Parrying refers to parrying an enemy projectile, attack or, in some cases, interrupting their attack.
Description[]
Projectile parrying can be executed by hitting enemy projectiles with the Feedbacker, reflecting them towards the cursor. This will also increase their velocity and deal bonus explosive damage.
Enemies have a brief window before they attack during which they can be parried.
Successful parries will grant bonus style points and are displayed as [+PARRY].
Coins can also be projectile-parried by punching them, turning them into auto-aim hitscan projectiles, and granting the [+ FISTFUL OF DOLLAR] style bonus.
Performing a successful parry will heal you up to the hard damage limit. Hard damage is displayed in the health bar as a light grey. In addition, parrying fully restores stamina.
In-Depth Parry List[]
Projectile Parrying[]
Most enemy projectiles can be parried by punching them with the Feedbacker. This reflects the projectile towards the cursor, increasing projectile velocity and causing it to deal 5 explosive damage.
Generally all orb projectiles from enemies such Strays, Schisms, Soldier etc. can be reflected, though some special projectiles like Hideous Mass' mortar projectile and Cerberus’ explosive Orbs can be parried as well.
Ongoing hitscan attacks like the laser attacks of Mindflayers cannot be parried with the Feedbacker.
Uniquely, the charge attack of Malicious Faces and Sentries can be parried by a well-timed Coin toss, yielding the [+CHARGEBACK] style bonus and redirecting their hitscan attack to the closest enemy, dealing very high damage; They can also be parried just before they fire their beam similarly to parrying a melee attack, interrupting them and in the case of Malicious Faces, creating an explosion centered around them that does not damage V1. A similar thing can be done with the minigun bullets of Guttermen, acting like a normal +[RICOSHOT].
Drones[]
Drones will start diving towards the player in a last ditch self-destruct attack when they are defeated, and count as projectiles. This diving attack can be parried with the Feedbacker, launching the Drone towards the cursor similar to projectile parrying.
Drones destroyed by melee attacks are also launched in a similar fashion and do not have to be redirected this way.
Enemy Parrying[]
A lot of enemy attacks can be parried in a small timing window by parrying the enemy directly with either Feedbacker or Shotgun's primary fire at point-blank range. Sometimes such attacks are indicated by a yellow flash (such as Mindflayer's close range attack), sometimes not (for an example, Filth's lunge attack).
Parrying a melee attack will reflect the enemy's melee attack back into it and stack 5 damage onto the attack. This yields bonus style points and the indicator [+PARRY]. Note that most enemy parries do not interrupt the target's attack that still needs to be dodged.
Parrying Swordsmachine’s attacks will cause it to enrage briefly.
Parrying King Minos's punch will give a unique style indicator of [+DOWN TO SIZE] and is required for the Challenge of 2-4: COURT OF THE CORPSE KING.
Shotgun Parry[]
Attacking an enemy during their parrying window at point blank range with a shotgun will also cause it to be parried. This increases one pellet's damage by 4 damage, also granting the [+PARRY] style bonus.
Shooting a Malicious Face at point blank range will always deal Shotgun Parry damage, whether it is preparing an attack or not. This allows for kills in 3 uncharged shots if executed correctly.
Shotgun parries work with any regular shot, even with the Pump Charge Shotgun's Overload Blast; as long as the attack is triggered at point blank range.
The Core Eject special attack does not trigger parries.
Advanced techniques[]
Self-Interception[]
Firing a hitscan weapon at the same time as parrying a projectile causes the parried projectile to continue travelling after hitting an enemy, causing multiple explosions.
Related techniques[]
Projectile Boosting[]
Melee attacking with the Feedbacker directly after shooting with a Shotgun will parry your own projectile. This boosts one of the pellets, causing it to align with the cursor, gain increased velocity and bonus explosive damage; similar to parrying enemy projectiles. It is important to keep in mind that you do not gain the healing that normal enemy projectile parrying would give you.
Projectile boosting will deal an additional 3.5 explosive damage and grant the [+PROJECTILE BOOST] style bonus.
The ensuing explosion will send any pellet that is still airborne flying away from the explosion. It will also damage V1 for 35 damage if the player is within the explosion radius.
(See the Pump Charge Shotgun for more detailed information)
Coinpunching[]
Coins can be parried by punching them midair with the Feedbacker, causing them to turn into a hitscan projectile that auto targets nearby enemies. Parrying a coin into an enemy rewards the [+FISTFUL OF DOLLAR] style bonus.
Coins that hit walls or enemies bounce back into the air and can be parried again, storing all damage they received. Stacking damage by continuously parrying a coin into a wall is capped at 5 damage. Parrying a coin that dealt damage against an enemy however can keep accumulating damage and can deal incredible amounts of damage if the player is able to keep a coin in the air.
Overview of Parryable attacks[]
Every single attack that displays the parry window with a brief yellow flash and ping sound effect can be parried by a Feedbacker melee or shotgun parry. Blue flash indicates that the attack cannot be parried.
