============================================================================== Viking: Battle for Asgard (X360, PS3, PC) (2008) ============================================================================== Viking: Battle for Asgard Copyright 2008 Sega This document is created by Faididi and Co. (faididi@yahoo.com) Portions of the IGN Guide for Viking: Battle for Asgard are used with the permission of its author. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [-] Document Version History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version 2019 (2019-07-19 Friday) - Initial release. ============================================================================== [0] Contents ============================================================================== [1] Overview [1.1] Story [1.2] Characters [1.3] Controls [1.4] Options [1.5] Special Attacks [1.6] Elemental Runes and Magic [1.7] Items [1.8] General Tips [2] Strategies [2.1] Niflberg - Part 1 [2.2] Niflberg - Part 2 [2.3] Galcliff - Part 1 [2.4] Galcliff - Part 2 [2.5] Isaholm - Part 1 [2.6] Isaholm - Part 2 [3] Red Skulls [4] (reserved) [5] Reference [5.1] Game Source Information [5.2] Soundtrack Information [5.3] Document Credits [6] Contact Information ============================================================================== [1] Overview ============================================================================== The Creative Assembly's Viking: Battle for Asgard is an action adventure that features a mix of exploration, combat, and stealth elements that seamlessly flow together in open-world environments. It is a follow-up to Spartan: Total Warrior, but it is nonlinear and much more lenient. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.1] Story ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hel, the goddess of the Norse underworld, sends forth her vicious Legion to conquer Midgard. In response, Freya chooses a viking named Skarin to be her new champion and tasks him to stop Hel's forces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.2] Characters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Skarin A brave and dangerous viking. Skarin is supposedly afflicted with seizures, and many others believe that he is cursed. Luckily, he never suffers any epileptic episodes during gameplay. He always carries his trusty sword and axe, which he wields together. Asta Skarin's cute, mysterious childhood friend, and a powerful shaman at their home town of Brighthelm. Asta also experiences visions and communicates with supernatural forces, but she doesn't run around half-naked and soaked in blood. One of her roles is to revive Skarin's stupid ass whenever he gets into an accident. She also knows about Skarin's true origins, but she won't tell him until the two reach Fellkeep. Freya The goddess of harvest, fortune, and other good stuff. Freya is portrayed in this game as an angry, war-happy goddess who wants to preserve Midgard at all costs. She is Skarin's boss. Hel The goddess of... hell. Hel is portrayed in this game as a vengeful usurper of the order of all things, although Freya's meddling may have also been responsible for her situation. She seeks to conquer Midgard as a part of her plans to free her wolf-like monster brother, Fenrir, therefore unleashing Ragnarok and destroying all the gods. The Legion she commands consists of dishonorable undead who have failed to earn a place in Valhalla. Drakan Hel's Harbinger. Drakan has been Freya's former champion but has broken the rule about not trying to date people from work. Freya didn't like being hit on, so she fired him, making him get depressed and eventually join Hel's side. Drakan obviously won't want to become friends with Skarin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.3] Controls ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Movement Stick (Left Stick) - Move. The farther this is pressed, the faster the movement. Camera Stick (Right Stick) - Move the camera. Quick Attack Button (X360: A, PS3: X) - Perform a quick attack. Heavy Attack Button (X360: X, PS3: Square) - Perform a heavy attack. When Elemental Magic is being used, press both the Quick Attack Button and the Heavy Attack Button to perform a Super Attack. Jump Button (X360: Y, PS3: Triangle) - Jump. When guarding, press this to perform an evasive backstep dodge. Action Button (X360: B, PS3: Circle) - Perform a context-sensitive action, like talking to a person, opening a chest, or using a switch. Guard Button (X360: LT, PS3: L2) - Guard. Skarin will automatically turn toward any enemy who is attacking him, but he can still get axed in the back of the head. Rage Button (X360: LB, PS3: L1) - Enable Rage Attacks. Hold this and press the Quick Attack Button or the Heavy Attack Button to use Rage Crystals to perform Fast Rage or Slow Rage Attacks. Rage Crystals are earned by hitting enemies with standard attacks. Magic Button (X360: RT, PS3: R2) - Enable Elemental Magic. Hold this and press the displayed buttons to use Red Energy to enhance the attacks with Fire, Ice, or Lightning Magic. Item Button (X360: RB, PS3: R1) - Enable the use of consumable items. Hold this and press the displayed buttons to toss a Throwing Axe, toss a Fire Pot, or instantly drink a Potion. Subscreen Button (X360: Back, PS3: Select) - Pause, and access the Subscreen. During mass-scale battles, the Subscreen is replaced by the Battle View (the "Eye of Asgard"), from where Skarin can use the Dragon Runes earned by killing boss enemies to call down the dragons' fire support. Pause Button (Start) - Pause, and access the Pause Menu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.4] Options ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Invert Camera Y - Adjust the vertical orientation of the camera controls. Brightness - Adjust the brightness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.5] Special Attacks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special attacks can be purchased from the spirits of Valhalla at the Battle Arenas. Some cost Rage Crystals (which are earned by hitting enemies with standard attacks), while the others can be performed for free. On the Subscreen, check the Move List to review the special attacks that have been obtained, or visit the Battle Arenas to practice them again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.5.1] Special Attacks - Set 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following are available by the first island world (Niflberg): Njord's Wrath (0) - A quick jumping chop that is actually treated as a standard attack. It doesn't cost any Gold to acquire, but Skarin still needs to visit a Battle Arena to learn this move. Odin's Will (150) - Combo Ender 1. Stuns enemies. A mighty kick that can come in handy if Skarin is short on Rage Crystals. Thor's Hammer (300) - Slow Rage Level 1. An overhead chop that helps in breaking shields, but Skarin should probably save up the Rage Crystals for the more advanced Slow Rage moves when he gets them later. Baldur's Curse (300) - Fast Rage Level 1. A fast and long-reaching stabbing attack that is very reliable against almost all enemies. It helps Skarin dash up close to his targets, and it stuns the victims long enough for them to be gored again and again. Fenrir's Bite (700) - Stealth Attack 1. A dashing dual slash that can instantly kill unalerted enemies. This has an incredibly long effective range, and it works as long as the targets aren't fully alerted to Skarin's presence. Fafnir's Might (800) - Slow Rage Level 2. Breaks wooden shields quickly. A gruesome chop that can cause