For Honor celebrates 35 million players by announcing its first fully armored Viking Hero, the Varangian Guard

For Honor shows no signs of losing its player base as it just hit 35 million players and will almost surely continue to grow that number now that they have announced their first fully armored Viking Hero, the Varangian Guard, which will release on February 1st. The Varangian Guard wields both an axe and shield and can disable enemies with their unique Oathkeeper defensive stance. Along with the announcement of hitting 35 million players and the release of the Varangian Guard, plans for Year 8, which will begin on March 14th and run until March 2025, were released. You can check out a new trailer above and read below for more info:

For Honor’s first fully armored Viking Hero, the Varangian Guard, will join the game on February 1. Arriving in Heathmoor to help recapture the Viking village that was seized at the beginning of Year 7 Season 4, the Varangian Guard is a shield-bearing, axe-wielding mercenary protector who can disable enemies with their unique Oathkeeper defensive stance.

Announced during today’s Warrior’s Den livestream – which also celebrated For Honor reaching 35 million players – the Varangian Guard Hero arrives as part of Year 7 Season 4 Title Update 2, and will be available for purchase starting on February 1 from the in-game store and first-party stores, and will also include a new ornament, Elite Outfit, three Scavenger Crates with random gear, and seven-day Champion status (which confers extra loot, extra XP, and more). Players will also be able to unlock the Varangian Guard for 15,000 Steel starting on February 14.

The Warrior’s Den also announced plans for Year 8, which begins on March 14 and will run through March 2025, and which will feature four Seasons and two new Heroes (to be introduced in Title Update 2 for Seasons 2 and 4), along with new Hero Skins. Year 8 will also introduce Converted Maps, which will gradually increase the pool of Dominion maps by converting existing non-Dominion maps, with two maps scheduled for conversion during Year 8.

Another new feature is the Legacy Pass, which will let players purchase or continue previous Battle Passes in chronological order, starting with the Year 4 Season 1 Battle Pass. Players who already owned and started previous Battle Passes can continue their progression without having to re-purchase them, and can work through multiple Battle Passes simultaneously. The Legacy Pass includes 25 tiers of progression, and will be included in the Battle Bundle (which also includes the Season’s Battle Pass with 25 tiers of progression, as well as a 20% battle point boost, and won’t increase in price with inclusion of the Legacy Pass) or available for purchase separately. The Legacy Pass also includes a tier 101 that consolidates retrofitted content for Heroes who were not initially included in the Battle Pass.

Also starting February 1, players can participate in the free Varangian Guard’s Pledge Event Pass. Running from February 1-22, the Event Pass is a chance to earn new rewards, including an ornament, a mood effect, and more. And that’s not the only event Title Update 2 is bringing in the coming weeks: On February 29, The Black Prior’s Riposte returns as a throwback event, adding a special game mode in which attackers fight for control points while defenders try to defeat as many enemies as possible. Additionally, Hero Fests for the Nobushi, Black Prior, and Afeera are planned for the weeks of February 22, February 29, and March 7, respectively. During Hero Fests, one Hero will be available for players to try for free for a week, during which that Hero will also be available for purchase at a discount. A unique execution is also released at the start of each Hero Fest.

For Honor is available now for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect), and is included with a Ubisoft+ Classics or Premium subscription or available for purchase from the Ubisoft Store.

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