How to play Sohei Guide – For Honor

Sohei is a Samurai Heavy hero in For Honor, released January 25, 2024. His gameplay revolves around a unique Soul System where you charge six different weapons by landing finishers. Once all six are glowing, you unlock the Seven-Force Strike, a single combo capable of dealing up to 149 damage and instantly killing most heroes. In this guide, you’ll learn his fastest soul builds, best combos, optimal feats, and strategies for both duels and 4v4 modes.

This is a complete guide for Sohei, a reasonably complex Hero to learn, but once understood, he can be a beast on the battlefield. He’s different from other characters and will shake things up, especially in 4v4 modes where his unique mechanics truly shine.

Typical Sohei Strategy

A Sohei player is aiming to get the 7 Force Strike, and so it is common for Sohei players to Grab 3 times, once for each attack type (once for light, once for heavies), then to execute the 7 Force Strike, which is almost a one-shot ability.

God's Hands (Light) ➝ God's Hands (Heavy) ➝ 7 Force Strike

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Sohei Soul System Explained

Sohei has a unique soul system that, once understood, can help you counter or play better as him, as this is his primary goal in fights to one-shot opponents.

How the Soul System Works

Sohei has 6 weapons on his back, which form the core mechanic that defines his entire playstyle. These weapons are arranged from left to right as follows: left heavy finisher, left light finisher, top heavy finisher, top light finisher, right side heavy finisher, and then right side light finisher. The weapons with white handles correspond to light attacks, while those with black handles are for heavy attacks. The Spiked Staff held is Sohei’s primary weapon and is only used to start combos.

Your main goal as Sohei is to get all six of these weapons glowing, which you accomplish by landing finisher attacks. When you successfully land a finisher attack, the corresponding weapon on your back will glow white. Once all six weapons are glowing white, they transform to glowing red, indicating that you can now perform the devastating Seven-Force Strike. (Forward dash bash, then Zone attack. This is almost a one-shot ability.)

For the three white handle swords, you can light attack on any side, then choose the weapon you want to glow next as the finisher. The top light finisher has the undodgeable property, making it an easy sword to glow since opponents cannot dodge it. For the three black handle swords, you can heavy attack on any side, then choose the weapon you want to glow next as the finisher. The left heavy finisher causes bleed damage over time, while the top and right heavy finishers are unblockable.

How to Activate All Six Souls Quickly

There are several different ways to obtain glowing weapons beyond the standard light-light or heavy-heavy combinations. The most efficient method involves using guard break combinations. When you land a guard break, you can spam either the light or heavy button to perform three consecutive attacks, similar to Peacekeeper’s stab follow-ups. Spamming light attacks after a guard break will give you all three light weapon glows, while spamming heavy attacks grants all three heavy weapon glows. This means that just two guard breaks can provide you with all six glowing weapons. Enemies usually die in 3 guard breaks.

Parry follow-ups provide another excellent opportunity to gain weapon glows efficiently. After landing any parry, whether from a light or heavy attack, you can immediately input a light attack that goes straight into a finisher, granting you an instant weapon glow. Heavy parry follow-ups are also confirmed, and you can even get a bash off any parry, leading directly to potential Seven-Force Strike opportunities.

Seven-Force Strike: Damage and Execution

To initiate the Seven Force Strike, you perform a forward bash followed by a Zone attack.

This devastating finishing move deals a whopping 95 to 148 damage and is capable of one-shotting many heroes. The bash can be performed from neutral or off a parry, making it a versatile tool for landing this massive damage. Once you use the Seven-Force Strike, all your glowing weapons are consumed, requiring you to reset and build them up again.

Sohei Moveset & Combos

Basic Attack Chains

Sohei’s moveset revolves around building and utilizing his glowing weapons effectively. The light attacks are chained, meaning you can perform light-light combinations to reach finishers. Similarly, heavy attacks work in heavy-heavy combinations. You can switch between attack types using a Zone attack mid-chain, which opens up significant mixup potential. For example, you can perform a light starter into Zone into a heavy finisher, or a heavy starter into Zone into a light finisher.

Light attacks don’t do much damage on their own, typically around 9 damage for a neutral light. Heavy attacks similarly have modest damage output in their base form. The real power comes from successfully building your glowing weapons and accessing the Seven-Force Strike potential.

