Perfect Solution for Parry

Preface: This is my opinion, if you agree let me know if you disagree let me know why.

Problem: Parry is not fun. No one likes having to actively do something that does no damage to do more damage, it slows everything down for the player while the monsters just get faster and faster. It's janky and not fun if you depend on it for most of your skills to do peak damage.

Solution: Remove ability to Parry from bucklers and make it a passive ability that is added to One Handed light weapons. These should be faster weapons with higher attack speeds like Spears, Daggers and some swords. You can give them a "Finesse" tag. Give these weapons a base parry chance like shields have say 10%-20% based on item type or attack speed. You could even add the finesse tag to bucklers that give higher parry chance then weapons.

What Parry does: As a baseline it should give a very basic debuff with a duration to the monster. Something like monsters have -10% attack speed while parried. Make it happen automatically like block. Give us a que over parried monsters heads like you do with stunned monsters. (maybe a green glowing ball).

This opens up a whole new area of opportunity for builds that use these weapons.

Defense: You can have nodes on the tree or in Ascendancies that buff defenses versus parried enemies. This would be a nice defensive layer addition to people that want to build around evasion but not necessarily also investing into energy shield.

Offense: You can have increase damage / crit chance and or multi / increased hit chance etc.. You could build around it completely with Duel Wielding with upcoming Ascendancies like Shadow and so on.

Combos: Loads of options here with skills, Ascendancies and support gems. Opens a whole new world of possibilities and game play that is FUN!!!!

Conclusion: Parry, as it exists, is janky and not conducive to fun game play. It should be automated so that it functions more like block. It should have a duration, with an clear indication (like a glowing ball overhead) that gives a slight debuff that can be expanded with skill points and supports. It should have multiple functions depending on how you want to play more offensive or defensive. (or a combo of both) And last, but most importantly, it should make the game more FUN!!!.


If you like this post please leave a comment so that maybe we can get some eyes on it at GGG. If you don't like it or disagree please post to let me know why.

If you read this whole thing....thank you.

Tell me the benefit of moving Parry to weapons without telling me you want to Parry but you also want the benefit of a focus or dual-wield.

Thank you for your well thought out reply.

You're welcome, but seriously tell me. Parry is defensive like block while giving offensive bonuses, and moving it to a weapon is just... free power so you get the benefits of parry without the opportunity cost of the shield.

I think the problem with parry is that it just straight up doesn't work against AoE hits, since it's the same as blocking.

I have a whole post bitching about it:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3743266

Parrying and blocking, in an actually well designed game, enables players to be extremely aggressive while constantly advancing and attacking. Parry and block in PoE2 is completely unreliable so you can't use it as an aggressive replacement for dodging or kiting.

Well that is why I said it should be a very basic debuff. One that would not make a huge difference without investment. Like a small attack speed debuff. I mean it should do something as a baseline right?

Then you can expand what that "Parried state" actually does with more investment.

Remember, there are a limited number of skill points. You will still have to make decisions on how you want to build your character.

Parry would only be available to builds using Light one handed weapons. With a buckler for more defensive options, or with duel wielding for more offensive options.

You could make having a buckler a requirement for more defensive options. I don't see a problem with that.