Blocking is the defensive option new players reach for first and the one they overuse hardest. It works, it is reliable, and it costs a resource that runs out faster than most people expect. This guide covers exactly what a guard does and the three situations where reaching for it is a mistake.
What a guard covers
A raised guard absorbs attacks arriving from within a cone in front of you, typically about two radians wide - roughly 115 degrees, or a third of a circle.
That is generous enough that you do not need to face an attacker precisely, and narrow enough that being flanked is a genuine failure. In the top-down games, where enemies surround you, a guard covers about one direction in three.
The convention used everywhere is that an attack's angle is the direction the blow travels. Your guard covers it when you are facing roughly opposite to that - which is the intuitive case of facing your attacker.
What it costs
One stamina point per hit absorbed. Stamina refills at about 1.8 points per second after a delay of roughly 0.4 seconds since your last spend.
With four points, that means a guard held against sustained pressure breaks in about four hits. In the faster games with three points, it breaks in three.
A broken guard cannot be raised again for around 0.8 to 0.9 seconds, during which you are completely exposed. That is longer than most attacks take, which means a guard break is usually worse than simply taking the hit you were blocking.
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Three situations where blocking is wrong
First, against a red telegraph. Unblockable attacks ignore the guard entirely, and pressing it spends nothing but achieves nothing either - you take the hit anyway.
Second, when you could simply have walked away. Distance costs nothing at all: no stamina, no health, no combo. A player who blocks an attack they had time to step out of has spent a resource for no reason.
Third, when your stamina is already low. Blocking with one point left converts a recoverable situation into a guard break, which is strictly worse than the hit.
When blocking is right
When an attack is arriving that you cannot step out of, cannot dodge because the dodge is on cooldown, and cannot parry because you did not read the timing in time.
That is a narrower set of circumstances than most players assume, but it comes up constantly, particularly against multi-hit attacks like the Shadow's Flurry where the second and third hits arrive too fast to answer any other way.
It is also correct in crowded situations where you are about to be hit by something and would rather spend a stamina point than lose the combo. A block preserves the combo; a hit does not.
Guard breaks work in both directions
The stamina rule that limits your guard limits theirs too, and that symmetry is the intended answer to any opponent who blocks more than they attack.
Enemy duellists and bosses have their own stamina, and every hit they block spends one. Four blocked hits empty a typical bar and break their guard, which staggers them for most of a second and hands you the largest opening available against a defensive fighter.
The practical consequence is that turtling is not viable for either side. If waiting for a whiff is not working because your opponent will not commit, stop waiting and start spending - attacking a raised guard is not wasted effort, it is the mechanism by which a passive opponent is beaten.
Turning is a defensive action
Because the guard covers a cone rather than a circle, which way you are facing is part of your defence rather than a consequence of your movement.
In the side-view games this is automatic - you face your opponent. In the top-down games it is a decision made continuously, and it is where most blocking failures come from: a guard raised correctly, at the right moment, pointing at the wrong enemy.
The habit worth building is to treat facing as something you set deliberately before raising the guard rather than something that happens to be true. In games where the mouse aims independently of movement, that is nearly free; on the keyboard it means your direction of travel and your defence are the same input, which is the main argument for adding a pointer in the arena games.
Blocking as a scoring decision
This is the underrated part. In most games here, a blocked hit does not break your combo multiplier, while a hit taken always does.
That makes blocking cheap in a way the stamina cost hides. Spending one stamina to preserve a multiplier of six is an excellent trade, and it is the reason blocking remains useful even for players who can parry reliably.
The exception is the guard break, which costs you the combo anyway because you will take the next hit. That is the real argument for never blocking on your last stamina point.
Key takeaways
- A guard covers a cone of about 115 degrees in front of you - roughly one direction in three.
- Each blocked hit costs one stamina; four hits break a full bar in most games.
- A broken guard leaves you exposed for 0.8 seconds, which is worse than the hit you blocked.
- Do not block red telegraphs, attacks you could step away from, or anything on your last stamina point.
- A blocked hit preserves your combo multiplier; a hit taken does not.
- Blocking is right when you cannot step out, cannot dodge and did not read the parry in time.
Frequently asked questions
How much of an attack does a guard cover?
A cone of roughly 115 degrees in front of you. In a top-down game with enemies on all sides, that is about one direction in three.
How many hits can I block?
Four in most games, three in the faster ones. Each block costs one stamina point, and the bar refills at about 1.8 points per second after a short delay.
What happens when my guard breaks?
You cannot raise it again for about 0.8 seconds and you are fully exposed. That is usually worse than simply taking the hit you were blocking.
Does blocking break my combo?
No. In most games here a blocked hit preserves the multiplier, which makes spending a stamina point to protect a high combo an excellent trade.
When should I not block?
Against red telegraphs, when you could have stepped out of range instead, and when you only have one stamina point left.
Can enemies have their guard broken too?
Yes, by the same rule. Every hit they block costs them a stamina point, and four blocked hits typically break a guard and stagger them for most of a second - which is the intended answer to an opponent who will not commit.
Does which way I am facing matter when blocking?
Completely. The guard covers a cone rather than a circle, so facing is part of your defence. Most blocking failures in the top-down games are a guard raised at the right moment pointing at the wrong enemy.
Is blocking ever better than dodging?
Yes, when your position matters. A block preserves the combo without moving you, which is the right trade in a defence game where standing between an enemy and the objective is the point.