The Art of an Orochi.

[794redfield]

(This is a LONG post, you have been warned, this is going to take a while.)

A lot of Orochies I see online fall into these same tired Traps, overuse of their lights, overall poor situational awareness and/or poor use of Feats. This is effectively my version of a guide to help you better understand our quick-footed weeb and possibly convince some to pick them up as either a pocket or a main.

Lesson 1, the Basics of being an Assassin: The general idea of the Assassins in For Honor is that they excell at 1v1 Combat, often having a kit specially geared to taking down single opponents. Orochi is possibly the best example, having virtually no "cleaving" attacks outside of their zone and having 2 Level 1 Feats meant specifically for escaping bad situations, mainly ganks. This doesn't mean you're entirely helpless when you get ganked, but once it becomes a 1v3 or 1v4 against you, you're in an extremely difficult situation where you're likely to either get badly wounded or die. Long story short, avoid large groups like the plague unless you have an ally or 2 to back you up, and if things go to ****, such as getting ganked at low health with no back-up or you're last man standing against 4 healthy warriors, just turn tail and run, most people call it "cowardly", I call it a tactical retreat, it denies the enemy team renown and it can cause a lot of people to get extreme tunnel vision as they try to chase you down, which could allow you to run them into an ambush or trap, all the while, they are leaving their points unguarded, which will allow your allies to capture them unopposed.

Lesson 2, Moveset: If a had a dollar for everytime somebody raged about an Orochi light, I'd be richer then Jesus about 10 times over by now, oh, make that 11 times over. To be blunt, Orochi has fast lights, your light openers and enders are 500ms and the 2nd light in a chain, assuming you didn't land the guaranteed top Light combo, is 400ms. Apart from the 2nd light, latency issues and/or internet speed is what causes these lights to seem more unstoppable then they actually are, the 2nd light I won't deny is very quick and near unreactable but the other 2, especially the ender, are parry foder to anyone with good reaction times. You have Heavies, use them, they're 35 damage from the top and 30 from the side, anybody who's too used to fighting light spamming Orochies (Aka: a LOT of players) will usually try to parry the instant they see the guard indicator flash red, only to realize too late that it was a Heavy attack being thrown at them, even if they feint in time you can still feint yourself and Guardbreak, Light, Zone etc. Speaking of which, your Zone is roughly 450ms, still enough time for most people to block on reaction but not slow enough to where parries can happen reliably unless anticipated, it is treated as a heavy and does 20 damage, its also your ONLY Cleave and even then its Sweep range is pitiful, its best used as surprise move from neutral or after a feint. As an Assassin, you also have access to dodging and Dashing lights that are Undodgable, these Lights are 600ms so you REALLY don't want to just throw them out in neutral, you also have a 22 (I think... I use Slip Through a lot) damage Top light from a Back-dodge, which also gives a little more distance on said dodge, and Storm Rush which you go into by holding Heavy during a Back Dodge, from there, you can actually choose which direction you want to attack from with the Top being Undodgable, just let Heavy go and run right at them, you can also feint at any point before you actually perform the attack so it might be a good idea to run forward a bit and feint to bait out an early attack. Finally, you have a Deflect, which is performed by dodging in the same direction of a non-Unblockable attack right before it makes contact, if done successfully, you can either perform a light unblockable which does 35 damage, or a Heavy unblockable that has Hyper Armor and does 50, but can be dodged with proper timing, you can also soft-feint the Heavy into either a Guardbreak or a dodge. Final Tip, don't overrely on your Lights, I guarantee you they'll stop working against competent players, full use of your moveset will get you further then trying to "Cheese" everyone.

Lesson 3, Feats: To absolutely nobodies' surprise, most of Orochi's Feats are geared towards 1v1s, with a few being very handy for Teamfights if you believe a gank squad is inevitable.

Level 1s: Bounty Hunter, Kiai and Iron Lungs.
Out of all 3 of these talents, Bounty Hunter is overall just the best choice for the wandering warrior, a 30 health heal and full Stamina Regen on Hero kill is amazing in pretty much any situation and could spell the difference between surviving a gank you can't flee from or dying.
Kiai, I've been seeing Orochies use this Feat wrong for YEARS, yes, it is an instant AoE stun that completely drains Stamina, but it also gives a TON of Revenge and causes people affected by it to gain more until they regen their Stamina. What you ACTUALLY should use it for is to Stun a gank squad if you're caught by yourself, then run for the hills and possibly capture a point while they're moving like limping, sickly wildebeasts. Using this on a single target is frankly a waste and more then likely to give them Revenge.
Iron Lungs, honestly, I never use this, the other 2 are just better in every way (Assuming you use Kiai the way I do, PLEASE use Kiai the way I do).

