At long last, it's time for another Tier List for Ubisoft's vicious Hack and Slash title, For Honor! This time, however, for a game mode that has never been taken seriously, despite its popularity: Breach.
For Honor's Core Combat Update (CCU) has had several weeks to cook post-release, and competent and consistent players have adjusted to the altered playstyles of several characters. Many fighters are now much stronger than they once were, and while the old powerhouses still retain their thrones for the most part, quite a few characters are now posing much more of a threat against experienced players.
Which warriors should you bring with you to save or destroy the gate?
Breach is, of course, not a competitive game mode. The attackers have several steep advantages, from permanently capturing ramparts to heavily favored spawn points and rotations. While the game mode has seen changes since its release in Marching Fire (in October of 2018; where does the time go?!), such as a revamp to the attackers' ticket system, the mode still heavily favors attackers and is not taken seriously for the purposes of competitive play.
However, a large portion of the playerbase enjoys Breach regardless, and can find success and enjoyment as both attackers and defenders in most matchmaking experience, even with and against competent and coordinated teams. Essentially, below the highest level of play, Breach still has a significant playerbase, myself included. So, here is a tier list to rank each of the 27 characters for their usefulness at high tier play in breach, defender's disadvantages set aside. This list also assumes single pick, because otherwise only one character would even be relevant, and many characters would be artificially stronger from having duplicates of themselves on their team. Enjoy!
Criteria:
The main things that make these rankings different from Dominion:
- Pikemen Clear is a much less trivial endeavor than Minion Clear, and very important
- Feats' impacts on the ram and other objectives are more complicated than their impact on Dominion, not to mention different depending on whether you're attacking or defending
- At the time of writing, and due to the relative newness of the CCU, there have not yet been enough tournaments for a stable meta to emerge, so the balance information in the official For Honor Information Hub is not yet up to date. Everything else is, however, and the Infohub can be found at this link.
That said, here are the main 4 criteria:
- Feat/Perk Strength (Self-explanatory)
- Teamfight Capability (Ability to contribute to teamfights, anti-ganks and ganks)
- Duelist Capacity (Ability to hold their own in a 1v1)
- Pikemen Clear (This is much more important and varied in Breach than in Dominion, as Pikemen can pose more of a threat to a player than the player poses to them if their hero has poor Pikemen Clear)
- Scale: Very Poor ->Poor -> Below Average -> Average -> Good -> Strong -> Very Strong -> Needs Addressing
- Please keep in mind that characters within the same tier are not ranked in order.
D Tier
D Tier means pretty much unusable if your goal is to win. These characters struggle in virtually every department, with very little redeeming qualities.
Peacekeeper (D Tier)
An unfortunate placement for such a classic blademaster.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Poor
- Teamfight Capability: Below Average
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Very Poor
Peacekeeper, the OG assassin of the Knight Faction, is sadly underwhelming in Breach. She struggles in teamfights, ganks, and anti-ganks, and while she isn't too bad a duelist, her feats and perk choices are largely unimpressive.
Peacekeeper's bleed damage is decent, but that doesn't count for much against short-lived pikemen, who she struggles heavily to kill (and having reflex guard doesn't help). It also makes it very difficult to execute opponents, which is very important in Breach, given the scarcity of healing and the importance revives can have.
Among her range of mediocre feats and irrelevant perks, Bounty Hunter and Last Laugh stand out quite a lot. Bounty Hunter greatly improves Peacekeeper's sustainability and helps make up for her lack of execution healing, and Last Laugh can work wonders against the Commander in Breach. Overall, however, Peacekeeper leaves much to be desired, and should not be chosen if winning is a high priority.
Orochi (D Tier)
The Orochi is among the weakest heroes For Honor has to offer in general.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Poor
- Duelist Capacity: Below Average
- Pikemen Clear: Below Average
Hopefully not a surprise to anyone, Orochi sits squarely in D Tier. He has a pseudo infinite chain that helps him kill pikemen somewhat, and his side attacks have decent attack hitboxes, but as a squishy reflex guard character, Orochi struggles when he's surrounded by pikemen, which he will often be in Breach.
