Warhaven played: Medieval battles like this have to be played too

If you”ve always thought that Chivalry and Mordhau would be even better with a third-person perspective, you should take a closer look at Warhaven.

Stress here, stress there, stress everywhere. We live in a time of constant change, a quiet minute is becoming rarer and rarer. So if you”re looking for a cosy game to relax in after work, where you can let your soul dangle and the meditative feeling of the game gently caresses your synapses … well, you”ve come to the completely wrong game.

In Warhaven, absolute chaos reigns. Swords shatter on shields, horsemen sweep through the battlefield and from every direction the blood of knights flies through the air. There is hardly a quiet second to regroup. We have played the Open Beta of the Korean developer Nexon and now take the time to introduce you to the game.

For a first impression, you can watch the trailer first:

What is Warhaven about? 

The shorthand summary for Warhaven would probably be: Chivalry, but in third-person perspective. That”s oversimplified, of course, but at its core it”s surprisingly accurate. In 16v16 battles, you and your squad mostly fight for conquest points and punch the enemy knights in the face.

Not only can you choose between a light and a heavy attack, but you can also choose your direction of attack in Chivalry or Mordhau style. Depending on which character you play, you also have other abilities. We summarise: 

• Sword Fighter: You can rarely go wrong with an iron in your hand. You can deal from different directions, blocking is no problem with the sword too. 
• Spear Bearer: This character is a bit more challenging, as you can only parry at the right moment. On the other hand, a charged stab deals a lot of damage.
• Warhammer: Big hammer, big damage. In return, you are very slow and a big target.

• Archer: With the bow you can act from a distance. So if you don”t want to jump into the fray, you can rather act in the background here. 
• Guards: Equipped with a large shield, no one can kill you so quickly. Your damage is limited, but you can easily stagger your opponents;
• Smoke: The most petite character is poor in direct combat, but can heal her comrades.

Although the classes give a lot of variety, the hit feedback is somewhat inaccurate in parts. Especially as an archer, it is often unclear when shooting arrows whether we have caught the opponent. In the same way, the pointed attacks of a spearwoman are clearly more difficult than the all-round strikes with the sword or warhammer.

This is what distinguishes Warhaven from Chivalry

If you do well, you can even transform into one of four so-called immortals. This is where the fantasy aspect comes into play. With these characters, you gain special abilities, have significantly more life and really mix up the battlefield;

As a night wind, for example, you play a black steed with a rider. At a gallop, you can trample enemies with your hooves without difficulty. As a normal class, however, you quickly look stupid, as you hardly stand a chance against an immortal, even when outnumbered. So the potential for frustration is given.

Chivalry 2 dispenses with these fantastic mechanics. How good the medieval carnage is, you will learn in this  game review video:

However, it is only possible to remain in the body of the immortal(s) for a certain amount of time. After that, you change back into the previous class.

So far we know of four maps, each offering slightly different game modes. Sometimes you have to conquer bases, sometimes you have to escort a war machine – but in the end it all boils down to close combat anyway.

What we like so far: 

• Graphics: Warhaven looks simply chic. The environments may not be bursting with creativity, but the animations are nice to look at and generally the game just looks crisp.
• The simple gameplay: Sometimes you just want to hit it. Warhaven may not motivate you for hours at a time, but the chaotic medieval action is fun in itself.
• Different classes: The different fighters play distinctly differently and require different play styles. With the four immortals, even more variety is provided, but also have a great difficulty …

What we don”t like so far: 

• The balancing: Some classes go down significantly in contrast to their counterparts. What are we playing a healer for, after all, when the corpses are in the thick of enemies and reanimation is impossible anyway? The immortals are clearly too strong for that and a fight with them quickly frustrates. 
• Hitting feedback: Not once have we swung our weapons through enemies without leaving any damage. As an archer, it is often not even apparent or the arrow has reached its target at all.
• The long-term motivation: Warhaven is not out yet, but already we doubt whether the game will be released with enough content. We only know of four maps so far and they only offer marginally different game modes. Instead, a Battle Pass is already included in the beta, which lets you unlock bunny costumes and other skins. So we”re still frowning at the question of whether priorities are being set in the right places.