considerable amounts of pain and death. Mostly death. Freya's Chariot (300) - Combo Ender 2. Stuns enemies. An overhead pommel smash delivered with concentrated fury. Nidhogg's Strike (1500) - Fast Rage Level 2. A rapid five-hit combo that relentlessly tears away at one or more bad guys. It's even more lethal when it's combined with Ice Magic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.5.2] Special Attacks - Set 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following are available by the second island world (Galcliff): Hel's Fury (1200) - Breaks wooden shields quickly. A jumping dual chop that is deadlier than its standard counterpart (Njord's Wrath), but it doesn't help Skarin gain Rage Crystals. The Spear of Odin (500) - Combo Ender 3. Breaks wooden shields quickly, and stuns enemies. A headbutt that can, yes, eventually plow through even metal and rock. Valkyrie Stampede (1200) - Counter Attack. A returning slash that can be performed at the end of a successful evasive backstep dodge (when the slow-motion effect occurs). This can deal a very large amount of damage, killing most bad guys with a single swipe. Baldur's Silence (3000) - Stealth Attack 2. An impaling thrust that can instantly kill unalerted enemies. This has a much shorter effective range than the dashing stealth attack (Fenrir's Bite), requiring Skarin to stand directly next to his targets, but it works a little better against enemies on slopes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.5.3] Special Attacks - Set 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following are available by the third island world (Isaholm): Odin's Doom (2000) - Breaks metal shields quickly. A super jumping chop that can cause regular enemies to instantly burst into a fountain of blood and mangled body parts. Its power is obscene for its ease of use. (This special attack replaces Hel's Fury.) Might of Valhalla (4000) - Slow Rage Level 3. Breaks stone shields quickly. A ghastly dual chop that brings immediate death to almost any enemy who doesn't have a shield. Valkyrie Strike (600) - Combo Ender 4. Breaks all shields quickly, and stuns enemies. A furious axe swipe that should finish killing whatever is on the receiving end of Skarin's combo. Curse of Fenrir (6000) - Fast Rage Level 3. A concentrated combo. Compared to the Level 2 version (Nidhogg's Strike), this tends to make Skarin aim at a different target with every hit. Having him fly all over the place can be pretty funny, but stick with the Level 2 version if more control is needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.6] Elemental Runes and Magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elemental Runes use Red Energy to enhance Skarin's attacks with Elemental Magic. The Runes can be purchased from the blacksmiths at the towns and the base camps. When Elemental Magic is being used, press both the Quick Attack Button and the Heavy Attack Button to perform a Super Attack, which will drain any remaining Red Energy. The Elemental Runes can be eventually upgraded to boost their power. They may be upgraded to Level 2 by the second island world (Galcliff), and they may be upgraded to Level 4 (Maximum) by the third island world (Isaholm). Fire - Burns enemies, continuously damaging them for a period of time. The Super Attack is a flame tongue that can incinerate a line of enemies, although careful aim is required. Having Fire Magic is better than having no Elemental Magic, but Skarin might as well go instead for Lightning Magic, whose effects are more concentrated. Ice - Freezes enemies briefly, allowing them to be instantly shattered and killed with the next blow, before they thaw. The Super Attack is a circular ice field that can freeze multiple enemies near Skarin. Although Ice Magic can be blocked by some enemies, it lets Skarin quickly kill most bad guys, especially if he combines it with the Fast Rage Level 2 special attack (Nidhogg's Strike). Ice won't completely freeze bosses but can slow them down, allowing Skarin to bash them several times before they react. Lightning - Electrocutes enemies, increasing the amount of damage dealt to them. The Super Attack is a lightning snare and smash that can deliver extra pain to a single enemy from a distance. ("GET OVER HERE!") Lightning Magic is purely meant to dish out death as quickly as possible, and it works even against bosses. Its grapple-like Super Attack is the most cost-effective when it's used just before the Red Energy is completely depleted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.7] Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.7.1] Energy Items ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Green Energy Mote - Restores a decent amount of life. This is occasionally dropped by defeated enemies, with the probability increasing if Skarin is low on life. Skarin also automatically recovers life when there are no enemies near him. Red Energy Mote - Adds a small amount of Red Energy, which is used to power Elemental Magic. This is dropped by defeated enemies. Kill them with special fatality moves (when they're dazed and a button prompt appears over them) to make them bleed out more Red Energy Motes. Rage Crystals - Enables Rage-type special attacks. This is obtained by hitting enemies with standard attacks. (Rage Crystals don't appear until the special attacks requiring them are obtained.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.7.2] Treasure Items ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold Bag - Adds a small amount of Gold when touched. Gold Bags are the most common source of money, but many of them are hidden at odd corners, within bushes, or even in water. Urn - Adds a moderate amount of Gold when destroyed. Urns are less common than Gold Bags, but they hold roughly three times as much money. Chest - Adds a large amount of Gold or a key item when opened. Chests are very uncommon, but they can contain almost three times as much cash as Urns. Mead - Adds a large amount of Gold when traded to the local innkeeper. Kegs of Mead are usually found near areas of water, like beaches and rivers. Treasure Map - Reveals the locations of Gold Bags, Urns, or Chests on the radar. This is sold at shops, but each island world has its own set of Treasure Maps. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.7.3] Quick Inventory Items ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Health Potion - Restores a moderate amount of life when hastily quaffed. This is sold at shops. Throwing Axe - Flies for a short distance when thrown, hitting any enemy in its way. This is sold at shops. Flame Pot - Flies for a short distance when thrown, creating a grenade-like blast upon impact. This is sold at shops. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [1.7.4] Upgrade Items ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meal - Increases the life capacity temporarily by a large percentage. This bonus is lost as soon as Skarin sucks up an amount of pain equal to this increase, making it not worth purchasing. This is sold at shops. Health Advance - Increases the life capacity permanently by a small amount, making it much more useful than Meals. This is sold at shops. