There's a lot of nuance involved in mastering the factions and classes available in Ubisoft's For Honor - here's a helpful guide on how to play the Lawbringer class.

For Honor has finally arrived, and the game's launch date has seen countless gamers dive into its intricate combat - even, for some, at the behest of their significant other and a Valentine's Day date. For Honor is primed for multiplayer success, too, if its beta testing period is a predictor for its future relevance. More than 6 million players joined For Honor's beta, making it the largest beta period in Ubisoft's history, and if even half those players remain after launch, For Honor will thrive.

Much of the game's long-term appeal, however, will stem from the For Honor's deep and nuanced melee combat, which has been praised despite presenting gamers with a larger than average learning curve. The intricacy of battle can leave some gamers feeling as though they are running into a brick wall after learning the basics of For Honor, and it's for that reason that guides have begun to become necessary evils in learning some advanced gameplay.

Luckily, YouTube stars like TrU3Ta1ent have got the gaming community's collective back. The fighting game expert has already covered how to play For Honor's Valkyrie class, and he has released another video detailing the nuances of the Knight faction's Lawbringer:

TrU3Ta1ent's video is pretty lengthy, however, so we've broken down some of the bigger takeaways from the gameplay demonstration and theorycrafting to form a more comprehensive written guide to playing the Lawbringer at launch.

Playstyle

The Lawbringer plays out as a combination of a tank and a Vanguard hero, making them efficient counter-attackers and disablers while being capable of absorbing more punishment than would typically be expected of a class with those features. This makes the Lawbringer uniquely capable of being efficient in 1-on-1 combat as well as crowd control, meaning that players looking for a tanky build that is flexible should find the Lawbringer suitable to their tastes.

The Lawbringer essentially has a lot of tools available to it as a class to drain stamina in opponents, including having some attacks generate "free hits" once an opponent has been completely drained. This can be especially potent in the early launch period of For Honor, where TrU3Ta1ent notes that many players will still attempt attacks without stamina, letting the Lawbringer counterattack viciously.

Notable Moves

While it may seem overly simplistic, the most important move in the Lawbringer's arsenal is its ability to shove. Shoving, for the Lawbringer, is used to initiate offensive combos and keep enemies away from objectives or other players, and forms an integral part of the playstyle of the class. The Lawbringer isn't great at bringing the pain to other classes, though - the Lawbringer's damage mostly comes from counterattacking, and rewards a patient approach, with lots and lots of parrying, rather than one that sees players charge headfirst into battle.

Lawbringer has a unique ability called Stunning Top Heavy Attacks, meaning that any high stance heavy attacks that connect with an enemy will automatically stun them regardless of their stamina. This means that Lawbringer players will need to be careful to make sure they are mixing up the direction of their attacks, though, as experienced players will be prepared for high stance attacks knowing that they are the most dangerous.

Finally, Impaling Charge (Sprint + Heavy Attack) is one of the better ways of earning a dishonorable kill - it's relatively easy to hit an unsuspecting player near a ledge and to hurtle them off to their doom.

For the more advanced maneuvers, check out TrU3Ta1ent's video around the 16:00~ mark, where he demonstrates some of the parrying sequences and combo attacks that will help players survive.

Early Impressions

Despite TrU3Ta1ent's enjoyment of the Lawbringer class in the video, however, the general consensus from the For Honor community is that Lawbringer is among the weakest class choices in For Honor as of right now. While it's possible players are missing things, given the complex combat system and relative freshness of the title, many have pointed out that the Lawbringer's moves are easily countered or parried and that it is heavily dependent on environmental kills as a result.

The shove into Long Arm attacks can create some comedic moments on maps that allow for players to be launched into the abyss, but from a practical standpoint, the Lawbringer is one of the classes that players maining it are likely doing so to be well-versed in its abilities once it gets an inevitable buff.

For Honor is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.