Ubisoft reveals its upcoming hack and slash title, For Honor, will offer all DLC maps and mode to players for free, though it will still have microtransactions.

When Ubisoft first revealed For Honor a couple years ago, the gaming community was excited for the unique, fresh take on close-quarter combat. Since then, the community has experienced a roller coaster of emotions as Ubisoft released additional details about the game.

The latest disappointing move on the part of Ubisoft is its decision to require a constant Internet connection for the game, including the single player. Fortunately, the frustration about that decision has been dulled by a new revelation about the title. According to Ubisoft, all For Honor DLC modes and maps will be free.

While speaking about the game recently, For Honor game director Damien Kieken shared the company’s take on DLC for the title and opened up about why Ubisoft plans to make all DLC for the game free. Kieken said:

"We don't want to split the community. Everything that's matchmade [including] new modes and new maps, will be given for free to the players. We'll also have other free content. We are a big team supporting the game after launch."

This is great news for fans of the game, especially in light of recent trends in the gaming community about expansions and DLCs. Granted, Kieken was sure to point out that all maps and modes will be free, but didn’t definitively claim that all future heroes in the game would be free. A similar situation happened with last year’s Rainbow Six: Siege – also a Ubisoft title – which also saw all new maps released for free to the community. In that case, however, players were still required to purchase the Season Pass or individual DLC packs to gain access to the game’s new characters. For Honor may offer character DLCs similar to Rainbow Six: Siege.

For Honor will also have microtransactions. During the presentation, Kieken referenced the company’s plan to allow players to purchase Steel, the in-game currency in For Honor, for real-world money. That said, doing so won’t necessarily give players too much of a leg-up against opponents. Kiegen said:

"The idea is that we allow players to buy more Steel. It's just a shortcut. Everything is unlockable just by playing the game. And all shortcuts are tied to progression, so you can't unlock an end-game item right away."

It’s understandable that developers and publishers want to find ways to increase revenue streams with each game, but it's frustrating when it affects the experience some players have because others are able to pay-to-win. So it’s nice to see that although players will be able to purchase Steel in For Honor with real money, it shouldn’t hamper the experience of other players.

It will be interesting to see what other details are revealed as we get close to For Honor’s release date. Perhaps Ubisoft will opt to make any other aspects of For Honor or its DLC free to players.

What do you think about Kieken’s comments on For Honor’s maps and modes being free for all players?

For Honor is set to release February 14, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.