For Honor thrusts you into a world of warfare — three factions battle to conquer territory, and it’s all up to you which type of hero you want to be. You choose between these three historically-inspired groups; Knights, Samurai, and Viking, each with four types of “heroes” or classes to experience.
It’s a unique take on the online-multiplayer genre, pitting your chosen hero against other players in melee-combat. There’s a lot to learn in For Honor, and our Open Beta experiences gave us some insight that just might help all you fresh recruits get started right.
Let’s get started with these 10 tips and tricks we’ve learned (so far!) in For Honor. For even more info, check out Gameranx’s video covered 10 things you need to know all about For Honor.
More For Honor guides on Gameranx:
- For Honor: Check Out These Cool, Clever & Crude Custom Emblems
- For Honor: How to Unlock All The Classes You Want Right At The Start
- For Honor: All Knights Campaign Collectibles [Breakables / Observables]
- For Honor: All Vikings Campaign Collectibles [Breakables / Observables]
- For Honor: All Samurai Campaign Collectibles [Breakables / Observables]
#0: Don’t Just Play! Check Movesets For Every Hero
We’re not here to break down all the factions and their unique hero classes. You can check out the full movesets, and their abilities, in the included gameplay tutorials.
- To learn all your class specific attacks, select Customize from the Main Menu -> Heroes -> How to Fight
Each Hero has their own unique combo strings and special attacks. By mixing up light / heavy, or combining spring, dodge, and other attacks, each Hero has a pretty hefty selection of moves you can use to confuse and destroy your opponents. It’s all about those change-ups.
Tutorials are something For Honor does pretty well, and you can test out all your faction-specific moves / abilities in the singleplayer campaigns, pitting you against an army of bots.
It’s a low-pressure environment, so we suggest you start there before diving into the online multiplayer arena… unless you’re itching for some Berserker action. Yeah, it’s hard to resist the call to action.
#1: Blocking Is Even Better When You’re Surrounded
Rather than a normal “Block” button, For Honor forces you to block by holding your sword in different directions. Mix stances into the formula, and you’ll really have to anticipate an enemy’s incoming attacks to properly defend against their onslaught. Learning to block — when to block, when to change stances — is a big part of For Honor’s complex combat system.
But, that blocking system is simplified when you’re dealing with multiple opponents. In For Honor, you can only stay locked-on to a single hero at a time.
While you’re locked-on, you’ll need to block with the full breadth of stances and directions — but you can still block enemy opponents trying to sneak attacks in from the sides — opponents that you’re not currently locked-on to.
Any attacks from the left / right can be blocked simply by holding your weapon on the left / right side of your character. These are called “External Blocks” and stances don’t factor in, all you need to do is hold that sword in the direction of incoming attacks and any version (not counting unblockable attacks) will be deflected.
- Note: Any attacks DIRECTLY behind your character cannot be blocked at all! Beware sneaky heroes.
#2: Parries Are A Powerful Counter, Even For Unblockable Attacks
Most players at this early stage of the For Honor’s competitive lifespan simply don’t parry. Learn how to Parry as early as possible, because it’s the best way to completely frustrate your enemies, and parries can even deflect unblockable attacks. Yeah, they’re that powerful.
- To Parry, you’ll need to match your opponent’s guard stance and use a heavy strike (watch for the red pointer to appear and time your heavy attack accordingly) just as your opponent attempts to attack you — you’ll throw your opponent back and drain a huge chunk of stamina.
A successful parry sends your opponent back and depletes their stamina bar. Against an enemy with no stamina, they’ll immediately get knocked down, allowing you to get in a free heavy strike. If you’ve activated Revenge Mode, any successful parry will automatically knockdown an opponent, even if they have full stamina — we’ll talk about Revenge Mode later.
Another benefit of parries is their ability to completely counter unblockable attacks. The Samurai’s Kensei Hero, the Viking’s Raider Hero, or the Knight’s Warden Hero all have unblockable attacks in their arsenals. Parry those attacks — your opponent won’t see it coming.
#3: Counter Your Opponents With Guard Break Interrupt
Speaking of confusing opponents, Guard Break Interrupt is an advanced version of the Guard Break that your average enemy opponent won’t predict. They’re pretty simple to pull-off, but timing is everything, and that is going to require some practice.
- To Guard Break Interrupt, wait for your opponent to use a Guard Break on you. Immediately press the Guard Break button yourself — right after you’re broken, but before eating an attack / throw from your opponent. You’ll knock your opponent and cancel their Guard Breakk.
If you successfully interrupt your enemy’s Guard Break, you’ll get to punish them with a heavy attack or throw of your own. Usually they won’t see the Guard Break Interrupt coming — but that’s assuming you’re fighting someone that’s using Guard Break at all. We’ve found it is pretty rare, so learning to use it for yourself is a big step forward.
#4: All The Benefits of Zone Attacks… Even With 1 v 1
Zone Attacks are slow-to-perform charged attacks that are mostly used to deal with large groups of minion soldiers. It’s rare to see a Zone Attack used in any 1 vs 1 (or even 1 vs 2) encounter, but there are some benefits for unleashing this deadly series of tricky attacks.
- Zone Attacks are slow-to-charge, but give you extended range and land multiple hits at once. They cost a ton of stamina to use, so there’s a trade-off. Don’t use these attacks lightly.
Zone Attacks match your Guard Block stance, but it isn’t entirely obvious. Zone Attacks also hit multiple times, making it very possible to break through a confused opponent’s guard if they attempt to change-things-up and predict your next attack.
Remember that Zone Attacks have lots of range, so if an enemy is rushing toward you with a charge, you can wind-up the Zone Attack and catch them mid-charge.
Finally, Zone Attacks can be cancelled at any time. Cancel out of a Zone Attack and follow-up with light strikes, heavy strikes, or throws. After the first swing of a Zone Attack, you can immediately cancel and switch things up.
#5: Fill Your Revenge Meter To Instantly Knockdown Opponents
The Revenge Meter is a special gauge that fills up as you successfully perform Defensive Maneuvers. When Revenge Mode is activated, you’ll get a quick burst of Stamina, Attack, and Defense. There’s more to Revenge Mode than a little increased power, though. Here are all the benefits you might not know about.
- Revenge Mode – All the Bonuses
- Stronger Attacks
- Higher Defense
- Gains an Overshield on your Health Bar — Can’t be harmed until the extra shield is destroyed.
- Infinite Stamina
- Successful Parries / Throws instantly Knockdown opponents.
The parries / throws knockdown ability is one of the most powerful in For Honor. Most players, once Revenge Mode is active, opt to unleash a barrage of attacks before your meter runs out. Instead of going all-out, you can wait for opponents to attack and dominate them with defensive abilities. This is especially useful if you’re fighting more than one enemy at the same time. Use their hubris against them!
Those are all the best tips and tricks we’ve picked up while playing For Honor. Got your own killer strategies? Let us know in the comments section!
