Insomniac Games has implemented some big changes to the combat in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, chiefly the introduction of parrying so Spider-Man is no longer reliant on dodging.
Parrying isn’t easy to pull off though, especially at a high difficulty. An early parry is the safest option, which reduces the damage you take and is easier to execute with a wide time window.
But if you wait until the last minute to parry, it will cause enemies to stagger and become vulnerable to a counter-attack. This is useful against select enemies, such as large brutes, those with melee weapons and a few boss encounters, as they’re otherwise difficult to inflict damage upon.
This means it’s not possible to ignore the parry mechanic completely, although it is optional against standard enemy types. And opting for a late parry will of course increase the risk of mis-timing and getting damaged.
If you accidentally skipped past the tutorial or have simply forgotten how to parry, then you’ll be glad to hear that we’ve created this article to guide you through the process step by step.
What you’ll need
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- PS5
The Short Version
- Wait until you spot the Spider Sense alert
- Press L1 to parry
- Stagger an enemy by pressing L1 as late as possible
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Step
1Wait until you spot the Spider Sense alert
During combat, you should see the Spider Senses animation appear above Spider-Man’s head as an enemy begins their attack.
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Step
2Press L1 to parry
Once you spot the Spider Senses animation, press the L1 button in order to parry. Note that you can’t parry gunfire or any attacks that cause your Spider Senses to turn blue. Meanwhile, attacks signified by yellow Spider Senses can’t be dodged and must be parried.
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Step
3Stagger an enemy by pressing L1 as late as possible
Pressing L1 early will reduce the damage taken, but will not cause the enemy to stagger. In order to do this, you’ll need to press L1 just before an enemy’s attack lands, which will be signified by the Spider Senses icon turning red.
When successfully executing a parry, an animation will trigger – by default, Spider-Man will use his robotic arms to parry, while Miles will use a blast of electricity. These animations will change depending on what abilities you have equipped, with Peter unlocking Venom variations later in the game.
Troubleshooting
It’s not possible to parry against every attack. For example, projectiles such as gunfire can’t be parried. And when the Spider-Man Senses turns Blue, you can only dodge attacks.
Spider-Man will need to parry against big brutes in order to stagger them, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Certain boss encounters will also see your Spider Senses turn yellow, signalling that the attack can’t be dodged, and must be parried instead.
