For Honor News

Starting September 9th, Y5S3 Tempest brings drastic change to the world of For Honor as we close the chapter on Y5S2: Mirage.

Under a scorching sun, the factions of Heathmoor long fought for water. But what was once scarce then came in overwhelming abundance. The unbearable heat of the drought melted the glaciers of Valkenheim and as a result, the water levels rose dangerously. Torrential rains and violent winds fell upon Heathmoor, with no end to the storm in sight. With the home they once knew overrun with water, warriors found themselves out of their element. All except the Vikings, for whom the storm had brought about rebirth… and an opportunity to reign supreme.

The aforementioned themes are strongly represented in Y5S3 Tempest’s in-game realization and seasonal customization. For more information about the season, continue reading. We’ll go over the Storm Tides event, this season’s Battle Pass, everything regarding the Testing Grounds and more. Stay tuned for new armor variations and maybe some other surprises for Y5S3 TU2.

Lastly, for this season, we are excited to announce that, at launch, all heroes will be receiving a unique execution.

For detailed discussion of the season and what’s to come with the For Honor Dev Team, be sure to check out the Warrior’s Den VOD to see what’s to come on September 9th at launch Y5S3: Tempest. Y5S3 WD Reveal VOD

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]





Amid catastrophic flooding, Horkos and Chimera both struggled to survive. As safe land became a rare commodity, the animosity between warriors only intensified. Starting on season Launch until September 30th, players will be able to play through a Free Event Pass and gain access to a multitude of rewards such as a new Battle Outfit, an Effect as well as an Ornament. During the event there will also be new weapons available for players to loot.





The coming of unending rains led the Vikings to believe that Aegir and Ran, the deities of the sea, were listening. Legends said that the married couple ruled over the oceans, and that their generosity came from offerings. For Chimera, this meant honoring Ran by respecting nature. But Aegir demanded blood… and Horkos were more than happy to provide.

These themes make a strong impact in this season’s Battle Pass. It is now possible to dress your warriors with gear that will remind you of Norse divinity or to wear the jewels of the ocean.

Gear up for the storm with the Y5S3 Battle Pass. Get 100 tiers of rewards for all heroes to unlock new weapons and effects. Premium rewards include Tempest themed outfits, effects, weapons, a battle points boost from completed matches, 11K steel and more. This Y5S3 Battle Pass will be available from season launch to December 6th.



The Stage 2 of the Dominion Series concluded on Saturday, Aug 28th. Participating teams in the NA and EU region were granted cash prizes and points that will count towards the Championship Finals in February. The VOD will be available on the ForHonorGame Twitch channel and on Ubisoft’s YouTube channel. The bracket results can also be found on battlefly here for the EU region and NA region.

Two more stages are left for the 2021 Dominion Series – Registrations for the Stage 3 Qualifiers are currently live at battlefy.com/dominionseries and the first Qualifier will begin on Oct 9th.



Following up on last season’s Testing Grounds phase, we have a lot of elements that will enter the live game at launch of this season through Patch Changes:

• Orochi Improvements
  
• Raider Improvements
  
• Option Selects Improvements
  
• Rally Call/Vital Leech Improvements
  
• “Sticky Dodge” Improvements
  
• Crashing Charge nerfs
  

For this season, two topics are going to be entering the Testing Grounds from September 16th to the 30th:

• Shinobi Rework
  
• Dominion Improvements
  

If you want more information on the changes implemented at launch and what’s to come in the Testing Grounds this season, here is a dedicated article that breaks down all the details given by the fight team: Testing Grounds

That is the recap that we have for you Warriors and we hope you enjoyed the Warrior’s Den!

We’ll see you again at the next Warrior’s Den Recap. Remember, no one is safe from the Tempest.

See you on the battlefield!

The Referral Program gives you the possibility to invite your friends on the For Honor battlefield and to earn rewards by doing so!



From XP boosts, scavenger crates, to days of Champion Status; the Referral program begins July 22 2021 and runs until Oct 21 2021. For honor players from all platforms are eligible for this program. Referrals must be made to friends from the same platform but not limited to your friend list.

For Honor Dev Team

forhonorgame.com/referral

[h2]
PS4: 1.6Gb, Xbox One: 2.02Gb, PC: 3.28Gb[/h2]



The Kyoshin are legendary Samurai who have a deep connection to the spiritual realms. Their special training led them to master the art of fighting with a concealed blade, the Shikomizue. While they flow through battle wielding their sword and scabbard, they use heavenly powers to gain the upper hand against the enemy. Their special Kaze Stance can block incoming attacks and allow them to retaliate quickly.

• Difficulty: Hard
  
• Counter-Attacker Fighting Style
  
• Group Fighting Specialist
  

• Kaze Stance: Defensive Stance that Blocks Incoming Attacks
  
• Kaze Attacks: Attacks from Kaze Stance can lead to Quick Combos
  
• Unblockable and Undodgeable Mix-Ups
  

[h2]USER INTERFACE[/h2]

• Traits menu changes:
  
• New tile icon
  
• The ‘Gender’ tab (in English) has been changed to “Body Type”
  
• Default Body Type (and associated voice) appears as “1” on screen; if there’s any Alternate option available, it appears as “2”
  

Developer’s comment: These modifications only affect UI; heroes still have the same amount of customization options as before.





