Parrying in Hyper Light Breaker is kind of tough but there is nothing a gamer can’t master, right? Especially, when there is a dedicated parry button you can use in the game so all you need to learn the perfect timing to parry your enemies.
To get started, you need to know the dedicated button. Press the dedicated parry button (default: Q on keyboard, B/Circle on controllers) when an enemy’s attack is about to land.
All attacks—melee, ranged, or boss abilities—flash briefly before connecting. This flash is your signal to parry.
With the perfect parry you can counter incoming damage completely, stagger smaller enemies and open them up for more attacks (e.g., Flash Step execution prompts).
However, parry does not grant invincibility frames (unlike dodging), so mistimed parries result in full damage.
How to do a Perfect Parry
A Perfect Parry occurs when you press the parry button at the last possible frame before an attack hits and to be honest it is a little hard to do but when you start getting it right you rarely miss a perfect parry.
When you land a perfect parry, a few things will happen. A portion of your Red Health is restored, and it triggers a stagger effect even on tougher enemies, allowing you to perform executions for bonus Brightblood.
Note: You can also parry projectiles.
The best way to learn perfect parry is to learn against early game enemies like green blobs to refine your reflexes. Another thing to note is that you should only parry when you have a clear follow up or escape route.
Visit Pherus Bit in the Cursed Outpost to unlock upgrades using Golden Rations (earned via cycles or exploration):
- Reflector (Tier 2 Upgrade):
- Perfectly parried projectiles are deflected, dealing +10 damage to the attacker.
- Critical for countering ranged enemies like snipers or turrets.
| Aspect | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Input | Q (keyboard) / B (controller) during enemy attack flash 115. |
| Perfect Parry | Restores health, staggers enemies, unlocks executions 415. |
| Upgrades | Reflector (deflect projectiles), character-specific perks 67. |
| Best Use Cases | Bosses, ranged attacks, isolated enemies |
Parry or Dodge?
Parrying is not always the best way to deal with enemies. In my experience, most of the time dodge is the best solution. The game is really clunky, and enemies usually hang out in groups.
It is very easy to miss parrying if you have not developed muscle memory to work around the clunkiness of Hyper Light Breaker’s combat.