His feats are nothing special or amazing, especially when other samurai with his toys exist, and his ability to contribute to teamfights is limited. He's got a slow unblockable heavy finisher that only comes from top, but that's about all the external pressure Orochi has. His slowed lights and awful counter-attacks (aside from his deflect) make even dueling a struggle.
Overall, Orochi offers little to either team in Breach, and other characters outclass him in virtually every way.
C Tier
C Tier means better, but still not viable, and choosing these characters will put you and your team at a disadvantage against stronger heroes. You can make these characters work, but it will be an uphill battle.
Gladiator (C Tier)
Protecting yourself from Gladiator is a very different story from attacking him.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Below Average
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Very Poor
Gladiator's style and flair far exceed his actual performance in Breach. Like many of his fellow C Tiers, he has a lot of trouble fighting pikemen and protecting himself from them. He also suffers in the teamfight department, particularly anti-gank capacity. His own gank is his strongest suit, and while it's certainly not bad, it doesn't make up for where he falls short.
Gladiator's feats and perks, with some outliers such as Bounty Hunter and Fear Itself, don't redeem him too much either. His projectiles and bombs can be annoying, especially with some coordination, but they're mostly good for denying revenge pops, securing victory in one-on-one engagements, and catching fleeing foes.
Gladiator and his feats are situationally useful, but there are better characters with better options for a game mode like Breach.
Shaman (C Tier)
Quick to the fight, quick to die.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Below Average
- Duelist Capacity: Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Very Poor
While this placement may surprise many (it certainly wasn't her original placement when drafting this list), Shaman actually lags behind a lot in a game mode like Breach, where pikemen are the bane of the forest midget's existence. Her clear is pathetic, her damage outside of her most pikemen-punishable move (the bite) is saddening, and her dueling strength, while very high, is heavily undercut by the presence of pikemen and especially officers.
Shaman's feats are alright, especially Fire Flask, and her perks' synergy (Devourer, Headhunter, and Remedy) is a boon to her low health and squishiness. Her mobility and rotation speed is incredible, which is very important in a game like Breach, and helps her capture banners.
In the end, though, while Shaman is arguably one of the best-designed characters in For Honor, she suffers immensely from the pikemen and officers Breach is filled with.
Jormungandr (C Tier)
The quest for groin mutilation has never been more of a struggle.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Good
- Duelist Capacity: Below Average
- Pikemen Clear: Very Poor
The Jormungandr's strength has fallen dramatically with the justified nerfs to her stamina drain and damage. Her main redeeming quality is her first two feats, which significantly increase her sustain, but she struggles to actually kill people without revenge on her side.
Where Jormungandr falters the most, however, is with clearing minions. She has static guard, which is a great help, but her attack hitboxes and pikeman TTK are so low that she is only suited to stalling on the rampart. She can handle duels well enough, albeit being a bit slow to kill people outside of her hamarr slam, so if you pick Jormungandr, that's where you ought to spend most of the game.
Jormungandr is a niche pick, but she's better on defense, so if you enjoy simply being unkillable, run with her.
Nobushi (C Tier)
Long range, limited usage.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Poor
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Poor
Nobushi is a very technical character, easily one of the most complicated to master in For Honor. Unfortunately, even mastering this character isn't very rewarding in Breach, where she contributes little to team fights outside of her bleed on revenge-enabled foes and her range. She isn't horrible on her own against a single opponent, but if she is outnumbered her range and other strengths can quickly become irrelevant (her massive recoveries are especially problematic here). This includes pikemen, who shred through Nobushi if she isn't careful and doesn't take them slowly.
Where Nobushi really shines is her feats, and especially in combination with her perks. Nobushi has access to two of the best perks in the game, Rapid Refresh and Rising Dawn, and if she combines these with her Tier 1 feat Speed Revive, Nobushi can be quite an effective combat medic, which is a potent role in Breach. Nobushi's other feats are also decent, but mostly on defense, such as Arrow Storm (for damaging the ram) and Stalwart Banner (for healing the Commander).
