Art of Battle

The Art of Battle refers to the battle system designed by Ubisoft Montreal specifically for For Honor.

This innovative fight control system allows players to be the warriors they always wanted to be. It was created by combining two passions - weapon handling and multiplayer games. Its design gives the player a believable feeling of control. This presents a whole new challenge but in a way that is fun and rewarding. Players are able to block using three different stances in "Guard mode", along with being able to strategize and quickly adapt to incoming strikes through parries and feints.

There is no "block" button for blocking attacks. Players will need to read their opponents carefully and react with the proper stance and abilities to deflect and counterattack. As an example, with a controller, moving the right stick to the left places the weapon to the left side of the character's body. Moving it to the right moves the weapon to the right side. By reading the stance and weapon position of the enemy, players will be able to determine their next intended move. Again, there is a triangular symbol showing one's current stance while showing with a flickering red flash when an enemy is striking from a given direction.

Below we will go over the basic and advanced strikes and counters available to every warrior. For quick information on which buttons to use on your PC or console, see Controls. For information on the different modes, see Game Modes.

## Basic Moves

 **Dodge** | Dodging allows the warrior to move in a specified direction, much further than if they were to simply walk in that direction. Dodging to the side and back has I-frames during their start-up (166-300ms into the Dodge), making the Hero invulnerable to incoming attacks that are not Undodgeable. There are three types of Dodges: No Block, Superior Block and Deflect. By default, most Heroes have a No Block dodge, where during a dodge, the Hero loses their guard. Heroes with Superior Block or Deflect Guard will receive a special Guard in the direction that they dodge, rewarding the Hero with a counterattack if the Guard connects with an attack.

 **Light Attack** | A Light Attack, also known more simply as a Light, is a basic weapon strike. Light Attacks are speedy, but deal minimal damage.

 **Heavy Attack** | A Heavy Attack, also known more simply as a Heavy, is slightly slower to activate but does a fair amount of damage. Within a chain of attacks, Heavy Attacks are more likely to have special effects and properties, and typically can be cancelled with a feint (see *Feint & Cancels* below).

 **Guard and Blocks** | Self explanatory, Guards and Blocks are all resolved as "deflects" (not the move, Deflect) within the game. By holding the designated Guard direction, a Hero can fend off incoming attacks from that specific direction. Blocking attacks is critical in preventing most incoming damaging, as lighter attacks will even bounce off the guard; this is especially the case when Out of Stamina, as most other actions besides Blocking can be risky (see *Stamina* below).

 **Zone Attack** | A Zone Attack is a move that all Heroes have access to, inputted by pressing Light and Heavy attack inputs at the same time. For most Heroes, it is their main tool to either mow down minions in the midlane or to deal with multiple enemies. Zone Attacks typically deal slightly more damage to than a Light and don't even bounce on Superior Block, but cost more Stamina.
 Stamina

Once one's stamina is gone, a Hero is *Exhausted* for a duration, becoming unable to use combos, cannot sprint (unless they have the Iron Lungs Feat) and will be knocked down from throws and parries, so are limited to playing defensively in order to regain their stamina. Players should be cautious not to find themselves exhausted too often.

When knocked down, Stamina will be fully restored.

## Mode Specific

 **Capturing a Zone** | Dominion, Breach | Killing all enemies within a Zone is required to capture a specified territorial zone. Staying within a captured Zone will double the zone's point output for one's team; this does not apply for the center Zone that Soldiers compete in. While being competed, Zones will not reward points to either team. Some Heroes have skills that allow them to capture Zones faster.

Typically, each team has a Zone that is located closer to their spawn than their Opponents. If not, then all Zones are equally displaced from each team.

 **Soldiers**/**Pikemen** | Dominion, Breach | Soldiers are the team's 'minions'. They will spawn at the team's respective spawn zone, moving forward towards the center Zone. They will accumulate in the center Zone, their primary purpose being to assist with conquering and holding that area of the map. Although they cannot be targeted with Guard Mode, Players can kill them in and outside of their Guard stances.

