Is there some special to to block?

[Corrado_Decimo]

Edit: Try to remember better players. It's easy to recognize them on battlefield, they wear the same armor most of the time. They have one or rarely two attack patterns, it's easy to block if you know what they'll do next ;)

that's not truly right. best players use various attack patterns. if a good player use the same attack pattern for more than 5 attacks, he's just trying to make you think so to drag you in a trap.

there are a lot of patterns anyway. double feints and 1 hold attack, double feints then fast left swing, double overheads, roflstabs, disengage and re-engage, jump and slash, jump and thrust...

to start chambering, first try to chamber thrusts and overheads (the easier attacks) then side swings.

in the end, every fighter have his fight pace. you must force your foe to follow your pace. sitting too much in defensive will not put you in advantage.

[Thucydides]

2h thrust are impossible to chamber btw

[Cyclopsided]

2h thrust are impossible to chamber btw

I find them the easiest to chamber of anything in the game! You don't chamber them based on when they start the attack, but release the thrust!
Same with 2h and polearm overheads. I chamber those based on when they release their attack since they are slow.

The only thing difficult is when they begin a spin behind their back and you can't see the release point, in which case I just block...

[El_Infante]

My suggestion:

Get level 30. Join a duel server. Play only duel server for a week. Duel with the best. You will improve more than 30 weeks of playing.

[Vibe]

Just play duel a lot. It also helps to play duel for a short time before going to battle server, just to warm up (even when you know how to block).

[Corrado_Decimo]

My suggestion:

Get level 30. Join a duel server. Play only duel server for a week. Duel with the best. You will improve more than 30 weeks of playing.

Just play duel a lot. It also helps to play duel for a short time before going to battle server, just to warm up (even when you know how to block).

this also right. but telling him some basis wont hurt ^^.

duel phyrex, bjord, logen, jormglorn whenever you can. you'll die again again and again but is the best way to get better.

[Vibe]

If he's pretty much new to manual blocking he shouldn't duel those... start with players who have human feints

[Corrado_Decimo]

If he's pretty much new to manual blocking he shouldn't duel those... start with players who have human feints

ok but looking how they attack is the best way to learn aggressive patterns. as i said, relying to block skills is good. but efficient attack patterns force your opponent to sit more on defensive.

[Leshma]

He shouldn't duel those people. They'll chamber his every attack and kill him in 2 sec. Bjord might try to teach him chambering tho, he can be nice at times

Also Corrado I said better players not the best players in c-rpg. Best players have attack patterns but they also improvise when needed, change attack directions very fast and are experienced enough to hold attack just enough for you to lower your block so they can kill you. Even if you manage to block all that they'll chamber you and kill you anyway. I was talking about normal good players not monsters...

[Corrado_Decimo]

He shouldn't duel those people. They'll chamber his every attack and kill him in 2 sec. Bjord might try to teach him chambering tho, he can be nice at times

Also Corrado I said better players not the best players in c-rpg. Best players have attack patterns but they also improvise when needed, change attack directions very fast and are experienced enough to hold attack just enough for you to lower your block so they can kill you. Even if you manage to block all that they'll chamber you and kill you anyway. I was talking about normal good players not monsters...

well i dueled really a lot of people. i can't remember the names but... still there are 20 maybe 30 good players that cannot be forget. and you'll subconsciously fight by instinct and using the techniques learnt from those players. So dueling with an average dueler (not so impenetrable manual block, no chambers, few feints, no hilt slashes, no lolstabs, maybe some hold attacks...) will make your skill grow slower and you will anyway stop using hit block hit block sequence as your skill grows.

so the quicker way is bother those monster to duel, learn stabs, chambers, 360 overheads, feints instead redoing all from scratch while your skill grows. the slower way is to duel averagish players... the quicker (and harder) way is that.

[MrShine]

so the quicker way is bother those monster to duel, learn stabs, chambers, 360 overheads, feints instead redoing all from scratch while your skill grows. the slower way is to duel averagish players... the quicker (and harder) way is that.

I personally disagree - you have to learn to walk before can run, and getting killed instantly against people like that won't be fun or productive for either side.

I remember that there was a point in time where I simply didn't recognize what was happening in fights, ie I didn't recognize when I was chambered, out of position, waiting too long to return a swing, etc.  Trying to learn how to block/duel by starting against a pro is like learning how to drive by being dropped into a semi truck on the interstate going 75 mph.

I do agree that the duel server is the place to learn, and you do want to fight people better than you, but you need to take it step by step.

[Turkhammer]

I never have really gotten the whole chamber block thing.  All the videos leave me saying "huh"?

[Overdriven]

Been playing with my 2h, only on level 20 but not doing to badly some of the time. Don't stand a chance against a lot of the players though. I'd much rather shoot them from my horse  Good practice to get into the melee every now and then though.

I find I can never block up for some reason. I have no problem with the other directions, I can block them over and over, but as soon as an overhead attack comes I'm screwed and all it takes is someone to keep over heading and I have problems. No idea why! Certainly need to load up some duel servers and practice that one out of my system.

[Dach]

The up block is the most harder for me too, it's mainly because in third person your camera view is always trying to look down to see what is going on.

[Paul]

The secret of blocking is to know (by experience) what attack or attack sequence is most likely incoming. After one is able to step up from reaction blocking to anticipational blocking one is able to fight a lot more at ease (and thus becomes one with the force). With that I can even block rather well on US servers with >120 ping.