as the title hints - is there a purpose to time your blocks just as an attack is incoming rather than hold and wait for the AI to attack?

cuz i read in the loading screens hints that blocking should stagger the enemies and it only works parts of the time against very specific enemies..
and it doesnt look like it has anything to do with the timing in which i block.

any insight for this?

Not that I know of.

However, generally the enemy doesn't attack when you're turtling under your shield anyways.

The staggering effect isn't from blocking, it's from when you shield bash while blocking.

wrong there, mate.

of course bashing also staggers, most of the time. not all the time and not everyone.

but i've battled enough draugrs to know - they recoil from blocking. i just wonder if there is a reason to time block.

and i think enemies do attack when u turtle. i think they mostly try and power attack you. that's deadly. but for that u can bash.

Trying to block attacks from an equal lvl or higher opponent is pretty much impossible. Timing your block has nothing to do with your chance to block. Your lvl vs opponents lvl or skill lvl + your own skill in blocking is what it boils down to. The little bandit that take 2 hits to kill, you can hjold block down all day and you will block every single attack until you run out of stamina. But the opponents you have to hit alot to kill will break through your block almost every attack. I`m lvl 27 and pure mace and shield and my block is around close to 70, it lvls very slowly once it starts getting up there. But from lvl 1 block is useless and I didn`t notice any change until i got 3 perk points in the block skill. and even then obnly on lower lvl foes do you block alot. Archers still seem to hit you no matter what you do and what lvl they are.

ah ok thats why i get hit altough im blocking...so i need to train block more.. and i also thought timing matters...at least it was my imaginagion that - on my low block levels - my block work everytime when i time it correctly, but when i simply turtle i get hit every time...weird

does a succesfull block now prevent all health damage and drain stamina instead? sorry bout not understanding how it works but i use 2handers and my only defense is sidestepping, backtracking or hitting first. will try a shield character eventually though

There was a mod in Oblivion that made the timing matter because you'd lose effectiveness the longer you held the block. I enjoyed those mechanics but I don't think this is the case in vanilla Skyrim.

no need to block when the head of your enemy just rolled off your 2hander.

are you guys sure about this? because that i also blocked perfectly only when i timed the block, especially arrows with the arrow block perk

Probably helps. If you turtle they go for a power attach which staggers us and knocks our block down like it does to the AI. So if you throw it up just before they go for a normal attack you will stagger them a little.

If they go for a power attack just bash them. If they are low enough this seems to start the decapitation kill sequence nearly 100% of the time.

if u block a power attack they get staggered

There is block timing.

Look under Help in the game menu.