Once Midgård was called Vanheim, home of the Vanir. But since the coming of man, the Vanir have dwindled in number. At first, the Vanir were the undisputed rulers of the land, but the growing human population has taken over the land and renamed it Midgård. Only a few Vanir survive, but their magic has not yet departed the land. The Vanir are sacred to the human population and the few surviving Vanjarls carry great influence. The humans of Midgård themselves have become altered by the ancient magic of the Vanir and skinshifters are more common than they once were.
"These are all nations sprung from old Norse myth. The Poetic Edda and some later tales, combined with general conceptions of Iron Age Scandinavia, are the main sources. Vanir, Aesir and Giants are ancient antagonists in these myths. The Aesir, being perceived as gods, have been made pretenders in Dominions. Not that Vanir weren't, but they seem less so than the Aesir in most instances. As with most nations of supernatural origin, it seems fitting that their magic fades with each passing age as humans become more and more numerous….
Vanheim, Helheim and Midgård also share a common ancestry and development. In the middle era Helheim merges with Vanheim and disappears as an independent nation. Only the valkyries remain as reminders of the legacy of Helheim." -Illwinter
If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?
Magic Access | Alt. Access | Unit Summary | Core Abilities | Buildings |
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3 (Rare 4)* 2 1 (Uncommon 2, Rare 3) 1 (Uncommon 2, Rare 3) 1 1 (Uncommon 2, Rare 3) 2 | Hero 32222 Summons 423 243 432 432 (req. 43) | Heavy Infantry Skinshifters Berserkers Vanir | Stealthy Sailing Glamour | Standard Forts Trace income across oceans |
* less rare than the other rare paths
Capitol Gems: 211
Cold Limit +1
Prefers Cold Scale + 1
Blood Sacrifice: May blood sacrifice to increase dominion. This ability is not transferred to disciple nations. Disciple nations with this ability can still use it. These nations do not have dying dominion.
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
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Scout 35 4 1 | Stealthy (50) Mountain Survival Forest Survival | Commentary here. | |
Herse 75 22 1 | Sailing (Max Size 4) | Commentary here. | |
Jarl 180 13 1 | Sacred Sailing (Max Size 4) | Commentary here. | |
Gode 65 5 1 | 1 Sacred | Commentary here. | |
Völva 145 1 2 | 29 Fortune Teller (10%) Spirit Sight Female | Cheap Astral. Dominions 6's changes removed her original purpose, (that being to prop up Vanjarl Sabbath Masters), but a cheap 2 is certainly not useless. |
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Galderman 265 2 2 | 22100% 100% 10%13 Regeneration (10%) Forest Survival Wounded Shape (Werewolf) | An excellent any-fort mage, if a bit inconsistent. 1's can hold turbo-Sabbaths, due to their Regeneration. Aside from any-fort 3 and (rarely) 22, these guys can be decent thugs in a tanky sense. |
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Werewolf | Regeneration (10%) Forest Survival Natural Shape (Galderman) | Gives your turbo-Sabbath Slaves, and your Flying Shield thugs, an extra 20 HP. |
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Vanherse 235 17 2 Capital Only | 1119 Sacred Stealthy (65) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (4) Glamour | Your cheapest Glamour access. (Isn't that sad?) Their elvish obfuscation gives them 2 "Mirror Images", for an excellent chance to no-sell two hits. Combined with their 13 Defense Skill, (or 19 against hits of under 28 power), Vanherses can be impressive "dodge-tanking" thugs. |
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Vanjarl 440 19 2 Capital Only | 211213 Sacred Stealthy (65) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (5) Glamour | He tries to be the best at everything, making him very expensive in the process. Magically-speaking, he's able to do Holy Sabbaths and otherwise-uncommon Glamour Sabbaths. Thug-wise, he's a significantly better Vanherse. |
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Fay Horse | Sacred Poison Resistance (10) Disease Resistance (100%) Stealthy (65) Smart Mount (100) Animal Glamour True Sight | The Fay Horse has only one Mirror Image, so he might get hit before his master. (Probably not before the Vanherse, but probably before the Vanjarl.) |
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
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Huskarl 10 12 9 | Commentary here. | ||
Huskarl 10 12 9 | Commentary here. | ||
Archer 10 5 9 | Commentary here. | ||
Hirdman 12 20 14 | Commentary here. | ||
Hirdman 12 22 14 | Commentary here. | ||
Einhere 25 21 31 | Ambidextrous (1) Berserker (+5) | Commentary here. | |
