After years of tireless explorations, brave Vikings have discovered a new land filled with mystery, danger and riches: Northgard.

The boldest Northmen have set sail to explore and conquer these new shores, bring fame to their Clan and write history through conquest, trading, or devotion to the Gods. That is, if they can survive the dire wolves and undead warriors roaming the land, befriend or defeat the giants, and survive winters so harsh even the boldest Vikings will shiver!

To conquer the new world and become its master, the explorers have different strategies to lead their clan to greatness: explore, trade, or defeat your enemies in battle.

In Northgard, the player takes control of a Viking clan who arrive on unknown and unforgiving shores, where they have to establish their village, gather resources, grow their society and defeat their opponents. In their quest to conquer a new and mysterious world, clans will face off against undead warriors, giants, dragons and other foes while surviving the harshest environments.

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Northgard has received its most expansive free update since its launch last March. Named Ragnarok, this update comes with a host of new content, such as a cataclysmic-themed map featuring new tiles and events, a new neutral faction, and the addition of a new gameplay mechanic, the Military Paths.

Inspired by the end of the world as described in Norse mythology, Ragnarok brings new features and mechanics that will drastically change the way players approach the game:

• New Ragnarok map: promising to be a testing challenge to beginners and veterans alike, this cataclysmic-themed map comes with new tiles and events illustrating the devastating results of the end times. No fertile land remains, and farming is now impossible, with prospective clan leaders having to plan carefully if they want to survive and stand victorious on this demanding new map.
• New Volcano tile: occupying the centre of the map, the Volcano will violently erupt at random times, throwing massive boulders across the map. They are both a blessing and a curse, as each rock crashing in a clan’s territory can be mined for valuable resources during four months. If players fail to do so, each stone left unchecked will turn into a powerful and extremely aggressive Rock Golem.
• Ancient Graveyard tile: home to the souls of fallen Viking warriors, these hallowed grounds can be colonized and studied, resulting in the recruitment of Spectral Warriors boasting very high defence. While such supernatural allies can prove useful, Vikings are highly superstitious and the clan will suffer a happiness penalty as long as these ghostly beings remain in the player’s territory.
• Fallen Sailors event: as the apocalypse draws near, the countless souls of the Fallen Sailors drowned during the long journey to Northgard are eager to return to the world of the living. This event can occur at any moment and will see a wave of Spectral Warriors invade and haunt the players’ shores, attacking any Viking in sight.
• The Myrkalfars: a new neutral faction of Northgard, these dark elves are particularly aggressive and will raid random clans every year, stealing their resources over time. To be spared by future raids, players can choose to trade with and befriend the Myrkalfar, making a good amount of Krowns in the process. Cooperation is not the only way, however, and, while it may prove challenging, any clan able to raze the dark elves’ camp will be able to recover some of the stolen resources.
• The Military Paths: defeating enemies or losing a unit now grants players experience points which can be spent to pick one of the three Military Paths available - the Tactician, the Guardian, and the Conqueror. Each path features three unlockable skills providing a variety of powerful improvements to the player’s army and allowing further specialisation.

 Further details can be found in the latest patch notes. 

“We are very happy to see Northgard grow and be able to offer our most expansive update since the game’s launch for free,” declares Sebastien Vidal, CEO and co-founder at Shiro Games. “We still have a lot of cool ideas in store, and our community can expect more content updates in the upcoming months.”

Key Features:

• Build your settlement on the newly discovered continent of Northgard
• Grow the village by assigning Vikings to various jobs (Farmer, Warrior, Sailor, Loremaster)
• Choose between six different Viking clans, each with unique benefits, buildings and units
• Manage your resources carefully to survive the harsh winters and vicious foes
• Expand and discover new territory with unique strategic opportunities
• Achieve different victory conditions such as Conquest, Fame, Lore and Trading
• Play against your friends or against an AI with different difficulty levels in single player or multiplayer modes.
• Follow the brave Viking Rig in his quest for vengeance in a brand-new single player campaign that spans over 11 chapters.  

Northgard is available as digital download through Steam for €27.99 / $29.99 / £23.79.