Vikings, samurai, and knights face off in this month's 'For Honor' closed beta

By Gabe Gurwin January 10, 2017

For Honor Cinematic Trailer: Closed Beta Date Announcement – The Thin Red Path [US]

For Honor is shaping up to be one of this year’s most unique titles, delivering a mix of action and fantasy in both single-player and competitive multiplayer environments, and if you’ve been itching to try it out prior to its official release, you’ll soon be able to. The For Honor closed beta begins across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on January 26.

The closed beta will give you access to “War of the Factions,” which has players choosing to become a member of the Knights of the Iron Legion, Warborn Vikings, or Samurai of the Dawn Empire. This choice will stick with you for the duration of the beta, and allows you to take part in a cross-platform, ongoing battle for global domination. Even if you choose to play as another warrior in particular matches during the beta, the points you receive will still go toward your chosen faction.

“Depending on your performance,” you’ll be awarded “War Assets” at the end of every match, which are allocated to particular regions of the War of the Factions map. These are also attainable if you choose to play against AI instead of real players, and will still count toward the overall War of the Factions struggle for dominance.

Everyone who participates in the closed beta will also be rewarded with exclusive “Emblems of Old” that correspond to their chosen factions. Once For Honor officially releases, these can be redeemed and you can “adorn your weapons and armor with their distinction.” Ubisoft promises that more exclusive rewards will also be available, and these will transfer over to the full game, as well.

For Honor‘s closed beta runs from January 26 through January 29, and you can sign up to participate here. The full game, which requires an online connection across both single-player and multiplayer, hits Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on February 14.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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