If you are a skilled Nobushi player, and you have the right loadout, you can contribute to your team significantly, but again, it's an uphill battle.
Shinobi (C Tier)
The sniper of For Honor, squishy and irritating to fight.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Good
- Duelist Capacity: Below Average
- Pikemen Clear: Very Poor
Shinobi may be on the weaker side in many respects, but don't underestimate his mobility, and definitely not his gank. Anyone who's ever had a Shinobi sit back and snipe them with his ranged attacks while they're busy with his teammates knows to take him seriously when he's hiding in the external. And if a Shinobi gets his hands on a banner, you're probably never going to see that one again once he starts sprinting.
However, aside from that, and his OK feat choice (primarily Smoke Bomb), Shinobi has very little to offer. He's horrible at dealing with minions, he isn't great at killing isolated enemies by himself, and aside from his decent dodge-and-evade stall, he's not much of a gankbuster either.
Shinobi isn't great most of the time, even in the hands of an expert, and he doesn't get much stronger whether he's attacking or defending, so unless you're dedicated to being an annoyance, pick someone else for Breach.
Aramusha (C Tier)
Another victim of style not equating to strength.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Poor
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Good
The Samurai Aramusha was arguably one of the characters hit hardest by the CCU, and the changes that came with it, stripping away many of the advantages he once held. His absurd damage and punishes have been taken away, and to add insult to injury, his heavies have been slowed to almost exhausted-feeling speeds.
Aramusha contributes little to a gank except the second half of his zone, and his range and damage are too limited to make him threatening in a hectic teamfight or anti-gank. While he does boast some good feats (such as Rock Steady, Stalwart Banner, and Smoke Bomb), almost none of them are unique to him and can be taken by far better characters.
Pretty much the only things Aramusha is worthwhile for are clearing minions and burst damage against the Commander, using Fear Itself and his infinite heavy chain, and even then he's only passable.
Tiandi (C Tier)
A fast sword and plenty of noise do not help.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Poor
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Below Average
There isn't much to say about Tiandi, and that's a large part of why he is where he is on this list. Does he have good feats? For the most part, yes. Does he contribute much to a teamfight, gank or antigank? Not really. If he's not feeding revenge, he's kicking the target out of range, and. the only thing he's got with any noticeable hitbox is his zone attack.
Can he even kill minions? Eventually, yes. But overall, the thing Tiandi is best at in Breach is making niche use of his feats, whether that's stalling with his Tier 3 and 4, or nuking the enemy commander with Last Laugh. Yes, he can fight just fine in a duel, but he kills enemies very slowly and his dodge attacks aren't the greatest, despite how much of his kit they make up.
Overall, Tiandi is mediocre, and certainly not outstanding when it comes to Breach.
B Tier
B Tier characters aren't as good a choice as A Tier ones, but they are still viable and can often be used to great effect nonetheless.
Warden (B Tier)
Warrior of the "longsword".
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Below Average
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Average
Warden is a character who shines in duel scenarios, with his rightly feared Shoulder Bash mixup that can open up any opponent and deal significant damage. But once you take him into a teamfight, or a gank, he falters a bit. His Shoulder Bash serves to feed revenge to the target more than to deal damage, and it is easily interrupted. His attack hitboxes are lacking, leaving him even further behind in any larger-scale engagement.
Warden's feat selection (if not his perks) is nothing to scoff at however, whether he's attacking or defending. He can become a significant threat to the ram by using Inspire, although he has better Tier 4 options for pushing and defending positions and securing teamfights, especially Morale Booster for the final battle in the Commander's Lair.
Overall, Warden is not by any means a horrible choice to take into Breach. He will dominate in isolated one-on-one engagements, which are not rare occasions in this mode, and his feats, while they aren't as powerful as those in A Tier, still bring a lot to the table.
