{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/melee-combat--t016","type":"mechanic","id":"melee-combat--t016","lang":"en","title":"Blocking, parrying and counterattacks","summary":"The player matches a defense to threat direction and timing; success can change exchange tempo, position or the available response.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/melee-combat--t016/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/melee-combat--t016.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/melee-combat--t016.md","aliases":["Blocks, parries and counters"],"tags":["Melee and combat systems","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-3817d420df0baa92","source-e7703f0b61e1f579","source-fca8e8c95828b3b3"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3817d420df0baa92","title":"Robert Nystrom: State","url":"https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-e7703f0b61e1f579","title":"Godot: AnimationTree","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/animation/animation_tree.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-fca8e8c95828b3b3","title":"DARK SOULS™ III","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/374320/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player matches a defense to threat direction and timing; success can change exchange tempo, position or the available response."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t016-variants\"></a>\n\n- Held blocking: reduces contact consequences while direction and resources remain valid. <a id=\"t016-v1\"></a>\n- Timed parrying: a short window turns an incoming hit into an opening. <a id=\"t016-v2\"></a>\n- Directional defense: a chosen sector covers one threat while exposing others. <a id=\"t016-v3\"></a>\n- Conditional counterattacks: a response opens only after a specified successful defense. <a id=\"t016-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"An opponent alternates a sweep and a lunge; blocking handles both, but precisely parrying the lunge allows a disarm.\n\nPrototype check: Test the start and end of the defensive window, simultaneous hits and the readability of blocking versus parrying."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Melee combat revolves around distance and the moment of commitment. Starting an action can temporarily remove the ability to defend, so opponents need readable preparation, reach and contact results. These overviews separate decisions about targets, continuing a sequence, choosing a defense and escaping a bad position. Start by testing one attack and one response without decorative effects. The dedicated boss reference remains available in the direction map; this catalog covers the other contact-combat topics. Sources illustrate state and animation-transition models rather than prescribing a universal combat formula."}],"relations":[{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/state-pattern","title":"State: Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"melee-combat","id":"t016","title":"Melee and combat systems","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/melee-combat/#t016","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Blocks, parries and counters","description":"The player matches a defense to threat direction and timing; success can change exchange tempo, position or the available response.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/priority-dark-souls3-08.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"DARK SOULS™ III","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/374320/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/374320/ss_701aa9c2f62f458fd3c9a2bd9561ad5e7f41f662.1920x1080.jpg?t=1748630784","credit":"FromSoftware, Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A warrior raises a shield toward an enemy","alt":"A warrior raises a shield toward an enemy","markers":[{"x":53,"y":39,"label":"Shield covers the incoming attack direction"},{"x":77,"y":63,"label":"Enemy in front of the defender"}]},"tips":["Distinguish a sustained block from a brief parry window."],"examples":[{"title":"DARK SOULS™ III","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/374320/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/melee-combat"}}