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1.8] General Tips ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Life is cheap; Gold isn't. Money in this game is actually finite, and Skarin can run out of Gold if he wastes it on the wrong things. Try to save up money for the permanent upgrades, which include the Health Advances, the Elemental Runes, and the special attacks. (For the Throwing Axes and the Fire Pots, buy only enough of them to earn their related Achievements in the X360 version, for those who care.) The Treasure Maps are also worth purchasing as soon as possible, because they can save a lot of time spent wandering around looking for Gold. - The Map Screen displays the locations of important areas. Red icons indicate there are tasks remaining to be done (including optional tasks, like acquiring all the special attacks available at the local Battle Arena). Blue icons indicate fully completed tasks. - The leystones serve as warp points and, by extension, checkpoints. Spending some time to activate them can be very helpful before charging into hostile territory, in case any funny accidents happen. - Imprisoned vikings are stuck in prisoner cages (the evil bone-like structures) and in prisoner trios (the stakes topped with large skulls). If possible, free prisoners and let them help kill off nearby enemies. Hel's henchmen are pretty generous for letting the imprisoned vikings hold onto their weapons. - Whenever Skarin uses Elemental Magic, any nearby allies will also gain the same enhancement. - Enemy shields can be eventually broken by any attack, but certain special moves will destroy them more quickly. - The green dots on the radar mark the locations of important allies with whom Skarin can speak. The red dots mark the locations of bosses. - The bosses come in three types: champions (big sword guys), shamans (freaky hooded creatures), and giants (steroid ogres). For the champions and the giants, hit them until a button prompt appears on them, and then go through the button prompt challenges to defeat these bosses. For the shamans, destroy the small pillars near them first to eliminate their protective barriers, and then use any attack to kill them. - If Skarin nears unalerted bad guys, he will assume a crouching stance, and if he is facing alerted foes, he will automatically draw out his weapons. If Skarin is detected by enemies from a distance, he can stay behind cover to trick them into returning to their unalerted state. This is an important trick during the more challenging stealth scenes. - Skarin automatically recovers life as long as there are no enemies near him. Gotta love that barbarian vitality. - Skarin doesn't know how to swim. Still, diving into the sea or jumping off from a very high ledge can be a faster way back to the portals and leystones. The valkyries wouldn't care anyway. ============================================================================== [2] Strategies ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.1] Niflberg - Part 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Story So Far: Skarin is a viking who hails from the town of Brighthelm, on the isles of Niflberg (not to be confused with Hel's Niflheim). Like the others of his kind, he has proven his manhood by slaughtering a great rabid wolf with his bare hands and then roaring heathen oaths to the skies as he wrenches out the jagged teeth and uses them to carve a crimson image of his kill onto his bare chest. But none of that stops Skarin from losing his kidneys when he runs afoul of Hel's Harbinger, Drakan, during a desperate battle at Brighthelm. Fortunately, the goddess Freya has chosen Skarin to be her errand boy, so she stuffs his missing organs back into him, lends him her magical amulet Brisingamen (medieval PDA), and sends him out to start thwarting Hel's crazy schemes. Brighthelm: At the south end of the southern isle of Niflberg. Brighthelm is Skarin's home and his first base of operations. Talk to Asta, the friendly shaman, near the portal stones to learn about the Dragon Amulet and the need to summon the dragons for help. Talk to Haral the chieftain, near the north gates to the beach, to open the east gate. Being a town, Brighthelm has a shopkeeper, a blacksmith, and an innkeeper. Available for purchase now are the Level 1 Elemental Runes. Picking up something like Ice or Lightning can really help. Osgood the shopkeeper won't open his store until his supplies are recovered later. Give Niflberg Mead to Torv the innkeeper, by the beer hall near the east gate, to earn extra cash. A few kegs of that stuff can be found on the beaches north of the town, and more lie scattered elsewhere across these isles. Hilltop Farm: To the northeast of Brighthelm. To get there, go through the east gate (after speaking with Asta and Haral), and follow the grassy hills up to the work fields. (The Hilltop Farm Leystone is to the east, on the other side of a low road.) Kill the bad guys who get in the way. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings, and have the freed vikings help kill off any remaining enemies here to seize control of the area. Talk to Tait the miller, near the large building across from the cage, to learn about the stolen goods. Lost Cargo: To the south of the Hilltop Farm. Look for an overturned cart somewhere along the roads through the forests, and butcher the enemies hanging around it. Open the chest beside this cart to obtain the Lost Cargo. Give it to Osgood at Brighthelm to let him open his store. Available for purchase now are the Health Advance Stage 1 and several other items. Try to buy the Treasure Maps as soon as possible, because they make finding Gold a heck lot easier. Playing around with the Throwing Axes and Potions may be fun, but saving up for the special attacks later at the Arena is a better idea. Ancient Ruins: To the east of Brighthelm. To get there, cross the broken wooden bridge. (Falling down to the shallow pool here is perfectly safe, so this is a good place to play around with the ledge-climbing controls.) Continue past the Ruins Leystone. Open the prisoner cage at the end of the ruins. Talk to Cadby, near the cage, to learn about a viking gone MIA. The ruins actually form a sort of obstacle course. Find some sloping stones not far from the cage, and start climbing up along the ledges, leaping across the pits and climbing the thick leafy vines. Open the chest at the upper end of the ruins to obtain the Hugin Gem (which is one component of the Dragon Amulet that will be found later). Battle Arena: To the east of the Ancient Ruins. Special attacks can be purchased here from the spirits of Valhalla, who apparently still have some use for money. The Rage-type special attacks require Rage Crystals (the blue pointy icons under the Red Energy Meter), which are acquired by whacking enemies with standard attacks. Only the first half of the entire list of special attacks can be acquired for now. Particularly useful are the Fast Rage Level 1 stabbing attack (Baldur's Curse), the Fast Rage Level 2 combo (Nidhogg's Strike), the Slow Rage Level 2 shield-breaking chop (Fafnir's Might), and the dashing stealth attack (Fenrir's Bite). Warrior Havelock: To the northeast of the Ancient Ruins. Havelock turns out to be a traitor, and he's hanging out with several of his evil pals at a camp on the beaches. Time for him to die. Kill Havelock, getting rid of the other bad guys first if necessary, to obtain Havelock's Helmet. Give it to Cadby at the Ancient Ruins to gain his full support. Battle Horn: To the northeast of the Hilltop Farm Leystone. Kill the champion (enemy commander) along the roads to obtain the Battle Horn and the Skirmish Key. Wasting the other enemies first can help. To avoid the champion's attacks, use the evade maneuver (hold the Guard Button and press the Jump Button). When he sucks up enough pain, and a button icon appears near him, go through the button prompt challenge to turn him into raw