Parrying and/or blocking are rather big elements in Soulslike games, so any alteration to the rather simple formula of “equip gear, make blocks” bears explanation. In Code Vein II your weapons have nothing whatsoever to do with your ability to block and parry, instead a function relegated entirely to a category of gear known as “defensive formae”. This page will explain how defensive formae work and their effects on parrying and dodging in Code Vein II.

Page Breakdown¶

Defensive Formae¶

There’s a lot of different gear you can find and equip in Code Vein II, but few of it affects gameplay as much as defensive formae. In most Soulslike games your weapon and/or shield determines how effective your character is at blocking and/or parrying but in Code Vein II this mechanic is handled entirely by your defensive formae - indeed, whether you can block or parry at all is a function of what defensive formae you have equipped.

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(1 of 4) The defensive formae you have equipped will determine how, exactly, you can mitigate damage,

Parry vs. Defensive vs. Dodge¶

The first defensive forma you’ll find is the Clotted Shield, and it, like most defensive formae, will boost your balance, guard and resistances, while also increasing your attribute burden. More importantly, however, notice that defensive formae tend to have a category: either “defensive” or “parry”:

• Parry: These defensive formae can parry enemy attacks, negating or mitigating damage and perhaps staggering enemies, leaving them vulnerable to counterattack. Parrying requires timing and successfully parrying consumes ichor, so you’ll need to be skilled, familiar with an enemy’s attacks and have enough ichor, which of course eats into your own offensive abilities, and not all attacks can be parried, which results in damage merely being blocked. On the plus side, parrying (assuming you have enough ichor) puts the enemy at a massive disadvantage, and if you can pull it off regularly it’s very effective.

• Defensive: More standard as far as your typical shield goes, defensive formae in the “defensive” category mitigate or negate damage when used. Doing so consumes stamina, generally in relation to the amount of damage negated. Big enough swings can’t be fully blocked and will break your stance and deal some damage anyways, as well as depleting your stamina, but against many enemies blocking will just drain your stamina a bit. Knowing your enemy and what their attacks do is still helpful, but these defensive formae are still effective at keep you alive, even if they may not always leave you in an advantageous position afterwards.

• Dodge: A third form of defensive formae category, the first time you’ll encounter it is likely when you buy the Dodge Spin defensive forma from a Jadwig’s Minion near the West Coast Pier Mistle. Without being too granular about it, “Dodge” defensive formae perform an evasive maneuver instead of blocking or guarding, if you’d rather your Soulslike trend more towards Bloodborne. That said, the dodge animation might not be as snappy as you expect and won’t give you iframes for its entire duration, plus dodge defensive formae tend to consume ichor on use, so dodging is going to consume resources and many not even guarantee a successful evasion.

Defensive Formae Effects¶

Regardless of what type of defensive forma you have, you press the button to use it, whether it’s to block or parry. It’s worth noting that you should pay attention to each defensive formae you find to see exactly what it does: enter you inventory and press the button to “Switch Display” which will provide text telling you exactly what the defensive formae in question does. For example, the Clotted Shield (Light) you find near the start of the game explicitly says:

• A shield that guards against enemy attacks and reduces damage. In exchange, guarding consumes stamina.

While the next defensive forma you’re likely to find, the Bleeding Shield (Light) promises to:

• A shield that guards against enemy attacks and nullifies physical damage. In exchange, guarding consumes stamina.

They sound like the do the same thing, and they do have similar functions, but if you’re blocking with the Clotted Shield (Light) and wondering why you’re still taking damage, it’s because you haven’t read the item description! So do yourself a favor and whenever you find a new defensive forma (or any piece of gear in general) give it a read so you know what’ll happen when you use it!