Parry Styles

[Arkham]

It is just that the tool tip says.. 'Counter Attack has the upper hand against the offensive fighting styles.'

But I just can't figure out how. My current opinion is you can make a successful defensive/counter strike gladiator, but he probably would have been a better off as a WAR gladiator.

[Team Kaos]

But I just can't figure out how. My current opinion is you can make a successful defensive/counter strike gladiator, but he probably would have been a better off as a WAR gladiator.

I think you need to rethink the Counter Stike strategy. If he was defensive it would be a Parry X strategy.

Counter STRIKE!

The gladiator does not try to parry off attacks and wait for an opening, it is an offensive hybrid strategy.
While his opponent is attacking the Counter Strike is already in the works. With his defensive ability and agility he should be trying to side step, or recieve a glancing blow opposed to trying to knock the attack away or block it.
But also position himself to make a successful strike on his opponent.

IMO Counter Strike is undoubtably the most difficult strategy to gear up and figure out. The gladiator needs to have agility and be defensive enough to not get the full brunt of the opponents attack if he is unable to move away from it, but also quick enough and offensivly adept to get in a powerful strike, only to repeat it over and over.

I don't know, but it would make sense that intelligence would also play a roll for a counter strike. He's not a rager with a one track mind on destruction nor is he a parry sitting back and waiting for an open shot that may never come if he is up against an offensive bull.
He is a offensive fighter trying to keep his opponent off balance while gaining the offensive advantage all the while he is giving up the initiative to his opponent.

If you can make sense of that perhaps it may be helpful. Maybe not...my mind works in odd ways.

[Arkham]

The gladiator does not try to parry off attacks and wait for an opening, it is an offensive hybrid strategy.
While his opponent is attacking the Counter Strike is already in the works. With his defensive ability and agility he should be trying to side step, or recieve a glancing blow opposed to trying to knock the attack away or block it.
But also position himself to make a successful strike on his opponent.
.

'Just like in practice, go ahead and wait for him to attack and then counter!' - The Trainer.

It seems to imply a defensive nature. If your plan is to let someone attack you, and be responsive, you are reactionary by nature. You even had trouble describing it without using defensive. But this is all just semantics. The value is in the results.

I set an activity level. It is mid to hight range to encourage action at the cost of striking power and endurance. I sacrifice first swing rights with counter strike (often to my doom!) with the hopes that I'll survive for a devastating response, looking to see the payback in the form of 'Counter Attack has the upper hand against the offensive fighting styles.'

Any ways, my gladiator is pretty secure in his defensive 'natural' ability. His gear is the best I can get without visiting the chamber. It may not be all defensive, but at this stage I am happy with any gear that improves on the last piece.

The gladiator is most successful against other Theatrics warriors with goofy strategies. He suffers from Rage (with big weapons, I rarely see them any other way) and War of any kind (Tank or ... just Kill you from inside a suit of armor).

I'll keep at it. At the least, a learning experience.

[Dainoji]

Counter attack can be devastating to a rage gladiator going berserk because the theatrics guy is basically matching hit for hit with the added bonus of getting to wear better armor. I bet you are having trouble because it doesn't work like most of the other styles. Its behavior changes based on who you are fighting. If your opponent attacks a lot, then so do you, if he doesn't then you stand around as well. One style you might do well as the other you may not, so I'd say it is a more high maintenance style requiring you to play with it more based on who you are fighting.

[Jaradakar]

My highest ranked gladiator is Theatrics (Domitius) he's in Juggernauts (low as he just joined). I find I use counter attack quite a bit, it is in my opinion one of the best fight stances available. That said, it requires you to be fairly active to be successful (i.e. it costs a fair amount of endurance) and as others have pointed out it has a harder time with Kill Shot stance or gladiators who have really big weapons (2-handers).

My take on Theatrics is that they need to rely on Signature Move as it can be a huge equalizer. Also I feel that around the 20+ lvl range they are at slight disadvantage until they can pick up Heavy Scarring or decent medium armor (or both).