haggis. Gorge: To the east of the Hilltop Farm Leystone. With the Battle Horn recovered, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Blowing it must be as fun as blowing Heimdall's Gjallarhorn. Skarin can make his bloodthirsty viking friends even more dangerous by activating his Elemental Magic among them, charging up their weapons as well. Kill all the enemies here to seize control of the area. Use the Skirmish Key to open the locked gate in the mountainside. Go through the tunnels, continue along the cliffside paths, cross the small bridge connecting to the northern isle of Niflberg, go past the Clifftop Path Leystone, and travel through the nice-looking Cave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.2] Niflberg - Part 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drawbridge: To the west of the Drawbridge Leystone. Get into the yard outside the west tower. This can be done by climbing over the partially broken section of the yard's outer wall, or by following the high ledges across the east tower. Climb up the thick leafy vines along the side of the west tower. At the top, drop down to the second level of the east tower, and turn the wheel switch to lower the drawbridge. By the hues of Bifrost, the gate at the other end will magically open, too. Quarry: To the northwest of the Drawbridge. Open the prisoner cage at the end of the bottom level. Talk to Kell the quarry master, near the windmill, to obtain the Explosives. Ambush: To the northeast of the Quarry. Use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Kill the entire Elite Patrol. Afterward, talk to Kell at the Quarry to gain his full support. Monastery Cave: To the northwest of the Quarry and the Quarry Leystone. Use the Explosives to blow open the locked gate on the south side of the mountain. (There is also a one-way exit toward the north side.) Talk to Ingemar, past the large pit in the tunnels, to learn that his men are in need of some Band-Aids. Shipwreck: To the south of the Monastery Cave. Open the chest near a hanging lantern to obtain the Medical Supplies. Give them to Ingemar at the Monastery Cave to gain his full support. Apparently, vikings had been familiar with the term "medical supplies" back then. Monastery: To the west of the Monastery Cave. To get there, go around on the north cliffside path, continue past the Monastery Leystone, and fight through the main gates to the front yard. If possible, free the two prisoner trios at the corners of the yard and let them help kill the enemies there. From the yard, go through the open doorway at one of the corners, up the stairs to the second level, and chase the retreating shaman. Jump across the pits and climb along the thick leafy vines in the way. Turn the wheel switch to enter the inner yard, and prepare to face a champion. For an easier time, kill the regular bad guys who come up the stairs first, and free the two prisoner trios on the landings of the stairways. This champion is just like the one met earlier. Use the evade maneuver to avoid his killer sword, and go through the button prompt challenge to finish him. Kill the champion to obtain the Ancient Key. Use it to open the locked doors to the inner chamber, and prepare to face the second type of boss, the shaman. He doesn't attack himself, but he will keep generating regular bad guys. Destroy the small pillars surrounding him to eliminate his protective barrier, and then finish him with any attack. Kill the shaman to obtain the Dragon Amulet. Darkwater Portal: At the southwest corner of Darkwater. Skarin needs to use the enemy-held portal stones to activate the magical powers of the Dragon Amulet, but the place lies right within the stockades of Darkwater. Obviously, charging through the main gates with blades swinging won't work. Instead, Skarin will need to sneak in quietly, so it's stealth time. Learning the dashing stealth attack (Fenrir's Bite) from the Arena first will help here. Climb over the low section of the east wall, at the part that's draped over with a green tapestry. Follow the walls south, and then turn west. Use stealth attacks against the lone enemies facing away, sneak past them, or just quickly hack them up to avoid alerting the rest of the base. Use the Dragon Amulet at the center of the portal stones (red glow) to restore its power. Ancient Ruins (Dragon Stones): Now that the Dragon Amulet is properly prepared, go back to the Ancient Ruins. Use the Dragon Amulet with the Hugin Gem at the summoning stone (the large circular platform), at the south side, to summon Ari. It's time for Skarin to make good use of his seizures anyway. When Ari shows up, there will be a brief tutorial of what dragons can do during mass attacks. The usual Subscreen will be replaced by the Eye of Asgard, which provides an overhead view of the field. From here, special ammo-like items called Dragon Runes can be spent to have the dragons instantly kill available targets. For now, choose either of the targets offered and see how this all works out. By this point, Skarin should be ready to lead the last major battle for this island world. If he's still lugging around any kegs of mead, he should drop them off with the innkeeper now. He may also want to grab as many special attacks as he can from the local Battle Arena, because the next Arena won't be available for a long while. Darkwater: At the northeast of Niflberg. With the Drawbridge lowered, with Ari summoned, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. This is the first real major battle of its kind, where Skarin can work with dragon-powered air strikes. The main bosses are the shamans, who like the one back at the Monastery will keep generating regular bad guys. They are marked by red shafts of light. Also present are champions, who again are the same as the ones encountered earlier. Both the champions and the shamans have their locations indicated by red dots on the radar. Ari can instantly nuke a shaman, but using him costs Dragon Runes, which can be earned by killing champions and other bosses. So basically, aim for a champion first, kill him, and then use the Dragon Runes to get rid of a shaman. When Skarin runs out of Dragon Runes, he and his allies can just hack their way slowly to the remaining shamans and kill them in the usual fashion: break the pillars surrounding them to eliminate their protective barriers, and then use any attack to chop them up. (Doing a standard slash is faster than using special fatality moves against them.) Focus on killing the shamans; the enemy archers aren't as important and can actually be ignored for much of the battle. Aside from all that, things should be pretty routine. Skarin can activate his Elemental Magic within a group of allies to charge them up as well. If he gets wasted, he'll be revived for free by Asta (the friendly shaman, who's marked by a blue shaft of light). At the end, defeat Drakan, who behaves like the other enemy champions. Whack him with the usual attacks first, using the evade maneuver to dodge his giant sword, and then go through the button prompt challenge to finish ripping off his face. Once Niflberg is freed, Skarin will learn that he needs to continue his battle onto other islands. Hey, at least this beats fighting the Picts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.3] Galcliff - Part 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Galcliff Landing Camp: At the west of Galcliff. This is Skarin's temporary base of operations, having a shopkeeper (Bodvar) and a blacksmith. Available for purchase now are the Level 2 Elemental Runes, the Health Advance Stage 2, and the Chieftain's Throwing Axe (an upgraded version of the standard Throwing Axe). Buy the new Treasure Maps, too. Talk to Jari, in the middle of the camp, to hear more about what's going on in the place. Talk to Asta, near the portal stones, to learn about the whereabouts of the Mugin Gem, or at least a part of it. Distillery: To the south of the Galcliff Landing Camp. To get there, climb the cliffside ledges near the camp. