How ‘Elden Ring''s Guard Counters teach you to parry
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Loading... - Aiden Connolly
- 28 Jul 2022
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There’s a lot of debate over whether Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s best soulsborne, but what’s certainly true is that it is by far the studio’s most flexible RPG. Its systems are broader than a sailor’s chest, bringing together concepts from all previous From games and adding a heap of new ideas on top. Strength builds, dex builds, magic builds, faith builds, spirit summons, ashes of war, and enough weapons to equip an entire army of Tarnished. It allows players to create whatever character they want (and inevitably suffer the consequences of those decisions down the line.)
But my favourite new mechanic in Elden Ring is Guard Counters. These are weapon-specific ripostes designed to be used when equipping a shield. Press the attack button immediately after an enemy strikes your shield, and your character will unleash a powerful counterattack that has a high stun chance, letting you close in for a devastating critical strike.
I like Guard Counters for several reasons. To start with, they make using a shield much more fun and reactive than in any of the Dark Souls games. They’re also useful for dealing with annoying enemies that like to windmill you with quick attacks, such as the puppets that prowl areas like Caelid and Liurnia, and the imps that harass you throughout the game’s many subterranean tombs. But my favourite thing about Guard Counters is how they prep you for mastering the trickiest mechanic in any FromSoft game – parrying. Read More...