Zone Attack Properties and Mixups

The Zone attack has several important properties that make it a crucial part of Sohei’s kit. During the Zone attack, Sohei gains hyper armor, meaning it’s safe to trade with opponents. The Zone always starts from the right side and deals 24 damage when used as a guard break punish. It also executes low-health opponents, making it preferable to stab follow-ups when your opponent is nearly defeated.

Most importantly, the Zone can be soft feinted into a guard break, creating a smooth animation that will catch many players off guard, especially during the first few days after the hero’s release. This soft feint capability makes the Zone attack a powerful mixup tool that can lead to guard breaks and subsequently more glowing weapons.

Best Light and Heavy Finishers

Understanding which finishers provide the most value is crucial for efficient soul building. The top light finisher stands out due to its undodgeable property, making it nearly guaranteed to land and an excellent choice for securing that particular weapon glow. Among the heavy finishers, each serves a different purpose: the left heavy finisher applies bleed damage over time, while the top and right heavy finishers are unblockable, providing significant pressure options against defensive opponents.

Advanced Sohei Techniques

Fastest Ways to Build Souls

The guard break approach remains the fastest method for building souls. Landing two guard breaks allows you to acquire all six glowing weapons through the triple light and triple heavy combinations. This makes Sohei particularly dangerous in the hands of players who excel at landing guard breaks and can be considered a “guard break hero” since you theoretically need only three successful guard breaks in a round: one for light attacks, one for heavy attacks, and finally the Seven-Force Strike guard break.

Alternatively, mixing parry follow-ups with standard attack chains provides a more balanced approach. Since parry follow-ups go straight into finishers, they offer immediate weapon glows without requiring complete attack chains. This method is particularly effective against aggressive opponents who provide frequent parry opportunities.

Guard Break and Parry Punishes

For guard break punishes, the optimal choice depends on your current soul status and the opponent’s health. If your weapons are glowing red and your opponent is at reasonable health, using the Zone attack for 24 damage while maintaining your souls can be valuable. However, if you need to build souls, the triple light or triple heavy combinations provide much greater long-term value.

Parry punishes offer immediate access to finishers through light attack follow-ups. Heavy parry follow-ups are also confirmed, and the ability to get a bash off any parry means you can potentially access Seven-Force Strike opportunities directly from successful defensive play.

Out-of-Stamina Punishes

When punishing out-of-stamina opponents, your optimal choice is Zone into top-heavy, which is safe and allows you to continue your mix-up by chaining into another Zone attack afterward. This provides both immediate damage and ongoing pressure. Zone into side heavy is considered an unsafe punish and should be avoided in favor of the top-heavy option.

For stamina throws, light into Zone provides better frame advantage than basic light attacks, since the final light in a simple light chain can be blocked by recovering opponents.

Best Feats for Sohei in 4v4

Tier 1 to Tier 4 Feat Breakdown

Sohei’s Tier 1 feat, Eye of the Demon, targets an enemy and applies a defense debuff to them, increasing your damage output significantly. This feat synergizes well with his high-damage potential, making an already threatening Seven-Force Strike even more devastating. He also has access to Iron Lungs and Speed Revive for utility options.

The Tier 2 feat, Soul’s Consume, allows you to consume all six of your souls to heal yourself fully, providing incredible survivability when you have your weapons glowing red. This feat creates an interesting strategic decision between using souls for damage or survival. Arrow Strike and Smoke Bomb provide additional tactical options for team fights.

His Tier 3 feat is a passive called Solitary Mind, which grants an attack buff when you acquire all six souls. This attack buff remains active until you consume or lose your souls, meaning you can potentially maintain increased damage output while holding onto your Seven-Force Strike threat.

The Tier 4 feat, Soul Walker, allows you to instantly gain all six souls when activated, providing game-changing potential in team fights. The ideal situation is to have six souls already, use this to heal if low on health, then immediately regain using Soul Walker. Additionally, as a trickshot of sorts, some players gain all six souls, maintain it until they think there can be an opportunity to use Seven-Soul-Strike twice, do it once, activate the Soul Walker, then perform it again.

Best Feat Combinations for Different Modes

In 4v4 modes, the combination of Eye of the Demon debuff with the Solitary Mind attack buff creates devastating damage potential. With both effects active, neutral lights increase from 9 to 12 damage, and the Seven-Force Strike can reach an incredible 148 damage. The Soul Walker feat provides incredible strategic value, as you can theoretically use six souls on one opponent, then immediately activate your Tier 4 to gain six souls again for another enemy.

