Description: Gives a chance to parry enemy melee attacks.
Classes: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman (talent)
Parry gives a chance to deflect some enemy attacks. Parry is a passive ability, meaning that it is always on and functioning. One does not have to place the Parry icon on one's quickbar and use it like a normal ability.
Most of the melee classes get the parry ability. Warriors get parry at level 6, hunters and paladins at level 8, and rogues at level 12. Shamans have a 20 point Enhancement talent called 
[Spirit Weapons] which grants them the parry ability in addition to threat reduction for melee attacks.
See also: Combat, Combat rating system and Formulas:Parry
Functionality
Uses
- Parry is a passive ability, and cannot be triggered at will. Unlike block, which can deflect some or all of the physical damage from an attack, parry (when activated) always negates all physical damage. As such, parry will generally have a lower chance of activation than block. For specifics on how parry is activated, see Formulas:Parry.
Limitations
- Parry cannot be modified by attributes, except for + defense buffs on gear. Each defense point will increase your chance to parry by .04%. As such, it is more difficult to raise the chance to parry than, for example, to raise the chance to score a critical hit. However, there is gear that directly raises your parry rating.
Tips
- Your chance to parry can be increased with talents (some classes), equipment, and/or higher defense skill.
- If you parry an attack, the auto attack timer seems to be modified. You actually swing faster after a successful parrying (see here), making it a useful offensive and threat generating tool as well. It is for this reason that Parry increasing talents are generally found in DPS trees, and that Parry rating can sometimes be found on two-handed weapons.
Attacks from behind
- Can a player Parry an attack made from behind?
- No, because parrying an attack is defending against an attack using ones own weapon or arm. An attack from behind can't be parried for that reason.
- Can a mob Parry an attack made from behind?
- In normal cases, no. Rogues occasionally have their Backstabs parried, due to a bug. This probably has to do with mobs turning around quickly (aggro change) and lag. In that case, the Backstab positional check is passed, but before the attack roll is made the mob would be facing the rogue.
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