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings. After wiping out the enemies here, stay behind some cover with the freed vikings, and help them ambush the approaching enemy patrol. Talk to Njal the distiller, on a high wooden platform, to obtain the Cellar Key. Ruins: To the north of the Distillery. Drop down through the hole in the floor. Use the Cellar Key to open the locked door. Open the chest at the bottom level to obtain the Secret Recipe. (To exit, climb up the rope netting near the now-unlocked door.) Give it to Njal at the Distillery to gain his full support. Available for purchase now are the Flame Pots. Cave Camp: To the east of the Ruins. Open the prisoner cage. Talk to Hrut, in front of the cage, to learn about some big bad guys in the nearby network of caves. Central Cave: To the east of the Cave Camp. Work into the mountain tunnels (from any of the several cave entrances). In the large cavern in the middle, climb up the ledges to the highest level. Kill the champion, in front of the stone throne, to obtain the Legion Insignia. Give it to Hrut at the Cave Camp to gain his full support. (The Cave Leystone is to the south of the stone throne's location.) Mercenaries: To the southeast of the Distillery. Talk to Mani the mercenary leader, inside the cave hideout, to obtain the Tower Key. Watchtower (South Watchtower): To the east of the Mercenaries' hideout and the Sutherine Leystone. Use the Tower Key to open the tower's front door. Kill all the enemies inside the tower, climbing the ladders to reach the higher levels. On the third level, open the doors, and climb the rope netting up to the fifth level (because the ladder on the fourth level is broken). At the seventh and highest level, kill the shaman and the other enemies to seize control of the area. (To enter the basement, drop down through the basement doorway outside.) Ambush: To the northeast of the South Watchtower. With the Distillery freed and with the South Watchtower freed, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Kill the entire elite patrol, on the stone bridge, to obtain the War Chest. Give it to Mani at the Mercenaries' hideout to gain his full support. Quarry: To the east of the South Watchtower, or to the southeast of the Brenna Grof Leystone. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings. Talk to Olen the quarry master, on one of the high wooden platforms overlooking the cage, to learn about some of his guys who are held captive elsewhere. Nuts. Eastern Cave: To the northeast of the Quarry. On the mountain paths outside the gate leading into the cave, kill the champion to obtain the Rusty Key. Use it to open the locked gate. Carefully climb around into the deeper part of the cave. Open the prisoner cage at the very end of the bottom level. (To exit, open the doors leading back out toward the gate.) Talk to Olen at the quarry to obtain two sets of Explosives. Awesome. Plateau Camp: To the north of the Cave Leystone (and the Flatturgrunnur Leystone). To get there, go north past the Cave Leystone (near the Central Cave). Use the Explosives to blow open the locked gate. Open the prisoner cage. Open the chest on the small circular platform to obtain the Mugin Gem Fragment. Holdenfort Barracks: At the upper level on the southwest side of Holdenfort. Just like the earlier scene back at Darkwater, it's stealth time. This area is a heck lot larger, but the same tricks apply. If Skarin automatically draws his weapons, at least one bad guy has detected him. Either kill off the alerted guards or sit behind cover for a while to get things to settle down. Climb over the low section of the south wall, next to the cliffs. Go north, past the beer hall, across the lower wooden bridge connecting to the north half of Holdenfort. Follow the large set of stairs leading to the upper level on the west, and then cross the higher wooden bridge connecting back to the south, toward the barracks. Go to the large building in the fenced-off lot, either by walking through the front entrance or by climbing over the low section of the fence (the part draped over with a tapestry). Use the Explosives at the open hatch on one side of this large building to destroy it. Holdenfort: At the east of Galcliff. With the Holdenfort Barracks destroyed, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Like in the previous battle at Darkwater, the main bosses are the shamans. Slay the champions to earn Dragon Runes, which can be used to send the dragon to bombard available targets via the Eye of Asgard (Subscreen). If there aren't enough runes left, just hack a path to the remaining shamans and kill them in the usual manner: break their pillars to eliminate their protective barriers, and then make their heads cave in with a good bash to the face. (Doing a standard slash is faster than using special fatality moves against them.) At the last part, Skarin must help Asta reclaim the enemy-held portal stones (red glow). First, work with the allied vikings to reach the site. Next, use the center of the portal stones to help Asta teleport there. Then, while she slowly gains control of the place, make sure no enemy jams an axe into the back of her head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.4] Galcliff - Part 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Holdenfort Get: Skarin moves his base of operations to Holdenfort, although the Galcliff Landing Camp still retains its own shopkeeper and blacksmith. Available for purchase now are the Level 3 Elemental Runes and the Health Advance Stage 3. The Battle Arena can also be reached now, so be sure to visit it sometime to learn more butt-kicking moves. Talk to Honir the chieftain, to the north of the upper wooden bridge, to open the northwest and northeast gates. Talk to Asta, at the north central gate, to open that gate. Give Galcliff Mead to Holmstein the innkeeper, at the beer hall in the south half of Holdenfort, to earn extra cash. Fun fact: Holmstein is the brother of Torv, the innkeeper back at Niflberg. Battle Arena: To the west of Holdenfort, or to the southwest of the Arena Camp. To get there, climb up and around the mountain. Particularly useful are the counter attack (Valkyrie Stampede) and the heavy jumping chop (Hel's Fury). Watchtower (North Watchtower): To the northeast of the Northern Watchtower Leystone. The front door is bolted shut this time, so climb over the low section of the wooden wall to the side, entering the yard, and drop down through the open basement doorway. Aside from that, this tower is very similar in layout to its southern counterpart. Fight up through its levels, climbing the ladders. Kill the shaman and the other enemies at the top level to seize control of the area. Lumber Farm: To the northeast of the North Watchtower and the Godholt Leystone, or to the north of the Lumber Mill Leystone. Kill the champion, at the higher west side, to obtain the Crane Key. Use it to unlock and lower the crane holding the prisoner cage at the northeast, near an open shed. Talk to Bori the saw master, at the higher west side, to learn about the grinding stones. North Beach Camp: To the west of the Lumber Farm and the Godholt Leystone. Open the prisoner cage on the higher grassy field. Open the chest near the cage to obtain the Heavy Grindstone. Give it to Bori at the Lumber Farm to gain his full support. Vineyard: To the northwest of the Austerine Leystone, or to the south of the Godholt Leystone. The front gate is locked, so go around from the back, or drop down onto the fence from the cliffs nearby. Skarin can also use the explosive barrels here to do some additional damage, although he should run off to a healthy distance before the fiery blasts burn off his face. