UO Parrying Skill Guide
Parrying increases your chance to block attacks when using a shield or (with Bushido) a two-handed weapon. It is vital for defensive builds and works best when combined with high Dexterity and defensive skills.
Parrying is the defensive skill that lets a character fully block incoming attacks. It is evaluated in combat alongside Bushido to decide whether a strike is stopped outright. You can parry melee and archery attacks while holding a shield or a melee weapon, and a successful parry causes the attacker to miss entirely. Blocking a special move also spares the attacker's Mana, since the move fails to land. One important caveat: when you defend with a shield, the Bushido skill actually reduces your chance to block.
Parrying gains occur when you are attacked while holding a shield or two-handed weapon (with Bushido).
| Skill Range | Training Method |
|---|---|
| 0.0 – 30.0 | Train from Fighter NPC |
| 30.0 – 70.0 | Spar with a low-damage monster (skeletons, mongbats) |
| 70.0 – 100.0 | Spar against higher-damage monsters (trolls, ettins) |
| 100.0 – 120.0 | Farm endgame mobs while actively parrying attacks |
0.0 – 30.0
30.0 – 70.0
70.0 – 100.0
100.0 – 120.0
Your block chance depends on what you are holding, your Parrying and Bushido levels, and your Dexterity:
- Shields give the highest raw block chance; one- and two-handed weapons block less but let Bushido work in your favor.
- Reaching 100 in Parrying or Bushido adds a flat 5% to the block chance.
- Low Dexterity penalizes blocking: below 80 Dex, a modifier of (80 − Dexterity) / 100 is subtracted from your chance.
Block chance is derived from a set of formulas. For a shield, the chance is (Parrying − Bushido) / 4, floored at 0. For weapon blocking without a shield, the game takes the higher of a "new" formula that factors in Bushido and a "legacy" formula based on Parrying alone. The final chance is then scaled down by the Dexterity modifier when Dex is under 80. The table below shows representative shield and melee-weapon block chances at several Parrying levels.
| Parrying | Block Chance with Shield | Block Chance with Melee Weapon |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1% | 0% |
| 25 | 6% | 3% |
| 50 | 12% | 6% |
| 75 | 18% | 9% |
| 100 | 30% | 17% |
| 120 | 35% | 20% |
Formulas: Shield = (Parrying − Bushido) / 4. One-handed weapon (no shield): higher of (Parrying × 10) × (Bushido × 10) / 48000 or (Parrying × 10) / 80. Two-handed weapon: higher of (Parrying × 10) × (Bushido × 10) / 41140 or (Parrying × 10) / 80. Add 5% if Parrying or Bushido is 100+. Final chance = base × (1 − Dexterity modifier).