Introduction
Thymesia’s brutal combat punishes mistakes harshly, making damage mitigation a vital skill for survival. While dodging and deflecting are high-risk, high-reward options, blocking offers a safer, more reliable way to absorb damage—especially for players still mastering timing-based defenses. In this guide, we’ll explore how to build around blocking effectively, the best talents to invest in, and how to compensate for its downsides.

Understanding Blocking vs. Deflecting
Blocking in Thymesia reduces damage taken but doesn’t nullify it like dodging or deflecting. Investing in the Defence skill allows you to block more effectively and even withstand critical attacks, which normally require precise deflects or well-timed dodges. However, since blocking shares the same button as deflecting, speccing into one means sacrificing the other.

Key Talents for a Blocking Build

1. Defence Talent (Max Level): Increases the amount of damage you can block and unlocks the ability to guard against critical attacks.
2. Short Claws: Enhances your default Claw attack with a fast-paced flurry of strikes that heal a small amount when you reach 5 Offensive Stacks.
3. Healing Execution: Restores a chunk of health and energy after executing enemies, making it indispensable for maintaining health between fights.

How to Sustain Health While Blocking

• Short Claws and Healing Execution: Pairing these two talents allows you to offset the chip damage that gets through while blocking.
• Recommended Potion Ingredient: Use Lavender to increase damage resistance after drinking a potion, providing additional protection during prolonged fights.

Learning Enemy Patterns Through Blocking
Blocking offers a safe way to study enemy attack patterns without the high risk of mistimed deflects. Blocking lets you see attacks in a clean sequence, helping you master the cadence of enemy combos. This makes it an excellent training tool for transitioning to a more deflect-focused build later.

When to Block vs. Deflect or Dodge
Blocking is best suited for:

• High-Damage Enemies: When attacks deal too much damage for safe deflects or dodges.
• Long Gauntlets: When you’re unsure of the next checkpoint’s location and need to conserve potions.
• Learning Phase: When facing new enemy types or bosses to understand attack patterns safely.

The Downsides of Blocking and How to Compensate

• Chip Damage: While blocking prevents most damage, a small amount always gets through. To counteract this, keep Short Claws upgraded for healing and pair them with Healing Execution.
• No Counter Damage: Unlike deflecting, blocking does not damage enemies directly. This makes upgrading your saber and plague weapons even more critical.

Conclusion
Blocking might not be the flashiest or the most efficient defensive option in Thymesia, but it’s certainly the safest. By building around the Defence talent and combining it with Short Claws and Healing Execution, you can create a sustainable way to explore and conquer the world of Hermes. Best of luck, plague doctor—may your defenses hold strong!