Ranged attacks cannot be parried before they are cast; however, some enemies can be interrupted while they are channeling ranged attacks by shooting their projectiles before they attack, rewarding the [+INTERRUPTION] style point bonus. Interruption does not heal the player.
| Enemy | Action Type | Parried Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Filth | Melee | Lunge |
| Stray | Interrupt(Melee/Projectile shot) | Hell Orb Casting |
| Projectile | Hell Orb | |
| Malicious Face | Interrupt(Melee)/Coin | Laser Cast |
| Projectile | Hell Orb | |
| Schism | Interrupt(Melee/Projectile shot) | Hell Orb Casting (Vertical) |
| Hell Orb Casting (Horizontal) | ||
| Projectile | Hell Orb | |
| Swordsmachine | Melee | 3-Swing Combo |
| Lunge | ||
| Throw | ||
| Sword Spin | ||
| Projectile | Thrown Sword* | |
| Shotgun Pellets | ||
| Spinning Sword* | ||
| Cerberus | Projectile | Explosive Orb |
| Drone | Projectile | Hell Orb |
| Self Destruct Dive-bombing | ||
| interrupt(Melee) | Hell Orb Casting | |
| Very Cancerous Rodent | Projectile | Explosive Homing Orbs |
| Hideous Mass | Projectile | Mortar attack |
| Harpoon | ||
| V2 | Projectile | Revolver Bullets |
| Revolver Beam | ||
| Shotgun Pellets | ||
| Soldier | Interrupt(Melee/Projectile shot) | Hell Orb Cast |
| Melee | Soldier melee | |
| Projectile | Soldier Hell Orb | |
| Mindflayer | Melee | Whip |
| Projectile | Flayer Orb | |
| The Corpse of King Minos | Melee | Fist Punch |
| Open-Palm Punch | ||
| Fist Slam | ||
| Projectile | Flayer Orb | |
| Hell Orb | ||
| Gabriel, Judge of Hell | Projectile | Spear Throw |
| Sword Throw | ||
| Twin Axes | ||
| Spinning Swords | ||
| Flesh Prison | Projectile | Flayer Orb |
| Minos Prime | Melee | "Judgement!"** |
| "Thy end is now!" Last Hit** | ||
| Projectile | Seeking Snake | |
| Virtue | Interrupt | Divine Light |
| Projectile | Orb released upon death | |
| Sisyphean Insurrectionist | Projectile | Malicious Cannonball |
| Mysterious Druid Knight (& Owl) | Projectile | Flayer Orb (Fuller Auto) |
| Hell Orb (Full Auto) | ||
| Self-destruct Dive | ||
| Sentry | Interrupt(Melee)/Coin | Laser attack |
| Ferryman | Melee | Combo 2nd Hit |
| Charge | ||
| Oar slam | ||
| Backstep | ||
| Coin | Lightning Strike | |
| Leviathan | Melee | Lunge*** |
| Projectile | Hell Orb | |
| Gabriel, The Apostate of Hate | Melee | Light Combo Finisher |
| Medium Combo Finisher | ||
| Heavy Swings | ||
| Projectile | Sword Throw | |
| Spinning Swords | ||
| Flesh Panopticon | Projectile | Mortar Attack |
| Destroyed Eye Drones | ||
| Sisyphus Prime | Melee | Roundhouse Kick |
| "This will hurt!" | ||
| "You can't escape!"**** | ||
| "BE GONE!" | ||
| "DESTROY!" | ||
| Mannequin | Melee | Combo |
| Airborne | ||
| Projectile | Flayer Orb | |
| Minotaur | Melee | Lunge |
| Gutterman | Coin | Minigun Fire |
| Melee | Bash***** | |
| Guttertank | Melee | Punch Fail |
| 1000-THR Defense System | Projectile | Flayer Orb |
| Mortar Attack | ||
| 1000-THR "Earthmover" | Projectile | Big Flayer Orb |
| Landmine | Projectile | Bouncing Landmine |
*Sends the sword back to Swordsmachine and enrages it instead of turning into an explosive projectile.
**Minos Prime's Dropkick and Punch become unparryable during phase 2 on Violent
***Despite blue flash, it is still possible to parry the lunge with very tight timing.
****Only the 4th attack is parryable, and is still parryable in phase 2 on violent.
*****After the shield has been destroyed. Cannot be parried when enraged.
Trivia[]
- The definition of "parry" is "ward off (a weapon or attack) with a countermove."
- The Sisyphean Insurrectionist can be parried consecutively after being knocked down from its own malicious cannonball, as it can still be parried during this state.
- Using the Weapon Wheel (Q) to slow down time can make parrying easier.
- When the enemy health is multiplied with Spawner Arm or by other means, instakill parry conditions still apply. For some enemies like Sentries, the parry damage is increased instead.
- Hakita once got asked to add a Arm-Shield to replace the Parry and in response he said "Git Gud Asshole"[1]
- With good timing, one "Fuller auto" parry can instantly kill Mysterious Druid Knight (& Owl).