Mundy - I have been somewhat dealing with the same problem. I played dtv all the time in order to get to 30s (and still do), hoping it will make a difference once i got there, but I still get whomped in battle or siege. I am not horrible at blocking but not great either, which as you know is definitely key to survival, and i can use improvement. What the majority of ppl here are saying about practice practice practice and duel duel duel is true.. and i can say i am improving very slowly given the free time i have available. I know some might think this is wrong, but i've practiced using the wooden sword and medium armor, with a friend (both of us new to c-rpg)and within about 45 minutes to an hour he and i were both able to block basic attacks about 95% of the time and block some feinting against each other. I believe this was the most efficient 45 minutes to an hour of c-rpg gameplay i have experienced. Correct me if i am wrong but i figured obviously because there is less down time, and more non-stop practice because you live longer and spar longer before being interupted by dying and the routine of finding each other again after spawning. I was then able to duel against other players who were better than me, and survive about 3x longer than i used to before dying and able to block about 80% of their tricky attacks, feints and footwork.
Anyhow, i've tried offering training duels with the pro players using wooden weapons, but nobody is ever up for it.. they just want to win by killing you in two hits with their warcleavers or long axes, which will not help you improve much. So if you are looking to get with someone and practice, let me know because i can use it too. I see you online from time to time in dtv, so next time we cross paths i'll hit you up if you want to practice.
