Read the incoming direction before attacking back. When using the directional HUD, the orange shield is the cue to practice Perfect Block.
Prepare the controls
Check the game's control bindings for block, direction selection and dodge. This guide uses action names so it still works if you have remapped your controller or keyboard.
Practice one exchange at a time
- Face your opponent and watch the attack direction. Match your defense to that direction instead of holding a random guard.
- For Perfect Block practice, time the defense to the shield turning orange. Do not rely only on the sword animation.
- Dodge attacks marked unblockable. In the prologue sparring with Pieter, expect a quick swing after his unblockable move.
- Return to defense after the dodge or counter opportunity. Our beginner recommendation is to learn one clean exchange before extending an attack chain.
Still struggling?
The official Swordmastery guide confirms omniblock and omniattack alternatives that select directions for you. Try these if directional input is the barrier. This guide does not treat assisted defense as a promise that every attack can be blocked.
Check your progress
You should now distinguish normal directional defense from an unblockable attack. If you dodge the first move but take the next hit, concentrate on the follow-up instead of immediately attacking.
Read an attack before reacting
The official Swordmastery explanation distinguishes windup, anticipation, and swing phases. Watch the transition into the strike alongside the direction cue, rather than treating every raised weapon as an immediate hit.
For practice, separate ordinary directional defense from dodge-only attacks before adding counters. This is a suggested exercise: it helps identify wrong direction, mistiming, or attacking too early after a dodge.
PC bindings
Open Settings from Esc, then choose Controls. Current defaults are W/A/S/D plus left mouse for a directional attack, W/A/S/D plus right mouse for a directional block, and a movement direction plus Space to dodge. Right mouse by itself uses Omni Block.
Omni Block cannot create a perfect block and always spends stamina, so add the matching direction when practicing counters. Every PC action can be rebound; use the live Controls screen if yours differs.
Run a full practice loop on the Forgotten Guardian
This encounter is a practical test of the actions above. In Deep Down’s exit hall, spend the first exchange reading the Guardian rather than attacking first. Source checks show its twin blades glow with a red skull before the unblockable spinning attack; that is the signal to stop blocking and dodge sideways.
- For an ordinary directional attack, hold the matching W, A, S, or D direction and right-click. Practice Perfect Block when the shield cue turns orange; do not use right-click-only Omni Block for this drill.
- When the blades glow or the red skull appears, hold a sideways movement direction and press Space. Let the spinning move end, then face the enemy again instead of attacking from inside its path.
- After a successful block, make one attack and return to guard for the next move. This leaves room to correct an uncertain next direction; do not treat the walkthrough’s whole sequence as a required fixed hit count.
If you keep taking a hit after dodging, make your initial goal “dodge and do not attack; watch the next move.” Add one counter only once you can consistently see that follow-up. It makes it much easier to tell whether the issue is direction, timing, or attacking too early.