Chivalry 2 is the massive first-person medieval combat sequel to the original Chivalry. It is by the same developer, Torn Banner Studios, alongside a new publisher, Tripwire Presents. After the first game's events, the bloodthirsty Mason rebellion conquered the lands. But the heirs of Agatha have reformed an even greater army and now plan to retake their homeland from the usurpers. This may be an opportunistic time, as the continent’s longtime enemies, the Tenosia, have now also invaded. While Mason is busy fighting this war, can Agatha retake the throne, or will Tenosia wind up being an even greater threat to the whole region?
 

Chivalry 2 was initially released in 2021 as an Epic Game Store exclusive. The new Steam version features all the updates and additional content, though older aspects were not consistently updated to account for new mechanics. Players start the game in a tutorial section, which gives the basics of offense, defense, and ability use. Attacks are implemented using the left mouse button and mouse wheel movement. Players can further their arsenal by quick dodging with WASD + Space bar, blocking and timing a riposte, or using movement to handle multiple foes. However, individual class abilities, field interactions, and mounted combat are not talked about in detail.

Players are next sent into a full bot-based brawl, allowing them to test the fundamentals. Once victorious, there is a moderate cutscene showcasing the various factions and story. From there, players are free to dive into any multiplayer playlist. Beginner mode heavily populates the map with bots, allowing just a few players to participate and train. The 40-man mode pits two teams of 20 against each other, typically in large-scale brawls, but objective maps are possible. Finally, 64-man emphasizes even larger maps and multistage battles significantly. An exclusive Tenosia campaign wass also added in patch 2.5 of the Epic Game Store release.

To keep matches a healthy size and reduce wait times, Chivalry 2 has full matchmaking between PC and console versions. This means that Steam players will match up with Epic Game Store users and those playing on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, there is no cross-party support, so playing with friends on the same map or side of the battle may not always be possible.

Once in a match, players can pick from four classes further diversified into 12 subclasses. Footman subclasses include Poleman, which specializes in weapons with extra-long reach, the Man-At-Arms quick movement speed, and the Field Engineer, the ability to lay down traps. For the more offensive Vanguard, there is a Devastator that can engulf the map in flames with firebombs, Raider who wields two primary weapons instead of a sidearm, and Ambusher who deals extra damage when behind enemies. The tough Knight class has access to Officer who can heal groups of allies, Guardian is a master of tower shields, and Crusader does high damage through committed strikes that are hard to cancel. Finally, the ranged Archer can use Longbowman for sniper distance, Crossbowman who does incredible damage at a slow pace, and Skirmisher that can throw javelins.
 

The majority of maps are siege based or otherwise lopsided - one team will need to storm the area while the other must defend until time runs out. Though, this dynamic can be flipped as the battle progresses. The attackers may suddenly find out that they need to protect an escort or vehicle, and if they are unable will suddenly lose in the final moments of their near victory.

Maps may be filled with all sorts of intractable items. Large siege crossbows, torches, or extra weapons may lie about the area. It is even possible to pick up and use many objects, including barrels, candle sticks, and beehives. If one runs out of bandages, players can heal themselves will food, including raw fish in rivers and wells. Finally, on certain maps, players can opt to transform into unique roles like Monk, Druid, or Peasant to hold an area down.
 

For all of its intricate systems and map designs, the sheer number of active players turns most Chivalry 2 matches into absurd chaos. It is incredibly difficult to block strategically or time attacks when there may be 8-12 people huddled into a single melee. Players will often easily find themselves hurting or outright killing their allies while attempting to take down their foes. However, this also prevents a match from having absolute killer players like most FPS games. Even the best players will inevitably die at some point due to the number of attacks, meager healing supplies, and other unpredictable events.

But Chivalry 2 is fully aware it isn’t a hyper-serious and competitive experience. It instead highly leans into the goofy and absurd nature of what is going on. Deaths and even injuries are over the top comedically violent, with character heads exploding or knights limping around limbless directly from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There are many crazy emotes, typically with the player character making a crass or insane joke. To help fill all this are a variety of class (but not subclass) cosmetics to make players look outlandish - including logos of popular Twitch streamers like CohhCarnage.
 

But many of the cosmetics and unlockables are not directly free. Chivalry 2 will goad players into buying “Crowns”, the premium currency, in bundles from $6-48 USD. Items then range in price from $0.50-4.50 USD. This can add a lot of extra money spent on the game if one wants to gussy up their main heroes. Thankfully, none of these have any effect on gameplay, and all 44 face options are given free. However, some aesthetics absolutely interfere with character silhouettes and team color accents, making fights even more frantic at night or in dimly lit interiors.

Chivalry 2 is an incredibly fun, objective-based first-person war game. Players should remember that they won’t find the melee finesse of something like For Honor or dominate the whole map solo. Every match moment will be an over-the-top action sequence, where bodies will fly, characters roar with laughter, and nothing will make any real sense.
 

Kurtis Seid, NoobFeed
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