Northgard is a Viking real time strategy game from Shiro Games, first released on 7 March 2018 and now sold on Steam as Northgard: Definitive Edition. You settle a newly discovered continent one territory at a time, assigning villagers to jobs, feeding them through winters that raise food and wood consumption, and choosing which of the several victory paths to chase. Clans are the real depth here: the base roster of Stag, Wolf, Goat, Raven and Bear plays very differently, and the clan list has grown past fifteen with Kraken, Ox, Lynx, Squirrel, Rat and more. A match usually runs 40 to 90 minutes and is decided long before the fighting starts.
Starting Northgard: Definitive Edition can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Northgard: Definitive Edition is a strategy game built around Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns and Winter and the seasonal clock. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clan of the Stag (Eikthyrnir) | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Clan of the Wolf (Fenrir) | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Clan of the Goat (Heidrun) | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Clan of the Raven (Huginn and Muninn) | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Clan of the Bear (Bjarki) | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Clan of the Wolf (Fenrir). It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Clan of the Bear (Bjarki) as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns
The map is divided into fixed territories, and taking one costs Food or Krowns and often means clearing wolves, draugr or a kobold camp first. Each territory has its own building slots and its own resources, so a zone with an Iron Deposit or fertile land is worth fighting for while an empty forest is not. Expanding faster than your food production is the single most common way to lose a match.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Your Town Hall territory
The zone you start in, holding the Town Hall that produces villagers and stores resources. Losing it is a Domination loss, so it should be the last territory you leave undefended, and its building slots are the ones you plan around first.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Shield Bearer: it's the most accessible early upgrade. A defensive unit with extra protection against ranged attacks and towers, trained for 30 Krowns with the price rising by 6 for each one you have already made. It exists to absorb the damage that would otherwise land on your Axe Throwers.
Step 4: Understand Winter and the seasonal clock
The year cycles through seasons and winter raises both food and wood consumption while cutting production, so every summer is spent stockpiling for it. A Silo reduces the food you lose, a Healer's Hut keeps sick villagers alive, and Sheepfolds produce food without occupying fertile land, which is why the Goat clan handles winter better than most. Harsh winters arrive on a longer cycle and hit considerably harder than ordinary ones.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Fertile Land
Territories flagged as fertile are the only ones where Farms produce well, which makes them the food backbone of any long game. Clans without a way around this fight over them, which is why the Goat clan's Sheepfold bonus is as strong as it is.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns
The map is divided into fixed territories, and taking one costs Food or Krowns and often means clearing wolves, draugr or a kobold camp first. Each territory has its own building slots and its own resources, so a zone with an Iron Deposit or fertile land is worth fighting for while an empty forest is not. Expanding faster than your food production is the single most common way to lose a match.
Winter and the seasonal clock
The year cycles through seasons and winter raises both food and wood consumption while cutting production, so every summer is spent stockpiling for it. A Silo reduces the food you lose, a Healer's Hut keeps sick villagers alive, and Sheepfolds produce food without occupying fertile land, which is why the Goat clan handles winter better than most. Harsh winters arrive on a longer cycle and hit considerably harder than ordinary ones.
Villager job assignment
Villagers are generic until you drop them into a building, which turns them into woodcutters, hunters, fishermen, farmers, miners, sailors, brewers, healers or merchants. Moving a villager between jobs is instant and free, so a good player reassigns constantly as the season and the threat change. Idle villagers still eat, so leaving three of them standing at the Town Hall through a winter is a real cost.
The Lore tree and the four blessings
Loremasters generate Lore, and Lore unlocks knowledge in a branching tree that grants economic and military bonuses. Loremasters are recruited at Circle of Stones, Runestones, Carved Stones, Ancient Graveyards or a Relic of the Gods, each adding 3 to your Lore production. The Wisdom victory runs through this tree, requiring you to unlock the four blessings of the gods, with the fourth arriving at your fifteenth discovered knowledge.
