Is it possible to parry/riposte those quick pommel strike or half-swording enemy counter-attacks. i find it easy to parry and riposte the swings but i have NEVER successfully riposted a pommel strike.
Pommel strike/half swording is a special attack at the end of the combo. And combos cannot be parried.
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no not the combos, sometimes when an enemy ripostes my attack, the riposte animation is a pommel strike or half-sword instead of a regular slash/stab. i can riposte the riposte if their attack is a slash but cannot do it to a pommel strike.
No you can not counter a pommel strike, you can only dodge.
you can dodge ripostes? wow i thought i was locked into it 
I use a game pad which makes it easier, but all you have to do is side step. The timing is very tight just like a parry.
The only locking is of your focus to your opponent which can be broken at any time (looking up KB mouse controls now for it believe its shift though)
when u side step do i need to press shift to “sprint” sidestep? or just hit A or D at the right time?
Im about to load up and test it with KBM but yes I believe that’s correct.
ok thanks ill give it a go too 
let me know how it goes!
Ah, I see what you meant.
These are special “perfectly timed” parries. I have never dodge any of these and I though it cannot be done. But @McWonderBeast has different opinion it seems 
i gave it a go and i think they are undodgeable. site note: the lightly armoured cuman is better than the heavy one it seems 
he made a mess of me since his attacks were 5x faster than even the very advanced arena fighter. 
Regular parries where your opponent blocks then counterswings can be countered via a regular parry (you cannot perfect parry a counterswing) or you can -sometimes- dodge your opponent’s counterswing by moving around (not recommended as it’s not foolproof). Perfectly timed parries with any special animation (such as the pommelstrike, halfswording, hitting them as they swing at you, throwing your opponent straight behind you, or kicking them away) cannot be dodged or countered out of because the game locks both characters in the animation. On the bright side, you can do the same thing to the AI!
To execute a perfect parry, tap your block key just as your opponent winds up right before he attacks. If you tap your block key as your opponent swings, you will get a regular parry where you can either move around, clash (enter the animation where you and your opponent cross swords) or throw a counterstrike where the direction is based on how your opponent attacked you (you can’t aim it or feint with it, yet). Tap your block key right as your opponent is getting ready to swing at you. Timingwise, this is the hardest maneuver to perform consistently, much more difficult that even dodging. Don’t feel discouraged if it takes you awhile to do it.
Despite how difficult perfect parries are to execute, you’ll get a regular parry most of the time if you are off by a fraction of a second. A regular parry puts you at advantage anyways so don’t be afraid to go for the perfect parry.
If your opponent has stamina, they will usually swing right after they smack talk you if you are within range of their sword. The best way to practice perfect parries is in the combat tutorial when the trainer is teaching you about parries. Don’t counterswing at the trainer if you get a regular parry, that will keep you on the parry section for a longer time.
For visual reference, here is a video showing both perfect and regular parries. The gameplay footage is not mine and was posted by Elwin in the thread, “Combat, Blocking and Parrying in 0.4” under the gameplay catagory. The thread is a good read if you are interested in the defensive mechanics. Combat, Blocking, and Parrying in 0.4.
The first few fights show the animations you’d get if you successfully execute a perfect parry. The last section of this video is Elwin and the AI executing regular parries off each other’s counterswings.
The “strange swirling move” is the AI throwing Elwin.
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