For Honor Best Combat Tips – Counter Guard Break, Revenge Mode

For Honor is a game that seems to combine multiple genres, which means it can be difficult to determine the best strategies. We’ve taken the liberty of compiling some of the best combat tips for For Honor so you can get a jump on the competition. We’ll cover Revenge Mode, how to counter guard break in For Honor, block, tackle, and many of the other top strategies for one vs. one (1v1), two vs. two (2v2) and four vs. four (4v4) combat. For a but of fun we also cover how to taunt in For Honor so you can gloat a bit when you score a kill. If you’re looking for tips on specific classes or game modes, be sure to check out all of our strategy content in our For Honor game hub.

Stances and Blocking

Each hero has three stances they can attack from: Up (Top), Left and Right. Likewise, there are three block options: Up, Left and Right. In order to successfully block an attack, you need to use the Right Analog Stick to switch to the same stance the opponent is attacking from. If you try to block Up while your opponent is attacking from Right, you will get hit.

If you’re attacking and want to throw off your opponent, stay in one stance, then just before you attack immediately switch to a different stance. While an opponent with good reflexes will still be able to block your attack, it makes it much harder to keep up with your offense. The more you make your opponent work, the better off you’ll be. You can also switch your attack stance in the middle of a combo, so if you start with an attack from the right, you can switch to a left or top attack for your next attack.

Guard Breaks, Throws and Tackles

One of the single most important aspects of For Honor combat is the guard break system. You can change your stance all you like, but a skilled opponent will still block all of your attacks. A guard break is the only way to get through an opponent’s guard. On PlayStation this is the Square button, while on Xbox it’s the X button. If you tap it twice your character will transition from a guard break to a throw or tackle (which varies depending on the hero).

A guard break can be countered if the opponent sees what you’re doing and goes for their own guard break. As soon as you see the opponent going for a guard break press Square on PS4 or X on Xbox One to cancel it out. It’s also important to note that guard breaks do not stop attacks. If your opponent has already started an attack and you attempt a guard break, the attack will connect and your guard break will have no effect. However, a guard break can stop an opponent from sidestepping or dodging. If you’re fighting against a Peacekeeper or Berserker who continually dodges your attacks to the left or right, throw in a guard break to stop them from evading.

Positioning and Environment

How you position yourself is extremely important in For Honor. Most hero classes have the ability to knock you off of ledges or into spiked walls to land an instant kill. Never have your back to these deadly environmental hazards. If you can maneuver around the opponent so their back is to these dangers, you’ll be one step closer to victory.

Even if you anticipate your opponent is going for a guard break to knock you off a ledge, breaking the guard break will still cause your character to stumble back slightly. If you’re close enough this stumble may still cause you to fall off and die. Get away from environmental hazards at all costs or you risk instant death.

It’s very easy to get caught with a barrage of attacks, especially if you’re new to the game or up against multiple enemies. Never be afraid to turn around and run. Keep a close eye on where your enemies are at so you don’t get surrounded, but running away so you can regroup is never a bad suggestion. Even if you’re playing four vs. four Dominion Mode and need to hold an area, it’s best to lose that area and come back with reinforcements instead of dying and having to wait for your respawn timer.

Fighting Multiple Enemies at Once

If you’re stuck against two or more opponents, running is usually a pretty good idea, but sometimes this just isn’t an option. The best way to defend against multiple enemies at once is to lock on to one enemy and try to get the other enemies to your side. It doesn’t matter which side the other enemies are on, so long as they aren’t directly in front or behind you.

Once you’re positioned well, watch the enemy you’re locked on to. This is the only enemy you need to guard accurately. If the locked on enemy goes right, you need to go right to block the attack and so on. However, if any of the other enemies attack who you’re not locked on to, you don’t need to worry about which attack stance they’re using. All you have to do is guard in the direction of the enemy.

For example, if there’s an enemy to your right while you’re locked on to another enemy directly in front of you, all you have to do is tap to the right on the Right Analog Stick and you’ll block any attack that enemy throws your way. You need to time your block so you tap the Right Analog Stick as the opponent attacks, but it doesn’t matter if they attack high, right or left, all that matters is that they’re attacking while you’re locked on to someone else.

Zone Attacks

Every hero has a Zone Attack that’s performed my pressing Light Attack and Heavy Attack at the same time. This is generally a circular attack that will hit anyone close to your character whether they’re directly in front of you, to the side or even behind you. Zone Attacks cannot be interrupted which makes them ideal if need to create some room or if an opponent is closing in and you don’t want to deal with whatever attack they’re about to throw your way.

The one downfall of the Zone Attack is that it drains 50 percent of your stamina. Before you use a Zone Attack make sure you have enough stamina to get out of a bad situation should you need to dodge or even just turn around and run. If you get caught with no stamina you will be in a very bad situation.

Revenge Mode

By blocking enough attacks your Revenge Mode meter will fill up and allow you to activate Revenge Mode. Once active, Revenge Mode boosts your damage and health and causes all attacks to become uninterruptable, including guard breaks. In addition, if you parry or throw an enemy they will fall to the ground allowing you to follow with a guaranteed attack before they get back up. Generally speaking you do not want to engage an enemy who has activated Revenge Mode.

If you activate Revenge Mode just as you’re about to get hit, not only will the activation knock the opponent(s) down, you can get a guaranteed Heavy Attack while they’re on the ground. Ideally you want to save Revenge Mode for attacking multiple enemies at once, but once your Revenge Gauge is full, if you don’t use it relatively soon it will deplete again and you won’t be able to use Revenge Mode until it’s full once more. You can adjust how quickly your Revenge Gauge fills, what fills it up, and how long Revenge Mode lasts by adjusting your equipped gear.

Taunting

To taunt in For Honor simply press Triangle on the PS4 or Y on the Xbox One. You have different taunts while in Guard Mode (locked on) or in a neutral state. In addition, you can cancel a taunt my activating it over and over in rapid succession or moving while taunting. It’s also possible to change your taunt animations in the hero customization screen.

Hero Classes Matter

While it’s certainly possible to succeed with any of the hero classes in the game, you need to know what each class is capable of if you’re going to defend properly. This is especially important when you’re facing a two vs. one or greater odds. We’ll be covering all of the hero classes available in the Alpha soon, but this should give you a quick summary.