Level 2s: Smoke Bomb, Kunai and Revenge Attacks.
From here on out, any of Orochi's feats are useful in virtually any situation, but some are better in certain scenarios then others.
Smoke Bomb is frankly your best bet for Countering Ganks, it Blinds opponents and makes them unable to lock-on to anyone in the smoke, it even will let you capture Points and Zones even if there are enemies present, however it doesn't last as long as it used to and has a rather lengthy cooldown so use it only when it will be most effective.
Kunai has probably the shortest Cooldown for a Level 2 Feat in the game and does 15 damage, its very handy for killing targets on the brink of death but shouldn't really be used otherwise.
Revenge Attacks rewards flexible Offense by giving Revenge every time you inflict damage, nothing much to say about this one, it speaks for itself.

Level 3s: Long Bow, Sharpen Blade and Slip Through.
Long Bow does 50 damage from a pretty far range, perfect for killing a wounded target when they aren't expecting it or weakening a healthy target before coming in for the kill, don't expect to use it too often though, its cooldown is about as long as a level 4 Feat.
Sharpen Blade causes all of your attacks to Inflict bleed damage, they nerfed this a while back to where it has a shorter duration and a slightly longer cooldown, its still very useful for mowing down foes quickly, but it isn't quite the unstoppable monster it used to be.
Slip Through is possibly the best Level 3 Feat for Breach and those who are masters at Deflecting, after dodging you very breifly gain a 20% damage increase, this let's you 2 shot Pikemen with a Back-Dodge Light, Light combo and causes your Light Deflect to deal 49 damage and in the off-chance you land a Heavy Deflect, 70, in short, if you're confident in your dodging abilities and/or want to have better Pikemen clear, this is the Feat for you.

Level 4s: Nail Bomb, Fear Itself and Arrow Storm.
Nail Bomb is by a wide maragin the Strongest Trap in the entire game, the Bleed damage does about 110 damage which is near instant death for most Assassins along with Stunning anybody it hits, and the blast radius is HUGE. As to be expected, it also has possibly the longest cooldown I've ever seen for a Level 4 Feat, so use it whenever you can. I personally place it in narrow chokepoints where getting around it is roughly impossible, also, remember what I said earlier about people getting extreme tunnel vision when chasing a fleeing Orochi? Lead them into one of these and it'll VERY quickly turn the tide in your favor, especially if it hits more then one enemy.
Fear Itself causes every enemy in a radius around you to take increased damage, like Sharpen Blade, it got its duration reduced and cooldown increased, still pretty useful though.
Arrow Storm isn't used too often compared to the other 2 Level 4s, but its honestly a pretty good feat for Area Damage, especially after the huge nerf to Catapult. Its cooldown is on the shorter side so don't feel bad about using it to slaughter a ton of minions or Pikemen, it also covers an overall larger area then both Catapult and Fire Flask so it can very easily mow down an unaware group that's bunched up together and/or make them scatter.

Lesson 4: Perks.
Since these vary depending on Gear, I'll just give the ones I use personally.
Devourer: This is just a great QoL improvement for Orochi, 15 extra health from executions is really handy, your quickest exection "From Above" will heal 35 HP instead of 20 and your longer exectutions will restore 65 HP instead of 50, which is over half your base Health.
Endurance: 3% Stamina cost Reduction for every Renown Level you gain is a 2 fold benefit, 1, it makes your own attacks and feints cost less Stamina and 2, it causes you to lose less stamina from moves like Raider's Charge or Conq's shield Bash. I've gotten a lot of extra mileage out of it, so It's likely anyone else will as well.
Head Hunter: Get this Perk as soon as you're able to get Legendary Gear, its overall a large Survivablity increase for Orochies that do their job well, for every unique hero you execute on the enemy team, your Max HP permanently increases by 4 for the rest of the Match, after executing all 4 enemy heroes at least once each, you'll have 136 HP, effectively giving you the HP of a Vanguard.

Final Lesson, Recap.
Mentality: Know the situation, know the position of your enemies, make a plan, and execute. Pick off isolated and/or wounded targets and do not be ashamed to run when the situation is heavily against you, you're no use to your team dead and most will foolishly leave key areas unguarded just to chase you down.
Moveset: Stay flexible, your Lights may be Fast but they can't do everything, every Attack you have has a place and a purpose, use them all to their fullest if you want to truely be a master of the Katana.
Feats: Whether you wish to be a Burst Damage Menace, a Supportive Nuisance or a Durable and Cunning Striker, proper selection and use of your Feats is just as important as mastering your weapon.

