The next year of For Honor is upon us and Ubisoft is bringing much more to players with the Year of the Harbinger. An enormous patch is coming January 31 to all platforms and detailed notes can be found on For Honor’s website. This update will include a new hero, improvements to existing heroes, a new map, effects to player skill ratings, additional rewards, and other general improvements.

Most importantly, the another hero joins the fight in the Vortiger, the Black Prior. Black Priors are heavy hitting units that use a kite shield and long sword to devour their enemies in brutal fashion. Ubisoft has already shown off the knight’s emotes and executions and the character will be available to all Year 3 Pass owners on January 31. All other players can unlock the Black Prior on February 7 for a cost of 15,000 Steel. Along with a new hero comes the new map of Harbor, which has a connection with the Black Priors It was the port town that these warriors first arrived at and is playable for the following game modes: Dominion, Elimination, Skirmish, Brawl, and Duel.

Several updates are on their way to a couple of existing heroes that will affect their abilities and stats. The Shugoki no longer will have the Passive Uninterruptible Stance, but a majority of their attacks will develop the normal property of that ability. While the Shugoki’s health is lowered and light attacks inflict less damage, heavy attacks can become Unblockable so that this unit can sustain pressure. The agile Peacekeeper has received a buff to many attacks that cost less stamina. The Warlord’s Lunge Strikes will be a light attack instead of heavy and all heavy attacks will inflict more damage. Full details on each character can be found in the patch notes.

Other upcoming changes are for how For Honor affects each player. The update will make it so that only winning or losing a match impacts personal Skill ratings. Before this is implemented, every player’s Skill rating will be reset. This change affects all game modes so that kills and other in-match actions will no longer play into Skill ratings. In Arcade Mode, a regular Altered Reality Battle Outfit and weekly Pink Plasma Shock Effect will be rewarded once a game is completed. Finally, a host of new Legendary gear and weapons can be found as loot rewards for all previous heroes.

The Year of the Harbinger looks promising as For Honor continues to develop more unique scenarios in and characters in its expanding medieval universe.