Hey gamers, how's it going? Hope you're all doing great. So I'm still deep into Chivalry 2 as you know, and this time I decided to go all in with the Footman class and explore its three subclass combinations for today's post. So what I did was jump into a 64-player match where I could explore the Footman at my own pace and really pay attention to everything it has to offer, because honestly this class has a lot more going on than it might seem at first glance.
Before getting into each subclass, let me give you a quick overview of what the Footman actually is in Chivalry 2, because it's worth understanding the base before diving into the variations. The Footman sits right in the middle of the roster in terms of stats, with 150 health, a movement speed of 100, and 80 stamina. It's not the tankiest class in the game since that crown goes to the Knight, and it's not the fastest either, but what it lacks in extremes it makes up for in flexibility and support. Every single Footman subclass shares one very important special ability: the Bandage Kit. This thing lets you throw bandages to your teammates so they can heal up, and the more you actually use it to heal and revive allies, the faster it recharges. So right from the start this class is pushing you to play with your team and not just run off doing your own thing. In the middle of a chaotic 32 vs 32 battle, having someone consistently throwing out heals can make a massive difference in how long your squad holds an objective, and that's exactly the kind of role the Footman was built for.
The first style within the Footman class is the Poleman
So the first subclass you start with when you pick the Footman is the Poleman, and this one is all about keeping enemies at a distance while still being able to do serious damage. The signature weapon here is the Halberd, along with other long polearms and spears, giving you the longest melee reach of any subclass in the entire game. And that reach really matters in the 64-player mode, because fights tend to happen in these tight chokepoints where you can thrust your weapon between your allies and hit enemies without exposing yourself too much. It's a really clever way to contribute to a push without being the guy who gets immediately deleted by a heavy Knight the moment he steps forward.
The Poleman also gets a 25% extra damage bonus on sprint charge attacks, which is a seriously satisfying ability to pull off when you get it right. You're running full speed into a group of enemies and just demolishing someone before they even realize you were coming. On top of that, the Poleman is the only Footman subclass that can actually tackle enemies, knocking them flat on the ground and leaving them completely vulnerable for a follow up. And if that wasn't enough tools in the kit, you also get Spike Traps that you can place on the ground to slow down or punish enemies moving through certain areas. Honestly, for a subclass that's supposed to be the "starter" option for the Footman, the Poleman brings a surprising amount of utility, and I found myself having a ton of fun with it during the 64-player matches just because the tackle plus spike trap combo gives you so many creative options in the middle of a massive battle.
The second is the Man at Arms
The Man at Arms is where things shift quite a bit from the Poleman. Instead of long reach and tackle plays, this subclass is built around being the fastest and most mobile fighter in the Footman lineup. It uses one-handed weapons like the Morning Star and comes with a medium shield, which gives you a totally different dynamic compared to the heavy polearms of the Poleman. The key passive here is that the Man at Arms gets a 10% movement speed boost when wielding a one-handed weapon, and on top of that it has a reduced dash cooldown, which means you're slipping in and out of fights way more aggressively than any other Footman variation.
In practice this makes the Man at Arms feel almost like a lighter version of some of the Knight subclasses, except you're trading raw health and defense for speed and the Bandage Kit support ability. The shield is surprisingly useful for blocking incoming hits when you're in the middle of a brawl, and the quick one-handed weapon lets you land fast hits and get out before someone can line up a heavy counter attack. I found this subclass worked really well when I was trying to hold the flanks of an objective rather than fighting directly in the main crush of the battle, since you're quick enough to reposition constantly and punish any enemies that try to sneak around the main push. Definitely a more skill-dependent subclass than the Poleman since you're working with less raw damage output, but when you get into your rhythm with the dodge and dash mechanics it feels genuinely satisfying to play.
Finally we have the Field Engineer
And then there's the Field Engineer, which is honestly the most unique and situational of the three Footman subclasses by a pretty wide margin. This one is unlocked later at class level 7, and the moment you see its primary weapon you'll probably do a double take: it's a sledgehammer. A regular, plain sledgehammer. In a medieval sword fighting game. You can eventually swap it for a shovel or a pickaxe, which is somehow even funnier. It sounds ridiculous at first, but the Field Engineer is actually an incredibly important class for objective-based play, and in the 64-player Team Objective mode it can genuinely change the outcome of a battle when used correctly.
The Field Engineer deals double damage to breakable objects, which in objective maps means it can demolish barricades, walls, gates, and other destructible elements at twice the speed of any other class. When the enemy team has set up fortifications to hold an objective point, having a Field Engineer rushing in to tear everything down while the rest of the team provides cover is a game changer. On the flip side, when you're on defense the Field Engineer can place Barricades and Spike Traps to completely redirect enemy movement and force them into chokepoints that favor your team. There's also a cool little perk where reviving a teammate as a Field Engineer heals you by 25%, which gives you a nice incentive to stay close to your allies and keep them on their feet. It's honestly the kind of subclass that doesn't look impressive on the kill scoreboard at the end of the match, but the team that has a Field Engineer working smartly in the background will almost always have a better time hitting or defending objectives than the team that doesn't.
Conclusions
So those are the three styles available for the Footman class in Chivalry 2. Each one plays quite differently from the others, which is honestly really cool to see since it means the Footman isn't just a one-trick pony support class, it can adapt to what your team needs in any given situation. The Poleman for aggressive range and crowd control, the Man at Arms for speed and agility, and the Field Engineer for strategic objective play. I still need to keep playing and experimenting with the other classes in the game, there's clearly a ton more to discover. So while I do that, see you in the next post gamers!
