Blocking and Perfect Blocks

The Perfect Block is a property of the block ability for shields and magick shields. Used by Fighters, Assassins and Mystic Knights.

Use
A Perfect Block activates when the block button (the left bumper button) is pressed at the precise frame when an enemy attack connects with a character's Shield or Magick Shield.

The ability to perfect block is also affected by the knockdown/stagger resistances of the equipped Shield or Magic Shield.

This is particularly true of a Wooden Wall, Rusted Magick Shield or Magick Buckler, which do not have good resistances. A "weak" shield cannot Perfect Block a Cursed Dragon's tail swipe, for example, even when the block is timed correctly. No damage will be sustained, but the character's guard will break and stamina will drain accordingly.

If the player is having trouble executing this technique without having their guard broken, enhance or rarify the shield (or acquire a stronger shield).

Perfect Blocks can be repeated in sequence, but there is a small window of vulnerability between blocks, as can be observed at exactly the 1:00 time index here :



Effects
Success is signified by a white flash and a brief time-dilation effect ("slow-motion"), both of which differentiates a regular block from a Perfect Block.

Unlike regular blocks, Perfect Blocking expends no Stamina for the blocking character.


 * Perfect Blocking with the Fighter or Mystic Knight skills Defend or Repel causes the enemy to stagger and will break the defense of the enemy.
 * Perfect Blocking with the Fighter or Mystic Knight upgraded skills Deflect or Reflect will cause knockback to enemies in front of the shield and will break the defense of the enemy.

A Mystic Knight with the core skill Reflect and a shield enchanted with a Counter, Riposte, or Feint spell will trigger a powerful Elemental counter in addition to a very powerful knockback effect (see videos below).

For Mystic Knights, there is a unique and more dramatic visual effect for a Perfect Block when the magic shield has been previously charged with an elemental riposte (such as Flame Riposte or Blessed Riposte).

For Fighters and Assassins (with the core skill Deflect), a Perfect Block with an elementally enchanted shield (such as a Scorched Pelta or Dragon's Roost) has a less powerful and dramatic visual effect than that of a Mystic Knight's elemental riposte, but it still damages the enemy and causes knockback.

Be aware that the Prescience augment does not seem to improve a Fighter pawn's ability to execute Perfect Blocks.

The element of an enchanted shield (such as a Scorched Pelta or Lambent Shield) can be temporarily overwritten with an elemental buff from a Mage, Sorcerer or Mystic Knight. However a Magic Shield's (such as a Thunder Kite Shield or Lustrous Greatshield) natural element cannot be overwritten, except by a Mystic Knight's elemental Riposte.

Gallery