In For Honor, the term "Bots" refers to a non-player hero or minion that is completely controlled by the game. In the Practice Mode, bots are randomly selected as enemy heroes. In the Custom Match, players can alter the type and level of the Bots they fight with or against. Players can play against bots in any multiplayer game mode by setting the mode to 'Player VS AI'. By going into parameters and turning off matchmaking, players can play on their own with a game of all bots.
Customization of all bots are randomized, even their gender. However, the higher level bots will have more variety and higher tier visual gear than their lower level counterparts.
Despite popular belief, bots do not get increased health or stamina at higher levels.
Level 1[]
The most basic bot. Lvl 1 bots will mostly perform the basic combos, without making much attempts for "strategic" maneuvers. They may not even use special moves much that are specific to their character, such as the Nobushi's Hidden Stance or the Black Prior's Bulwark Counter. What combos performed depend on the hero. Heroes such as the Raider will throw mostly heavy attack chains while Nobushi and Nuxia will mostly throw light attacks. Orochi and Warden will often have a balance of both. Their reaction time varies, along with what tactics they may mostly use. Sometimes they may not make any attempt to block or evade your attacks; other times they will succeed in blocking or evading all of them. The aggression of Lvl 1 bots vary with heroes such as Raider, Shugoki, and Highlander being more likely to be very aggressive and attacking nonstop until their stamina is depleted, whereas others such as Warlord, Jiang Jun, and Lawbringer will be more defensive.
If the player is aggressive and performs combos and not just singular attacks, then defeating Lvl 1 bots should come easy. Lvl 1 bots should be used as a means of practicing other skills such as parrying. While they are vulnerable to spammed moves, especially unblockables, this is discouraged as when they are upgraded to Lvl 2 the player will not have improved.
Level 2[]
Lvl 2 bots will begin to make use of their character's full moveset. They will perform both light and heavy combos as well as guard breaks and zone attacks. They are not too aggressive yet not as passive as the Lvl 1. The attacks they perform rather random with very little correlation between you, them, and the environment. They will throw certain combinations more often than others depending on their class, the Raider will do a guardbreak and stampeded charge more often for example, but they do not act based on much else.
If you know the other character's moves you should be able to figure out what is being done and react accordingly. Their reaction time is rather average and they will make active attempts to block your attacks.
Level 3[]
The most difficult bot level and with good reason. They will not only take full advantage of every move in the character's arsenal but utilize feints, zone attacks, and the environment around them. They will perform attacks specific to not only their class but your state as well as theirs. If you are out of stamina, they will very likely either perform a guardbreak or feint a heavy into a guardbreak. If you are close to a ledge or hazard, they will attempt to throw you off with not just guardbreaks but any moves they have such as Riposte for Lawbringer, shield bash for Conqueror, stampede charge for Raider, and demon ball for Shugoki. They are also very aware of their own stamina and will not allow themselves to be guardbroken when drained. Their attacks are done with more purpose, such as feinting a heavy then countering the heavy you throw intending to parry. And their reaction time is sharp to the point of parrying lights.
Intimate knowledge of both your moveset and the opponent's moveset is critical. It is unlikely that the player will land a hit form neutral. Feinting is a very powerful tool against Lvl 3 bots. Since their defense is so strong, getting them to react and open themselves up is crucial. Hard feints will often cause the opponent to perform a guardbreak, heavy attack, or a bash.
Parrying is also another vital component since it always leaves the opponent vulnerable for a period. Another important aspect is distance management. At close range Lvl 3 bots are very aggressive and will pound you with attacks so try to keep your distance and close in with opening moves. Also, try to keep track of their stamina. Often times the last move of their chain will drain them dry. If you can parry that last move, you can knock them over and get in some free hits.
Weaknesses in Lvl 3 bots include their inability to predict moves and their inability to recognize openings. As a result, they will often fall for the same trick. For example, they will not exploit mistimed Aramusha Blade Blockades from neutral. They will not take advantage of wall splats unless the wall splat was the original intent. In Breach, for instance, if a level 3 bot is engaged in combat with a player and there are pikemen nearby, it is more likely for the bot to prioritize any pikemen nearby rather than the player. This is another weakness of the bots. When playing one-on-one, they appear to be effective against any player, but when playing in groups of four, their AI frequently targets the first person they locked on, making it simple to eliminate them.
The Lvl 3 Lawbringer is aggressive to the point that he will attempt to attack any players who have fallen over even if he himself is out of stamina.
Trivia[]
- When playing solo, all allied bots will be the opposite gender of the player's warrior.
- There is a bot named 'Lord_Chanka'. This is a reference to the Lord Tachanka meme from Rainbow Six Siege.
- There is a bot named 'Legendary!'. This is likely a reference to General Tozen's infamous line, "You're a Raider! Legendary!", which has become a meme itself.
- The bot 'TheeLizardWizard' is a Raider bot named in honor of a now deceased For Honor player, and was added on June 28, 2018. It was done "as (a) part of Ubisoft's initiative to help keep the player's memory alive." ref 1 ref 2
- The bot 'Cyrus_Relik" is a level 3 Centurion bot named after a For Honor player who passed away on July 3rd, 2020. The bot was added as of the Y4S3 Resistance update.
- There is a Gryphon bot named 'Hold_My_Cross' , referencing Holden Cross and also a bot of the same hero named 'NotUrLawDaddy', referencing the difference between Gryphon and Lawbringer.[1]
- Some of the Gryphon bot names are a reference to the campaign.