[h2]Warden[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Warden's Out of Stamina right side Heavy attack to have the wrong animation (FH-1676)
  

[h2]Kensei[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Kensei to play the wrong block animation after blocking a Heavy Light combo from different sides (FH-1525)
  

[h2]Nobushi[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Nobushi to have odd animation transitions when chaining into Heavy Finisher (FH-1407)
  

[h2]Jiang Jun[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Jiang Jun's Top Light into Top Light chain to have an offset camera (FH-1512)
  

[h2]Hitokiri[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Hitokiri to have the wrong animation during Side Dodge Heavy Chain (FH-1569)
  

[h2]Jormungandr[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Jormungandr to have a sliding dodge animation after a feint (FH-537)
  

[h2]Zhanhu[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Zhanhu right side Heavy to have the wrong animation when performed after a right-side parry
  

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused Heroes to not receive damage if they run in the center of “Arrow Strike” (FH-1266)
  

[h2]MAP[/h2]

[h2]Citadel Gate[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that allowed the player to bypass the collisions and get out of the world at multiple locations near Capture Point C
  

[h2]High Fort[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that allowed the player to be able to bypass collisions after getting bumped at multiple locations
  

[h2]Qiang Pass[/h2]

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the player to get killed when opponent performs shield bash towards the corners of inner and outer gates (FH-252)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the opponent to be killed if a bump attack or guard break bump is used near the gate in phase 1 (FH-1404)
  
• 
  

USER INTERFACE

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused a visual glitch to be displayed on Hero’s right side (FH-1873)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that blocked Faction Change at the beginning of a new Season
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused a Field of View change from 87 to 90 to display floating banners in the background (FH-1770)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Respawn timers for both teams to disappear when either team enters breaking, even though non-breaking players were still able to respawn (FH-1402)
  

CUSTOMIZATION

• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Tiandi, Shaolin, Nuxia and Jiang Jun to be missing Gambler's Fallacy Battle Outfit (FH-1864)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused inconsistencies with opponent’s bodies collisions after the Warden's “Blackstone Bash” Execution (FH-1796)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused a Frame Rate drop when highlighting Season 18 Battle Pass Emblem in Emblem Editor
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Warden’s “Megaera Chest” piece to not have physics simulation
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Jormungandr's “Eclipse” event weapon parts to be positioned backward (FH-1387)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Hitokiri “Butterfly Beheading” execution to be louder than expected (FH-1615)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Weapon to be offset for the Berserker while performing the “Severe Amputation” Execution in the barracks and in game (FH-2140)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Shinobi's "Hooked on a Killing" Execution to last longer than expected (FH-1508)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Orochi “Seijuro's Finesse” Execution camera to not face in the right direction after the execution (FH-1427)
  
• (Bug Fix) Fixed an issue that caused the Raider “Steinunn chest” piece to not apply the color palette on the chest (FH-1074)
  

Hello Warriors!

JC from the Fight Team here. It’s that time of the season again and we’re back with yet another Testing Grounds! They will be open from July 1st to July 8th.

We’re doing something a bit different this time – we’re trying both Hero changes as well as system-level changes in the form of Option Select changes.

The changes we’re covering in this Testing Grounds are:

• Raider changes
  
• Orochi changes
  
• Shinobi changes
  
• Option Select improvements
  

Raider’s changes are mostly about making the hero more consistent as well as more efficient. We’re improving the 1v1 potential of the hero while also making sure their Zone Attacks are better.

Orochi’s changes aim to improve the performance in 1v1 situations as well as in group fights, where the hero is currently struggling.

Shinobi received quite large changes which should redefine how the hero plays. Shinobi should now be more focused on close-range combat and ganking, with the moveset centering around landing as many Sickle Rains as possible.

Finally, we’re testing tech that should see the majority of Option Selects to be removed from the game entirely.

Keep reading below for more details on the changes you can expect coming to Raider, Orochi, Shinobi, and Option Selects. You can also tune in to tomorrows Warrior’s Den where Stefan and myself will be going through all the changes.

Before getting to the Testing Grounds details, we would like to address some errors in the roadmap shown in our previous Warrior’s Den. Covenant Games should be starting a week earlier, right after Testing Grounds, on July 8th and ending on July 15th. Also, the Dominion Series Stage 2 Major will begin on August 28th. This is great news for participants as they will have one extra month to prepare.





[h2]Storming Tap[/h2]

• Now 400ms, down from 500ms
  
• Now no longer interrupted on non-Superior Block
  
• No longer has variable timing as a soft feint from Heavy Attacks
  
• Now deals different damage when using Soft Feint version and Dodge version
  

Developer’s comment: Storming Tap had a few efficiency problems, most notably it was reactable by many players, even though it had variable timing. We’ve adjusted this so that it always comes out at the same timing as Feints, sped it up so it is more reliable, and made it not interrupted when blocked so that Raider can pressure opponents better.
[h2]
Uninterruptible Stance Timings[/h2]

• Adjusted Uninterruptible Stance during Heavy Attacks to always start at the feint timing instead of at various timings depending on the attack
  

Developer’s comment: This should still let Raider use Heavy Attacks to trade with opponents, but should no longer be at timings where players could take a hit, feint then guardbreak their opponents.

[h2]Zone Attacks[/h2]

• Raider’s Storm now costs 12 stamina, down from 50 stamina
  
• Raider’s Fury now costs 12 stamina, down from 35 stamina
  

Developer’s comment: Raider uses Zone Attacks as alternate Heavy Attacks, both in mixups and in punishes. We’ve adjusted the Stamina cost of these attacks to cost the same as Heavy Attacks so that Raider can use them more often and more efficiently.

[h2]Stampede Charge[/h2]

• Now 500ms, down from 600ms
  

Developer’s comment: Stampede Charge was too slow to be effectively used as a ganking tool. The slightly faster speed should make it easier to players to use it to plan out ganks.

[h2]Top Lights in Chains[/h2]

• Now 500ms (down from 600ms for 2nd and 700ms for finisher)
  

Developer’s comment: These attacks should now be in-line with other chained Light attacks.

