[Naethyn]

Chapter 3: Preliminary Avoidance (Parry/Dodge/Riposte/Shield Block)

Preliminary Avoidance are checks that occur prior to a NPC actually landing a blow on you.

This is an explanation of how the defensive abilities fire in a nut shell.

The order is: Parry/Block --> Riposte --> Dodge --> Shield Block.

**Note: Nomenclature: Parry/Block will be refered to as "Parry" and Shield Block will be refered to as "Block". While no class gets both Parry and regular Block, tanks in particular use both Parry AND Shield Block thus, the guide will be written with that as the predominant theme.

Each defensive ability has a % chance of firing, thus causing you to avoid the attack. For the sake of easy math, lets assume each has a 10% chance to fire.

Mob attacks you:

First defensive tier: (Parry)
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Check 1: Parry (10%) So theres a 10% chance you successfully parry

Second defensive tier: (Riposte)
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Parried?
(10% chance) Yes: Check 2: Still fires, Riposte (10%) but does nothing. Since you already "parried." Show "parried"

(90% chance) No: Check 2: Riposte (10%), attempt 2 at avoiding attack.

Not Parried, but Riposted: (9%...10% of the remaining 90%) Show "riposted"
-This shows that the chance to visibly see "riposted" is now 9%, regardless if parry fired or not

Third defensive tier: (Dodge)
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Parried? (10% chance) Show "parried"

Not Parried: (90% chance)
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Not Parried, but Riposted: (9%) Show "riposted"

Not Parried, AND not Riposted: (81% chance)
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Check Dodge (10%)

Not Parried, AND not Riposted, but Dodged: (8.1% chance..10% chance of the remaining 81%)

-This shows that the chance to visibly see "dodged" is only 8.1%

Fourth defensive tier: (Shield Block)
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Not Parried, AND, not Riposted, AND not Dodged: (72.9% chance)
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Check Block (10%)

Not Parried, AND not Riposted, AND not Dodged, but Blocked: (7.29% chance):

-This shows that the chance to visibly see "blocked" is only 7.29%

In summation:
A single attack can be: dodged, parried, riposted and blocked, or any combination there of, but it will only "show" which ever checked first.

If you dodge and block a single attack, it will still show as "dodged" because you dodged it before you got to the shield block check point.

Since shield block is the last check, its ability decreases with every check before it. For you to see "You blocked suchandsuchs attack" It would mean you failed to dodge, parry, or riposte the attack first.

Mathematical summary:
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Even though you started with:
10% chance to Parry
10% chance to Riposte
10% chance to Dodge
10% chance to Block

Does NOT mean only 60% of hits will get through!!!

In reality:

In this example, for every time a mob attacks you there is:
10 % chance you Parry it
9 % chance you Riposte it
8.1 % chance you Dodge it
7.29 % chance you Block it

and a 65.61% chance the mob hits you

So Block has a 10% chance to work, but an effective use of 7.29% because of earlier defensive checks. If you had Improved Dodge and Parry V, the *effective use* of block would drop even further