How to Parry in Space Marine 2 – Bulwark, Block, Balance, and Fencing

In Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2, parrying is an essential combat skill, especially in higher difficulties. As you face hordes of enemies, mastering the mechanics of parrying, blocking, balance and fencing can drastically improve your chances of survival. This guide dives deep into the intricacies of parrying, comparing it to blocking, and explaining why perfect parries are your best defense in many scenarios. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, understanding these mechanics is crucial for excelling in combat.

We’ll explore different defensive stats and how to use them effectively with various weapons like the Thunderfist and Thunderhammer, ensuring you’re well-prepared to take on any enemy in Space Marine 2.

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Understanding Parry, Block, and Fencing in Space Marine 2

In Space Marine 2, parrying and blocking are vital defensive maneuvers, particularly when you’re playing on harder difficulties.

Each class has its own unique parry animations and defensive weapons that add complexity to the skill.

For example, players using the Bulwark class often struggle with the short parry windows, making it one of the toughest skills to master.

• Parry: Deflects damage and causes a small stagger. A perfect parry not only blocks damage but also allows for a powerful follow-up attack.
• Block: Simply negates damage, but lacks the ability to stagger enemies or counterattack.

The Role of Fencing and Balance in Parrying

One of the key mechanics to learn in Space Marine 2 is fencing, which increases the perfect parry window, making parrying easier and almost automatic in some cases.

In contrast, using balanced weapons offers a smaller parry window, but with more versatility. Here’s how each works:

Fencing makes parrying feel more fluid and forgiving, but balance offers more options for both offense and defense, depending on the weapon you choose.

So, Fencing, Balance, and Block are all part of Parrying in Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2.

Best Weapon for Parrying in Space Marine 2

Different weapons in Space Marine 2 have distinct parry animations and defensive stats, making your choice of weapon critical to your combat strategy. For example:

• Thunderfist: High damage with decent parry potential but lacks a large cleave.
• Thunderhammer: Focuses more on blocking but sacrifices a perfect parry window.

When using a block weapon, you’ll gain more cleaving power and strength, but you sacrifice the perfect parry timing.

Players need to decide whether they want to focus more on offense or defense.

Personally, fencing weapons offer the best value due to their extended parry window, allowing for better damage output and consistent parry success.

How to Perfect Parry in Space Marine 2

In Space Marine 2, perfect parries play a critical role in combat. A perfect parry:

• Staggers enemies and interrupts their combos.
• Slows down time, giving you a window to unleash a gun strike.
• Restores armor in some cases.

To land a perfect parry, it’s all about timing. You need to anticipate your enemy’s attack and lead your parry slightly before the hit connects.

This differs from games like Soulsborne, where the parry occurs right before the hit.

Instead, Space Marine 2 requires a bit of anticipation due to the wind-up animation.

Timing is crucial, especially for Bulwarks, where parry windows are shorter, making it harder to react in time.

To practice, it’s recommended to rebind your parry button for quicker reactions, especially when using a mouse and keyboard.

However, many players find that using a controller improves their parry timing significantly.

Why You Should Avoid Block Weapons

While blocking can negate damage, it doesn’t provide the same advantages as parrying.

Block weapons are slower and lack the versatility that parry-based combat offers. Here’s why:

• Block doesn’t stagger enemies, leaving you vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
• It sacrifices the perfect parry potential, making it harder to disrupt enemy combos.
• Block animations are generally slower and less effective in tight combat situations.

For example, using a Power Fist already gives you enough AOE (Area of Effect) damage, so there’s no need to rely on block.

Instead, fencing weapons with a larger parry window provide much better combat efficiency, allowing you to counterattack more effectively and manage enemy waves with ease.

Practice Makes Perfect: Mastering the Parry

Parrying takes practice, but once you master it, the combat in Space Marine 2 becomes much more manageable.

Start with fencing weapons to build your muscle memory.

Once you’re comfortable with their perfect parry window, you can move on to balance weapons for a more versatile combat style.

Key points to remember when practicing parrying:

1. Timing is crucial: Lead your parry slightly ahead of the enemy’s attack.
2. Perfect parries give you the upper hand, staggering enemies and slowing time.
3. Start with fencing weapons to practice, then transition to balanced weapons for more versatility.
4. Rebind your parry button for quicker reactions, especially on the mouse and keyboard.

For a video explanation, check out this wonderful guide from ItalianSpartacus:

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Conclusion

Mastering parrying in Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 is key to surviving tougher battles, particularly on higher difficulties. Fencing weapons are your best friend for perfect parries, offering a larger window and more counterattack potential. Meanwhile, block weapons fall short due to their slow animation and limited tactical advantage.

Through practice and experimentation, you can become proficient in parrying, disrupt enemy combos, and take control of the battlefield. Remember, mastering parry mechanics takes time, but once it clicks, you’ll find yourself excelling in combat with both fencing and balance weapons. Keep practicing, and soon enough, you’ll be dominating your enemies in the toughest trials of Space Marine 2.