[h2]Top Heavy Finisher[/h2]

• Now 900ms (down from 1000ms)
  

Developer’s comment: This should help Raider catch fleeing heroes better with a soft feint to Guardbreak than before.


[h2]
Cancel Attack Recoveries into Dodge[/h2]

• Can now cancel all non-Dodge attack (including Storm Rush) recoveries on Hit/non-Superior Block/Miss into Dodge
  

Developer’s comment: Orochi needed a way to be more effective in outnumbered situations as well as being able to go on the offensive more efficiently. With this change Orochi should be able to perform both well, instead of relying on the Finisher’s recovery cancels only.

[h2]Light Attacks[/h2]

• Removed Light Finisher
  
• Every non-Bash Opener now guarantees a combo Light attack that counts as the 2nd hit in chains
  

Developer’s comment: We want to reorient Orochi into a powerful “One-Two” hero with multiple options when landing attacks so that players no longer need to rely on multiple fast light attacks and instead focus on mixups and agility. These changes should push Orochi towards this archetype.

[h2]Storm Rush[/h2]

• Now accessible from Front Dodge as well as Back Dodge
  
• All 3 sides are now 600ms total with 400ms of visible indicators (changed from 500/600/700ms)
  
• All 3 sides are now Undodgeable
  
• Now costs 12 stamina to enter and 10 to feint. No other stamina costs.
  
• Was 10 to Enter, 12 to attack, 20 to feint
  

Developer’s comment: Storm Rush’s role has expanded. While it can still be used as an opener, its main purpose is now as a mixup with his new Kick move where depending on the situation Orochi’s opponents must make a read as to block a Front Dodge Storm Rush, or dodge the Front Dodge Kick (see Front Dodge Kick below).

[h2]Front Dodge Kick[/h2]

• NEW OPTION: Front Dodge Kick
  
• Performed by hitting Guard Break during Front Dodge
  
• 500ms, can be performed at 300ms in Front Dodge and can be delayed until 500ms
  
• Gives a guaranteed 2nd non-Combo Light on hit
  

Developer’s comment: Orochi did not have a Melee for the longest time, but this felt like the right time to improve on Orochi’s offense, considering the new direction we are pushing the hero towards. As Orochi moves from being a pure counter-attacker towards a more balanced 1v1 hero, this new option should give Orochi players more ways to open up opponents.

[h2]Riptide Strike[/h2]

• Now 500ms, down from 600ms
  
• Now has iframes for 300ms (previously did not have any)
  
• No longer interrupted on non-Superior Block
  

Developer’s comment: Riptide Strike, at this new speed and with the new iframes, makes it the optimal 1v1 counterattacking tool – it should be more reliable than before and deals slightly more damage than side Dodge Attacks.

[h2]Side and Front Dodge Lights[/h2]

• No longer interrupted on non-Superior Block
  

Developer’s comment: With this new property, Orochi can effectively both target swap in fights and not be interrupted against attacks with fast recoveries.

[h2]Side Heavy Finishers[/h2]

• Now have larger trajectories
  
• Now moves forward more
  

Developer’s comment: Orochi had little incentive to use their Side Heavy Finishers; while they were faster than the Unblockable top version, these attacks did not allow for defense in outnumbered situations. With these new properties, we hope that Orochi is now able to move more swiftly in these types of situations and can deal with multiple opponents more efficiently.

[h2]Deflect Attacks[/h2]

• Removed Hurricane Blast (Heavy Followup)
  
• Wind Gust now forces a reaction on the opponent and guarantees a Combo Light attack
  

Developer’s comment: Hurricane Blast was situational and was barely used – we opted to improve the functionality of Wind Gust instead so that it still provides a good satisfying attack while keeping some of the more advanced properties of Hurricane Blast.



[h2]Ranged Attacks[/h2]

• Removed Charging Heavy Attack from neutral
  
• Removed Ranged Guardbreak
  
• Ranged Heavy Attack is now a Melee and is only accessible after a Front Kick, Side Kick or Back Flip
  
• Ranged Heavy Attack can be target-swapped
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi’s use of ranged attacks was proving to be problematic. Players were able to use Ranged Guardbreak to gank opponents without indicators, and could use Ranged Heavy attacks to poke at opponents safely, from off-screen in group fight situations. Finally, other heroes just do not have the tools necessary to deal with these Ranged Guardbreaks – even if Shinobi ends up pulled to the ground, the opponent is still stuck in an animation in which they will certainly be hit by an external attacker. We want to change how Shinobi plays so that the hero is more of a very agile close-ranged hero rather than being relegated to running away from opponents and using ranged attacks, and ensuring that Shinobi’s tools work with respect to the opponents’ tools.

[h2]Kicks[/h2]

• Front Kick can now be performed after a single Front Dodge
  
• Side Kick can now be performed after a single Side Dodge
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi has difficulty accessing dodge attacks to counterattack and initiate against opponents. This change should help in making the hero more viable and better able to initiate offense.

[h2]Chains[/h2]

• Light Finishers now chain to Sickle Rain
  
• Combo Lights now chain to Sickle Rain
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi’s new offense revolves around landing Sickle Rain as much as possible – these changes should help in making the hero flow better towards their mixups.

[h2]Sickle Rain[/h2]

• Top Heavy Finisher is now Unblockable
  
• Top Heavy Finisher is now 800ms (up from 700ms)
  
• Side Heavy Finisher is now Undodgeable
  
• Additional hits for Sickle Rain no longer need strict timing
  
• Guardbreak now leads to Sickle Rain
  

Developer’s comment: Sickle Rain is now the main focal point of Shinobi – as we move towards landing the attack more and more, making the Top version unblockable ensures that Shinobi has effective 1v1 mixups and can land the attack externally, while the side undodgeable versions are used in various mixups after a Front Roll to catch opponents who attempt to dodge the Flip Kick.