For those who find these guide useful and wish to pick up Orochi as their Assassin of choice, I wish you luck in your endevour and look forward to seeing you on the battlefield.

[HecklerVane]

You could just post it on the guides section rather than here.

[M4rhun]

Or just spam lights -> die -> repeat.

[Nibbiru]

I'm happy to see long and detailed write ups on the Steam forums, especially about Orochi.

[MadMek]

Originally posted by M4RHUN:

Or just spam lights -> die -> repeat.

And then complain on the forums that your character is underpowered.

[Nibbiru]

Originally posted by MadMek:

Originally posted by M4RHUN:

Or just spam lights -> die -> repeat.

And then complain on the forums that your character is underpowered.

Orochi is indeed severely lacking in tools compared to other heroes, he's fast, definitely not weak, but most certainly not up to par to other assassins let alone most of the cast.

[There'sNoStringOnMe]

If I have a dollar every time my team's Orochi kiai me in the face, I'll be half as rich as you are OP

[Gaser]

Orochis who throw there Kunai at me while I still have full health confuse me.

Isn't the Kunai supposed to be some kind of finishing tool?

[MadMek]

Originally posted by Gaser:

Orochis who throw there Kunai at me while I still have full health confuse me.

Isn't the Kunai supposed to be some kind of finishing tool?

Yea, and then they run away. Because that's bound to win them the game.

[794redfield]

Originally posted by Gaser:

Orochis who throw there Kunai at me while I still have full health confuse me.

Isn't the Kunai supposed to be some kind of finishing tool?

It is, I can't help but wince everytime an Orochi throws it at a high health target, that's what the Long Bow is for.

[Stret]

this is not really any guide, tho. There is also tons of incorrect information. ( such as zone being 450ms. No, its 500ms. It also lacks a little, such as the third top light also being 400ms )


But you said Bounty Hunter is the best 1st feat. So you already have my full respect bro

[794redfield]

Originally posted by Stret1311:

this is not really any guide, tho. There is also tons of incorrect information. ( such as zone being 450ms. No, its 500ms. It also lacks a little, such as the third top light also being 400ms )


But you said Bounty Hunter is the best 1st feat. So you already have my full respect bro

I placed the zone the way it was becuase the parry window on it is tighter then most other moves in the game, so while it is 500ms, it sure as heck doesn't feel like it, both as the Orochi using it and as the person they're fighting, the top light finisher always felt like 500ms to me, but then again I almost never use a Light finisher because "Parry Foder".

[Stret]

Originally posted by 794redfield:

Originally posted by Stret1311:

this is not really any guide, tho. There is also tons of incorrect information. ( such as zone being 450ms. No, its 500ms. It also lacks a little, such as the third top light also being 400ms )


But you said Bounty Hunter is the best 1st feat. So you already have my full respect bro

I placed the zone the way it was becuase the parry window on it is tighter then most other moves in the game, so while it is 500ms, it sure as heck doesn't feel like it, both as the Orochi using it and as the person they're fighting, the top light finisher always felt like 500ms to me, but then again I almost never use a Light finisher because "Parry Foder".

all parry windows in the game are the same

yeah, light finishers arent really worth it. Your opponent can just lbock top and react sides

[SourApple]

Originally posted by Stret1311:

this is not really any guide, tho. There is also tons of incorrect information. ( such as zone being 450ms. No, its 500ms. It also lacks a little, such as the third top light also being 400ms )


But you said Bounty Hunter is the best 1st feat. So you already have my full respect bro

Agreed. In 4v4s people dont really have time to do executes most of the time.

[SourApple]

Originally posted by 794redfield:

Originally posted by Stret1311:

this is not really any guide, tho. There is also tons of incorrect information. ( such as zone being 450ms. No, its 500ms. It also lacks a little, such as the third top light also being 400ms )


But you said Bounty Hunter is the best 1st feat. So you already have my full respect bro

I placed the zone the way it was becuase the parry window on it is tighter then most other moves in the game, so while it is 500ms, it sure as heck doesn't feel like it, both as the Orochi using it and as the person they're fighting, the top light finisher always felt like 500ms to me, but then again I almost never use a Light finisher because "Parry Foder".

Do 2 lights, feint heavy delay 2 lights repeat.

[shower speedrunner]

I like to add
Storm Rush, aim the right side, it deals dmg instantly, unlike the slower left side, and the slowest top.