Revision 1

Defense in The Hidden Ones runs on stamina, a managed resource that sits at the center of the design. Because some defensive options are free and others spend stamina, every block, parry, and dodge is a small economic decision. This page explains what each defensive action costs and what it gives back. For the wider picture of how defense fits into offense, see Combat System.

The Stamina Economy

The key idea is that not all defense is equal. Blocking and parrying are free: holding a guard or timing a parry does not drain your stamina at all. Dodging and break-away maneuvers, on the other hand, eat into the stamina bar, so you cannot roll and sidestep forever. As shown in hands-on builds, dodging takes a meaningful chunk of stamina each time, which is exactly why timing matters more than spamming evades.

This split pushes players toward reading attacks rather than panicking. When an attack is blockable, holding guard or parrying keeps your stamina full and ready. When an attack is unblockable, marked by a red flash, dodging is your only option, and that is where you actually spend stamina. Managing that trade is the core of staying safe in a long fight.

Defensive Actions

The table below summarizes the defensive options shown so far, what each one costs, and the payoff for using it well. Exact stamina values have not been published, so the cost column describes the relative drain rather than precise numbers.

Parries and Perfect Timing

Both parrying and dodging have a perfect-timing reward. A perfect parry, landed right as the attack connects, interrupts the opponent and opens them up for your offense. A perfect dodge, evading at the last possible moment, grants a counterattack opening of its own. Since parrying is free and a perfect parry creates a punish, a confident defender can answer blockable pressure without spending any stamina, then turn the opening into damage.

When You Must Dodge

Some attacks cannot be blocked or parried at all. These unblockable attacks are signaled by a red flash on the attacker, and the only safe response is to dodge. That is the moment stamina becomes a real constraint: if you have burned your stamina on unnecessary rolls and break-aways, you may not be able to dodge the unblockable hit when it counts. The whole system is built so that conserving stamina for the attacks that truly demand a dodge is rewarded, and wasting it is punished.

Block and parry for free, dodge only when you must, and keep enough stamina in reserve for the next red flash.