Nintendo did the unthinkable by releasing another fantastic Zelda game with Breath of the Wild. Now, Breath of the Wild has a fleshed-out combat system, allowing players to devise unique and fun ways to eliminate enemies.

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While Breath of the Wild gives players a fully fleshed-out combat system, players can stick to the basics like dodging and parrying to up their game. However, most players do not know how to dodge and parry in Breath of the Wild. Fortunately, this guide will cover everything there is to know about dodging and parrying and other helpful tidbits.

Breath of the Wild: How to Dodge

Link vs Lynel Breath of the Wild guide

To dodge in Breath of the Wild, follow these steps:

  1. Lock on to an enemy by pressing and holding the ZL button.
  2. As long as the player is locked onto an enemy, they can press the X button to do a backflip or jump to the sides to dodge attacks.
  3. Players that dodge an enemy attack at the very last moment will perform the Perfect Dodge skill that slows down time, allowing players to perform a Flurry Rush.

Players can learn the Perfect Dodge and Flurry Rush skills from the Ta’loh Naeg Shrine (north of Kakariko Village).

Breath of the Wild: How to Parry

Breath of the Wild Enemy Encounter

Parry is called Perfect Guard in Breath of the Wild, and after this skill has been acquired, players can use it by following these steps:

  1. When facing enemies, press and hold ZL.
  2. T ap the A button to parry an attack, and be sure to time it correctly.

Players can learn the Perfect Guard skill from the Ta’loh Naeg Shrine (north of Kakariko Village).

Why Parry in Breath of the Wild?

Zelda Breath of the Wild

Parrying in Breath of the Wild offers the following advantages:

  • Parrying a melee attack will cause the enemy to stagger, leaving them open to attacks.
  • Parrying against ranged enemies using a wooden shield will cause the arrows to stick to said shield. This can be an effective way to farm arrows.
  • Parrying against ranged enemies using a Guardian, Iron, Steel, or Metal Shield will cause the arrows to break.
  • Parrying against enemies that shoot lasers allows players to redirect the attacks back to the source. Players are encouraged to parry all laser attacks to do tremendous damage, but only as long as they time it correctly.

Breath of the Wild is available on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.

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