Lawbringer (B Tier)
Lawbringer has left a permanent mark on the meta, even if he's no longer so unopposed.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Average
- Teamfight Capability: Good
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Good
Old Lawbringer is no longer among the best choices for Breach, with his defensive options, punishes, and feat choice standing out significantly less than before. However, Lawbringer can still stall, gank, and contribute to teamfights with ease. His parry punishes and shove may not be what they were before, but his chain offense and finishers are much more offensively accessible and less punishing thanks to the stamina changes of the CCU.
Lawbringer's primary function on either team is to stall and gank, although he poses a threat as a duelist. He can handle himself on the rampart and against large waves of minions in the ram lane, and his explosive feats do well in both places, so Lawbringer is quite versatile role-wise.
All in all, Lawbringer is an outclassed but nonetheless useful character in the variety of situations Breach consists of. Use him for a broad range of roles to get the most out of him.
Raider (B Tier)
Fully capable of grand-scale massacres of pikemen.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
The hulking Raider excels in one of the most important areas of Breach: cutting down Pikemen. With his incredible clear, along with his ram-shredding feats such as Inspire and Fire Flask (especially with Fury), Raider is a force of nature if you unleash him on the ram, or the Commander if he decides to take Battlecry.
Raider is also great in teamfights, ganks, and anti-ganks, thanks to his large array of unblockables, hyper armor, and wide, sweeping heavy attacks. His recoveries aren't great, but if you use him carefully, Raider can tear foes of any number to pieces.
While he does struggle a little bit as a duelist, due to his somewhat lacking chain pressure, Raider is not a bad choice for Breach, especially against the ram and the Commander.
Warlord (B Tier)
The tank with a shield and heat-seeking sword.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Average
The Viking leader of the charge is a well-rounded tank who can attack, defend himself, and contribute to teamfights with a large degree of safety. His feats make him even more durable in combat, from a second life to straight-up extra health.
He's not great at killing pikemen, even if they're not very dangerous to him. The general lack of ledges on most Breach maps compared to Dominion makes his throw distance less deadly, but it's still not to be underestimated. Warlord's main strength in virtually every standoff is his massive health pool and low recoveries. His feats and perks largely reinforce this playstyle. This, coupled with his access to Regenerate, makes him great for standing his ground and defending ramparts and the Commander.
Warlord is a good staller and a good fighter, and choosing him is a viable and reasonable choice, especially on defense.
Valkyrie (B Tier)
Agile and ruthless, punishing and sharp.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Below Average
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Strong
The Viking Priestess is a fine pick thanks to her improved dueling ability and her remarkable minion clear. The wide swings of her spear can wipe out waves of pikemen with relative ease, and her safe variety of (now unreactable and less stamina-expensive) mixups makes her a threat in an isolated fight.
Valkyrie's feats and perks are nothing to scoff at either; she has no bad choices for Tier 4, especially on defense. She has plenty of active feats as well, which gives the perk Rapid Refresh excellent synergy with her tools.
The main area Valkyrie suffers in is teamfights, where she struggles not to feed revenge or trip up her teammates, but if you can look past that, you've got yourself a decent pick for Breach.
Highlander (B Tier)
Enormous in weapon, ferocity and damage.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Average
- Pikemen Clear: Good
While Highlander still has no way to really catch fleeing opponents or punish rolls, and his damage is no longer insanely overtuned, Highlander can be dangerous in single combat. But his real strength lies in his feats and teamfighting.
Highlander's myriad of unblockables makes him a deadly ganker and a real hazard in chaotic situations, and his feats compliment this very well. His main drawbacks are his squishiness and vulnerability in Offensive Form, but if he's careful, he can make up for the risk with his damage output and pressure, even against hordes of pikemen.
Possibly the best reason to choose Highlander is his insane choice of Tier 4 feats, capable of wiping out enemy teams and devastating (or healing) the Commander or ram. Highlander is a roamer and a ganker, and if you use him accordingly, he can fill that role swimmingly.
Shaolin (B Tier)
A smaller staff-wielder with many mystic techniques.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Poor
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Good
The Shaolin monk brings an interesting and unique kit and feat selection to the table. While his reflex guard, generally low damage, and squishiness make him a poor teamfighter, he can duel just fine, and clears minions better than many other reflex guard characters thanks to his infinite chain.