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings. Available for purchase now are the Upgraded Health Potions. Talk to Blyn the farmer, near the back of the cage, to obtain the Letter of Request. Give it to Vidar the archer, at the archery range by the northwest corner of Holdenfort, and then talk to Blyn again at the Vineyard to gain his full support. Guerrilla Camp: To the north of Holdenfort. The Longboat Graveyard, which sits on top of the mountain, looks like a maze at first, but it's really quite linear. At the long gap, sidle along the narrow ledge. Meet Garm and Atol, and then climb up the ladder to leave the pit. (The Longboat Graveyard Leystone is at the west end of the Guerrilla Camp.) Yes, vikings had apparently used the term "guerrilla" back then. Mine: To the north of the Guerrilla Camp. Flip the lever switch to ride the elevator. Fight through the tunnels, and find a locked gate. Talk to Kali, past the gate, to learn that there should be a key nearby. Look for a very dark alcove near the large pit with a narrow ledge. Open the chest in this dark alcove to obtain the Rusty Key. Use it to open the locked gate. Follow the path leading deeper down into the mines. Meet Drakan and hear his scary speech at the lower chamber, and then kill the henchmen he sends down to fight. Dragon Gem Mugin: At the southwest side of Caldberg. It's stealth time again, and this is one of the most challenging sneaking missions. First, get to the front walls of Caldberg, either by fighting across the main bridge or by following the beach path up past the Caldberg Stathe Leystone. Climb the rope netting north of the main gate. Carefully work to the south, and then turn west, following the perimeter as best as possible. Climb down a set of ladders, go down a long flight of stairs, and then move along the docks, where there are few enemy guards. At the far west end of the docks, climb up the rope netting. Proceed further along the streets, up to the small crypt. Watch out for a shaman in there. Open the chest in the small crypt to obtain the Mugin Gem Piece. (The Caldberg Leystone is to the north. To get there, either follow the streets or take the rocky side path that runs west behind the small crypt.) Afterward, talk to Garm at the Guerrilla Camp again to gain his full support. Crypt: To the southeast of the Holdenfort Battlefield Leystone. After the incident at the Mine, there will be new enemy guards in front of the entrance to this area. Kill these enemies to obtain the Crypt Key. Use it to open the locked gate. Follow the stairs and the wacky architecture, and enjoy the view. Use the sword at the shrine-like forge to supercharge it. (Supercharge not guaranteed.) Dragon Stones: To the east of the Galcliff Landing Camp. To get there, climb up the cliffs. Use the Dragon Amulet with the Mugin Gem at the summoning stone (the large circular platform) to summon Kelda. Screaming incoherently to the heavens can indeed bring about wonders. By this point, Skarin should be ready to lead the last major battle for this island world. If he's still lugging around any kegs of mead, he should drop them off with the innkeeper now. Caldberg: With the North Watchtower freed, with the sword dunked into the forge, with Kelda summoned, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. This battle is pretty much the same as before, except this time a third type of boss is introduced: the giants. These big, ugly suckers are like slower but even tougher versions of the champions, yet the tactics for beating them are similar. Hack them up as usual first, using the evade maneuver to dodge their pounding and stomping attacks. When a button icon appears near them, go through three button prompt challenges (one after the other) to punch out their brains. As usual, the main targets are the shamans. Kill the champions and the giants to earn Dragon Runes, which can be used to sic the dragons (Ari and Kelda) against the shamans to make the fight easier. For the remaining shamans, just go up to them and butcher them normally. After breaking through the main gates, Skarin can climb onto the wooden platforms on which the shamans stand to reach them. At the last part, beat up Drakan again. His attacks haven't changed, although the button prompt challenge at the end is a little more complex. Once Galcliff is freed, Skarin will learn that his next destination is the home turf of Hel's army. Where's Cormac when you need him? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.5] Isaholm - Part 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Landing Camp: At the southeast corner of Isaholm. As with the one back at Galcliff, this camp serves as Skarin's temporary base, where a shopkeeper and a blacksmith can be found. Available for purchase now are the Level 4 Elemental Runes, the Health Advance Stage 4, and the Axe of Odin (another upgraded version of the Throwing Axe). Again, buy the new Treasure Maps. Talk to Osten, near the portal stones, to learn more about areas of trouble. Ingolf's Quarry: To the north of the Landing Camp. Kill the champion at the upper northeast corner, not far from the Ingolf's Quarry Leystone, to obtain the Quarry Key. Use it to open the locked gate to the fenced-off lot at the northwest, and open the prisoner cage there. Talk to Ifor the quarry guard, near the cage, to learn that he and his men made the mistake of consuming the Legion's food and now aren't feeling so hot. Beekeeper Im: To the west of the Landing Camp, or to the north of the Veittun Leystone. Talk to Im the beekeeper, at her pleasant little lake home, to obtain the Honey. Give it to Ifor at Ingolf's Quarry to make him and his troopers totally hopped up and just itching to kill anything in their way. Afterward, talk to Ingolf the quarry master, near the gate of the fenced-off lot, to obtain the Explosives. Kiarr's Farm: To the west of the Landing Camp and the Veittun Leystone, or to the northeast of the Health Farm Leystone. Kill the shaman and the champion here. