I’d like to suggest adding a new parry-focused playstyle to the game.
The idea is simple: instead of interrupting the flow of combat by staggering the enemy after a single successful parry, both the player and the enemy remain engaged, allowing long chains of consecutive parries. This would create a much faster-paced, rhythm-based combat style reminiscent of games like Sekiro, while remaining completely optional.
This new mode could be implemented either as a new unique ring or as a trait in the upcoming class system. If implemented as a unique ring, it should also have the “deal damage on parry” modifier and use the Silver Ring base type, preventing players from equipping both it and the Silver Ring at the same time.
It would also be crucial to slightly increase the speed of the parry animation and recovery while this mode is active to allow parrying some of the faster attack chains, such as the deadly triple-spin combo used by the Nameless Pass enemy.
Optionally, while this mode is active, enemies that the player successfully parries (or deflects, in the case of projectiles) could become enraged for a short duration. Enraged enemies would spend less time idling and be more likely to use attacks that can be parried. After all, nobody would be happy being repeatedly shut down by a shield bash. Successfully parrying an enraged enemy would refresh the effect’s duration. This would make slower enemies behave more like their aggressive counterparts and help maintain the fast-paced flow of combat.
The enrage-on-parry mechanic would also give players more granular control during group encounters, allowing them to strategically choose which enemies to engage first. To further balance these situations, it might also make sense for non-enraged enemies to spend more time idling whenever an enraged enemy is nearby. This would help prevent every enemy in a group from attacking simultaneously while still rewarding skilled players who actively maintain the enrage effect.
Naturally, all of the mechanics associated with this mode should be clearly explained in-game rather than being hidden mechanics player has to learn about from outside sources.