Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior announces full class lineup featuring pirates, vikings, and ninja

Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior, the expansion for Torn Banner's medieval deathmatch game based on Spike TV's historical "What if?" show, has opened the gates to reveal all of the warriors who will be entering the bloody fray. Joining the Spartan and Samurai we got to see at PAX , you'll also be able to play as a viking, a pirate, a ninja, or a knight—the last of which is a sort of amalgam of the three classes from the original Chivalry.

In addition to the dozen or so historical weapons each warrior will be able to equip, each class also has a special ability of some sort. The viking can work himself into a berserker frenzy, with his weapon combo strikes getting faster and faster the longer the combo is maintained. The samurai, when switching weapons to any sword, will preform a deadly attack as part of the initial draw. The footsteps of a ninja make no sound, and they can execute an agile forward roll. The pirate can swill from a bottle of rum during a lull in battle to regain health.

Each warrior will also have a signature map. We got to fight it out on the Samurai and Spartan maps, depicting Japanese and Hellenic temple complexes, respectively. The Samurai map featured a section of destructible floor that gave way to a deadly pit, as well as accessible rooftops to fight on. The Spartan map featured a larger, circular abyss that totally wasn't at all inspired by any emissary-kicking scenes in major Hollywood action movies.

The planned gamemodes, supporting up to 64 players, include free-for-alls, duels, and team battles (with up to six teams) in which everyone on a team plays as the same warrior class. Moment-to-moment, the game plays very much like vanilla Chivalry, but the classes have very different playstyles. As a Spartan, it's very effective to stay behind your nigh-unbreakable bronze shield, darting in with an underhanded spear thrust when your opponent is recovering from an attack. The samurai is very much about positioning and setting yourself up for the death blow. The viking, as I demonstrated while playing against GamesRadar's Lorenzo Veloria, is just about running up to the other guy and slashing at him until he's moderately to very dead.

Some warriors, like the viking, seem to excel in one-on-one situations, while others, like the Spartan, feel like they would excel more in organized team warfare. We weren't able to try out the pirate or ninja in the preview build, but the concept of adding a nimble stealth character and a swashbuckler with a deadly, single-shot firearm to the mix is intriguing. Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior will leap into the arena some time this fall, with a beta going live soon.