For Honor: Multiplayer, Modes & Maps

Gamescom is in full swing and For Honor has interested many, including us here at Gamereactor. We were lucky enough to speak with game designer Bio Jade Adam Granger and find out more about multiplayer.

"Well, the progression of your hero is part per hero basically, so you will have to progress with each and every one of them, and this progression is in speed as well as feats and visual customisation, but also gear".

On this front Granger added that you will "be able to customise this gear and make it better. So you really have with what way you play with that hero, that hero will progress in XP but also in gear you're going to get from him. With every game you've got a chance to get loot and you've also got a chance to get XP".

We also discussed Feats in For Honor as well: "It's the same thing as special abilities, skills. So the Feats are specific to a hero and you unlock them but there's some Feats that are shared between type of hero, like all Assassins can have some Feats, every Vanguard for example has a Feat that whenever you kill soldiers you get some HP back. But there's also some Feats which are specific to specific heroes".

"The main thing to understand here is that each hero is really unique, so even though there's types of heroes and factions, they still have very distinctive features, however, they have specialities. So Heavy Assassins are quicker, they don't show their stance whenever they attack so you have to look for their attack in the last minute".

Factions also have specialities as well, with Vikings being more aggressive, for example. Renown, the currency for getting these Feats, is also gained in the same way across factions, Assassins needing to kill more enemies, for example, although renown can be earned in other ways.

Granger also told us about how multiplayer works. "We really wanted for every player to be able to play every hero with their friends", opening it up for "friends to play together without betraying what's in their true hearts in terms of faction". Mixing and matching factions is possible in this way, meaning Samurais and Vikings can play together on the same team.

In terms of modes, there are five multiplayer modes. "We have Dominion which is an objective mode. 4v4, objective-based, three objectives, two control zones and a front which is where all the soldiers and the army from both teams will clash together. So you gain points in that mode by killing the enemies and getting the zones and at the end you get what we call 'breaking' which is kind of like a sudden death where you will not respawn. At that time, if you are breaking, you've got to stick together and revive your friends with the revive mechanic, but if you are the one that has the upper hand, that is the time to annihilate the enemy and just kill them all".

"We also have two other modes that we call Kill Modes which is Skirmish and Elimination". Skirmish is a mode that gives more points depending on who you kill, such as revenge kills or 1v1s, although this also applies to who kills you as well. Elimination is a best of five mode where each team is tasked with killing the other although there are no AI and you only have one life each.

There are also two duel modes as well. Brawl sees players team up with one more person in a 2v2 mode and it's again about tactically choosing your team. Duel is 1v1, however, and sees two players try to kill each other in a best of five mode. "There are no Feats in those [two] modes", Granger added. "It's to really focus on the art of battle which is our combat system and the way you're going to interact with the environment - fire pits, spikes, walls, these are really, really crucial in those modes".

We couldn't resist asking about the number of maps we will be seeing with these modes. "There will be more, but I can't give you a number right now", Granger said. "What's important to understand in For Honor is that the maps are different gameplay, it's not just different skins on the same layout. It was really crucial for us to showcase different playstyle and different strategies on maps.

"One that we're showcasing is the Overwatch map. In that one you have two big bridges with gaping holes in them so it makes a big difference if you choose a hero who has good throws so you can throw them in there, and the control zone on the top is really protected. On the other side you can have a map like Citadel Gate where you have a control zone that's closer to your spawn so it really changes the tactics". Also unique to each map are duel arenas as well, and each map offers something unique in terms of tactical approach.

The Revenge system was another topic of discussion. "Revenge is basically when you get attacked with multiple opponents and you're in a lesser number it's going to charge really fast, so you block a couple of hits, get hit once or twice, and then you get 'revenge'. A revenge can spread out your opponents, give you a shield and allow you to defend against those guys for a short period of time".

Another addition to the game since it was showcased last year is an external opponent sign "so you can see on the HUD whenever there's an attack that comes from another enemy, so it's really useful because you can actually know where you have to block instead of just having to look, because it could have been overwhelming", but Granger emphasised that this still all has to be done by the player and is based on skill.

A closed alpha for the game will be coming in September and the game itself is coming out on February 14 2017 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. You can read more about it from our hands-on preview by hitting this link with a well-timed click.