Although weak and disposable, a horde of Soldiers can be the end of a careless Hero.

 **Offerings**/**Banners** | Tribute, Breach | An offering, also known as banners, is a neutral objective in the two noted gamemode that can be picked up by either sides, carried by Heroes to be deliver them to the team's shrine. Once placed in the shrine, the team gains a certain bonus. If a Hero carrying the banner is hit, they will drop the banner.

When carrying an offering, the Hero is slowed down and are visible to both teams. They can still fight back against enemies trying to claim the offering, although, as noted above, being hit will cause them to drop the offering.

While in Tribute, offerings can be taken out of the shrine, Offerings in Breach are consumed once placed in a Shrine and cannot be removed.

## Advanced Moves

Each class has attack chains that allow a certain variety of attacks with their specific weapon. These chains are accomplished using a combination light and heavy attacks. Additional tactics can be deployed by combining sprint, dodge and basic attacks. To view class specific attacks and learn how to use them, click on the Customize tab from the main menu, select Heroes and visit How to Fight. The Moveset option will display hero specific moves.

 **Parry** | To parry an attack, the player will need to match the enemy's guard as if to block the incoming attack, proceeding to input the Heavy Attack button 300 to 100ms before the enemy's attack lands. This will negate the opponent's attack, including unblockables, to allow the Hero to strike with their own. While light attacks are harder to parry due to how quick they are, it is more rewarding than parrying a heavy attack as the one parried will be staggered more.

 **Feint & Cancels** | A Feint (also known as a "hard feint" or "cancels") can be enacted by pressing the designated Feint key or button during the start-up of most attacks (Light attacks, most dodge attacks and most single-strike Zone attacks cannot be feinted). This can either be followed by a move in any direction, or be used as a cancel when desiring to fool one's enemy. A number of Heroes have a "soft-feint" which is an inbuilt feint ability that allows the Hero to move from one move to another (ie. heavy to a guard break) or into a move that can only be accessed through the soft feint (Kensei's Pommel Strike).

 **Dodge Attacks** | A Dodge Attack is a move that is performed from a Dodge by pressing either Light or Heavy for an attack or Guardbreak for a Bash maneuver. Some Side Dodge Attacks possess I-frames which allow them to extend a warrior's state of invulnerability from a Dodge, unless they are attacked by an Undodgeable attack.
 **External Blocks** | Players faced with another warrior can still block flanking attacks using the Guard mode feature. External Blocks are performed either on the Left or Right side, and never from the Top; the direction to block is based on which side of the Hero the other enemies stand. As with all abilities, timing is essential.

 **Target Swapping** | Target Swapping, also known as Target Cycling, refers to a teamfight tactic where, when fighting multiple enemy Heroes, a player switches who they are targeting. While the use of External Blocks and Parrying can be useful in fending off multiple enemies, Target Swapping allows the player to perform better when the threat of each enemy Hero changes over the course of a fight (such as the use of new tactics or as a result of one enemy retreating to let another attack). This tactic is also useful when attempting to pull a counteroffensive by attacking each enemy individually instead of relying on external hitboxes on their Hero's attacks (if the Hero even has wide hitting hitboxes), particularly when the player activates their Revenge.

 **Revenge Meter** | Defensive actions fill a bar called a Revenge Meter. The bar is yellow and is displayed around their Hero Emblem. Once the bar is full, the player can activate the bar using (R) on PC or (Y) on console. Players will receive a short boost to Attack, Defense, unlimited Stamina and auto-Parries during activation time.
Note:The Revenge meter is only filled when 2 or more enemies are attacking you and only when you get hit or block an attack.

Some Heroes have perks or feats that works in tandem with Revenge.

## Hero-specific Moves

Not all types of moves are available to every Hero. The list below outlines some basic knowledge for class-specific traits that have not been already explained. These Moves will help the player use their class or Hero to the best of their ability.