’s strike and your deflection. Since most enemies are humanoid, most parrying skills learned in PvE will naturally transfer over to PvP.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that Dark Souls 3 features another form of parrying called Spell Parrying for anyone equipped with the Golden Wing Crest Shield, Sacred Bloom Shield, or Twisted Wall of Light. While the parry won’t send the spell back at the caster, players can negate magic damage if they parry right before the spell connects. Don’t forget that this mechanic is exclusive to Dark Souls 3, however.

Study Boss Patterns

Knowing which bosses can be parried pays off in spades as far as Dark Souls 3 is concerned. The absolute hardest bosses (like the Nameless King) won’t let you get a parry in, but it’s surprising just how many bosses actually can be parried:

• Iudex Gundyr
• Abyss Watchers
• Crystal Sage
• Deacons of the Deep
• Pontiff Sulyvahn
• Champion Gundyr
• Dragonslayer Armor
• Lorian, Elder Prince
• Lorian, Younger Prince
• Champion’s Gravetender
• Sister Friede
• Halflight, Spear of the Church

Every boss has their own set pattern to learn, but the multiplayer nature of Dark Souls 3 means you can help other players with their bosses in the long run. New Game Plus also means that any parryable strategies you teach yourself for specific bosses will inevitably come back into play. More importantly, parrying just makes boss fights more dynamic.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/dark-souls-3-how-to-parry-pro-tips/