Essential tips to improve your blocking with a shield - Dark and Darker

Using a shield is fun, underrated, and super powerful in Dark and Darker. This video will demystify blocking with a shield and help you prevent all sorts of incoming damage... plus pvp highlights!
00:00 intro & overview
02:18 tip 1 - see how others see you
04:04 tip 2 - turn the camera
05:17 tip 3 - weapon attack patterns
07:12 pvp highlights!
---------------------------
Dark and Darker | Hotfix #36 , pre-wipe
(better fighter, better pizza)
---------------------------
#darkanddarker #darkanddarkerclips #darkanddarkergameplay #darkanddarkerpvp #darkanddarkersolo #darkanddarkerfighter #darkanddarkerblocking #darkanddarkerblock #darkanddarkershield

[@banditoexe8689]

Better fighter better pizza, papa johns

[@YourBoyBlinn]

ahhh mystery solved!! thanks :)

[@KimJongPhil]

Noone out darkers the dark

[@YourBoyBlinn]

@@KimJongPhil hahaha yeah, it's the darkest!

[@cofftps67yago94]

Dude that bard could sing you a song and you choose to kill him😭 Could be a wholesome interaction

[@YourBoyBlinn]

haha yeah, if I had another chance I might have played that differently, but I didn't want anyone interfering with the melee with the other fighter. I've been too trusting in the past and gotten backstabbed... feel bad man, so sometimes I default to not trusting people on VoIP

[@SookieSpy]

Hey Blinn, I really enjoy your educational approach and editing style. Keep it up man! I've been doing zero to hero and ofc can't spawn with a longsword, so have been enjoying sword and shield greatly. One gameplay related thing to keep in mind when fighting longsword is the second swing of arming sword is really easy to parry, so be careful!

[@YourBoyBlinn]

thanks for the feedback & arming sword parry tip, appreciate you!

[@KrazyKain]

I love the apologies before a fight, "sorry dude, hostile"

[@YourBoyBlinn]

haha yeah, some people want to be friendly.. sometimes I want to be friendly.. but not ALL the time :)

[@TinariKao]

@@YourBoyBlinn I want to learn to PvP so that I am at least a decent challenge for the hostile players. I never aggro first, but I -do- wanna be the last one standing. :3

[@ytacct000]

Nice guide, I always thought shields were a nice equalizer in this game. One of the skill sets you can use to outplay players with superior gear.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

yes!! exactly!! :)

[@TheStratoBarb]

you can hit handles to stun them even longer, since they have no impact power (battles axes are the easiest, step into the hit with shield aimed at their handle)

[@YourBoyBlinn]

hey thanks for this!!

[@akaxstretch]

Thank you kind sir. I was going nuts figuring this out.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

its my great pleasure!! keep me posted on your progress & good luck

[@koriusX]

It's a small thing, but I really appreciate your "Hostile" callouts. I'm generally friendly, so it would be insanely helpful to know that another player had no such intentions. Square up or bail.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

yes totally! sorry man, HOSTILE

[@Crazywass]

really good video , perfectly made guide for blocking

[@YourBoyBlinn]

thanks very much!!

[@happyhippiehaze]

i needed this reality check xD i was and am the person at the start of your video, but am slowly learning the blocking mechanics

[@YourBoyBlinn]

oh! hello there!! we're all on a giant learning journey with this game, thanks for stopping by :)

[@M0v4an]

Maybe you can make a video about how to block all types of weapons? I often lack experience in how much to rotate the camera to block various weapons

[@YourBoyBlinn]

this is a great idea, I won't forget the suggestion :)

[@Blibla555]

well explained. i expierenced one more thing and it would be awesome if u had the answer for that: sometimes u lower your shield to see the battlefield. then to press RMB to block. Lets say u block at the time "A". Now the enemy thrustattacks u at time "A". So we have 2 Inputs at time A. How do they solve now? I expierenced hits altough my shield blocks there weapon. Is that a ping issue? I mean its okay if it would be, but im furious not finding out how simultane inputs solve.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

so this question has two potential answers, IMO.. if both the attacker and defender do their actions at the same time, yes the netcode and server desync will favor the attacker, meaning the attacker's client 'sees' the game a few frames ahead of your (defending) client -- this can be frustrating because it means you need to have a bit of foresight to make sure your block is up BEFORE the full swing of the weapon to account for this lag. but the other answer is: a lot of the time the server sync is not the issue, but rather that the attacker was able to get above/around your shield. there is a lot more of your (defending) body that is exposed than meets the eye in your first-person camera. especially if both parties are moving and strafing around each other. learning to turn the shield, in a pronounced way, to the left/right to cover flanks is really important and VERY difficult to get used to. TL:DR, a lot of people think the server is the reason their block wasn't successful, but most of the time they just get hit around their shield because the shield doesn't really cover much of your character model hope this helps!

