Source
r/CompetitiveForHonor•
probably2high

Should Guard Break be Reworked?

Currently, GBs are basically the best way to ensure gauranteed damage, but they're really not an effective tool for actually breaking someone's guard. Granted, at lower levels, GBs will ruin many players' day. At high levels, it's pretty rare to GB someone unless it's gauranteed, and that is rarely when someone is actually guarding.

Obviously, For Honor has several of its fundamentals that could use some work, but is GB one of them? I had a thought that a successful GB could grant a buff for a short time that increased your chip damage significantly. Ideally, this would encourage turtles to go on the offensive to avoid taking increased damage from blocking.

Posted Apr 25, 2017, 2:03 PM UTC

011
pzeaOrochi•

GB definitely seems like it's not working correctly from a game design perspective. It's countered 90% of the time except in the few instances where it's guaranteed. It can sometimes be risky to even attempt them since getting countered could end up killing you depending on what's behind you.

GB wants to be this way to bring damage into the game and break defense, but it does the absolute worst job at that.

If they made GB attempts do a bit of damage to the defender, even if they countered it, then it would work much better. Now attempting it is encouraged even though it's not deadly. It encourages offense since being passive gives the opponent free GB attempts. If the defender doesn't have enough health to survive another GB attempt, it could just become an untechable GB so that matches don't end with a GB animation doing the killing, and it also allows for teammates to save you in team matches.

2
PineapplemuseumValkyrie•

Common rework ideas.

Predict counter - This idea comes from other fighting games where you have to predict a grab to counter it. This works in those games because it is always a 1v1 and doesn't have the potential for an insta kill. In for honor however if you had to predict GB then fighting outnumbered would become impossible and if you fail to predict a GB you lose a third of your health or get insta killed.

Guaranteed - Again fighting outnumbered would become impossible. Would force people to throw out lights more often leading to easy parries. Characters with stamina draining attacks would also become instantly top tier due to the enemy having to throw out of stamina attacks to avoid GB.

The current GB system works pretty well its just poorly named. It isn't used to break someones guard its just a grab.

1
Carnifexx2•

I dont think this kind of GB/throw like in MKX wouldnt fit this game. You could basically only prevent it by spamming and stamina will be your worst enemy.

3
PineapplemuseumValkyrie•

Those were just suggestions I have seen several times. I outlined the reasons why I think they wouldn't work in my description of them.

1
Carnifexx2•

Yeah. I just added another reason why it wouldnt work out well. I think giving GBs a stricter timeframe where you can counter it would make it a stronger tool out of neutral and within mix ups. And maybe making successful parries not leading into GBs but just into hero specific things like lawbringer already has (with some tweaking so it isnt as punishing as it is right now) and adding some more chip damage to heavies (not 50% like some suggest) would encourage a more aggressive playstyle.

2
probably2highOP•

I agree that it's poorly named, and maybe that's where I get hung up. However, I think it's a weird that the go-to move after a parry is to grab. Shouldn't parrying be more rewarding (not more rewarding than it currently is) than GB? It's pretty easy to parry, but there is skill that goes in to it, as opposed to GB where you're just hitting a button and hoping your opponent doesn't hit that button on time. That said, I have very little history with fighting games, so maybe this is pretty common.

1
Failiiix•

What do you think that the gb timing after a feint should be way shorter?

so that heros like kensei and zerker who need this tool to open turtels up get more of a chance?

So its harder for you to react to it. If he faints and gbs you have to be kind of prepared to counter it.

At the moment people GB 2 or 3 times in a row, which is annoying as hell. What do you think of a CGB doing dmg of a light attack, so that you get dmged for being so obvious, but lower the reaction timer for it?

1
probably2highOP•

I don't think that shortening the CGB window would do much other than frustrate lower-skilled players. Good players will learn the timing, and continue to counter 95% of GBs, while the rest will have even more trouble countering GBs that they probably rarely counter now. I'm not sure about CBG doing damage, but it is annoying when someone repeatedly attempts GB.

1
ethangf01•

Light attack beats gb. Just light attack when you expect gb spam. It makes double gb an actually interesting parry bait.

1
crimsonwitcher•

I think GB should go back to it's launch state, a harder task to counter instead of making it easier like in open beta. That would open more turtles with slower reaction timing.

1
ApexDelicto•

Making the input more technically challenging will not change the way it is used at the competitive level - players will just learn the new timing.

1