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings. Available for purchase now are Asta's Special Health Potions. Sounds tasty. Afterward, talk to Kiarr the farmer, near the windmill, to learn about the awful, soul-rending noises coming from the south. Strange Noises: To the south of Kiarr's Farm. Climb up to the highest ledge of the mountain. Talk to Idona (and Kolm) to obtain the Ornate Brooch. Give it to Kiarr at his farm to gain his full support. South Watchtower: To the southwest of Kiarr's Farm. This tower's layout is very much like the ones before at Galcliff. Enter through the front doorway or the basement doorway, and climb up the ladders. There is no shaman on the top level, but Skarin still needs to kill all the enemies inside as well as the ones outside near the tower to seize control of the area. Nydi's Distillery: To the west of the South Watchtower and the Wassailton Leystone. Open the prisoner cage on the north side, by the mountain. Talk to Nydi the distiller, near some houses on a high ledge, to learn about the Mega Patrol. Yes, the Mega Patrol. Ambush Point: To the south of Nydi's Distillery. With Nydi's Distillery freed, and with the Explosives (from the Quarry) acquired, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. The Explosives will be automatically used to blow up the bridge used by the bad guys. Kill the Mega Patrol (cough), and then talk to Nydi at his distillery to gain his full support. Arena Cavern: To the north of Nydi's Distillery, or to the east of the Distillery Leystone. To get there, follow the slope at the west end of Nydi's Distillery. Particularly useful are the Slow Rage Level 3 dual chop (Might of Valhalla) and the super jumping chop (Odin's Doom). The latter move can instantly mutilate regular, unshielded bad guys in one single smiting, plus it looks really, really funny in action. Infiltrate Thornvik: At the north side of Thornvik. It's stealth time once again. The gates into the town aren't just bolted shut; the lava has cut a fiery moat before them. Luckily for Skarin, the broken bits of land to the west and the east provide multiple means of entry. Sneaking in through either side, carefully work around the buildings and walls. The same old tricks apply. If Skarin automatically draws his weapons, at least one bad guy has detected him. Either kill off the alerted guards or sit behind cover for a while to get things to settle down. Go north past the portal stones (red glow), and cross the crappy-looking wooden bridge connecting to the north half of Thornvik. Look for the short, blocky tower. Enter it, preferably through the basement doorway. Kill the traitor in the tower's basement to obtain the Prison Key. Legion's Prison Cave: To the northeast of the Wassailton Leystone. To get there, go through the west tunnel entrance near the Mountain Encampment. Fight through the tunnels, hanging right after entering to reach the locked gate more easily. (The Prison Cave Leystone is at the alcove near this gate.) Use the Prison Key to open the locked gate to the inner cave. Cross the wooden bridge over the fiery pit of death. Talk to Sven, past one of the cell walls, to learn how to help his guys break free. Follow the slope up to the second level. Flip the lever switch in the break room, at the end of the second level, to open the cells. Thornvik: With the previous key areas all freed, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Skarin should really know the drill by now. Waste the giants and the champions to earn Dragon Runes, which should then be used to make the dragons obliterate the shamans. At the first part, use the dragons to fry the shaman on top of the main walls for an easier time. If Skarin runs out of Dragon Runes, he will need to sneak into the town like before (entering via the west or east side) and then murder that shaman normally. At the last part, Skarin has to help Asta reclaim the enemy-held portal stones (red glow). Like before, use the center of the portal stones to help her teleport there, and then make sure nothing funny happens to her while she's at work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2.6] Isaholm - Part 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thornvik Get: Skarin moves his base to Thornvik, although the Landing Camp continues to have its own shopkeeper and blacksmith. Available for purchase now is the Health Advance Stage 5. Talk to Alfan the chieftain, to the southwest of the portal stones, to obtain the Travel Papers. Give them to Kalf the guard, at the north gate, to open that gate. Give Isaholm Mead to Valin the innkeeper, at the beer hall near the south wall, to earn extra cash. Lumber Mill: To the north of Thornvik, or to the west of the Lumber Mill Leystone. Kill the shaman and the giant, along with any other enemies in the way. Open the prisoner cage between the buildings. Talk to Beck the lumber master, to the east of the cage, to learn that his source of wood is threatened. Forest: To the south of the Lumber Mill. Kill all the enemies in the middle of this forest to obtain the Warband Insignia. Give it to Beck at the Lumber Mill to gain his full support. By the roof of Yggdrasil, what's with the top of that central bunch of trees? Gateway: To the east of Thornvik. The massive gate is shut tight, and banging against it like some crazed savage won't work. Instead, go east from the Dragon Stones. Near the Bolthor's Domain Leystone, turn south. Jump across the broken wooden bridges, and sidle along the narrow ledges. The cliffside path here leads to the top of the walls of the Gateway. Flip the lever switch on these upper walkways to open the massive gate. To exit, climb down the ladders within the south section of the wall, and open the door. East Tower: To the northeast of the Bridge Leystone (or to the west of the East Tower Leystone). The front door is locked, and the basement doorway is grated shut. Climb further up the cliffs behind to the east, and cross the wooden bridge connecting to the tower's fifth level. Open the chest on the top level to obtain the East Tower Cellar Key. Use it to open the locked door to the basement (from the first level), freeing the prisoners. To exit, go through the front doorway. Fellkeep: To the north of the East Tower. Talk to Asta (who has made it here earlier on her own somehow), by the campfire not far from the Fellkeep Leystone, to obtain the Shaman Cave Key. It's time to go on a spiritual journey. One with lots of blood and violence. Shaman's Cave: To the west of Fellkeep. From the south gate of Fellkeep, go down the slopes to the shallow lake at the bottom. Free the prisoner trio along the way, and kill the giant and the other enemies there. Use the Shaman Cave Key to open the locked door at the end of the shallow lake. Open the chest inside the cave to obtain the Sacred Herbs. Talk to Asta at Fellkeep for additional details. Cave (Ritual Flame): To the southwest of Fellkeep. From the south gate of Fellkeep, follow the high hills to the southwest first. Go past the Helhola Leystone, and enter the cave leading up north. Fight through the tunnels. Use the Sacred Herbs at the stone pedestal, at the bottom end of the cave (with the cool-looking statue nearby), to learn more about the giants. Talk to Asta at Fellkeep for additional details. Cave (Dragon Gem): To the southwest of Fellkeep. Go through the west gate of Fellkeep, to the high plateau. (Grundi the guard will allow Skarin to pass there after he completes his brief spiritual journey.) Enter through one of the tunnels from the north side of the mountains. A shaman guards a locked gate on the second level. After kicking his ass, ignore the gate for the meantime, and continue along the high path. Open the chest at the very end of this high path to obtain the Cave Gate Key. Use it to open the locked gate. Follow the path leading deeper down into the cave, and kill the giant and the other enemies at the bottom chamber. Open the chest on the stone dragon arm, over the lava pool, to obtain the Mjolnir Gem (which completes the Dragon Amulet). Giant's Forge: To the west of Fellkeep and the North Camp Leystone. Fight down into the pit. At the bottom level, look for a partially open doorway in front of a lava pit. Sidle along the red beams connected to the open door. Use the sword at the forge, on the stone dragon arm, to supercharge it. Man, what a rip. To exit, use the Jotunheim Leystone at the top of the giant winding stairs. Camp (Kuan's Camp): To the southwest of the Giant's Forge. Open the prisoner cage by the cliffs. Talk to Kuan, near the cage, to learn