Final Fantasy 16, like many action RPG titles, provides players with multiple ways to dodge or avoid enemy attacks. One action, however, allows players to go on the offensive instead, stopping enemies in their tracks while opening up opportunities for devastating combos of their own. In this Final Fantasy 16 Parry guide, we’ll show you how to perform this high-risk, high-reward maneuver, as well as a couple of other ways you can perform it in a fight.

Final Fantasy 16 Parry Guide

PARRY: HOW IT WORKS

Parrying in FF16 is simple enough to understand. Right before an enemy is about to land its attack, pressing the melee attack button (Square by default) will trigger a Parry, which slows down time and interrupts the attack, giving you the opportunity to land multiple hits on the enemy for a few seconds.

Of course, this isn’t as simple as it sounds. Mistiming your Parry will cause you to issue a melee attack, leaving you vulnerable to the enemy attack you were supposed to Parry in the first place. Due to how precise you need to be to Parry an attack, it’s a move that requires a lot of practice, and you’ll likely need to learn the Parry timings of FF16’s different bosses throughout your playthrough.

WAYS TO PARRY

Regular Parry

Pressing the melee attack button (on the ground or mid-air) will result in your standard Parry. This is how you’ll usually be Parrying attacks.

Lunge Parry

Using the Lunge ability (melee attack button + jump button) once unlocked will also allow you to perform a Lunge Parry. This is a highly aggressive Parry that is extremely punishing if it’s whiffed, as you’ll end up within the enemy’s range of attack if you mistime it. On the other hand, it can also serve as an extremely efficient opener for your combos, so the risk can be worth the potential reward.

Swift Recovery Parry

The Swift Recovery ability actually also counts as a melee attack, and you can use this to Parry attacks as well. Note that you won’t always be able to perform this move, as you’d need to use Swift Recovery while you’re about to get hit by an attack, which doesn’t always happen in fights.

TIPS

Here are a few tips to help you get the hang of parrying:

• Learn your enemy’s move set. Different enemies have different moves, and bosses will usually have an arsenal of melee and/or ranged attacks at their disposal. Learning the move set of a boss will help you figure out which attacks are easy to Parry, which aren’t, and which moves can be punished the most with a well-timed Parry.
• Get hit around a few times. If you can survive a few hits, it may be a good idea to get hit around by the enemy a few times. Doing so will give you an idea of when the enemy attack registers, which will then help you estimate exactly when you should be Parrying. If you’re facing enemies way above your level, you may only be able to survive a couple of hits, however, so be sure to save your game before the fight so you can challenge the enemy again after being taken down.
• Be patient. Unlike Dodging, you can’t simply Parry too early. Dodging early can still save you from attacks if you end up outside of the enemy’s range. With Parrying, however, you’ll need to attack just before the hit lands. Do it too early or too late and you’ll get hit. As a result, you’ll need to wait until just before the attack lands before performing an attack of your own. If you’re in the middle of a combo, then delay your final attack when the enemy begins to wind up its move.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Parrying in Final Fantasy 16 is fairly straightforward, yet its preciseness makes it one of the most challenging moves to use when going against all sorts of bosses. With these tips, however, you should be able to find enough openings to stay one step ahead of your opponent and take them down before they can even land a blow.

Want more FF16 content? Read our review here, and check out the FF16 game hub here.