Dark Souls III: How to Parry Effectively

Taking on enemies in Dark Souls III can be a pretty daunting thing. Even the most common enemies can cause problems for those who aren’t well enough equipped to take on their adventure. Therefore, it’s always important to be able to take a defensive approach to combat, as well as knowing when to deal heavy blows. Here’s how to parry effectively in Dark Souls III to leave your enemies vulnerable.

First thing’s first, you’ll need the right equipment. You’ll need to check first to make sure that whatever shield or weapon you have equipped is capable of parrying. This can be done by accessing the equipment screen and selecting your item. If the item is capable of parrying, it will simply say “Parry” on the item’s description screen.

Now you’re ready to actually pull it off. When you see an enemy, you want to make sure they’re facing directly in front of you. Using the target lock-on system is useful for this if you’re having problems. Pulling off a parry effectively is all about timing. Go too early or too late and you’ll end up suffering serious damage and having to wait before you can lay down another attack as your character recovers. As soon as you see your enemy lift their weapon and are just beginning their swing, hit the L2 button to deflect the attack and leave your enemy wide open for a smooth counterattack.

You’ll know you’ve successfully performed a parry because there will be an almost slow-motion effect for all of a second or two, and, of course, you won’t take damage.

Learning an enemy’s pattern and swing speed are both important, too, so make sure you’ve learned your enemy well, otherwise you could be in for a world of pain.

That’s all there is to parrying in Dark Souls III. Have you got any more tips for your fellow Dark Souls players? Share them in the comments below. If you need more help with the game, check out our wiki!