learning to block /attack effectively

[kojiro34]

Hey guys,
I want to know what is the best build /weapon to learn how to block. (level 34,  since most of the time i am  around 32-34)
Currently i switch between 2handed and polearm since i can do good and sometime very good but honestly no skill involved and any good player (even bad) kill me easly since my blocking isnt good.  I suck.
What i did since the last 2 months (5 gen as mele)
A) i praticed a bit in warband against AI
B) i searched about video and info on web (i found many CRPG hack but no really good info about advanced tips since the game seem to have changed a lot)
C) Practicing to block

I know i will never be as good that many players since some of you are playing mele since 4 years, but still, it's crazy how some of you know how to move, how to block, turn over and hit, fast hit, etc...

Thank you !
Koj

[HappyPhantom]

Just practice mate

[Torben]

ask in the servers once in a while,  ther'll often be sb who will move to EU3 with you and give you hints first hand.  also most larger clans have trainers that will work with you if you join them

[Grumbs]

Concentrate on learning the actual mechanics of blocking first by spending some time in the duel server. Don't try to kill the guys that are topping the scoreboard - go for guys with low KPD. Ideally you want to duel people that are a bit better than you but you aren't going to catch up with players that played for years already. Its going to take months to get there and theres no point wasting your time getting destroyed in quick duels

You can play against bots in single player or the tutorial. But like duelling, you don't want to get burned out doing repetitive stuff thats not fun for long periods, spend most of your time playing the actual game with a little training occasionally. Too much training might spoil the game

Always hold the block until you hear the weapon clash, and switch block direction if the enemy changes attack direction. Hold the block and rotate around and move so you keep some distance between you and the other guy. When you hear the clash the other guy gets a small stun that creates an "attack window" for you. For now just make a quick simple attack during that time. Your attack window depends on quite a few factors, especially your position and you don't always get a chance to attack before the other guy skips your turn. So you hold another block if you feel you need to. You can block multiple times in a row before you get a chance to attack, especially since the last patch were people have very high agi for positioning for attacks + high WPF for spamming. Just block them and move so they can't use footwork to spam

When you get decent at blocking and a bit better at the game you can start doing more advanced stuff with your attack window. You have holds (hold your attack a moment to mess up the rhythm of the fight + you do a bit more damage if you hold for a moment), feints (switch attack direction to trick the other player into blocking the wrong way), footwork, spamming

If you make a lot of mistakes switching block direction then you might need to turn the sensitivity down

Main thing though is to practice and play game modes you have fun on. The build is up to you. Use the character planner in the sticky here by San and make a build with maxed PS, AGI and WPF then dump some points into IF (i usually like at least 5 IF on my characters but its kind of optional). Try to split between STR and AGI (with maybe 3-6 difference between them) and play with 2 hander or pole for learning to block. Don't take anything too slow for now. I'd go for 95+ speed and avoid weapons with unbalanced stat

[pepejul]

The only way : lowest ping wins...

[Angantyr]

Spend the first day block training against the bots in the tutorial until you can block effectively, going through the different difficulties. Then spend a few days to a week block training against bots for 15 min every day or so before going to a server and train blocks against players, preferably duel server until you're ready for siege or battle. Blocking should be in your muscle memory by then and you can rinse and repeat the same scheme with attacks mixed up with blocks. If you go at it methodically, it doesn't take long before you have the basics, and can start focusing on learning more advanced moves.

[pepejul]

I started plyaing in 2010... I still don't know how to block properly.... 

[Shatter]

Personally I think you learn blocking best from playing 1H without a shield.  It is generally easiest to block when you S key because you can stay centered on the person you are fighting.  Using a short weapon forces you to not rely on this advantage.

Another thing about blocking that people don't mention a lot is that blocking isn't just about raw reactions but can be about prediction as well.  Based on your foot position relative to your enemy, people tend to throw out certain attacks.  If you expect a certain attack direction, it makes it much easier to block.  For example, left swings are generally very good on 1H (fast, aimed easily at head), so if I'm on the left side of the 1H, I generally expect a left swing.  Or, if I am farther away from a 1H, he is much more likely to right swing or stab because they are longer reaching.  You definitely can't just rely on prediction but it makes much easier to "react" if you see it coming.

[kojiro34]

Thanks  for the tips,
I will probably do a mix of  all of them and i will still play battle even if it's hard to learn there, i like it.
Ciao
Koj

[Leshma]

Download autoblocker, they don't check for it anymore.

[RandomDude]

For basic blocking, i would go into the sp tutorial and just try and block, dont attack back. 10 minutes a day of that will help you improve.

Play native siege/deathmatch and just practice blocking there too.

Duel servers will be too hard unless you can find someone of the same skill level, or who wants to help.

As for attacking effectively. I'm not one of the greats, but I think knowing about speed bonus/glancing helps a lot.

Judging weapon range is something i do a lot. I don't even try and block if I'm doing that, and sometimes I get it wrong and die.

Try and take control of the fight, if people are backing away from you, they are making you move towards them and if their weapon outranges you, you're not going to have the advantage.

Mixing things up, changing attacks/holds etc can help, changing the pace of the fight a few times if it's a good player.

[kwhy]

you know CRPG and even M:BG would really benefit by adding in some sort of tutorial/trainer that allows players to use weapons/stats from ingame against AI much like DTV but offline.  This would really help new players learn the basics and even learn how to chamber.

Without game modes like Siege or Native Deathmatch then I probably would have giving up trying to learn this game.  I hated the fact I couldn't really practice playing offline against/with specific builds like 2H or POLE.

I would have loved to have some AI dueling trainer that allows you to pick your build and weapons along with your enemy's weapons/stats and even have it allow you to fight against more than one player.

[HappyPhantom]

Native Deathmatch worst place to learn to block, 1hit kills and constant backstabs.

For basic blocking, i would go into the sp tutorial and just try and block, dont attack back. 10 minutes a day of that will help you improve.

Play native siege/deathmatch and just practice blocking there too.

Duel servers will be too hard unless you can find someone of the same skill level, or who wants to help.

As for attacking effectively. I'm not one of the greats, but I think knowing about speed bonus/glancing helps a lot.

Judging weapon range is something i do a lot. I don't even try and block if I'm doing that, and sometimes I get it wrong and die.

Try and take control of the fight, if people are backing away from you, they are making you move towards them and if their weapon outranges you, you're not going to have the advantage.

Mixing things up, changing attacks/holds etc can help, changing the pace of the fight a few times if it's a good player.

[Snufalufagus]

There is no point in blocking in the new crpg.

[no_rules_just_play]

The warband tutorial is a great way to start of, it has a duel mode and you can I believe set the speed in your settings. You can even practice chambering like that.

Ask some people in the duel server, he can take a low damage weapon and give you some practice.