In God of War, parrying is not an instantly applicable skill for players to use. Rather, players must make their way through God of War to increase their skills before they have the option of unlocking the parrying ability. With it, players can unleash a powerful shield attack, which can be very useful when fighting dangerous foes.
There are many challenging encounters, like God of War's Valkyries, that force players to use a variety of skills and equipment to best their opponents. Parrying is a skill that, once unlocked, can be used to counter and redirect powerful attacks. If players learn how to parry effectively, they can become incredibly dangerous as Kratos.
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How to Parry in God of War
Parrying in God of War can be unlocked via the Shield Combat skill tree. When players progress far enough, they will be able to acquire the Countering Strike ability. This skill makes God of War's Kratos even more powerful, as both close-range bosses and enemies at great distances can be taken care of with relative ease. Indeed, once the Countering Strike skill has been unlocked, players will only need to perform a last-moment block and then press "R1." This will trigger a sort of shield blast that Kratos can direct toward enemies to inflict serious damage.
As players use the ability, they will notice that God of War takes a far different approach to parrying than other games do. In Assassin's Creed titles, for example, parrying is much easier and the gameplay mechanic can be used often an in rapid succession. God of War's parrying does not preserve players when they use the skill, which means they have to be conscious of damage and consider timing as well, making it much more difficult. Fortunately, after a little practice, the Countering Strike skill can be successfully used to devastate enemy combatants.
Indeed, the combat in God of War is part of what has made the game, and the franchise, so popular. And, in fact, there hasn't been a better time to get involved in God of War's epic gameplay. With God of War: Ragnarok on the horizon, now is the time for players to jump in to the God of War franchise and experience the awesome gameplay that the games present to players. As Kratos' journey continues, players around the world will continue to enjoy the mythological universe that has been conjured up for dedicated fans of the Sony-exclusive franchise.
God of War is available now on PS4 and PS5.
