Update 201: Melee, Trail Arms & Horse Leading - Released!
Campfire Games
yesterday
Hello everyone,
Today, we’re pleased to bring you the 201st War of Rights update , with a focus on improving the overall responsiveness and feel of the game. Update 201 brings a number of changes to infantry gameplay, including improvements to melee combat, movement and weapon handling, as well as the introduction of personal hit notification sounds. We’ve also continued our work on the recently introduced horses, with players now able to lead them on foot by the reins. These changes, alongside a number of smaller improvements and fixes, make up Update 201. Let’s dive into the specifics below!
Trail Arms & Movement Changes
One of the most consistent pieces of feedback we’ve received, particularly from newer players, has been frustration with how the character transitions between the marching and at-the-ready states. We’ve also found the existing behaviour to be somewhat unintuitive, as certain actions, such as sprinting, could implicitly change your state without any deliberate input from the player. To address this, switching between marching and at-the-ready is now a much more deliberate action, giving you greater control over which state your character is in.
To accommodate this change, double quick is now available while at-the-ready. We’ve also introduced a new manual of arms position: Trail Arms . When sprinting from shoulder arms, your character will now transition to trail arms rather than implicitly changing to a different movement state. Together, these changes allow the marching and at-the-ready states to remain consistent regardless of how quickly you choose to move. In practical terms, this means you can now walk, double quick, or sprint while either at shoulder arms or at-the-ready , without your chosen state being changed automatically. We’ve also reduced the amount of slowdown applied when turning while running, giving you greater control when making rapid changes in direction and making movement feel more responsive during close-quarters and melee engagements. Stamina consumption has also been adjusted to better complement the new system. Moving at shoulder arms or right shoulder shift will consume less stamina than moving while at-the-ready or in melee mode. This gives the different states a clearer purpose: carrying your weapon in a marching position is more efficient over longer distances, while remaining prepared to fire or engage in melee comes at the cost of increased stamina consumption.
Horse Leading
It is now possible for any class to grab hold of a horse’s reins and lead it on foot, whether or not the horse currently has a rider. Depending on which side you approach and take the reins from, the horse can be led from either your left or right side, giving players greater control when handling horses on the ground.
This also opens up some useful possibilities for mounted officers. An officer can now dismount and entrust their horse to a nearby private or NCO while they survey the battlefield, issue orders, or move into a position where bringing a horse might not be practical. Rather than risking the horse running off, another member of the company can keep it safely under control until the officer is ready to mount up again. Beyond its practical uses, the feature adds another small layer of interaction between infantry and cavalry. Horses no longer need to be managed exclusively from the saddle, allowing companies to make more deliberate use of their mounts both in and out of combat.
Melee Hit Detection Rework
Infantry melee attacks and hit detection have received a significant overhaul. Previously, each attack relied on a single delayed hit check. Attacks will now continuously check for valid targets throughout the attack animation. In practice, this means you can begin an attack into open space, swing your aim across another player, and still have a good chance of successfully connecting with them.
Melee attack range is now also dynamic, increasing as the attack animation progresses. Targets standing immediately in front of you can be hit almost instantly, while striking an opponent farther away requires the attack to progress further before contact can be made. This should make melee combat feel more responsive and better align successful hits with what players actually see happening on screen. Bayonet animations have also been expanded to better accommodate targets at different distances. When stabbing an enemy at extremely close range, for example, your character may briefly step backwards to create the necessary space for the attack. Together, these changes should make close-quarters combat feel more fluid, responsive, and natural than the previous system.
Subtle Hit Confirmation
Landing a body shot now produces a subtle sound to the shooter, while headshots are accompanied by their own distinct cue, making it easier to recognise when and where a shot has connected during the chaos of battle.
The intention behind this change is to provide players with clearer feedback without introducing traditional visual hitmarkers or other intrusive HUD elements. With black-powder smoke, long engagement distances, and large numbers of players exchanging fire, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether a well-placed shot actually found its mark. Audio confirmation offers a way to address this while keeping the battlefield visually uncluttered.
We’re aware that this may prove to be a controversial change. Uncertainty has always been an important part of the War of Rights experience, and providing definitive confirmation of a hit does alter that aspect of combat. We’ll be closely monitoring both community feedback and the effect the system has on gameplay. If we find that the added feedback ultimately detracts from the overall experience, we’re prepared to adjust the system or roll it back entirely.
Update 201 Patch Notes
- Updated infantry melee.
- Added Trail Arms to the game.
- Added horse rein leading to the game. While on foot, simply walk up and press F on the reins to lead the horse and prevent it from running away.
- Updated horse coat material with fur parallax to enhance its fur-like appearance.
- Updated snare drum model and textures.
- Fixed the escape menu becoming unresponsive if the server switches level while the escape menu is visible.
- Fixed a bug where the UI could be telling you that the selected team and army branch doesn’t have any companies after a round has ended.
- The server browser button is now disabled if you are developer-banned.
- Fixed a reload exploit.
- Tweaked the stamina consumption in various stances. Moving while at the Ready now increases stamina consumption by 33%, moving in Melee Mode increases stamina consumption by 66%, compared to moving in Shoulder Arms or Right Shoulder Shift.
- Stamina now recharges 5% slower while standing in at the Ready and 10% slower while standing in Melee Mode, compared to standing in Shoulder Arms or Right Shoulder Shift.
- Added a kill confirmation sound for bullet kills, which can be disabled in the sound options.
- Tweaked some hair and facial hair materials.
- Made the time of day visuals a bit brighter around 8 AM and 16 PM.
- Reduced the specular shine on the roads in the game.
- Adjusted the physics values on all of the frock coats featured in the game.
- Fixed double breasted frock coat clipping issues.
- Fixed cavalry spawn desertion issues on the Rivertown contention/conquest area, Harpers Ferry.
- Added a cavalry bugle.
- Fixed CSA navy blue trousers for artillery officers.
- Made the bayonet twisting sound match the animation better.
War of Rights Steam Daily Deal Sale - Now Live!
Today marks the start of a 24 hour “Daily Deal” steam highlight of War of Rights and its 50% off sale for the next week! Now is the time to jump in, experience the recently released mounted cavalry, today’s overhauled movement mechanics for infantry or the amazing power of the artillery and greet the many new players on the battlefield!
We cannot wait to fight alongside you all on the fields of glory!
- The Campfire Games Team
This announcement was originally published by Campfire Games on Steam on Sep 14, 2026.
Open the original on Steam