Where Shaolin really shines in Breach, however, is his feats, especially his unique ones. From teleporting across the map to almost immediately capture banners to healing himself and his team just by attacking, regardless of his actual offensive success, Shaolin's abilities can swing a match in favor of the attackers or the defenders.
Choose Shaolin if you want a more nuanced, situational toolset at your disposal, with good pikemen clear and dueling strength to keep you alive.
Zhanhu (B Tier)
A versatile swordsman with decent reach and damage.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Good
- Teamfight Capability: Good
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Strong
The Wu Lin Zhanhu has come a long way since his initial release at the end of Year 3, with almost all of that progress indirectly coming from the CCU. His chains are now far easier to access and utilize, his dodge attacks are truly unreactable, and his finishers have become much less risky and more successful.
Zhanhu has perhaps one of the most unique and synergized sets of feats, and while they can be dangerous to him as well as his enemies, Zhanhu's ability to set foes on fire and do massive damage with his unique T3 should not go underestimated, especially against the Commander. In addition, Bounty Hunter allows Zhanhu to recover from the damage he may inflict on himself while using his infernal traps and artillery.
Zhanhu's pikemen clear, as well as his decent range and the hitbox on his left heavy finisher, seal his position in the B Tier for Breach.
A Tier
A Tier means a very strong character. They are well-rounded and/or they excel at a particular role. Choose these characters freely and with confidence.
Conqueror (A Tier)
Nobody looks unkillable next to the Conqueror.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Below Average
- Teamfight Capability: Very Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
Conqueror is a walking fortress built from option selects and bashes. His primary role is stalling and refusing to die or be dislodged from wherever he plants his feet, with a myriad of blocks both superior and otherwise at his disposal. From his zone attack to his all-guard to his dodge bashes, Conqueror can be a nightmare to kill, even if his damage isn't the most intimidating. And if you leave him alone next to the ram, he’ll quickly swing his way through your pikemen with his infinite heavy chain.
One area where Conqueror struggles, however, is his feat selection. While his perks are very good, most of his feats leave much to be desired. But one outlier in Breach is his Tier 4 feat Regenerate, which effectively renders the healing zone obsolete. While the catapult can be nice as a little bit of extra damage against the ram, it's unlocked a bit late for that, while Regenerate allows a defending Conqueror to stay at the last few ramparts or the Commander's side at all times, never having to rotate out to heal.
Overall, Conqueror is not bad on the attackers' team by any stretch, but his playstyle and abilities make him much more suited to the defender's side of the battlefield.
Centurion (A Tier)
A character who's never lacked a place in chaotic teamfights, where knockdowns can be a death sentence.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Average
Centurion is a well-rounded character like Warlord, but less of a tank and more of a tank-buster. His wide array of unblockables can be lethal in ganks, and his mixups make him a deadly duelist, but he suffers slightly as an anti-ganker due to his short range.
His feats are great, whether he's attacking or defending, but particularly as a defender since he can heal or shield the commander, and shred the ram with Inspire coupled with his above-average pikemen clear.
Centurion is a solid choice regardless of your playstyle and position on the battlefield, able to fill multiple roles and take care of himself in most every situation.
Black Prior (A Tier)
You know your character is fine when it isn't even countered by plunge attacks.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Very Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
Black Prior has never been a bad character, in any situation, and this is no different in Breach. He has a selection of feats that hold a candle to Warmonger's, from deleting revenge shields to granting his team functional immortality for a short time. Not to mention a Tier 2 equivalent of the Regenerate ability, nullifying any need to rotate out from an early stage of the game. In the Commander's Lair, a Prior Umbral Shelter push or hold can often spell the end of the game.
Black Prior boasts fantastic team fight potential even without his feats, with wide attack hitboxes, unblockables, and of course, his trademark Bulwark Counter ability. Black Prior's moveset really has no useless ingredients, and he has an answer for every situation, be it a gank, an anti-gank, or a teamfight. He also has the capacity to clear pikemen better than every other character in the game, with his infinite heavy-into-bulwark-heavy chain.
