You can download and play For Honor for free this weekend on PS4

Yes, it’s true. From 10th to 13th August you’ll be able to download and play For Honor for free on PS4. Free! This is the full game, mind you – the whole kit and caboodle. It’s all of the intense multiplayer action across five modes, as well as the entire campaign (playable solo or in online co-op) that immerses you in the age-old war among the Knights, the Vikings, and the Samurai.

Every map and every hero will be available as you take up arms and test your skills in the innovative melee combat system. And you can get a head start by pre-loading the game beginning on 8th August.

Whether you’re slicing enemies with a steel katana as the Samurai Orochi or wielding a shield and a vicious flail as the Knight Conqueror, each hero has a unique weapon and fighting style that makes them a force to be reckoned with. The basic tutorial will help you find your footing, and we’ve got a few more tips to help you hit the ground running.

1. Meet your heroes

Take a few minutes to watch the Basic Video under How to Fight in the hero menu for each hero you want to play. It’ll show you their playstyle and a few moves to try out. You don’t need to master the Berserker’s Bear Mauler combo right out of the gate, but knowing that they can’t hold their block stance like other heroes will help you stay alive longer.

2. Spar before battle

All the heroes, including the new Shinobi and Centurion, can be used in the practice mode available in the How to Fight menu. This is the perfect spot to get your bearings and try out a combo or two before heading out to the battlefield.

3. Finish strong

If you finish off an enemy with a Heavy Attack (R2), you’ll get a chance to perform an execution. Not only do executions look friggin’ awesome, they also restore some of your health. Just be careful about executing an enemy if their friends are nearby, because they can (rudely) interrupt you.

4. Don’t you forget about feats

Each hero has an array of special attributes and abilities called feats that unlock as a 4v4 match progresses. Some give you passive benefits, but others need to be activated by using the D-pad. For example, using healing feats when your health gets low can keep you alive long enough to use a more aggressive feat: calling in a catapult strike to decimate your enemies!

5. Ledges are your friends, ledges are your enemies

Forcing an enemy off a ledge will almost always kill them and probably make you cackle with glee. Getting knocked off a ledge will almost always kill you and probably make you wail in agony. Be very aware of ledges and other environmental hazards like spikes, large fires, and forge hammers.

6. Sweet, sweet revenge

If (or rather, when) you end up outnumbered in a fight, don’t give up! Blocking and taking damage fills your Revenge meter. Activating a full Revenge meter will automatically knock back any attacking enemy and boost your attack power and speed. Focus on killing one of your foes in this powered-up state, and you might just make it out of there alive.

7. Fake ’em out

Catch your opponents off-guard by starting a Heavy Attack (R2), then canceling it (Circle) and immediately following up with another strike or a guardbreak. Cracking through a stalwart defense can take some creativity, and feints are a good way to bait your opponent into giving you an opening.

If you get a taste for video game glory and want to continue to play after the free weekend ends, you can purchase the Deleuxe Edition for €34.99 between 10th August and 15th August. Any progress you make while playing for free will carry over when you buy the game, so you won’t have to leave any of your hard-earned loot behind.

Hot on the heels of the free weekend, For Honor will be starting its third season — “Grudge and Glory” — on 15th August. This event introduces new maps, adds ranked play, delivers a heaping helping of gameplay updates, and debuts two new heroes. The claymore-wielding Highlander will join the Vikings, and the Knights will welcome the Gladiator, who brandishes a long trident and small buckler.

You can get a glimpse of the new heroes and maps in action during the For Honor Season 3 Live Event: Grudge & Glory Reveal livestream tournament that will air starting 12th August on Twitch. You’ll also be able to see some of the world’s best For Honor duelists in action, and maybe pick up a few tips.

Pre-load on 8th August. Fight for free from 10th to 13th August. Smite your opponents with spear and sword and savor the sweetness of victory. For Honor awaits you, warriors. We’ll see you on the battlefield.