I will say that as a Theatrics I rarely use parry, I really think it's best used for when you're getting tired as I believe (guess) that it uses less endurance than counter attack does.

[Jaradakar]

'Just like in practice, go ahead and wait for him to attack and then counter!' - The Trainer.

It seems to imply a defensive nature. If your plan is to let someone attack you, and be responsive, you are reactionary by nature. You even had trouble describing it without using defensive. But this is all just semantics. The value is in the results.

I set an activity level. It is mid to hight range to encourage action at the cost of striking power and endurance. I sacrifice first swing rights with counter strike (often to my doom!) with the hopes that I'll survive for a devastating response, looking to see the payback in the form of 'Counter Attack has the upper hand against the offensive fighting styles.'

Any ways, my gladiator is pretty secure in his defensive 'natural' ability. His gear is the best I can get without visiting the chamber. It may not be all defensive, but at this stage I am happy with any gear that improves on the last piece.

The gladiator is most successful against other Theatrics warriors with goofy strategies. He suffers from Rage (with big weapons, I rarely see them any other way) and War of any kind (Tank or ... just Kill you from inside a suit of armor).

I'll keep at it. At the least, a learning experience.

it's for reasons that Dainoji outlined why I don't think it's a good style to default or start out in, it should be triggered to turn on for specific occasions.

[Blackwill]

I will defend Iron Jaw though, it does help tremendously in not getting stunned even when getting rocked by a 300+ Rage blast. But then again it only takes 2 of those to end the fight anyway, stunned or not.

I'm not convinced that Stun is even working as it should, to be honest. I've been stunned/blinded for multiple rounds, and have seen no reduction in the number or strength of my attacks. In a typical Stun, it is administered in the last one or two hits of the round, and is removed at the beginning of the next, anyway. Perhaps there is an issue with current attacks not being removed from the attack queue? I'm not sure. In any case, it seems to me that a Gladiator is just as likely to resist a stun effect without Iron Jaw as he is with it. Your mileage may vary...

As you mentioned, it all goes back to gear....if a Theatrics fighter wants to stand a chance against an offensive Rage gladiator, his only recourse is Epic level armor, and even that can't withstand a +505 hit (which I took from a low-level gladiator this morning).

[Dainoji]

I'm not convinced that Stun is even working as it should, to be honest.

WTF? Are you kidding me? I get stunned and my normal 6+ attack round gets turned into a 1 or 2 or 0 attack round which pretty much means I lose! Iron Jaw is key to preventing this from happening IMO. Sure all gladiators seem to have some form of stun defense but Iron Jaw takes it to the next level.

In a typical Stun, it is administered in the last one or two hits of the round, and is removed at the beginning of the next, anyway.

It my experience and how I read the tooltips is the effect lasts for X rounds and the current round counts as one. So if you get the hit in early it is huge, if it is the last hit in the round then you lose out. I've had both happen on numerous occasions. Getting stunned is on par with dropping your weapon for a gladiator who typically doesn't go more than one or two rounds anyhow.

[Blackwill]

Perhaps I'm only getting stunned or stunning my opponents late in the round, then, when it really has no effect. Although, you would think that, with a multiple round stun, I should see a bit more of a reduction in attacks, which I don't.

It's possible that, each and every time I use stun or get stunned, I have been opposing or using a fighting style which is naturally unaffected by it...but that seems a bit of a stretch. I'll keep a closer eye on it over the next few weeks, and see if I'm just getting really lucky/unlucky. I'd really like to think that it works as intended, and if you claim it does, then I'll keep my fingers crossed

[Team Kaos]

Perhaps I'm only getting stunned or stunning my opponents late in the round, then, when it really has no effect. Although, you would think that, with a multiple round stun, I should see a bit more of a reduction in attacks, which I don't

It could also be that when you are stunning your opponent the round end quicker simply because he is not swinging anymore due to being stunned. Otherwise he may be pumping out a couple more damaging swings. True it may just be dragging out the inevitable to the next round but could be something to key on with your fighter and change up his build to take advantage of such instances.