Guard

Guard is a defensive skill that negates or reduces incoming damage from enemy attacks, as well as deflecting or dispersing an enemy's projectile attacks. In most of the Castlevania games, guarding requires the player to use a shield equipment in order to guard an attack.
==Game specific information==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
Alucard can use shields to guard attacks. Projectiles are automatically removed upon contact with the shield whilst Guarding. While the damage done by close combat attacks are greatly reduced. Likewise, melee attacks by the enemy will seemingly send the shield flying on the screen, but the shield still remains intact in Alucard's inventory.
===Castlevania: Lament of Innocence===
*Guard: Leon can guard against enemy attacks by assuming the guard position. However, if he is hit repeatedly while guarding, the stamina required to guard against perpetual attacks will eventually decrease to the point that the guarding is ineffective. There are also some attacks that are impossible to guard against. While guarding, Leon can walk slowly without changing direction.Castlevania: Lament of Innocence instruction booklet, page 7.
*Guard (Special Attacks): Enemies will occasionally unleash special attacks. Special attacks can be identified by a purple glow. When Leon guards against special attacks, these attacks are absorbed by the gauntlet and stored as MP.
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
Hector can learn the Guard and Perfect Guard skills in Curse of Darkness. The former can simply block enemy attacks, while Perfect Guard requires the proper window of execution to successfully cancel an enemy's attack, gaining Hearts in the process and possibly opening its stealing window.
The Battle-Type Innocent Devil also possesses an innate ability called Guard Mode. Upon execution, it creates a blue field that absorbs damage from all sources while Hector and his Innocent Devil are inside this area. While guarding, the Battle-Type will be unable to attack until the player issues other commands. The Battle-Type's barrier will gradually reduce in size with each sustained attack until it disappears completely, leaving the I.D. vulnerable until it can create a new one.
This I.D.'s ability is very useful if Hector wants to take the heat off of him momentarily while in an intense battle, by using the Battle-Type as a decoy while he gets rid of the rest of the opposition.
===Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin===
Stonewall is one of Jonathan Morris's sub-weapon skills in Portrait of Ruin. The stance is maintained by holding on the attack button. This will prevent him from moving and attacking normally, but he also suffers less damage from hits while in the stance. Damage dealt from successful hits on Jonathan while in this stance can actually be reduced to 0, if the attack is weak enough compared to his defenses.
It is basically Jonathan's version of a shield. The only differences seem to be that it doesn't block as much, can't be used while moving and it can't reflect projectiles. In return, however, it does seem to reduce damage from many more non-projectile attacks than those that shields do.
This skill is very useful for completing two of Wind's quests, "Build Your Strength 4" (raise CON to at least 100), and "Mental Training 4" (raise MND to at least 100), perhaps even more so than trying to complete it via Charlotte's CON Boost/MND Boost spell and/or with other assets. While active, Stonewall will boost Jonathan's CON and MND by +80. The player just needs to start the quest, equip Stonewall on Jonathan, switch to Charlotte and approach Wind. Before talking to him, the partner's skill must first be called upon via the R button (this will summon Jonathan performing the stance), and while the button is held, Wind must be talked to. By the time either of the two quests are available, Jonathan should already have, at bare minimum, access to an equipment setup that will provide the remaining points required for the appropriate statistic, even in the lv. 1 variant of Hard Mode.
===Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia===
Shanoa can guard attacks using the Scutum Glyphs. However, she does not seem to wield the shield directly while guarding, but instead, it magically hovers above her head, or levitates in front of her.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
Stonewall returns in Harmony of Despair as the Personal Skill of Jonathan Morris (called Guard). It more or less works much like it did in Portrait of Ruin, enabling him to reduce all damage taken.
===Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls===
In Grimoire of Souls, Maria Renard is able to use Genbu Guard as a unique action to reduce damage from enemies, albeit immobilizing her while her guard is up.
===Item Data===
==Gallery==
Lament of Innocence - Guard - 01.png|Guard tutorial instructions from Lament of Innocence.
CoD Tip 11.png|Guard Mode ability of the Battle-Type Innocent Devil, from Curse of Darkness.
Portrait of Ruin - Forest of Doom - 03.png|Stonewall skill location in Portrait of Ruin.
GoS Genbu Guard.png|Genbu Guard tutorial from Grimoire of Souls.
==References==
==See also==
*Block
*Perfect Guard
Category:Abilities
Category:Innocent Devil Abilities
Category:Personal Skills
Category:Skills
Category:Stat Boosts
Category:Sub-Weapons
Category:Unique Actions
Category:Curse of Darkness Items
Category:Grimoire of Souls Items
Category:Harmony of Despair Items
Category:Portrait of Ruin Items