He’s finally here. After months of speculation and blurry teaser silhouettes that had the For Honor subreddit spiraling into madness, the For Honor new hero has officially landed. His name is the Sohei. He’s a massive, seven-weapon-wielding monk that feels less like a traditional fighter and more like a walking boss battle. If you’ve been playing this game since the days of the peer-to-peer connection nightmares in 2017, you know the drill. A new hero drops, the meta breaks, everyone complains he’s OP, and then we spend three weeks learning how to parry his weirdest animations.
But the Sohei is different.
Ubisoft didn't just give us another sword-swinger with a bash-undodgeable mixup. They gave us a specialized Soul Hunter. Honestly, playing him feels like playing a mini-game inside of a Dominion match. You aren't just trying to drain a health bar; you’re collecting "souls" from each of his seven weapons to unlock a move that can basically one-shot almost anyone in the roster. It’s high-stakes. It’s stressful. It’s exactly what the game needed to stay relevant in Year 8.
The Seven-Weapon Mechanic: How the Sohei Actually Works
Most heroes in For Honor have a kit built around one or two primary tools. The Warden has his shoulder. The Orochi has his recovery cancels. The Sohei has... everything. He carries a massive cross-spear (the Sodegarami) as his primary, but he’s got six other tools strapped to his back. To understand the For Honor new hero, you have to understand the Soul system.
He’s got three light-finisher weapons and three heavy-finisher weapons.
- The Dual Katana (Light)
- The Mallet (Light)
- The Saw (Light)
- The Club (Heavy)
- The Mace (Heavy)
- The Axe (Heavy)
If you land a triple-light chain or a heavy-into-heavy chain, you "collect" that weapon’s soul. Once you have all six? You get access to a move called Seven Force Strike. It deals 95 damage. Ninety-five. For context, most heroes only have about 120 to 140 health. If you’ve already poked them a couple of times, that strike is a guaranteed execution. It’s terrifying to face and incredibly satisfying to pull off.
The problem? Getting there is a nightmare. His base damage is low. Like, really low. You’ll find yourself hitting people with heavies that feel like you're slapping them with a wet pool noodle. This is the trade-off. You trade immediate pressure for the looming threat of an "I Win" button. It’s a polarizing design choice by the Ubisoft Montreal team, but it keeps the gameplay loop from feeling stale.
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Why the Community is Divided on the New Meta
Go check the forums. You'll see two types of people. There are the "Sohei is trash because he can't win a 1v1 without his souls" group, and the "Sohei is broken because he deleted me in one hit" group. Both are kinda right.
In high-level competitive play, landing those finishers is hard. Good players will just block top or read your bash and punish you into oblivion. Because the For Honor new hero relies so heavily on those specific finishers to build momentum, he can feel "clunky" compared to someone like the Afeera or the Shinobi who can just flow endlessly. He’s a slow-burn hero. You have to be patient.
A Shift in Dominion Strategy
In 4v4 modes, the Sohei is a menace for a different reason: his Tier 4 feat. Most heroes have a feat that drops a fire flask or heals the team. The Sohei has a feat that instantly grants him all six souls. If he catches you rotating between points and he has that feat ready, you are basically dead.
This has changed how people approach "ganking." If you’re fighting a Sohei and his teammate, you can’t just ignore the Sohei to focus on the more "dangerous" target. If he sneaks in a few lights while you’re busy parrying his friend, he builds his stacks. Once those lights on his back start glowing purple, the vibe of the fight changes instantly. You start playing scared. That psychological pressure is something few other heroes provide.
Master the Sohei: Practical Steps for Year 8
If you’re just picking him up, stop trying to play him like a Kensei. You aren't there to trade blows. You’re there to curate a collection of souls.
- Prioritize the Light Finishers: They are faster and easier to sneak in during a chaotic team fight. The heavy finishers are slow and easily parried, so save those for when you have a teammate providing a stun or a wall-splat.
- The Guardbreak is Your Best Friend: A successful guardbreak allows the Sohei to choose which soul he wants to take. Use this to fill the gaps in your "weapon rack." If you’re missing the Mace soul, don't just throw a random heavy—get the GB and force the soul collection.
- Don't Waste the Strike: It’s tempting to use the Seven Force Strike the second you get it. Don't. If the enemy has full health and shields, you might not kill them. Wait until they are around 70% health to ensure the execution.
- Manage Your Stamina: He burns through green bar faster than you’d expect. Since his "big move" heals him upon a successful kill, it's worth playing defensively until you have the opening.
The For Honor new hero represents a weird, experimental era for the game. We’re well past the "historical realism" phase. We’re in the "cool folklore and unique mechanics" phase. Whether you love the Sohei or hate getting deleted by a monk with a giant saw, you can't deny he’s brought a fresh spark to the battlefield.
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Stop worrying about his low base damage and start focusing on the setup. The Sohei isn't a duelist; he's an inevitable conclusion. Spend your first few matches focusing exclusively on learning the icons for each weapon on your UI. Once you stop looking at the UI and start feeling the rhythm of which souls you still need, you'll become the nightmare the developers intended. Get in there, find a bridge to guard, and start collecting.