Mordhau: Your medieval dream come true

Mordhau is a multiplayer medieval-themed video game published by an independent Slovenian studio Triternion in 2019. After it sold just shy of 500000 copies, we were wondering about all of the things the game has to offer. It is a hack and slash fighting game with a focus on skill-based combat and personal customization. Featuring historical techniques such as feints and redirection, Mordhau is your medieval dream come true.

Have you ever wished you were a medieval knight fighting and drinking your life away? I certainly have. At first glance, Mordhau is just that. For many, the game came as a successor to Chivalry. Chivalry was such a success, bringing forth the medieval warfare experience, that it left a legacy big enough to peak anyone’s interest in Mordhau.

What can be expected with Mordhau?

Mordhau is a skill-based melee game. Important keyword: skill-based. New players that are starting out will have a steep learning curve. Especially, if they’re completely new to the genre. In order to enjoy it, you have to be content with being bad for a certain amount of time. The outcome of 1vs1 fights will, at least most of the time, be determined by skill. One mistake can cost you your life. That’s why it’s possible to encounter a fully naked player going against someone in plate armor.

That being said, Mordhau does a pretty good job at making the game competitive. An unfortunate side effect is a toxic community. In 2019, the game studio Triternion faced backlash concerning inadequate punishments for toxicity. It is not a rarity to encounter homophobia, racism, or sexism in the game chats or the Mordhau forums.

Another controversy was brought up during the same time. One Triternion artist, when asked about character diversity, stated that the players will be given an option to disable certain things. This caused outrage in the community. In Triternion’s post on Twitter, they explained that the idea was briefly discussed and dismissed.

Gamemodes

Mordhau features a decent amount of different game modes guaranteed to scratch your itch.

Frontline

Frontline is a game mode focusing mainly on objectives. Two teams, each consisting of 24 players, go up against each other with the purpose to finish the team’s objective. Along with the main objective, killing an enemy or capturing a part of their territory will also bring in some points for your team.

Horde

Horde is your typical zombie waves game. A small team of players is pitted against waves of AI enemies. You start off with a naked character and as you progress through waves you win currency.

Invasion

Again featuring 24 player teams, Invasion is similar to Frontline. Instead of two equal teams, this game mode has the attacking team and the defense team battling for victory.

Deathmatch

Deathmatch has players fight in a free-for-all. You can also experience this game mode through teams. The main objective of the match is to score the target amount of kills.

Skirmish

Similar to Deathmatch, Skirmish has teams fight for survival. The catch is once you die, you won’t respawn till the end of the round. This continues until one team has managed to win 7 rounds.

Combat and Customization inside Mordhau

Combat in a melee game is very important. Mordhau was certainly aware of that. The perfect word to describe the combat in this game is fluid. It might not be for everyone’s taste though. Triternion went heavy on the gore. What ties it all together is the amazing sound effects and voice lines. With the previously mentioned historical techniques, Mordhau’s arsenal of weapons is amazingly realistic. All of the stats are in-depth. Anyone who is into the medieval period will certainly have a good time.

The single most amazing thing about Mordhau, however, is that all of the cosmetics are completely free, with no microtransactions. It seems too good to be true. There was a fear along the way that some shiny armor will be locked behind a paywall. Three years have passed since the release of the game and that hasn’t happened yet.

Closing thoughts

If you are someone that loves the medieval period and the satisfaction of brutally killing someone virtually, then Mordhau is the perfect game for you. You can spend hours in this game and not get tired of it. To get it for cheap, check out this steam key