Which Class should you pick in For Honor - Vanguard, Heavy, Assassin, or Hybrid?

Heavies

Heavies are the titans of For Honor. Perfect for players who enjoy playing tank roles, all four of the Heavy classes boast a high amount of health and defence capabilities, making them formidable foes to do battle with. As the physically largest heroes in the game, Heavies are held back by their slow movements and attack styles, but the payoff is in the high amount of damage they can deal with their heavy weaponry. As you might expect, Heavies represents valuable assets across all of For Honor’s multiplayer modes, through their ability to play a defensive role on the battlefield and take on multiple enemies at once.

Conqueror (Knight)

Conquerors are big, beefy and imposing members of the Knight faction, living up to their name with unrivalled skills in blocking and defence mechanisms. Not only does their spiked shield allow for a range of highly effective blocking stances, but their weapon, a scary looking footman’s flail, delivers fast and frenetic inflictions against the enemy. The hero comes rigged with an auto-block defence mode, and his full block stance even lets him repel any incoming attack, regardless of the guard area the enemy is striking towards. Unlike other heroes, however, the Conqueror is unable to feint, stripping him of a key ability which limits the extent to which he can surprise enemies through his offensive manoeuvres. That said, his shield-based attacks are unblockable, even if the damage it administers isn’t profuse. 

Conquerors are a good fit for capturing zones and holding defensive lines, so be sure to let their feats reflect this specialisation. I would advise using Conqueror (capture and upgrade zones quicker), Shield Basher (shield attacks deal more damage), Heal on Block (blocking regens health), Dauntless (temporarily let your actions be uninterruptable).

Warlord (Viking)

It doesn’t get any more Viking than the Warlord. A short-ranged expert in defence-based attacks and parries, this hero is one with the sword and shield, and can defeat enemies almost as effectively as he is able to prevent them from advancing further on the battlefield. His duo of weapons, the gladius blade and shield, lack any sort of range, but once the enemy is close enough, the Warlord is able to deal devastating attacks while maintaining his own defensive position. When playing as this character, it’s best to let the enemy come to you, as your counter-attacks are more powerful than most. As if this isn’t impressive enough, the Warlord is also able to perform an unblockable headbutt, which can even be comboed when timed correctly.  Like other heroes in the Heavy class, the character can temporarily block incoming attacks from all directions when in his defence stance, thereby sustaining his defensive role even when seemingly outranked by an aggressive rival.

To make those counter attacks even more powerful, it’s worth investing your money into the following feat build for the Warlord; Deadly (attacks deal more damage), Flesh Wound (take less damage), Punch Through (do damage on blocked attacks) and Auto Revive (revive yourself upon being downed).

Shugoki (Samurai)

Take one look at the Shugoki, and you can immediately recognise why he excels as a member of the Heavy class. As the most physically imposing hero of For Honor, the Shugoki makes up for what he lacks in finesse and speed by way of raw power and strength. The Kanabo, an equally bulky and unwieldy weapon, is able to decimate enemies with crippling blows and area-of-effect attacks, free to gracelessly bring the pain while protected by the Shugoki’s uninterruptable passive stance. This makes the hero extremely effective for crowd control, as he is more than capable of taking damage from multiple foes at once. His signature move, demon’s embrace, allows the hero to heal himself upon inflicting damage, and is even able to instantly kill an enemy when employed correctly. The Shugoki’s simple fight style makes him one of the easier tanks to play as, so be sure to check him out if you’re looking to fulfil this role in For Honor. 

Bulk out the Shugoki’s penchant for crowd control when selecting your feats, by endowing him with Iron Lungs (sprint without stamina), Rock Steady (unfazed by parries and throws), Hard to Kill (losing health increases damage reduction), and Staggering Blow (heavy attacks causes enemies to fall down). 

Next: Assassins