Parry is more useful now.

Never seen anyone parry with bare hands before:
http://labrute.muxxu.com/fight/23113791?chk=22a0

Due to the contre skill adding +10% chance to parry.

This also makes me believe that no attribute increases parry chances. Since I've never seen this before without the contre skill, and low agility brutes parry as much as hyper agiles. As well as Hyper agiles parry as much as Stength brutes. Though Strength does increase chances to disarm.

Shield +30%
Contre +10%
And with good weapons that add on to parry like Sai, Baton, all the swords, frying pan, etc.

This has become one of the best defenses for Muxxu.

Though Choc (impact) still is able to disarm even if blocked. Becoming a more important skill to also have now.

Counter paired with shield is handsdown one of the best combinations I've had.
Add a long-range weapon or a weapon with defensive capabilities and it's even better.

And if it's true that contre makes you able to parry while unnarmed, then taking contre
won't be useless even if you don't have a shield or a sai etc.

This is why I think that the baton has become one of the best weapons -- it has possibly the best defensive bonus, and it's long. The baton plus shield, contre, and 6th sense could make you just about invulnerable.

I have passed on the baton in favour of strength, agility or speed. Maybe I will take it next time it is offered.

I agree, the baton is so good at low levels... and lots of brutes have it :/

Edit: Also agility is definitely less important in this game. IN the original mybrute, agility is broken :/