Black Prior is a character you can't go wrong with, whether you're attacking or defending. Pretty straightforward; there's nothing he's bad at, from saving teammates to killing foes, in every possible situation.
Berserker (A Tier)
A whirlwind of feints and honest, devastating blows.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Good
Berserker is an interesting case, and an outlier among the assassin class of fighters. His reflex guard is a great hindrance, but his plentiful hyper armor and incredible sustainability with Bounty Hunt and easily acquired executions are not to be underestimated. He can clear minions far better than any other assassin (excluding Nuxia with Caltrops), with his hard-hitting heavy attacks and infinite chain.
Berserker's teamfighting abilities are held back only by his limited range and attack hitboxes. He has no shortage of hyper armor, damage, or unblockables, as well as fantastic recovery cancels to keep himself safe in the heat of battle. He can lend himself well to a gank but is most terrifying in an anti-gank scenario, where his feats, particularly Revenge Attacks (of which he is easily the best beneficiary in the game), make him into a killing machine.
Berserker is a great choice for either team, but if you choose him as an attacker, make sure you take full advantage of his very high (especially with feats) DPS against the commander.
Kensei (A Tier)
Need attack hitboxes?
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Very Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
The samurai Kensei is a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield, on the wall or in the ram's path, largely due to his great damage and wide, sweeping attacks. He is capable of slaughtering armies of pikemen with ease, and if defending, can use his feats Inspire and Arrow Storm to tear through the ram whose pushers he cuts down left and right.
Kensei can stand his ground just fine against enemy heroes as well, no matter who's alone and who's not, although he's not the best ganker or duelist by any stretch. If you outnumber a Kensei, remember that his massive sword is perfectly capable of taking on multiple foes if need be, pikemen or not. Take caution when dueling with him, however, and you should be on much more even ground.
Kensei is a solid choice for both attackers and defenders, but for maximum effect, enlist him as a defender and send him to the ram; if he is not dealt with, he can quickly do serious, potentially siege-ending damage.
Shugoki (A Tier)
The huge Shugoki poses a serious threat to armies and outnumbered foes.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Very Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Poor
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
The Shugoki excels in every area of Breach, with the exception of one-on-one engagement, especially against opponents with bashes. He's a powerful ganker and anti-ganker, with his significant damage and his Demon's Embrace, as well as his wide attack hitboxes. He's also very good at killing pikemen for these reasons.
His feats are also among the best, from Speed Revive (with Rising Dawn) to Staggering Blow, capable of wiping enemy teams and saving his own in tight situations. The only thing holding Shugoki back in Breach is his atrocious mobility and chase, making it easy for enemies to escape or outmaneuver him if he has no reinforcements.
While his poor performance as a duelist is a significant drawback, Shugoki is still an excellent pick for Breach.
Hitokiri (A Tier)
A heavy-swinging killing machine.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Good
- Duelist Capacity: Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Strong
Hitokiri is without a doubt a powerful character, despite the needless nerfs she's been peppered with. The Samurai Executioner can defend a fortress just fine, but her true power lies in her feats while on the attack. On her way to the Commander, or as she holds the wall, she can fully heal herself and her teammates by Tainting officers before striking them down. Once Hitokiri gets inside the Commander's Lair, and her Tier 4 feat Senbonzakura is ready, the defenders are in for a rough time keeping their leader's head attached to his shoulders.
Hitokiri owes her dueling strength mostly to her kick mixup, which is easily accessed with one or more delayable heavy attacks. While it can be negated by varying escape options from character to character, it is still generally useful for attacking. In a gank, she can utterly disintegrate a target's external indicators with feinted unblockable attacks, and in all scenarios more crowded than a strict 1v1, her Tier 4 is an insta-kill terror. Lastly, Hitokiri never has to stop for pikemen if she uses the right set of feats; they can't stop her from executing, and she never runs out of stamina to stop swinging her axe in her signature infinite heavy chain.
Borderline S Tier on attack, and just fine on defense, Hitokiri is a solid pick with a limited but potent moveset.