[h2]Front Roll[/h2]

• Now chains to Flip Kick earlier
  
• Now chains to Sickle Rain
  
• Now accessible after a Back Flip
  
• Can be target-swapped after a Ranged Heavy attack or Back Flip
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi now has a definite use for Front Roll as a mixup tool after a Ranged Heavies and Back Flips – Flip Kick is now fully unreactable and players must read what option their opponent will do instead of blindly dodging every time they see Front Roll.

[h2]Flip Kick[/h2]

• Now guarantees a Combo Heavy attack on hit
  

Developer’s comment: Flip Kick is now also a chain extender, giving a free Heavy attack that chains to Sickle Rain when it lands.
[h2]
Sprint Attack[/h2]

• Replaced Sliding Kick with a new Sprint Attack
  
• New option is still a Bash but no longer unbalances opponents
  
• New option now also leads to Combo Heavy on hit
  

Developer’s comment: This new Sprint Attack is more in line with other fast Bash attacks from Sprint – the guaranteed damage on hit ensures that the move is still viable, but it should no longer be frustrating to play against, and allows us to remove the jankiness with the variable hit timing, and extended hit timings on a first hit.

[h2]Combo Heavy Attack[/h2]

• NEW OPTION: Combo Heavy attack
  
• Accessible by pressing Heavy after a Flip Kick or a Sprint Attack
  
• Chains to Sickle Rain
  

Developer’s comment: This new option for Shinobi ensures that the hero flows better into Sickle Rain and gives proper damage on two of their bashes.

[h2]Back Flip[/h2]

• Now only accessible on Hit only from any attack except Ranged Heavy
  
• Now chains to Front Roll
  

Developer’s comment: Back Flip is able to give Shinobi distance quite easily – with this change, Shinobi has to work harder to get it.

[h2]Deflect[/h2]

• Teleport now needs to be activated using Guard Break input (no longer automatic)
  
• Now chains to Heavy Finisher
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi was the only hero with a guaranteed, automatic Deflect. This change gives players more agency as to whether they want to use the attack or not, and now leads to mixups instead of guaranteeing damage against different heroes.

[h2]Teleport Kick[/h2]

• No longer guaranteed after a Teleport
  
• Ranged Heavy attack followup is now always guaranteed
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi was gaining a lot of damage after a successful Deflect – this change now shifts the balance towards mixups where the opponent has to read if Shinobi will perform a Kick or an undodgeable Side Sickle Rain.

[h2]Shadow Strike[/h2]

• Now chains to Teleport Kick
  
• Now chains to Sickle Rain
  

Developer’s comment: Shinobi now has access to strong mixups that lead to Sickle Rain when parrying, improving the hero’s flow.

The list of changes to Shinobi is quite exhaustive and may seem jarring to many players as the hero plays differently that before. We feel that this version allows much more variety in combat, is much more successful with mixups, and much healthier in the landscape of For Honor’s heroes’ toolsets. We look forward to your feedback on these changes!



We are introducing new tech in this Testing Grounds that lets us eliminate Parry Option Selects from the game. This ensures that offense is more potent, especially Unblockable offense, and has the potential to have large changes to the game’s meta at the skill levels where they are used.

To achieve this, we’ve ensured that when players enter inputs where one of the multiple outcomes is a Parry (outside of normal Parry attempts), said Parry is ignored and will not be performed. This means that when performing an Option Select, the non-Parry option will always occur. If you throw a Heavy Attack and feint it, your opponent will STILL perform the non-Parry option; if you let your attack go, however, the non-Parry option will get stuffed.

It is important to note that Zone Option Select, the most prevalent Option Select in the game (due to its ease of use) is also affected by this change. We are aware that some players advocate for keeping Zone Option Select in the game while removing the other, more egregious forms of Option Selects; in this case, our tech also disables Zone Option Select in general. We see this as a good thing as Zone Option Select effectively removes a layer of possible balancing we can use on Zone Attacks in general - when Zone Option Selects are present, Zone Attacks fall into 2 categories: Strong (because you can use them to Option Select) or Weak (because you can’t). This prevents us from using Stamina costs as a balancing lever on Zone Attacks. The removal of Zone Option Selects also lowers the efficiency of some specific Zone Attacks (Black Prior and Gladiator’s, more precisely) due to their state as a Bash, which made them especially strong as Option Selects as the typical counter (feint into Parry) cannot work against them.

We would also like to give a special shoutout and thanks to some members of our community who graciously helped us identify and reproduce a large variety of Option Selects. The Fight Team would like to specifically thank the following people with their involvement in this improvement:

• Freeze
  
• The Filthy Spaniard
  
• Nutella
  
• Barak
  
• RavelordServant
  
• Skorbrand
  
• Setmyx
  

Their help has been invaluable in helping us pinpoint exactly what the problem was with our Option Selects and helped us properly reproduce them so that we could shut them down.

[Stefan’s note: Huge thanks to these players for sharing their specialized knowledge of the game’s mechanics. This knowledge sharing here, and over the years has been critical to our ability to target the kinds of changes that we feel For Honor needs. Quick reminder: when you fill out your player survey or post on social media, remember that it is the dev team that chooses the exact solutions for these problems, so if you don’t like the solutions here in the Testing Grounds, remember that these players aren’t to blame! :D]
Closing thoughts

We look forward to your feedback through the usual channels; we’ll monitor social media and will send a survey to formally gather your feedback.

See you on the battlefield!

