How do I stop being shit at parrying?

[Lawlcat]

I can't seem to get parrying down.  I lose every fight I get into because I can't parry for shit.  Right now I HAVE to use my keyboard to parry, and that always screws up my movement and I lose anyway.

Everyone tells me to use mouse movement, but when I do that the game never registers my actual mouse movements.  It'll "lag" sometimes.  Like, I'll move down and right click, and the animation will start to play going down and then immediately go right or back up.  Or it'll block a direction I wasn't even considering blocking in.  So I try to use keyboard and still, I lose.

I've gone on the NA_Community duel server a lot and tried to duel people there, but I end up 0 or 1 kills and 20+ deaths.  (On a side note, Blackrose_Sgt_Kaoklai is a massive fuckhead.  I ask not to duel polearms because against them I have ZERO chance, so I'd like to learn on 1handers or 2handers until I get better.  So he brings out a 2hand, duels me, and then swaps to a polearm at the start of the fight.  He's done it twice and it's really fucking lame).

So what can I do?  Is there anyway I can go single player and set the AI to just swing constantly to practice or something?

[rustyspoon]

Just go to the tutorial section of the game and duel the various weapon masters. You can keep dueling them over and over again. Just don't strike back and only block.

I HIGHLY recommend you figure out what's wrong with your mouse though and switch to mouse blocking. You're really handicapped against good players using keyboard blocking.

[Gheritarish le Loki]

I recommend you to go on Ndition duel server (if it's still on), there is bots with different level of difficulty and you can train all the night.

[Tennenoth]

The mouse blocking could be because of your settings, if you have it on "autodirection" or whatever it is, then it'll go screwy apparently. You might want to check for that but if it's not that, then I don't have any idea but it's worth a look.

Also, Nditions is live and kicking but most people on there know how to fight, so you'd have to fight the bots around the outside (same as singleplayer tutorial) or find someone willing to help you learn, there are normally a few people who would.

But it's EU, I gather from what you're saying, you're NA?

[Lawlcat]

Yea I'm from NA.  I don't know if there's something specifically wrong with my mouse, I doubt it, or more the way I'm holding the mouse.  I kind of have it angled and I dont know if just when I move it left it interprets it as down or what not, or why it would be lagging like that.  I might film the "lag" but then I couldn't show the mouse movements along side it.  Also, it's definitely set for mouse direction in options, not auto.

Also, I don't see a server in the list with Ndition anywhere on it

[Xant]

Go duel in singleplayer for 30-60 mins and see if you still think your mouse is broken. Might just be you not "getting" it, sure happened to me at first, warband was so different from other games.

[Nehvar]

Biggest hurdle for me has been trying to eliminate the reflex of turning to face the attacker while attempting to perform the block.  Often results in a wrong block.  Also, Time Warner.

[Leshma]

Go duel in singleplayer for 30-60 mins and see if you still think your mouse is broken. Might just be you not "getting" it, sure happened to me at first, warband was so different from other games.

AI sux, it's fast and unforgiving but it has no sense for improvisation. It's maybe better for him to go some of the native duel servers, there are some equally noobish people, not a bad way for starters. After that he can try some better native folks (average, not best) then come back to our duel servers and duel Bjord or someone like that and then go back to native to duel best of the best

[Xant]

Nah. First you get the hang of the basics vs AI, then you go to native duel.

[Draggon]

You mentioned you hold your mouse angled; that's a big factor.  I actually have to sit with my left side more towards the keyboard to keep my mouse in more of a straight  'x / y' axis.  The game doesn't know how you sit or hold your mouse, so it's only going to interpret straight up/down/left/right movements for your blocks.

Also, you have to actually move your hand very deliberately and quickly.  Doesn't have to be far, maybe just an inch or so, but it can't be just a flick of the wrist.  When you flick your wrist only, your mouse usually turns a little - and the block may go down when intended to block left, or whatever.

Lastly, setting your mouse sensitivity under options is another big part of it.  If it's too sensitive you'll be all over the screen.  And obviously not sensitive enough and it requires too much hand movement to be effective, plus cuts down on your turning ability.  Everyone likes different levels of sensitivity though, so you'll just have to try different settings out for maybe a day or so each, and see how it goes.  I would start at somewhere around middle/medium speed first, and then adjust up or down according to your liking.

[Thucydides]

it took me 4 months of no life playing before i got good at manual blocking. Practice is all i can offer as advice

[Teeth]

Also, you have to actually move your hand very deliberately and quickly.  Doesn't have to be far, maybe just an inch or so, but it can't be just a flick of the wrist.  When you flick your wrist only, your mouse usually turns a little - and the block may go down when intended to block left, or whatever.

If you are going to move an inch with every block, good luck with still keeping your opponent in view, also you'll be far too slow. The game is very sensitive, just a pixel in a certain direction and the block is a go, I recommend trying to use blocking movements as small as you can.

For me personally I think a very high sensitivity is better, you just have to get used to it, but when you are you can react very fast. Also you don't tire your wrist as much, cRPG is one of those games that can lead to serious carpal tunnel crap.

[Xant]

You want a high sens yes, but not too high or you'll find yourself overturning blocks when you need to be fast.

[Mushy]

Go Nditions duel server (Native) and go against the nooby bot. I did this for about an hour a day and eventually i turned into a total sword fighting god man-beast *cough*. You kind of pick up how to block feinting from the excessive amount of it that happens in this mod. Good luck!

[Lawlcat]

Go Nditions duel server (Native) and go against the nooby bot. I did this for about an hour a day and eventually i turned into a total sword fighting god man-beast *cough*. You kind of pick up how to block feinting from the excessive amount of it that happens in this mod. Good luck!

I haven't been able to find that server in the list