Five separate victory paths
Domination means destroying every other Town Hall. Fame requires 12 controlled areas on small and medium maps or 14 on large and huge ones, 1200 Fame, and an Altar of Kings. Trade needs a Lighthouse extension on a Longship Dock or Harbour to open the Great Trade Routes, then sending Krowns abroad for Commercial Influence at rates such as 5 influence for 5 Krowns to your homeland or 15 for 40 Krowns to Vinland. Wisdom runs through the Lore tree, and each map also generates one special condition such as Yggdrasil, Odin's Sword or the Gates of Helheim.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Expanding into four or five territories in the first two years, then losing half the population to the first winter because food never kept pace
2. Leaving villagers idle at the Town Hall, which costs food every season while producing nothing at all
3. Choosing a victory path late, after the map has already been divided and the 12 or 14 territories a Fame win needs are no longer available
4. Attacking without a Warchief or Shield Bearers, which sends expensive Axe Throwers into towers that kill them before they fire
5. Ignoring Happiness until villagers stop being produced, then trying to fix it with a Brewery in the middle of a war
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns and Winter and the seasonal clock
- Choose Clan of the Wolf (Fenrir) as starting build
- Clear Your Town Hall territory main content
- Acquire Shield Bearer or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Fertile Land
- Send your Scout out in the first seconds of a match, because unexplored territories hide relics, hostile camps and the special victory zone you may want to plan around.
- Never colonise a territory you cannot feed through the coming winter, since starving villagers die and a lost population takes far longer to rebuild than the zone was worth.
Tips for New Players
- Send your Scout out in the first seconds of a match, because unexplored territories hide relics, hostile camps and the special victory zone you may want to plan around.
- Never colonise a territory you cannot feed through the coming winter, since starving villagers die and a lost population takes far longer to rebuild than the zone was worth.
- Build a Silo before your first winter, as it cuts the food you lose during the season and is cheaper than the farms you would otherwise need.
- Villagers can be reassigned between buildings instantly and for free, so pull farmers into the woodcutter's lodge when wood runs short rather than training new people.
- Idle villagers still eat, so an unassigned villager standing at the Town Hall through a winter is a pure loss.
- Loremasters come from Circle of Stones, Runestones, Carved Stones, Ancient Graveyards and the Relic of the Gods, each adding 3 Lore, so grab those zones if you intend a Wisdom victory.
- A Fame victory needs 12 controlled areas on small and medium maps or 14 on large and huge ones, plus 1200 Fame and an Altar of Kings, so count zones before committing.
- The Trade victory route needs a Lighthouse built as an extension of a Longship Dock or a Harbour, so a landlocked start rules that path out entirely.
- Each military camp you build raises your Warband cap by two, so an army bigger than your camps allow is impossible no matter how many Krowns you hold.
- The Warchief costs 150 Krowns and 5 Iron, so secure an iron territory before you plan any serious offensive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which clan should a new player pick?
Stag or Goat. The Stag starts with an extra 75 Food, Wood and Krowns plus 40 Lore, which forgives a slow opening. The Goat builds Sheepfolds that produce food without fertile land, which removes the resource that most often kills a first match.
What are the victory conditions?
There are five. Domination destroys every rival Town Hall. Fame needs 12 areas on small and medium maps or 14 on large ones, 1200 Fame and an Altar of Kings. Trade runs through a Lighthouse and the Great Trade Routes. Wisdom unlocks the four blessings in the Lore tree. Each map also generates one special condition such as Yggdrasil or Odin's Sword.
How do I survive winter?
Stockpile food and wood through summer and autumn, build a Silo to cut the winter food loss, keep a Healer's Hut so sick villagers recover, and stop expanding a season before winter arrives. Harsh winters come on a longer cycle and hit much harder than ordinary ones.
How does the Wisdom victory actually work?
You generate Lore through Loremasters recruited at stone sites, then spend it on the knowledge tree. The four blessings of the gods are the target, and the fourth unlocks at your fifteenth discovered knowledge. It is the slowest path, so it needs a defensible position rather than a large one.
What is the Definitive Edition?
It is the current Steam listing for Northgard, carrying the base 2018 game with its accumulated updates. The extra clans, including Kraken, Ox, Lynx, Squirrel, Rat and the later additions, remain separate purchases layered on top of it rather than being folded into the base package.
More Northgard: Definitive Edition Guides
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Northgard: Definitive Edition Overview
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Best Builds
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Tier List
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Walkthrough
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Tips & Tricks
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Weapons Guide
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Combat Guide
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Boss Guide
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Maps & Locations
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Crafting Guide
- Northgard: Definitive Edition Classes & Characters
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