[h3]PS4: 1.8Gb, Xbox One: 1.8Gb, PC: 1.9Gb[/h3]





[h2]Berserker
[/h2]

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3] Top Light:[/h3]

• Top Light is now 500ms (was 600ms)
  
• Top Light now deals 12 damage (was 13) due to speed increase
  
• Top Light now costs 9 stamina (was 12)
  
• Top Light After Feint is now 400ms (was 500ms)
  
• Top Light After Feint now deals 11 damage (was 12) due to speed increase
  
• Top Light After Feint now costs 6 stamina (was 9)
  
• Top Light OOS is now 800ms (was 900ms)
  

Developer’s comment: These changes normalize all of Berserker’s neutral light attacks, giving them all the same utility.

[h3] Sprint Attack:[/h3]

• Sprint Attack range increased to 2.5m (was 2)
  
• Sprint Attack forward movement increased
  

Developer’s comment: Berserker should now be able to catch up to opponents fleeing fights more easily.

[h3] Dodge Forward Heavy:[/h3]

• Dodge Forward Heavy Long Distance attack range increased to 2.5m (was 2.25m)
  
• Forward movement during Dodge Forward Heavy Long Distance increased to 6m (was 4.75m)
  
• Added rotation speed on miss recovery to ensure it properly rotates towards the locked target on miss
  

• Fixed issues with not moving correctly but still registering a hit
  
• Fixed issues with missing but holding a direction that would weirdly snap you forward at the end
  
• Fixed issues with default movement speed at the end of the attack
  
• Fixed issues that allowed Berserker to target swap too late, causing very glitched movement
  

[h3] Dodge Forward Light:[/h3]

• Forward movement during Dodge Forward Light increased to 5m (was 2.25m)
  
• Set Attack Range on Dodge Forward Light to 2m (was 2.5m)
  
• Attack is now Enhanced
  

[h3]Side Dodge Lights:[/h3]

• Are now Enhanced
  

Developer’s comment: Berserker should now be able to use their dodge attacks to both chase and enable their offense more reliably.




NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Heavy Finishers[/h3]

• Heavy Finishers should now always connect when feinted to Guardbreak no matter which attack precedes it
  

[h3]Charge of the Oni[/h3]

• Recovery is 400ms (up from 300ms), preventing “infinite sprint”
  
• Super Sprint has feedback now
  

[h3]Headbutt[/h3]

• Headbutt has VFX now
  

[h3] Demon’s Embrace[/h3]

• Demon’s Embrace recovery is now 1300ms (down from 1500ms)
  
• After Demon’s Embrace, Shugoki can block at 1000ms
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Heavy Attacks[/h3]

• Uncharged Heavy Finishers now have reduced rotation, allowing most heroes to be able to comfortably dodge the attacks
  
• Fixed issues related to attacks not hitting external targets since the trajectory was placed too high
  
• Adjusted feint timings on Charged Heavy Finishers to ensure it works properly (can now feint during charge, feint happens 100ms before clip ends)
  

[h3] Headbutt[/h3]

• Headbutt in chains is 500ms
  
• Headbutt now deals 10 damage
  
• Headbutt no longer stuns or deals stamina damage
  

[h2]New move: Dodge Forward Headbutt[/h2]

• Attack is 500ms
  
• Starts 300ms into front dodge
  

[h2] New move: Dodge Side Headbutt[/h2]

• Attack is 533ms
  
• Side Dodge now branches to Headbutt from 300 to 500ms (was from 300 to 600ms)
  
• Side Dodge Headbutt miss recovery branches to Heavy from 100ms to 600ms
  

Developer’s comment: Shugoki’s Headbutt is now used in many more situations, and as such it needs to be more of a threat than previously.

[h2]New move: Dodge Forward Heavy[/h2]

• Added new attack: Dodge forward heavy
  
• Added Uninterruptible Stance on Dodge Forward Heavy at 400ms into the clip
  

Developer’s comment: these new dodge attacks should provide Shugoki with enough options to properly counter opponent bashes as well as opponents who tend to roll away too much. It also gives Shugoki a neutral opener, which should help him flow better into his offense.

[h3] Dodges[/h3]

• Fixed branching speed on left/right dodges to be consistent (they are both at 300ms now)
  

[h3] Demon's Embrace[/h3]

• Now shows the Unblockable symbol during the initial portion of the attack
  

• No longer has variable duration and reach - it is now fully static at 900ms (the previous shortest duration)
  
• Now deals 20 damage and heals for 10 (down from 22 damage and heals for 18). This is to compensate for the attack being available from Light Parry.
  
• Now only accessible from Down + GB in neutral and after a throw (removed branching from front dodge)
  
• Now has no armor whatsoever
  
• Now recovers stamina for the opponent
  
• Adding links to Demon's Embrace from feint clips for input comfort
  
• Fixed bug on movement
  

Developer’s comment: These changes are aimed at making Demon’s Embrace the ganking move it should be; its position in chains as a soft feint prevents it from being a thorough ganking move.

[h3]Charge of the Oni[/h3]

• Charge of the Oni is no longer an attack - it is accessed through tapping the Sprint button while sprinting, similar to Shinobi. The move no longer has dodge frames, bumps, etc. It is now a "super sprint" move.
  
• Shugoki cannot do Charge of the Oni if OOS
  

Developer’s comment: Shugoki has a difficult time performing his rotations – going from the lane to a side point or from side point to side point; with this, Shugoki gains an ability similar to what Shinobi possesses and is able to move around the battlefield more swiftly.

[h3]Zone Attack[/h3]

• Zone Attack now properly branches to finishers at the correct timing (frame 166ms)
  

[h3]Light attacks[/h3]

• Removed Uninterruptible Stance from Neutral Lights
  
• Removed Uninterruptible Stance from OOL Lights
  

Developer’s comment: This helps prevent frustration while fighting against Shugoki, who could hit Light on reaction to anything his opponents threw.



NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Skewer[/h3]

• Skewer now generates 30 points of Revenge
  

[h3]Dodge Melee[/h3]

• Now deal 10 stamina damage
  
• No longer stuns
  
• No longer pauses stamina regeneration
  
• Forward Dodge Melee is now 500ms, can branch from 300ms to 500ms in front dodge
  
• Side Dodge Melee now occurs at 300ms in the dodge (is no longer delayable)
  

[h3]Toe Stab[/h3]

• No longer Unbalances opponents who are OOS
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Toe Stab[/h3]

• No longer prevents Executions
  
• Now deals 10 damage (was 6)
  
• Now chains to Heavy Finisher and Skewer (at 300ms)
  

Developer’s comment: Fuscina Ictus now deals a more respectable amount of damage while improving its ganking ability.

[h3]Zone Attack[/h3]

• Now chains to Heavy Finisher and Skewer at 100ms
  

Developer’s comment: Gladiator now has more ways to enter chains and initiate Skewer and other types of pressure.

[h3]Skewer[/h3]

• Now costs 12 stamina
  

• Bind Hit Reaction that plays on Exit from Skewer when the Gladiator Dodges has been reduced to 400ms (was 800ms) to remove the ability to combo with Dodge Light
  

Developer’s comment: Skewer should now be much more usable as there are multiple ways to initiate the attack, and as such it is now more in-line with other attacks.

[h3]Side Dodge Lights[/h3]

• Now have Dodge Active from 33ms to 233ms
  

[h3]Side Dodge Melees[/h3]

• Now have Dodge Active from 100ms to 300ms
  
• Now chain to Skewer
  
• Now have 2.75m range (was 2m)
  

Developer’s comment: These changes are aimed at making Gladiator more in-line with other heroes in terms of their dodge attacks, while also granting Gladiator more chase.

[h3] Front Dodge Light[/h3]

• 2nd movement phase now moves 4m forward (was 3.25m)
  

[h3]Light Attacks[/h3]

• Now chain to Skewer at 100ms (to ensure Feint to GB can connect)
  

NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Forward Movement[/h3]

• Added extra forward movement to Neutral Side Heavies and Neutral Heavy Feints to ensure Feint to GB works within normal distances
  
• Heavy Finishers now move forward more during the attack
  
• Infinite Light Chains now move forward more consistently
  
• Infinite Heavy Chains now move forward more during the attack
  

[h3]Top Heavy[/h3]

• Top Heavy now deals 24 damage (was 22)
  

[h3]Forward Dodge[/h3]

• Front Dodge now has defense and can block while dodging
  

[h3]Fury Unleashed[/h3]

• GB Attempt no longer bounces off
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Blade Blockade[/h3]

• Blade Blockade can now be accessed after 100ms in any attack's recovery on hit/miss/bad block
  
• Blade Blockade Light follow-up is now 333ms and deals 20 damage (now guaranteed)
  
• Blade Blockade Light follow-up stamina cost is now 9 (was 12)
  
• Blade Blockade Light follow-up is now considered a Light attack
  
• Blade Blockade Light follow-up now causes a Medium reaction (was Heavy)
  
• Blade Blockade Heavy follow-up is now 333ms, has zone properties and deals 16 damage (now guaranteed)
  
• Blade Blockade follow-ups now always happen at 300ms in the Blade Blockade window (gives a lot more input comfort)
  
• Ring the Bell removed from Blade Blockade, and is now a soft-feint from Heavy Opener and Dodge Forward Heavy
  

Developer’s comment: These changes should improve Blade Blockade to where you use the appropriate follow-up depending on the situation, making Blade Blockade much easier to access.

[h3]Ring the Bell[/h3]

• Ring the Bell removed from Blade Blockade, and is now a soft-feint from Heavy Opener and Dodge Forward Heavy
  
• Fixed Ring the Bell damage timing to be on hit (rather than start of the bind)
  
• Adjusted conditions on infinites to chain after Ring the Bell
  
• Removed Uninterruptible Stance from Soft Feinted Ring the Bell
  
• Ring the Bell now deals 12 damage
  

Developer’s comment: Aramusha now gains a tool to both open up opponents as well as set up ganks.

[h2]New Move: Side Dodge Heavy[/h2]

• New attack - Side Dodge Heavy. Dodge frames and iframes occur at 200ms during side dodge, and the strike is 600ms
  
• Removed links to front dodge side attacks
  

Developer’s comment: Aramusha should now be able to deal with opponent bashes and initiate his offense better.

[h3]Dodge Forward Heavy[/h3]

• Dodge Forward Heavy's armor now starts at 400ms (was 100ms)
  
• Added ability to perform Ring the Bell Soft Feint from Dodge Forward Heavy
  
• Dodge Forward Heavy is now 800ms (was 600ms, to support the Soft Feint)
  
• Dodge Forward Heavy now moves 4m forward (was 3m)
  

[h3] Light Attacks[/h3]

• Bug Fix: Neutral Lights now have proper dodge timing (was 100ms after start of parry, now starts at parry timing)
  
• Bug Fix: Fixed inconsistencies on branching to light attacks in recoveries
  

[h3] Heavy Attacks[/h3]

• Bug Fix: Removed branching to Dodge on Neutral Top Heavy Miss recovery
  
• Bug Fix: Infinite chain top heavy dodge window fixed (was 100ms after start of parry, now starts at parry timing)
  

[h3] Chain Flow[/h3]

• Removed hard flow to top from sides. Aramusha can now freely chain to any other direction
  
• Staying in the same direction gives a Heavy Finisher, but otherwise continues the infinite chain
  

Developer’s comment: This removes the need for Aramusha to do Side -> Top -> Side to continue his infinite chain. This should alleviate some of the predictability and give new options in group fights.