[@Blibla555]

@@YourBoyBlinn much appreciated!

[@CowardBoar]

use the sprint in the fightss

[@shigure9093]

I have issue blocking large targets. ie. frost giant with the giant shield, I get inconsistent results.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

yeah I know what you mean.. maybe because their weapon hitboxes are so large they actually hit your body around the shield.. will require some further investigation!!

[@gabzsy4924]

I mean, even if you figured out a way to make it work, it dosn't mean it's not broken. I say it's brokwn and clunky as hell so you have to play a very specific way to even make it functiom as it should, even if it's counter intuitive and weird.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

I mean, I can't really disagree :) just one of those weird things you learn to love I guess.. appreciate the comment!

[@gabzsy4924]

@@YourBoyBlinn I guess, I'm having a lot of difficulty with this combat, I'm came from For Honor and I love that combat system (hate the game though), but your videos are at least giving me a light on how to make it function. Thank you for that 😉

[@YourBoyBlinn]

yeah I came from Chivalry II and the melee combat/blocking in that game is much more forgiving aka 'arcade-like' -- took me a bit to get my footing in DaD, and can say from experience it does get easier!! have a great week friend!

[@jaredh923]

I have mained the cleric throughout almost every playtest since I started in playtest 2, and I still do not know howto block properly. From buckler to kite shield.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

give it some dedicated practice and I guarantee you'll see some reliability.. even just starting with the overhead attacks, that's how I got going. maces and viking swords are def entry-level and will help you gain confidence. good luck out there & keep me posted on your progress!!

[@kitsune9076]

The overhead axe swing can go right through your shield even with a perfect stance block Edit: with skeletons

[@YourBoyBlinn]

nnnope! it goes beyond your shield and the axe head collides with your head! the axe skelly lurches forward when he attacks, so backwards spacing is key if you want your shield to collide with & interrupt the downward axe attack. if you're too close, the axe clears over your shield and hits your noodle :) try it out!!

[@kitsune9076]

@@YourBoyBlinn I was literally facing so far up that I was staring straight at the ceiling above me

[@YourBoyBlinn]

@@kitsune9076 it's not just about the camera position tho! you need to use spacing and keep your distance from the skelly axe.. if you are too close, the axe will swing OVER your shield, no matter how much you are looking up! check your spacing, make sure your are at LEAST 2 or 3 steps away from the skelly, and then look straight up. it works every time my dude, give it a try!

[@ezdelicades5554]

The problem is that this is also a bit of a design flaw given the first persion view model and third person view model is different, in first person it would appear larger in your view that you would think ur protected but you are not because of the difference in first and third person perspective, this creates eye inconsistency and always have that factor of risking how accurate the blocks. There is also the fact that the game lacks a tutorial for classes that people would think the blocking mechanic hitboxes would be the same as chivalry or mount and blade.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

yes, totally agree the first-person cam is weird.. definitely a hurdle to overcome!

[@silly-rm7ub]

Remember me when youre famous blinn

[@YourBoyBlinn]

I got you bud!

[@silly-rm7ub]

@@YourBoyBlinn In all seriousness it really surprised me to see you only have a couple hundred subscribers, considering how well made your videos are. Keep going and I think your channel is gonna grow a ton

[@YourBoyBlinn]

thanks so much! feeling really good about this wipe, so thankfully it's easy to stay motivated for videos. appreciate your comment!!

[@shgnscjf]

영상 맛있다

[@YourBoyBlinn]

많이 드세요!

[@PlapOh]

Erm I like the shield/body info, but feel like you could have showed more visuals on how to block certain weapon types.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

only so many hours in the day I suppose! thanks for watching :)

[@40thievesgaming]

Skip learning to block with the shield, learn to block with the Longsword, and you will be able to block with every weapon or shield that blocks attacks.

[@YourBoyBlinn]

I guess so, but I prefer the ol' Sword & Board :) if you want an extra challenge, try the Lantern Shield !!

[@ThaiLitzki]

Proven to be wrong. Some attacks are unreliable to parry/riposte. Clunky but works sometimes with the best conditions.

[@40thievesgaming]

@@ThaiLitzki its harder to accomplish, making it the better method for practicing the area to block an attack. Youre entitled an opinion, but its a matter of personal prefference, not a set in stone 'this works better than that'

[@ThaiLitzki]

@40thievesgaming Ahhh I misread that! I took it as "Block with a longsword instead since it's better." As it was better.

[@40thievesgaming]

@@ThaiLitzki i got my riposte blocked by a flute the other day 😂 people are wise to it like never before. I just meant its a good tool for learning with👍