For modes requiring more survivability, prioritizing Soul’s Consume over immediate Seven-Force Strike usage can provide sustained fighting capability, especially in longer team fights where healing opportunities are limited.

Sohei Playstyle & Strategy

Guard Break-Focused Playstyle

Many players adopt a guard break-focused approach, treating Sohei essentially as a guard break specialist. This playstyle prioritizes landing guard breaks to use the triple light or triple heavy combinations for rapid weapon acquisition. Sohei has two methods for initiating guard breaks: the standard grab during combat, and a dash forward guard break that is unblockable, providing an additional tool for closing distance and securing grabs.

This approach works particularly well in lower ranks where guard break defense may be less consistent, and the psychological pressure of potentially losing most of your health to a single combo can cause opponents to make defensive mistakes.

Balanced Attack Chain Playstyle

Some players prefer a more traditional approach, using light and heavy finishers at appropriate times and gradually building weapon glows through normal combat flow. This method requires more patience but can be less predictable to opponents and works better against skilled players who consistently counter guard break attempts.

This playstyle focuses on mixing standard attack chains with occasional guard break opportunities and parry follow-ups, creating a more varied offensive approach that doesn’t rely entirely on landing grabs.

When to Use Seven-Force Strike vs Healing

In modes with feats enabled, strategic considerations become complex. The decision between using souls for the Seven-Force Strike versus healing through Soul’s Consume depends on several factors: your current health, your opponent’s health, the game mode, and whether you have access to your Tier 4 feat.

Generally, if you’re at low health and your opponent is also damaged, healing might provide more long-term value. However, if your opponent is at high health and you’re in good condition, the Seven-Force Strike’s massive damage output often provides immediate round-ending potential. The Tier 3 attack buff also factors into this decision, as maintaining souls provides ongoing damage increases that can accumulate significant value over time.

Additional Sohei Tips & Tricks

Dodge Attacks and Mobility

Sohei possesses standard mobility options, including dodge light attacks and dodge heavies in all directions. The front dodge heavy is notably slower than typical dodge attacks, which can work in your favor by catching opponents off guard with unexpected timing. He maintains the standard running light and running heavy attacks, providing basic chase and engagement tools.

Weapon Layout for Efficient Soul Building

Understanding the weapon layout from left to right is crucial for efficiently building your desired glows. Since you know precisely which weapon corresponds to which attack and direction, you can strategically plan your approach based on the current fight state and your opponent’s defensive habits. The visual feedback of seeing weapons glow provides both you and your opponent with clear information about your current threat level.

Prioritizing the top light finisher due to its undodgeable property can provide guaranteed soul-building opportunities. In contrast, the unblockable heavy finishers create pressure that can lead to parry opportunities or force defensive reactions that open up guard break chances.

Execution Potential & Mind Games

The execution potential of Sohei cannot be overstated. With proper setup and the right feats, the Seven-Force Strike can eliminate most heroes in a single blow, making every guard break and every parry a potential game-ending moment. This constant threat forces opponents to play more cautiously, which can work in your favor by limiting their offensive options and creating more opportunities for you to build weapons safely.

The psychological element of Sohei’s design means that opponents often become increasingly defensive as you approach full weapon activation, potentially creating openings through their hesitation and fear of the massive damage potential.

Conclusion

Sohei represents a unique approach to For Honor’s combat system, where resource management and setup play crucial roles in achieving devastating results. His soul system creates a risk-reward dynamic that rewards both patience and aggression, depending on your chosen playstyle and the specific match situation.

Mastering Sohei requires understanding when to prioritize different aspects of his kit, balancing the immediate gratification of guard break soul building with the more sustainable approach of traditional attack chains. The constant threat of the Seven-Force Strike, combined with his excellent feat flow in 4v4 modes, makes him a formidable opponent in the right hands.

Success with Sohei ultimately comes down to reading your opponent, understanding the flow of each match, and making smart decisions about when to cash in your souls for maximum impact. Whether you prefer the high-risk, high-reward guard break approach or the more measured traditional playstyle, Sohei offers tools for both aggressive and patient players to find success on the battlefield. This could be your new main Hero, though. Be warned, some teammates may irritate Sohei players by coming in during guard breaks and breaking them for you, unintentionally ruining the soul build-up.