Bulwark

[Jim_Berry]

Never use bulwark alone for a tank buster, couple it with a proper cd, even a minor one like foresight or Shelton.


You also cannot block or parry while casting, so if you're using stoneskin or clemency during bulwark you're negating the effect.

For the first line, thank you. Thank you so much.

For the second line, I have to question that. I recently turned "Flying Text" on after NOT using it since like 2013. I turned it on recently because I've been playing with AST, and I don't know the cards by colors, but by name. That said, I swear, before the change to Clemency, I would sometimes get "Parried" or "Blocked" on my screen during Clemency's cast time. I noticed it because back then, I would time the cast with Holy Bladedance from the Knight on Thordan, and would get the text.

[Cabalabob]

For the second line, I have to question that. I recently turned "Flying Text" on after NOT using it since like 2013. I turned it on recently because I've been playing with AST, and I don't know the cards by colors, but by name. That said, I swear, before the change to Clemency, I would sometimes get "Parried" or "Blocked" on my screen during Clemency's cast time. I noticed it because back then, I would time the cast with Holy Bladedance from the Knight on Thordan, and would get the text.

Test for yourself, it's not difficult, go to azys lla, find an owlbear around 11:10, wait for it to cast gust avoid it and pop Shelton and awareness while its casting (so it won't attack you while you're putting it on) then when it's finished casting gust start casting stoneskin and see if you block when it auto attacks you while you're casting.

[Februs]

I swear, before the change to Clemency, I would sometimes get "Parried" or "Blocked" on my screen during Clemency's cast time. I noticed it because back then, I would time the cast with Holy Bladedance from the Knight on Thordan, and would get the text.

You could also have exploited the magic pixel for Pld cast times.

It's a little weird, but near the end of a cast bar a Pld can actually move despite seemingly being locked into the casting animation (something you may have noticed from time to time while dodging AoE's). It's tricky timing, but to the outside observer it looks as though you are moving and casting at the same time. The reason is that the game registers the action as "completed" a short time before the animation is done. Whm's, for example, finish the actual cast of holy LONG before the glowy disco-ball goes off. Pld's Flash mechanic works in a similar fashion, as well. If you've ever Flashed while running, you might notice that the flash light gets left behind you, fixing the AoE in that spot rather than where you are in real time. It's something you can easily test just by casting flash while moving at a steady run in one direction.

The reason I mention this is because your character's block rate is also restored during this time. As soon as your character is capable of moving, your block rate is back in action. So it's possible that you were blocking attacks during that magical little period of time in which the game's visuals are not keeping up with the calculations being done in the background. It's easier to notice on multi-hit moves like Holy Blade Dance, because you're being hit consecutively. The initial volley of hits (during the bulk of your cast) are not blocked because you are considered to be "casting." However, the hits that land near the very end of your cast bar can, sometimes, be blocked if they happen to line up with when the game considers the cast to be done and completed. It's a strange thing to see in practice, and not something I'd recommend relying on, but it could explain why you remember blocking the occasional hit while casting.