[h3]OOL Chain[/h3]

• OOL chain now chains left->right->left->etc (and no longer uses Top Light)
  

[h3]Jiang Jun[/h3]

NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Dou Shi’s Choke[/h3]

• Now deals 30 stamina damage when fully held
  

Developer’s comment: Dou Shi's Choke was dealing too much Stamina damage when used. This should bring it more in line with other stamina draining attacks.

[h3]Sprint Attack[/h3]

• Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that was reported via Bug reporter that Jiang Jun's guard break will bounce off the enemy every time when performed after feinted sprint attack - by changing the strike to a Medium Hit Reaction (was Heavy)
  

[h3]Side Heavy[/h3]

• Stamina cost is now 12 (was 30)
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Heavy Attacks[/h3]

• Top Heavy Starter is now 800ms (was 900ms)
  
• Top Heavy Starter damage is now 24 (was 27), due to speed increase
  
• Left/Right Heavy Starter are now 900ms (were 1000ms)
  
• Left/Right Heavy Starter damage are now 27 (were 32), due to speed increase
  
• Heavy Finishers now Soft Feint to GB at the same timing as branching to Feint and Sifu's Poise
  
• Normalized Heavy Attack stamina costs (Starters and Finishers) to 12. Stamina costs were a bit over the place (Tops were always 12, but sides were sometimes 24 (after Zone Attacks mostly), sometimes 28 (when chained normally)
  
• Adjusted left/right trajectories to fit properly with attacks (increased side range on right heavy, front range on left heavy)
  

Developer’s comment: Jiang Jun can now use his Top Heavy opener as a Guard Break punish and his Side Heavy openers as Light parry punishes for extra damage. Also, Jiang Jun should be able to catch opponents with Guard Break from the Finisher.

• Jiang Jun’s stamina penalty on his Side Heavy Attacks is no longer relevant with the Core Combat Update; they retain their properties but now cost the standard amount of stamina for Heavy attacks.
  

[h3]Dodge Forward Heavy[/h3]

• Dodge Forward Heavy is now 600ms (was 1000ms)
  
• Movement phase on dodge forward heavy is now a single phase that moves 4m
  
• Removed Feint and Soft Feint from Dodge Forward Heavy
  
• Dodge Forward Heavy now can start at 200ms into the dodge
  

[h3]Kick - Dodge Forward Melee[/h3]

• Uses Kick animation
  
• 500ms strike
  
• Begins 300ms into front dodge, chains to openers, and guarantees a light
  
• Deals 20 stamina damage
  
• No longer prevents Stamina Regeneration for 1.8s
  

Developer’s comment: These changes are twofold: Jiang Jun now gets a more reliable opener with his Kick as well as better chase with his Dodge Forward Heavy.

[h3]Dodge Heavy/Light[/h3]

• Added links to Sifu's Poise from miss/hit/block
  

[h3]Sifu's Poise[/h3]

• Sifu’s Stance Zone Attack is now Unblockable
  
• Sifu's Stance Zone Attack reduced knockback to ensure a follow-up heavy finisher soft feinted to GB will connect
  

Developer’s comment: This lets Jiang Jun be more effective in group fights by throwing multiple, target-swapped unblockable attacks and be threatening against external opponents.

[h3]Sprint Attack[/h3]

• Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that was reported via Bug reporter that Jiang Jun's guard break will bounce off the enemy every time when performed after feinted sprint attack - by changing the strike to a Medium Hit Reaction (was Heavy)
  

[h3]Dou Shi’s Choke[/h3]

• Recovery is now 300ms longer
  
• No longer gives free hits when it lands
  

Developer’s comment: This makes Jiang Jun have to decide which option to perform after a parry. Dou Shi’s Choke is no longer the best option after every single Heavy Parry.

[h3]Hitokiri[/h3]

NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Rei Kick[/h3]

• Now deals 10 stamina damage (was 15)
  
• No longer pauses stamina regeneration
  
• Range is now 2 (was 1.6) to prevent backstep
  

[h3]Sweep[/h3]

• Now deals 10 stamina damage (was 30)
  
• No longer pauses stamina regeneration
  

[h3]Infinite Chain Attacks[/h3]

• Now deals 22 damage (was 24)
  

[h2] New Move: Side Dodge Heavy[/h2]

• Now deals 14 damage
  
• Now branches from Dodge at a fixed 300ms (was 200ms-400ms)
  
• Improved the animation transitions
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Chain Starters[/h3]

• Zone Attack is now a Chain Starter
  
• Dodge Forward Heavy is now a Chain Starter
  
• Sprint Attack is now a Chain Starter
  

Developer’s comment: This lets Hitokiri chain into their infinite chains more easily and apply more pressure overall.

[h3]Zone Attack[/h3]

• Zone Attack now forces a Medium Hit Reaction (was Heavy)
  

[h3]Dodge Forward Heavy[/h3]

• Dodge Forward Heavy now forces a Medium Hit Reaction (was Heavy)
  

[h2]New Move: Side Dodge Heavy[/h2]

• 600ms Attack
  
• Hits on opposite side of dodge
  
• Is a Chain Starter
  
• Branches from 200ms-400ms
  

Developer’s comment: Hitokiri now has tools to handle bashes and can use this to initiate offense more effectively.

[h3]Sweep[/h3]

• Now chains to Infinite Chain at 300ms, delayed until 400ms, delayable until 600ms. Guarantees Chained Heavy after Sweep
  
• Now chains to T4 at same timing as Heavy Chained
  

Developer’s comment: These changes make Hitokiri’s Rei Kick/Sweep mix-up more potent and push towards the infinite chain in a more consistent manner.

