Chivalry 2 Guide for Beginners

Last Update: June 9, 2021 8:07 AM /

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Banner image for Chivalry 2 featuring an armoured knight on horseback

The time has finally come to leap into the fray for the sequel to popular medieval battle sim Chivalry. Fans of the first game will be hoping that Chivalry 2 can provide more of the same uncompromising but nuanced combat that puts players into the shoes of fearless warriors from the Middle Ages. Learn all about it in our Chivalry 2 Guide for Beginners

New players might be thinking something more like, “why can’t I stay alive for more than 15 seconds?” Or, “how do I stop that massive knight from taking chunks out of me with their zweihander?”

If that sounds a bit like you then don’t worry. Chivalry 2 is a difficult game to get to grips with and there’s plenty of other inexperienced people out there who are being torn limb from limb as we speak. That’s why we’ve put together a beginner’s guide with five tips and tricks to help you find your feet on the battlefield.

Chivalry 2 Guide for Beginners — Stamina Management Is Key

Yes, we all know how to do a riposte. That’s where you block an enemy’s attack and follow up with an attack of your own. It’s easy to perform but drains your stamina. Hopefully, I don’t have to explain why that’s a problem. You need stamina to execute almost any attack in Chivalry 2 so you’ll struggle if your stamina bar is always empty.

The riposte’s bigger brother is the counter. For those of you who neglected the game’s introductory training session, a counter is where you stand in the blocking position and, at the last second, match your opponent’s attack with the equivalent attack of your own. So if they come at you with an overhead swing, you’ll hold block and then execute an overhead swing at the last second. This interrupts your opponent’s attack and refills your stamina bar.

Since most one-on-one fights between competent opponents are decided by stamina management, learning how to counter effectively is key to winning fights and, even more importantly, staying alive.

Countering A Counter In Your Encounters

“But what if my opponent knows how to counter as well?” I hear you ask. “Won’t we be locked in an endless cycle of countering each other’s counters?” The answer to that is no because countering is really difficult. However, if you do come across an opponent that’s equally as adept at countering as you -  because, hopefully, you’ve already read the tip above this one about how important countering is - there’s an easy way to take control of the fight: feigning.

Chivalry 2 Guide for Beginners
This is what's called a Pro Gamer move.

If you're familiar with fencing, you’ll probably know what a feign is. It’s basically where you make it look like you’re going to do a certain move and suddenly transition into a different one. In terms of Chivalry 2, you might start with an overhead swing and then swiftly turn it into a stab. If your opponent is trying to counter your attacks, chances are you’ll wrongfoot them with your feign and they’ll be left with egg (and probably quite a lot of blood) on their face. This move can outfox even the most experienced enemies.

(Long)bow Before Me

As you might expect, the Archer class can be devastating over longer distances. Its high range and damage is offset by the skill required to hit your shots in the heat of battle. All projectiles have a noticeable travel time and drop, meaning you have to predict your opponent’s movement in order to hit them from any sort of distance. Also, each projectile behaves differently, meaning a javelin might have a different trajectory to an arrow, which again might be different to a crossbow bolt. Familiarising yourself with how projectiles travel is key to success as an Archer.

As with everything, practice makes perfect. It’s worth loading up an ‘Offline Practice’ session with teams full of bots to practice your shooting. Make sure to work on shots at different angles and distances. All Archer subclasses charge their special skills by getting headshots, which also deal extra damage, so practice consistently getting headshots as well. After a while, you should be more confident that you can land your shots on a moving target according to their distance and direction of travel. Firing at unaware opponents is also advantageous as it means they’re more likely to move predictably into your projectile rather than dodging out of the way. With a bit of practice, you’ll be threading the needle in no time.

Screenshot of the Archer class in Chivalry 2
That fancy-looking instrument of death is called a crossbow. Sadly, it doesn't play a little tune, it just fires a steel-tipped bolt into your head.

Friendly Fire Isn’t

Most game modes, aside from free-for-all, will pit your team of grizzled warriors against another in a race to complete various objectives. Unless you want a mutiny on your hands, it’s best to always remember that friendly fire is very much on. Oftentimes, you’ll be standing shoulder to shoulder with allies. Most people won’t really appreciate an axe to the face so look where you’re swinging your weapon. It’s easy to hit friendlies with wide attacks such as the sweep.

If you’re in a tight spot, try to use a vertical attack like an overhead sweep or a stab. If you absolutely must use a sweep attack, make sure you use your crosshair placement smartly to avoid hitting any allies.

In A (Sub)class Of Your Own

There are four different classes in Chivalry 2, each of which has three unique subclasses. For those of you who aren’t great at maths, that’s 12 subclasses in total to get your head around. Each of those 12 has its own strengths, weaknesses, weapons and items to get your head around. It’s all very well just picking the meanest-looking character with the biggest weapon but it’s not always the most sensible choice.

Think about your play style. Do you tend to play quite cautiously and tactically? Maybe the Field Engineer, a subclass that prioritises laying traps and healing allies, would suit you. If you’ve got god-like aim, you might want to plump for one of the aforementioned Archer subclasses. Maybe you do just want to run in and hack away at the enemy, in which case give the Devastator subclass a whirl.

Screenshot of the Footman class in Chivalry 2
The Footman class is something of a jack-of-all-trades class that can perform a number of roles on the battlefield.

Chivalry 2 has a surprising amount of depth to it, catering to a wide variety of play styles. Don’t be afraid of experimenting to find the subclass most suited to you. For a more in-depth look at Chivalry 2’s class system, check out our Chivalry 2 Class Guide.


Anyway, that’s about all we’ve got for you. The best way to improve is to just play the game… so what are you waiting for! Feel free to let us know if you’ve got any more crucial tips that aren’t covered here that might give other players an edge on the battlefield.
 

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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| Staff Writer

A steady hand and a Bloodborne fan.

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Chivalry 2
Game Page Chivalry 2
Platforms
PC
Release Date
June 8, 2021 (Calendar)
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