This is why I don’t condemn shield use because you still need to be cognizant of your stamina usage. Just because you blocked an attack, that attack you blocked took a chunk of stamina and also exposed the player to further vulnerability if they are attacked in succession. Movement and timing are as vitally important when using a shield in the same skillset of two handing or using no shield.
Parrying although requires correct timing to pull off which puts some vulnerability on the player because if a parry is timed wrong you can get hit but you also lose stamina on the hit, the timing is generally forgiving in all souls games and the only focus is really on understanding attack windows and nothing more. With that successful parry you trivialize the game by effectively taking advantage of the parry’s advantage which is being able to riposte the enemy for a large chunk of their health. Rinse and repeat until they are dead.
Parrying is a skill lacking technique which trivializes the games
For me parrying is not about timing but staying calm.
I find Margitt one of the hardest bosses in the game as a pure melee player even after having cleared Castle Morne. The only way I have been able to best him without summons was by surviving phase one and then cheesing his second phase with Reduvia's weapon art.
I tried a parry strategy against him. There are countless videos on youtube killing him with nothing but parries and backstabs. ButI just couldn't because I am scared shitless during the fight. Dodge rolling gives a lot more margin for error when panicking.
The trick is to just use summons. It's the correct way to play Souls games.
It’s about feeling your asshole clench with each attack
True. If I had shoved coal up my bung before the fight I'd have diamonds by the time I was done.