[h3]Chain Heavies[/h3]

• Uninterruptible Stance begins on button release
  
• Side Chained Heavy forward movement is now 2.5m (was 2m)
  
• Side Chained Heavy trajectory angle is now 10 (from 30)
  
• Side Chained Heavy trajectory reach is now 1 (up from 0.8
  

)

Developer’s comment: Hitokiri should now be able to use their Infinite Heavy Chain attacks more effectively in group fights.

[h3]Sprint Attack[/h3]

• Now chains to OOL chained attacks
  

[h3]OOL Top Heavy[/h3]

• Bug Fix: OOS Neutral Top Heavy is now 1100ms (was 1200ms)
  

[h3]Zhanhu[/h3]

NEW CHANGES based on Testing Grounds Feedback:

[h3]Zone Attack[/h3]

• Zone Attack is now 600ms (was 500ms in the Testing Grounds)
  

[h3]Dodge Forward Heavy[/h3]

• Dodge Forward Heavy now deals 24 damage when performed after a Superior Block (was 30 in the Testing Grounds)
  

[h3]Subduing Blow[/h3]

• Subduing Blow no longer has Uninterruptible Stance during its recovery
  

[h3]Dodge Attacks[/h3]

• Dodge attacks remain as Light Parries
  

CHANGES INTEGRATED from the Testing Grounds:

[h3]Dodge Cancels[/h3]

• All dodge cancels happen at 333ms
  
• All attacks including Finishers can now be Dodge Cancelled
  

Developer’s comment: Zhanhu can now dodge-cancel all of their recoveries, including Finisher recoveries, to stay on the move and apply pressure to opponents.

[h3]Dodge Attacks[/h3]

• Side Dodge Attacks are now enhanced
  
• Forward Dodge Light is now 500ms (up from 400ms) (this is so it isn't frame advantaged)
  

Developer’s comment: Zhanhu’s Dodge Attacks should now be safer to use, and Zhanhu can now also use their Palm attack to open up opponents.

[h3]Subduing Blow[/h3]

• Moved Subduing Blow to front Dodge
  
• Strike is 500ms
  
• Begins 300ms into dodge (can be delayed until 500ms)
  
• Chains to Openers
  
• Guarantees Light and Zone on Hit
  
• Removed links from Deflects
  

[h3]Dodge Attacks[/h3]

• All dodge attacks were meant to count as heavy parries in the Testing Grounds
  
• Superior Block Dodges now make followup attack Unblockable
  
• All Light and both Side Heavy Superior Block Dodge followups deal 22 damage
  
• Front Heavy Superior Block Dodge followup deals 30 damage
  

Developer’s comment: Zhanhu no longer has Palm on Superior Block dodges but can now guarantee damage when they successfully block.

[h3]Finishers[/h3]

• Right Heavy Finisher trajectory is now similar to Left
  
• Light Finishers are now 566ms (were 600ms)
  

[h3]Zone Attack[/h3]

• Zone Attack is now 500ms
  

[h3]Neutral Lights[/h3]

• Changed block movement on neutral lights to 2m (was 1m) for front/side/back
  
• Can now do backstep light
  

[h3]Rocksteady[/h3]

• REMOVED – replaced by “Short-Tempered”
  
• “Passive | Deal (20%) more damage for a short duration after taking damage from an enemy (hero)”
  

Developer’s comment: Rocksteady was a ‘problematic’ feat, matched only by Thick Blood. Both Feats had completely obliterated entire opponent move sets, making Bleed heroes obsolete (for Thick Blood) and heroes who need an Unbalance to reach their special moves useless (like Caber Toss giving no damage). There’s no defending the old functionality of these two Feats, and now players and devs alike can sleep soundly at night knowing that they are both gone forever.

“Short-Tempered” we feel will keep some of the flavour of Rocksteady, in that when you get hit you will then gain a benefit. Unlike the unhealthy behaviour of Rocksteady, Short-Tempered benefits you a little bit no matter what hero you face, and never obsoletes an enemy.

• Improved collision detection across all maps (FH-378, FH-514, FH-1155)
  

Developer’s comment: While we strongly believe that this improvement will greatly limit the cases in which players can become stuck or reach out of map areas during a fight (most notoriously due to Bashes), we invite you to report any new issue of this type on For Honor Bug Reporter.

• To provide more transparency a pop-up now informs the player that his player report has led to an investigation and potentially an action
  

Developer’s comment: Thank you for your reports! We will continue to monitor For Honor for inappropriate behaviors, as well as take action as needed to preserve the integrity of game.



[h2]FIGHTERS[/h2]

[h2]Warmonger
[/h2]

• Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused Vicious Impale to starts 33ms too late
  

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that mentioned that the Warden's “Shoulder Bash” could still be performed with a Back Dodge in Arena Custom Move set (FH-1490)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the camera angle to be off in the Battle Pass Emote Mood Effects when a Paired Emote was equipped

AUDIO

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the Sentinel map to have muted or deafened sounds due to camera angles, mostly when the camera is behind the player’s hero (FH-875)

CUSTOMIZATION

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the Male Gladiator's Chimera helmet to have floating Ornaments (FH-1694)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused Lawbringer's and Warmonger’s eyes to be completely covered for the “Omodamos” and “Gamelyn” helms (FH-1384)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the “Sylvan Panacea” to have an odd lip animation on the majority of female mask less helms (FH-1257)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that cause the material color to not be applied on Gryphon’s Protector Chest Shoulders (FH-1103)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the Berserker “Hallvard” Chest armor Paint Pattern to not cover the whole armor (FH-603)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused Symbols, Paint Patterns and Embossing to not be displayed when equipped with “Hallvard” Arms' in barracks for Berserker (FH-593)

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused inconsistencies for the facial expression of the Shaman in many Outfit Thumbnail's in the Barrack