In For Honor, we provide beginner tips to get you started successfully in melee action.
The closed beta of For Honor is coming up. The release on February 14th is not far away. It’s time to prepare for the online melee game. Because in For Honor, you plunge into war on chaotic battlefields. To avoid getting lost, you will find the most important basic tips here.
The Art of Battle – How to control your hero
In For Honor, it’s not the one who can hammer the buttons the fastest that wins. Instead, it’s about mastering the “Art of Battle”. This is an innovative combat system specifically developed for For Honor to allow for unique control over the warriors.
If you play against numerous soldier adds, this “Art of Battle” is not activated. You defeat the adds simply by hitting them. However, if you encounter a heavy elite opponent, like other heroes, you target them with the left shoulder button and start the “Art of Battle”.
Defense:
You fend off attacks by pressing the left shoulder button and moving the right stick in one of the three possible directions from which the attack is coming: Up, Left, or Right. If the opponent, for example, attacks from the left, you need to move the stick to the left in time.
Attack:
There are two different attacks:
- A light, quick attack: This is done with R1 or RB
- A heavy, slow attack: This is done with R2 or RT
With the right stick, you determine the direction from which you want to attack. Each hero also has unique combos and move sets they bring to the battlefield. You can view these in the menu under “Moveset” (Action Sets).
Breaking defense:
If the opponent continuously protects against your attacks, there is a way to break this defense. You can do this by pressing X on the Xbox controller or Square on the PS4 controller. After that, you can attack with quick strikes. If you want to throw an opponent, you need to press the X or Square button again.
Dodge:
You dodge enemy attacks by selecting a direction with the left stick and then pressing A (Xbox One) or X (PS4).
Executions and Emotes:
By finishing a fight with the heavy attack, you have a brief moment to press one of two buttons. This results in a special kill, an execution.
You perform gestures (emotes) by pressing Y or Triangle. You can either hold the button down or tap it once. Under “Customize”, “Abilities”, and “Gestures”, you can assign the emotes. Under “Abilities”, you will also find the executions.
Character Customization
Depending on your play style, you have several options to customize your character.
Gear – Weapons and Armor Pieces:
There are four gear pieces you can change: The helmet, the arm armor, the chest armor, and the weapon. The weapon can be customized, from the blade to the guard to the grip.
You receive new gear through loot you obtain on the battlefield or after matches. Additionally, you can purchase it with the currency “Steel”. Your rank determines the quality of the items you can acquire with the in-game currency.
Each gear piece can be visually changed. It is also possible to enhance the items with upgrades.
You can give the character a unique appearance with many other options, such as gender, color, materials, or engravings on the armor pieces. To do this, select your hero, click on “Customize”, and then on “Appearance”.
Besides cosmetic customization options, your heroes also have abilities (gifts) that you can distribute according to your play style. New executions and gestures can also be unlocked and assigned here.
What game modes are available?
There are several online modes in For Honor. The objective in each mode is to defeat the opposing team.
Dominion: A 4v4 game mode: You fight in a team with three other players against an opposing team and must gain control over zones. Each map has three zones (A is your zone, C is the opposing zone, and B is in the middle).
Most of the action takes place in Zone B. Here, soldiers from both teams constantly spawn. If you eliminate enough enemy soldiers, you gain the upper hand, and the zone belongs to you.
If you capture the opposing Zone C, you earn 100 points and one point per second as long as you hold the zone. If you stand in this zone, you even get 2 points per second. If you die, you respawn immediately at your zone. However, once a team has 1000 points, this changes: The respawn is removed, and you must defeat the opponents one last time. The one who survives in the end and has over 1000 points wins.
Elimination – 1v1 Duel or 2v2 Melee: You play “Best of 5”. Whoever wins three rounds emerges victorious.
4v4 Kill: Also an elimination mode where each hero is matched against an opposing hero. If you stand no chance against them, you can take to your heels and hope that your teammates can help you. If you win, you can rush to assist your teammates instead. Executions are important here to prevent your opponents from reviving their teammates.
Good luck!