Skinshifter 25 7 36 | Regeneration (10%) Forest Survival Wounded Shape (Werewolf) | Commentary here. | |
Werewolf | Regeneration (10%) Forest Survival Natural Shape (Skinshifter) | Commentary here. | |
Van 60 17 46 Capital Only | Sacred Stealthy (65) Skilled Rider (3) Glamour | Commentary here. | |
Fay Horse | Sacred Poison Resistance (10) Disease Resistance (100%) Stealthy (65) Smart Mount (100) Animal Glamour True Sight | Commentary here. |
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Farbaute - Einhere | Ambidextrous (3) Berserker (+8) | Commentary here. | |
Vanlade - Vanadrott Earliest Arrival Turn (10) | 3222223 Sacred Shock Resistance (5) Stealthy (65) Inspirational (1) Sailing (Max Size 5) Skilled Rider (5) Glamour | Commentary here. | |
Fay Horse | Sacred Poison Resistance (10) Disease Resistance (100%) Stealthy (65) Smart Mount (100) Animal Glamour True Sight | Commentary here. |
Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Summon Valkyries (Conjuration 6) 31 and 1 | Valkyrie x 7 | Sacred Stealthy (+40) Glamour Flying Spirit Sight Female | Summons flying, glamoured sacreds. These can be useful for pressuring back lines in combat, but they can't be scripted (since they are summoned), making them equally likely to divebomb the enemy's frontlines or middle ranks instead. Blessing them is also tricky, requiring either a delay in casting Divine Blessing or a particular grouping of your other Sacred troops for the standard Blessing. |
Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Sloth of Bears (Conjuration 3) 2 and 6 | Great Bear x 15+ | Undisciplined Animal Mountain Survival Forest Survival | Summons high strength blobs of hitpoints. Can work as evocation bait, as the bears have more HP than your troops and even lower MR, but otherwise unremarkable. |
Awaken Draugar (Conjuration 4) 2 and 12 | Draug x 4 | Resist Cold (25) Resist Poison (25) Cold Aura (3) Fear (+5) Undead Amphibious Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Shapechanger Below HP (20) (Draug) | Commentary here. |
Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions (Conjuration 8) 43 and 62 | Dwarf of the North or Dwarf of the South or Dwarf of the East or Dwarf of the West | 42323 or 24323 or 43223 or 43223 Common Attributes: Unique Shock Resistance (22) Darkvision (50%) Master Smith (1) Mountain Survival Dwarf of the South has: Master Smith (2) Dwarf of the East has: Supply Bonus (+20) Master Smith (2) | Summons one of the four Dwarves of the Four Directions, powerful mages who have significant combat, ritual-casting and forging capabilities (432200% and Master Smith 1-2 (1: Water, Death. 2: Fire, Nature). Also increases the likelihood of Hurricanes ravaging the world for each dwarf summoned. If all four dwarves are alive at once, the world is plunged into a Perpetual Storm and all battles will have Darkness over them; this is a somewhat roundabout manner to apply what amounts to two Global Enchantments at once, but the only way to dispel them is to kill one of the dwarves. |
See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.
The Galderman has a 1 in 16 chance of 2, 2, or 2.
Summon Dwarf of the Four Directions requires 43, which a Galderman with the right boosters can get to. Easiest is probably a 31 with one Air booster and two Earth boosters. The four dwarves each have 43. One has 2, another 2, and another 2. See above for the disadvantages of the summons.
Staff of Elemental Mastery
22 Galderman (1 in 16) +
No native access. No simple summons.
Highest Starting: 3 Galderman (1 in 4). The hero, Vanlade - Vanadrott has 3.
No native access.
Summon Spectre
1 Galderman (7 in 16) +
Spectral Mage has a 7 in 16 chance of 1.
Highest Starting: 1 Galderman (7 in 16), (1 in 16 of 2).
Pebble Skin Suit Unremovable
11 Galderman (1 in 8) +
Blood Stone
11 Galderman (1 in 8) +
Highest Starting: 2 Völva
Highest Starting: 1 Galderman (7 in 16), (1 in 16 of 2).
Hidden Underneath in Cave
11 Galderman (1 in 8) +
Released Sage has 1 in 2 chance of 2, 1 in 2 of 3.
The Black Book of Secrets Unique
11 Galderman (1 in 8) +
22 The hero, Vanlade - Vanadrott
No native access.
Summon Gnome
11 Galderman (1 in 16) +
Gnome has 2
Highest Starting: 1 Vanherse, Vanjarl or Galderman (1 in 4)
Bind Succubus
11 Vanjarl +
Succubus has 2.
Mirage Crystal
11 Galderman (1 in 16) +
Highest Starting: 1 Vanjarl or Galderman (7 in 16), (1 in 16 of 2).
The Black Book of Secrets Unique
11 Galderman (1 in 8) +
22 The hero, Vanlade - Vanadrott
How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.
Different expansion options.
Early game options.
Mid game options.
Late game options.
Chassis: Awake Titan of Crossroads
Paths: 457
Bless: MW/Arcane Finesse, Invuln 10, Regen.
Scales: 6203123
What are the nation's weaknesses?
Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.