Viking strategy game Northgard adds another clan to its roster with the launch of a new DLC faction, the Clan of the Owl. The protectors of Yggdrasil are a lore-driven group, and their arrival is accompanied by a big free update for the Norse RTS game, and a deep discount courtesy of a Steam sale. That means there’s plenty of reason to come back if you’re a veteran player, and a great chance for any potential newcomers to find out why it holds a ‘very positive’ 9/10 Steam user rating from almost 45,000 reviews.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Norse strategy game, you’ll lead your Viking clan as it explores a newly discovered land – the eponymous Northgard. As you build out your settlement, you’ll assign your Vikings to a variety of jobs, gathering resources, producing goods, and fighting your way through the game’s solo campaign, its scenario-driven conquest mode (offering both solo and co-op play), and even competitive multiplayer modes. With plenty of variety to each of the Northgard clans, it’s well worth a look, especially if you’re a fan of games such as Age of Empires.
The Northgard Winter update is free for all players, so we’ll kick off with that before checking out its new paid clan DLC. The southern kingdoms of Kernev and Neustria have been given three new conquests each (although you can also take them on with other clans, if you want), and the game’s wisdom victory has been given an overhaul with a feature that will immediately be familiar to AoE players – Wonders.
If you’re pursuing a wisdom victory, you’ll now be able to claim your victory blessing earlier than before, but will then need to build a Wonder to assert your devotion to your clan’s gods, then protect it while it fills up with all your wisdom. Manage to keep it safe until that point, and your victory will be secured.
The free update also kicks off the winter festival event, meaning unique decorations and seasonal visuals in game. Finally, a new Lobby Finder has been deployed. Developer Shiro Games explains, “This system helps us ensure fairness in ranked games by assuring teaming is not possible for game modes not requiring it.” Given that players teaming up in competitive modes to gain an advantage can be quite a common problem, this should hopefully make it much easier to get into fair matches.
As mentioned, also arriving alongside this update is a new Northgard DLC, Vördr, Clan of the Owl. This group is led by its warchiefs, the three Sisters of Fate. Youngest sister Skuld is all about aggressive clan expansion; middle sister Verdandi focuses on protecting Yggdrasil; and eldest sister Urdr focuses on its endless pursuit for knowledge.
You’ll be able to choose which sister you want to take the lead, adjusting your primary strategy and methods. Rather uniquely, the Vördr clan doesn’t need to gather wood – instead, its forests produce lore, which is used as a currency to build and enhance the clan’s connection to Yggdrasil.
The Northgard Winter update is out now for free on Steam, alongside new clan Vördr, Clan of the Owl. Expect to pay £3.99 if you want to add Vördr to your game. For more details on the update, take a look at the full patch notes courtesy of Shiro Games.
As noted, there’s also a very nice Steam sale discount on the base game for anyone who’s coming to it for the first game. Northgard is 70% off on Steam until Thursday December 14. That makes now a great time to check it out, if this new update has you curious.
Otherwise, have a browse through more of the best RTS games on PC, or satisfy your Norse needs with the best Viking games you need to check out in 2023.
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