The Vanguard Class heroes are your average joes on the battlefiels. They do not excel in any one area of combat, but rather appear as the jack of all trades versions of combatants. They are warriors that can assist in a large number of ways on the battlefield, and tend to not have too many weaknesses to exploit. However, this means that most of them do not employ too many unique movesets or abilities. They help even out a team that may have too many heavies or assassins already chosen.
So, which of the five vanguard heroes will help carry you to victory? Like all classes some are far better than others and today we are going to explain why that is.
5. Warden:
The Warden belongs to the Vanguard class of Knights faction and wields a powerful broadsword. While easily the easiest character to learn the basics of For Honor with they are without a doubt one of the worst. They struggle being a one dimensional combatant who struggles to get the upper hand in fights. Their combos highly rely on simple sword strikes and charged up shoulder bashes. Other than his highly telegraphed overhead unblockable attack his other strikes do minimal damage to their enemies. For these reasons I believe they are easily the weakest Vanguard hero.
Strengths:
- Great starting character for beginners.
- Chargeable shoulder bashes.
- Great at parrying opponents.
Weaknesses:
- Struggles against anyone who has fought a Warden before.
- One dimensional fighter.
Warden: 60/10
4. Raider:
The Raider is a Vanguard hero that serves under the viking faction. They wield a large two handed axe that is quite versatile. While one of the truest seeming viking characters it is rare to find a player who is truly intimidating as the raider. Most will spam light attack combinations that are effective, but easily countered with experience. The Raider does feature unblockable heavy strikes that help deal tons of damage and a running grab that temporarily takes the enemy out of the fight. This hero excels in a crowded fight and can provide excellent support to their team when a group fight is going down.
Strengths:
- Quick light strikes and versatile feint combinations.
- Unblockable heavy strikes.
Weaknesses:
- Predictable fighter with limited defenses.
- Speed and strength are incredibly average.
Raider: 70/100
3. Tiandi:
The Tiandi is a Vanguard class character of the Wu Lin faction and wields the elegant Dao sword. Like the rest of their Wu Lin brethren they employ a very distinct and unique moveset. The Flow Like Water moves allow them to enter into long, drawn out dodge attacks that can throw off their enemies. This allows them to get out of the way of wide sweep attacks that would typically take down a warrior who normal dodges. While their damage is nothing special they employ a fierce heavy kick that sends opponents flying across the room. They can also follow this kick up with a heavy attack that is guaranteed to land. While most players telegraph the kick, the very threat of it helps the Tiandi control how their opponents move and make them pay for it.
Strengths:
- Flow Like Water moveset makes the Tiandi a dodge specialist and gives dodge cancel options.
- Heavy kick and followup combo.
- Quick light strikes.
Weaknesses:
- Weak attacks that require longer fights.
- Their acrobatic-like attack patterns can leave the open if the opponent times their strikes correctly.
Tiandi: 80/100
2. Kensei:
Kensei are Vanguard class characters of the Samurai faction and wield the long Nodachi Katana. As one of the first initial heroes launched in For Honor, the Kensei still holds their own on the battlefield without all the bells and whistles of newer characters. They are deceptively quick and can expertly feint out of attacks to fool their enemies. When the Kensei swings their sword you never know when or where it is going to land. He can easily initiate an overhead attack, switch to a left swing, and the next thing you know the opposite side of your body has been gouged open. Because they are one of the Day 1 launched Multiplayer characters the Kensei lacks any unique perks, but they do have a solid set of perks that can aid you in battle. They have multiple abilities that can either help buff themselves or deal damage to their enemies. Overall just another well rounded warrior here.
Strengths:
- Feint attack specialist that can fake out opponents easily.
- Heavy attacks can become both unblockable and uninterruptible.
- Strong fighter with powerful heavy sword strikes.
Weaknesses:
- Can take awhile to master making them predictable when you first start playing.
Kensei: 90/100
1. Warmonger:
Warmonger belongs to the Vanguard class of Knights faction and wields the elegant Flamberge Sword. It does not feel too long ago that we sat back in horror as the Warmongers were unleashed into the For Honor Multiplayer gamemode. They came out more broken than any Hero before or since due to their Corruption poison abilities. While the developers have rightfully nerfed her several times to even the playing field she still easily earns a spot in the S-Tier. This Femme Fatale is everything long time players wanted the Warden to be. She has quick sword strikes, solid versatility, and devastating heavy attacks. Similar to her Apollion (the campaign character she is based on) , Warmonger fights in a more dominating way than most other warriors. She can backhand any opponent into next week and feed them to the wolves when she's finished. However, all of this pales in comparison to her Corruption powers. Each perk she gains can contribute to the Corruption she spreads and can lead to quickly clearing out the enemy players. Stay out of her way whenever possible.
Strengths:
- Corruption abilities will help you in every team gamemode.
- A seemingly endless arsenal of attack combinations.
- Parry specialist and can punish you with her Vicious Impale ability after each parry.
- Overpowering femme fatale that will backhand you into oblivion.
Weaknesses:
- No true weaknesses to this character. She can struggle against warriors who have the All Block abilities, but they can be easily countered if she employs breakers.
Warmonger: 100/100
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As I always say you can excel as any character, but when you break down each character in the Vanguard class I am beyond confident in these placements. That said if you train yourself and suffer through the many executions you’ll face you can become great as anyone and challenge those high tier warriors, but it will not be as easy a journey as maining the Tiandi, Kensei, or Warmonger. If you want some more For Honor content check out the rest of my articles, especially the best Heavies, Assassins, and Hybrids articles!
