"Mabinogi Heros" (마비노기 영웅전) is a fascinating online role-playing and action game. It was made in Korea and now is open for North America as "Vindictus".
I play one of three characters, Fiona, and I love her for her wonderful counterattacks. Stay calm in front of an enemy, and when the enemy attacks you, guard against it just before it hits you and counterattack it. Boom!
Picture: A counterattack on toad monsters
In this article, I would like to show various aspects on counterattack. Please note that this article refers to a normal counterattack, not a heavy stander counterattack if it is not specifically mentioned.
How to counterattack
Firstly, you need to guard against attacks perfectly. A "perfect guard" is guarding just before enemies attacks hit you. You can see blue sparkle on your shield. Otherwise, you will do a "normal guard" with orange (I'm not sure) sparkle. After a perfect guard, release the guard key, and press smash key very quickly.
Counterattack is made even if your guard was a normal guard, as long as you haven't pressed the guard button for more than 1 second. So, not a perfect guard, but near-perfect guard is also good for a counterattack.
Video: Counterattacks on a "Grid" monster and others
Before you can counterattack
The skill is not cheap. You need several related skills (Counterattack, Guard, Shield mastery) with high ranks. Otherwise, you will see your shield is broken after only a few counterattacks.
After your shield is broken, you need to repair it, or idealy use Shield Regeneration (an SP skill) if you are high level. However if you are low level player, like lower than 30 level, then counterattack is not easy for you. During the low level time, you can practice perfect guard. Don't press and hold the guard button. Just press and release it quickly whenever attacks hit you.
What you can counterattack
Every attack which is not a smash attack. You can counterattack against an enemy's normal attack, a shoot from a bow, even a shoot of fire ball or acid liquid from toad monster.
To distinguish a normal attack from a smash attack, you can use heavy stander skill. If you are pushed back when you guard against it, then you are hit by a smash attack.
Consecutive Counterattacks
If a boss monster attacks you consecutively, then you can defend against each attacks and counterattack each time if the monster's consecutive attacks have long interval (like 1 second). However, if the attacks have short interval, you need to defend against all of them perfectly, or at least do perfect guard against the last attack, and counterattack.
Quicker Shield Regeneration
An SP skill "Shield Regeneration" is a very useful skill to repair your shield during combats. It is much faster than using a repair kit. However, you can make it even quicker:
- Start Shield Regeneration skill.
- After you hammered only once, roll to a direction (an arrow key + the evasion key).
Even though you cancelled the skill as mentioned above, your shield is fully repaired.
Counterattacks on the Giant Spidar
It is a little hard to master counterattacking against the Giant Spidar.
I tried 30 times of the battle (about 5 hours) to master it.
You can use following technique after you have some quality time with the spider. When you are close to it, and in front of it, you will notice that there are only 3 kinds of attacks from it:
1) Quick normal attack with its right hand
2) Slow normal attack with its left hand
3) Slow smashes (double swing)
You should guard as soon as it moves. You don't have time to see what it is comming, so just press guard button. If it is no. 1 attack, release the guard button after it hits you and counterattack.
If it is no. 2 attack, keep pressing the guard button until it hit you. You can still counterattack it (a near-perfect guard also allow a counterattack).
If it is no. 3 attack, keep pressing the guard button but change your motion to heavy stander guard.
For all these attacks, recognition and a decision should be made in less than a second, so good luck :-)
Counterattacks on Two Werewolves
Two werewolves are running around and you should not focus on one of them, but focus on the whole scene. Attention, hear and now. You don't have the "time" to worry about your tomorrow's bills and loose yourself. Stay here and be calm in yourself. Don't be irritated if you're hit. Allow it to be and be ready for the next attack.
Note: These words of wisdom is learned from Eckhart Tolle's book, "The Power of Now".
