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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. 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
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.
2. 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
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.
3. 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
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.
4. 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
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.
5. Idle villagers still eat, so an unassigned villager standing at the Town Hall through a winter is a pure loss
Idle villagers still eat, so an unassigned villager standing at the Town Hall through a winter is a pure loss.
6. 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
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.
7. 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
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.
8. 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
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.
9. 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
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.
10. The Warchief costs 150 Krowns and 5 Iron, so secure an iron territory before you plan any serious offensive
The Warchief costs 150 Krowns and 5 Iron, so secure an iron territory before you plan any serious offensive.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Clan of the Stag (Eikthyrnir) (A-Tier):
- Focus on Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Warrior
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Clan of the Wolf (Fenrir) (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Shield Bearer
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Northgard: Definitive Edition's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns + Winter and the seasonal clock: 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. Combined with 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.
Villager job assignment + The Lore tree and the four blessings: Villagers are generic until you drop them into a building, which turns them into woodcutters, hunters, fishermen, farmers, miners, sailors, brewers, healers or merchants. When paired with The Lore tree and the four blessings, loremasters generate lore, and lore unlocks knowledge in a branching tree that grants economic and military bonuses.
Five separate victory paths scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Holding contested territories and forming the front line of any push. | The standard melee unit trained at the Training Camp and the backbone of any army. |
| Shield Bearer | Assaulting defended zones where enemy towers and archers are the threat. | 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. |
| Axe Thrower | Sitting behind a Shield Bearer line during a territory assault. | A ranged unit with high damage, very weak defence and a noticeably high price. |
| Skirmisher | Reacting to raids and pressuring an opponent's outlying zones. | A faster and lighter fighter used for harassment and for reaching a threatened territory before the main army can. |
| Warchief | Leading an attack and anchoring the army that follows it. | The top of the Warband, hired at a Training Camp for 150 Krowns and 5 Iron, with better stats than any other standard unit. |
Location Efficiency
Your Town Hall territory (Year 1, from the first minute): 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.
Fertile Land (Year 1 to Year 2): 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.
Iron Deposit (Year 2 onward): Iron gates your Warchief, your Forge upgrades and much of your late military, and it comes only from deposits held in specific zones. A player who takes no iron territory will be capped militarily no matter how many Krowns they have.
Yggdrasil (Mid to late game, Year 4 onward): One of the map special victory zones, guarded by four Fallen Valkyries that must be defeated before you can begin. Colonising it takes six in-game months and 1500 Food across all difficulties, which is an enormous commitment that opponents can see coming.
Odin's Sword (Mid to late game, Year 4 onward): Another map special zone, where you must take control of the area and then reforge three parts of the sword using a Smith, each part costing 15 Iron. It is the fastest special condition for a clan already sitting on iron income.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
- Leaving villagers idle at the Town Hall, which costs food every season while producing nothing at all.
- 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.
- Attacking without a Warchief or Shield Bearers, which sends expensive Axe Throwers into towers that kill them before they fire.
- Ignoring Happiness until villagers stop being produced, then trying to fix it with a Brewery in the middle of a war.
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Clan of the Wolf (Fenrir), switch to Clan of the Stag (Eikthyrnir) when ready
- Invest in Warrior above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Your Town Hall territory → Fertile Land → Iron Deposit → Yggdrasil → Odin's Sword. See our maps guide
- Territory colonisation with Food and Krowns + Winter and the seasonal clock together are stronger than either alone
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 Beginner's Guide
- 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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