For Honor – Dominion Mode

Every hit feels well-earned. Every block and successful dodge brings a sigh of relief as we are spared from a killing blow. Landing the final strike brings a strong sense of satisfaction. We were faster, smarter and more patient than our opponent. We watched each movement more closely and planned our attacks more strategically. We were better. That is the feeling you get from For Honor; the feeling of being the best on the battlefield. Creative Director Jason Vandenberghe tells us he wants to bring the emotions of a medieval battlefield to the players, and he has certainly succeeded. We feel like warriors, and it’s an addicting kind of rush.

The first time we set foot on the battlefield is in a mode called Dominion. The world of For Honor has been torn apart by war and three factions now fight over the few remaining resources. In Dominion, you carve a bloody path to victory as you make your way to various capture points spread throughout the map.
My chosen character is a female Warden with a sigil of a clenched white fist on her back. The second I step foot onto the field, I am surrounded by the chaos of war. It is loud and bloody, and everywhere I look I see foot soldiers engaged in lethal combat. I make my way to the first capture point and stand guard, claiming it for my team. From my right, another player approaches and we lock onto one another, entering into a duel of our own.

The controls are immediately comprehensive and I enter what Vandenberghe and his team refer to as Stance Mode, holding my sword in the direction I wish to block or attack in. “Wherever you’re holding your weapon, that’s where you’re safe,” explains Vandenberghe. A quick attack flies toward my right and I automatically block. I shift my stance and my opponent follows suit, preventing me from landing any hits. I perform a guard break to knock them off-balance for a moment, giving me time to lift my sword above our heads and hit them from the top.

The time it takes them to correct their balance and switch their stance to match mine gives me the chance to land a few rapid hits and one solid heavy strike. We circle around each other and my opponent quickly dives to avoid an incoming hit. I track their movement and the second they are back on their feet, I am sending a killing blow to their left side, viciously cleaving through their armor before ripping the sword free. The capture point remains under my team’s control.

My character beats her chest in victory and I’m sorely tempted to do the same. I don’t have long to celebrate as our opponents take down one of my allies and steals a capture point. I race across the field, tearing through some battlefield fodder as I head toward a ladder taking me to the compromised point. Upon arriving I see that two warriors lying in wait. Vandenberghe warns players against trying to take on more than one champion at a time. Defending against two is possible, but severely cuts down your chances of being victorious. “The best way to survive a two-on-one fight is to not get involved in a two-on-one fight,” laughs Vandenberghe.

Before I can make a retreat, my two opponents have backed me into a corner. I block as best I can – relying on the wall at my back to ensure they can’t flank me – but it’s not enough. They break my guard and pummel me with rapid attacks until my character sinks to the ground in defeat. I’ve learned my lesson. From here on out, my teammates and I pair up so we can watch each other’s back. Together we move quickly across the field stealing and keeping capture points.

As I take down more enemies and rack up points for myself, I start unlocking Feats – rewards for proving myself on the field of battle. When the central area on the map becomes overrun by enemy minions, I use one of my Feats to give my own team a morale boost, giving them the push they need to rally and hit back twice as hard. When my health starts to slip down into uncomfortable levels, I use another Feat to heal myself. A third Feat allowed me to call down a catapult strike on the heads of a couple of champions from the other team when I see them rushing toward me.

Soon enough, we reach 1000 points, which forces our opponent into what the game calls “Breaking.” When a team is in Breaking, they can no longer respawn. If we can manage to take down all of the enemy heroes, we will win the match. But points in For Honor are more fluid than most PvP games. You can lose points just as easily as you can gain them.

Two of the enemy warriors break away and work on capturing part of the map and earning back some points while my teammates and I are busy trying to take down the other two. This allows them to come out of Breaking and they are now able to respawn again. Once they have captured a point, they take a second to group up and regain their strength, as standing in points owned by your team regenerates your missing health.

The game is neck-and-neck; both of our teams fluctuate just slightly above and below 1000 points. We force each other in and out of Breaking a couple of times before we finally force them over the edge once more and are able to take three of them down in rapid succession. Now it’s four of us against one of them and the battle is an easy win from there. Our team cheers and the satisfaction is almost palpable. It was a hard-fought victory and that’s something we can feel incredibly proud of.

“This is our chance to bring the emotional experience of being on a medieval battlefield to the players,” says VandenBerghe. “For Honor is a game for the warrior that lives inside of everybody. We want those warriors to come out and play.”

For Honor will be coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC. For more details on For Honor and the rest of our E3 games, keep an eye on the UbiBlog E3 2015 hub. Register for a chance to play For Honor early at the official website.

Check out this feature for an in-depth look at For Honor.

The post For Honor – Dominion Mode appeared first on UbiBlog – Ubisoft®.