While you can just block attacks outright and face the music in the form of lost stamina (not to mention being subjected to a potentially lethal stagger should a blocked attack fully deplete your remaining stamina), true combat aficionados in the science fiction world of The Surge 2 deflect incoming attacks at no cost and in the process present themselves the opportunity to land a devastating counter. If you wanna make like a cyborg ninja, read on for our guide on The Surge 2 parrying systems.
The Surge 2 parrying | How to deflect attacks
The way that parrying works in Focus Home Interactive and Deck13’s latest Souls-like is somewhat unique due to the fact that you don’t need to time pulling off your block itself, but rather hold down the block button and then time a directional input to match where an incoming attack is coming from. During its underwhelming parrying “tutorial,” the game makes no mention of the need for timing your directional inputs, and by extension does nothing to allude to what exactly that timing should be, so don’t feel too glum if you’ve been wondering what you were doing wrong by just holding the correct directional block.
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By analyzing an attack animation you can quickly discern which direction any given incoming attack will land upon your character. Then, rather than immediately pushing the right stick in that direction, delay until the very last moment. As the hit is about to connect, perform the relevant directional parry. The timing is different depending on the enemy and weapon inflicting the attack, but after getting a feel for the speed and move set of each aggressor, the same rules apply universally.
Timing is something you’ll need to get the hang of yourself through practice, but if you’re instead struggling with discerning the direction of incoming attacks, there’s good news. Early on in the game, specifically after defeating Nitro, there’s a door in the room where you encountered this boss which you can now open having acquired the Exo-Rig from the adjacent Medbay. Through here is the Security Hallway area, and at the end of the hallway is an item called the Directional Block Analyzer.
When equipped, this implant will show you which direction to perform a parry in whenever an enemy launches their attack. It’s great for learning the ropes, but try not to get too reliant on it, as later in the game the implant slot it occupies can be put to much better use.
