Does Black Flag Resynced Have a Block Button? Parry, Dodge, and Takedown Controls
The short answer
Black Flag Resynced is built around parry and dodge, not a permanent hold-to-block stance. A normal parry stuns an enemy and drains a large part of their defense. A Perfect Parry opens a takedown, which can chain across nearby enemies. When an attack cannot be parried, dodge instead; a well-timed Perfect Dodge can be followed by a high-damage special attack.
That is the useful answer to the common “where is the block button?” question. The longer answer is that trying to play Resynced like a shield fighter is exactly how its reactive enemies make you miserable. Read the attack, choose parry or dodge, break defense, and finish decisively.
The combat loop: break defense, then cash it in
Every opponent has a defense bar. Basic attacks, special moves, a pistol Quick Shot, environmental pressure, and good timing can reduce it. Once the defense breaks, the enemy is vulnerable to a cinematic takedown. This is the center of the combat system, not a flourish you save for screenshots.
Use that loop as your default mental model:
- Read the enemy’s next move. Do not mash a familiar combo into a reaction you have not identified.
- Choose defense. Parry a readable normal attack; dodge an unblockable one or anything you do not trust.
- Create the opening. A Perfect Parry, a Sweep, a Quick Shot, or sustained pressure can expose a target.
- Take the takedown. Chain it if the enemies and your sword permit it.
- Change your answer. Enemies adapt when you lean on the same Kick, combo, or defensive response repeatedly.
It sounds simple because it is. The skill is recognizing when the game wants you to stop doing the simple thing.
Parry versus Perfect Parry
A standard parry is still valuable. It interrupts the enemy, drains a substantial amount of defense, and buys you a brief moment to reset the fight. Do not treat an ordinary parry as failure just because it did not immediately create a finisher.
A Perfect Parry is the payoff. Time it cleanly and the opponent opens for a takedown; from there, Edward can chain takedowns to as many as four nearby enemies, depending on the sword he carries. In cramped ship decks and corridors, that can erase a crowd before it becomes a crowd.
The mistake is waiting forever for the perfect cue. Some enemies use attacks that cannot be parried, and reactive foes will punish a predictable player who sits there fishing. If the rhythm feels wrong, dodge, reposition with Vault, or use a tool instead of forcing the parry.
When dodge is the correct answer
Dodge is the safer response to unblockable attacks. Time it just before impact for a Perfect Dodge, then follow with the special attack for much higher damage. Ubisoft describes that follow-up as dealing triple damage, which makes it an excellent punish against enemies that refuse to give you a parry window.
The Brute is the clearest lesson. Its attacks cannot be parried, so dodging is not the cautious alternative; it is the intended answer. Brutes can also throw grenades, which means staying at the same range and hoping for a sword exchange is poor planning. Dodge out, use a pistol Quick Shot to break defense, then convert the opening into a takedown or a clean combo.
Double-dodging creates more distance when you need to leave a bad position. Vaulting over an enemy is another repositioning tool when the fight collapses around you. Movement is defense here.
The tools that replace passive blocking
Sweep
Use Sweep against an enemy that keeps blocking your ordinary attacks. A clean Sweep breaks defense, puts the target on the ground, and creates a Ground Takedown. It is a direct answer to a defensive opponent, not a random extra button.
Kick
Kick is crowd control. Drive an enemy into a wall or ship railing for a Wall Takedown; near a ledge, it can remove the problem more permanently. Repeating it carelessly invites adaptation, so use the environment rather than turning Kick into your entire personality.
Quick Shot and Rope Dart
A pistol Quick Shot immediately breaks the guard of advanced archetypes. That makes it the best bridge when a Brute or Captain interrupts a Chain Takedown. The Rope Dart can interrupt ranged attacks, pull targets in, and also break defense in the right situation. It arrives much earlier in Resynced than in the original: Sequence 3 rather than Sequence 11.
Gun Kata and Human Shield
Gun Kata becomes a four-shot sequence after pistol upgrades, deleting basic enemies and staggering advanced ones. Use it when you are swarmed or need to silence an alarm fast. Against a Gunner, grab a nearby enemy as a Human Shield at the right moment to turn their shot into a problem for their own side.
Pick the right sword for the situation
Your sword changes the Heavy Strike’s job. The Rapier pierces through foes and favors focused, precise damage. The Cutlass has a wider Heavy Strike for crowd control. The Pistol-Sword fires two shots during its Heavy Attack, letting you focus one target or split damage across two.
There is no universal best sword. A cramped brawl rewards the Cutlass; a stubborn priority target can make the Rapier feel better; a group with advanced enemies may reward the Pistol-Sword’s flexibility. Pick a weapon for the problem in front of you, then vary your tools so the enemies cannot comfortably adapt.
A practical first-fight plan
Lock on when the crowd starts getting unreadable. Open with basic attacks against ordinary Soldiers, but watch for their defense rather than reciting a combo. Parry a clean strike. If the Perfect Parry lands, chain takedowns. If a Brute enters, stop trying to parry it: dodge, Quick Shot, then punish. If an enemy blocks, Sweep. If a Gunner is elevated, move, take cover, or set up a Human Shield.
That is the real “block button”: not one input, but a small set of answers that keep Edward from becoming predictable.
Sources
← Back to Guides