Big new For Honor patch goes a long way to making the game better
But work still to be done.
Ubisoft has released a big patch for For Honor that goes some way to addressing many of the concerns of the community.
Patch v1.05, out now on PC and soon on console, makes a huge number of balance changes to the game, but the headline tweak is a nerf to the controversial Peacekeeper, a hero considered so overpowered she was recently banned from tournament play.
Peacekeeper's Zone Attack, which was considered a very low risk and very high reward opener, even on block, has been tweaked to no longer give you a frame advantage on block. Other moves have increased recovery and decreased damage.
One thing the patch does not address, however, is Peacekeeper's much-hated light > light spam. Ubisoft said it's looking at it and to expect changes in the future.
Now onto game modes. Ubisoft has tweaked Elimination so that boosts are no longer available for pick-up at round start. They now appear 20 seconds after each round starts, which should stop players simply running for a boost as soon as the game begins.
Gear stats have been changed so that attack and defense stats no longer apply when in Revenge mode. Only the Revenge Attack and Revenge Defense stats now apply when in Revenge. Bonuses to Revenge from gear has been decreased across the board. This is a welcome change that should prevent player stats from having such a powerful impact on Revenge.
Now here's a good one: all Daily Orders and Contract Orders can now be done in PvP and PvAI without distinction, and Ubisoft has added Daily Orders that can be done regardless of the game mode you play. This should go some way to helping players get more Steel from doing the activities they like, rather than forcing them to dip into boring PvAI activities.
This patch, plus the recent increase in the amount of Steel For Honor dishes out for completing matches and activities, should help players get more out of their time with the game.
In fact, the patch has gone down well with the For Honor community, which has praised Ubisoft for its more frequent communication in recent weeks. The developers now publish a weekly update in which it explains its decision-making and discusses what's coming next. (The video, below, is the latest Warrior's Den livestream). A cursory glance at the For Honor subreddit reveals sentiment is in the early stages of turning toward the positive.
But there's still much work to be done. For Honor still suffers from connectivity and matchmaking issues. Ubisoft has said it's on the case.