Jiang Jun (A Tier)
- Feat/Perk Strength: Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Very Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Good
- Pikemen Clear: Very Strong
Ever since his release in Marching Fire, Jiang Jun has dominated in teamfights and large-scale warfare. His feats lend themselves well to large pushes and holds, and his enormous weapon can be difficult to avoid and defend against in the chaos of combat, often striking several foes at a time with ease.
As you would imagine, Jiang Jun is more than capable of massacring any pikemen that stand in his way. This makes him ideal for ram duty, whether he's defending or attacking, although he does come equipped with good anti-ram feats. Jiang Jun is also a threat on the rampart if you're careful not to get his weapon stuck on one of the walls.
While Jiang Jun may not be the best duelist, he can take care of himself, especially if he ever gets outnumbered. Jiang Jun is an excellent choice for battlefield control and evening any numeric disadvantage.
Nuxia (A Tier)
Deadliest dancer of blades on the battlefield.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Very Strong
- Teamfight Capability: Average
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Average
Nuxia may not be the best for pitched battles, but she is nearly unmatched for her ability to isolate and kill lone enemies. Her feats are among the best there are for Breach, especially on attack, as she can isolate the Commander with her Tier 4 and then deal massive damage with her Tier 1. Caltrops is arguably the strongest Tier 2 in the game with the ability to massacre entire waves of pikemen and sway teamfights, especially in the healing zone, all while boasting a negligible cooldown.
While Nuxia is a good duelist, she falters in teamfights and against pikemen without her feats. Her primary external tools, trapped heavy attacks, feed a lot of revenge and can be hard to pull off against a spastic target in the chaos of combat. She also suffers when having to hold her own against multiple targets. Still, put her on the ram or on the rampart and she should be fine long enough to unlock her feats.
Nuxia is a strong pick for Breach, in general. Situationally bad, situationally and overall useful.
S Tier
S Tier means a virtually mandatory pick. If you have one of these characters and the enemy team doesn't, you're immediately at a significant advantage.
Warmonger (S Tier)
Lazily designed, overtuned and deadly.
- Feat/Perk Strength: Needs Addressing
- Teamfight Capability: Strong
- Duelist Capacity: Very Strong
- Pikemen Clear: Average
Standing alone in the S tier is Warmonger, and it is largely owed to her feats. Despite the recent nerf to Corruption Blade and Corruption Blast, these feats are still disgustingly overpowered, with the ability to massacre entire teams if used correctly (which is a forgiving endeavor, given the ludicrously short cooldowns.) Warmonger's feats may not affect minions anymore, but they still affect officers, the Commander, and of course, your teammates, meaning they are still very capable of stripping your team of health and positioning while healing the Warmonger a significant degree.
Of course, even without her feats, Warmonger is still a very strong character, possessing a variable timing bash and a decent roll catcher. She has easy access to her kit, and viable offensive options.
Although Warmonger is by no means a weak defender, her true potential is unlocked as an attacker, as her feats are very strong in the Commander's Lair, capable of isolating the Commander for devastatingly long periods of time with little to no counterplay. Any team that does not have a Warmonger in its ranks is putting itself at a great disadvantage.
I hope you enjoyed the tier list, even if characters you play were ranked lower or higher than you expected. Comment down below how and why you would have a different ranking! See you on the battlefield, fellow warriors.
Special Thanks
A huge thank you to The Filthy Spaniard; his game knowledge and expertise were invaluable in creating this list, and I cannot overstate my appreciation for the time he set aside to jump in and help make this article as accurate as it could be.
Another thank you to the writers and contributors of the Infohub (especially, again, Spaniard), who help me and other community members be informed about and improve at For Honor regardless of our skill level or role.
Here are five other articles you might enjoy:
- For Honor: Best Illustrious Outfits
- For Honor: Best Way to Farm XP
- For Honor: Best Dominion Heroes
- For Honor Tier List [Breach Season 14]
- For Honor: Best Character of Each Faction
- For Honor Best Faction: Which to Choose?
- For Honor: Best Brawler Assassins
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