Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: How to Parry

As the Assassin's Creed franchise latest games get released, the game's combat gets more in-depth. As in the earlier titles countering was all you had to do to win against foes; it was simple and easy. But in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, that simply isn't the case anymore; fighting is more brutal and complicated! Of course, you can still time attacks and bring down the most common of enemies with ease, but when you start encountering those with defenses, you will have to think of ways to counter them!

Assassin's Creed Valhalla How to Parry

To parry in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, all you have to do is have something equipped in your left hand; this could be a shield or a small blade and then hit LB/L1 just before the enemy is going to hit you, you'll see a golden aura when an attack is parryable. If you have timed this correctly, you will deflect their oncoming attack, and they will be left vulnerable for a few seconds.

Parrying is one of the game's essential fighting mechanics because as you progress through the story, you'll start to encounter deadlier enemies with better weapons and increased defenses, such as those with unbreakable shields. By timing the parry just before the golden aura attack hits you, the enemies are wide open for you to get some swift attacks in before their shields are brought down to protect themselves again.

If you don't attack them in this small time frame, then you'll have to wait for the next opportunity, although on harder difficulty levels, nailing that window for a parry will have to become second nature to you if you wish to survive. If you are low on health, this few second window is enough to heal yourself up with some rations and get back into the fight.

However, if the enemies aura turns red, this means that's it's an unblockable attack, so do not parry whatsoever. If you attempt to do so, you'd be hit for massive damage from this attack. If you see a red attack coming, dodge out of the way!

Furthermore, always be mindful of your stamina gauge, as parrying costs stamina, and if you are out of stamina, you cannot parry, meaning you will take damage! This parrying mechanic is truly needed in combat, especially if you plan to go raiding often to procure supplies for your settlement!