about another viking traitor, Kalgrim. It's going to suck to be that man in about two minutes. Turncoat's Location: To the southeast of Kuan's Camp. Kill Kalgrim, near the short towers, to obtain the Traitor's Shield. Give it to Kuan to gain his full support. Dragon Stones: To the southeast of the Lumber Mill and the Lumber Mill Leystone. Use the Dragon Amulet with the Mjolnir Gem at the summoning stone (the large circular platform) to summon Bolthor. Incoherent viking screaming seizures rock. By this point, Skarin should be ready to lead the last major battle for this island world. Now is a good time to pick up any remaining special attacks and other upgrades. Hel's Fortress: At the center of the north half of Isaholm. With the sword dunked into another forge, with Bolthor summoned, and with a sufficient army ready, use the Battle Horn option on the Map Screen to begin the mass attack. Things here should be nothing that Skarin can't handle. At the first part, focus on killing the shamans on the short towers. (Asta and the other friendly shamans may also take over those towers once they are cleared of enemies.) After breaching the outer wall, there will be three giants. Interestingly enough, the dragons can nuke these giants in this battle. Skarin might as well have them do so, if he has collected enough Dragon Runes, because this is the last time the dragons can be used. At the third part, fight up the stairs to the enemy-held portal stones (red glow). Like before, use the center of the portal stones to help Asta teleport there, and help keep her hide free of rusty metal blades and other sharp pointy things while she seizes control of the portal stones. However, reclaiming the portal stones won't end the battle yet. Skarin now must fight alone through the fortress proper. As he moves up along the stairs and corridors, there will be several enemies. For the ones who teleport into the place, he can actually perform stealth attacks against them while they're still materializing. Kill a shaman, a champion, and then another shaman to eliminate the flame barriers that bar the path. Go to Hel at the top level. At the first part of the battle against Hel, she behaves like a super shaman. She doesn't directly attack Skarin, but she will keep generating a flood of regular bad guys, all the while covering herself and sectioning off the floor with flesh-burning walls of flame. Ignore Hel for now, and focus on destroying the four small pillars, one in each quadrant of the room, while fighting off her thugs. The flame barriers will temporarily vanish after a while, though not always together. This is the most challenging scene, and the key lies in withstanding the onslaught of enemies. Don't be afraid to kill off any henchmen first if they're getting in the way. The flame walls will hurt the bad guys, too, but try to personally deliver the killing blow against them, so they might drop Green Energy Motes. Use everything, from Elemental Magic to cheap special attacks (for instance, the super jumping chop) to survive. After all four pillars are gone, continue fighting until Hel switches plans. At the second part of the battle against Hel, she manifests herself as a big, ugly giant. Luckily, this monster is no Midgardsorm, and things here are way easier compared to the previous part. As with the earlier giants, hack her up with the usual attacks first, using the evade maneuver to avoid the returning blows, and then go through the button prompt challenges, which are only a little more complex than before. If Skarin gets knocked away, he should waste the regular bad guys who show up and then resume with the button prompt challenges. If Skarin defeats Hel, congratulations on finishing the game, and enjoy the ending. Maybe now Skarin can finally go home and take a nap with Asta. ============================================================================== [3] Red Skulls (22 total) ============================================================================== The Red Skulls are only for the Achievements (and are virtually meaningless in the PS3 version, which doesn't have Trophies). Skarin must obtain them when he is sneaking through their indicated areas, because they will disappear when he begins the mass battles at those areas. The second island world (Galcliff) has twelve Red Skulls across Holdenfort and Caldberg. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3.1] Red Skulls at Darkwater (6 total) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Skulls are listed in the order they can be found if Skarin sneaks clockwise along the perimeter, beginning from the entrance point with the green tapestry (at the east side of the perimeter). Some of the Skulls here require Skarin to rush past enemies to reach them, but there is no worry. Any obtained Skulls are saved, freeing Skarin to work toward the rest after Asta revives him. LOL. - Near the perimeter's southeast corner. From the beginning entrance point with the green tapestry, turn left toward the southeast, climb over the short fence and the group of crates and barrels, and climb up the ledge. The Skull is on the floor between the stockade and a brief wooden plank wall. - Within the southwest interior. From the portal stones (red glow), turn toward the middle of the entire compound, and look for a stack of several standard-sized barrels near a shop building. The Skull is in front of this stack of barrels. (This requires rushing past the enemies.) - Near the perimeter's northwest corner. Sneak past the portal stones (red glow), and reach the northwest corner. Look for a U-shaped group of crates. (These crates lead up to the northwest yard with three enemies who are training against dummies.) The Skull is in the space within this group of crates. - Near the perimeter's north side. Look for the two short stacks of crates near the long, half-cylindrical wooden building. The Skull is near these two short stacks of crates. - Within the northern interior. Look for the well near the north gate. (This north gate faces the short dock just outside the stockade.) The Skull is beside this well. - Within the east interior. From the beginning entrance point with the green tapestry, turn right toward the north, but stay on the higher level, and don't go down to the lower level yet. Across the part of the road that slopes down toward the northeast, look for an obelisk with criss-crossed surfaces. The Skull is near this obelisk. (This requires rushing past the enemies.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3.2] Red Skulls at Holdenfort (6 total) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Skulls are listed in the order they can be found as Skarin sneaks from the fence entrance point to the Holdenfort Barracks near the portal stones (at the south half's upper region). All of the Skulls here appear roughly along a possible route that Skarin can take to reach the end point. - At the south half's east bridge level. From the southwest entrance point with the fence climb, go north toward the drinking hall. The Skull is inside the short fence corner before this drinking hall. - At the south half's docks. Go to the lowest rocky shore near the ladder that leads up to the east bridge. Look for a shelf with a lantern. The Skull is near this shelf with the lantern. - At the north half's docks. After crossing the east flood gate to reach the north half's docks, go to the northeast. Look for a wooden shelf with three barrels and a lantern, by the rocky cliff walls facing the sea to the east. The Skull is beside this shelf. - At the north half's east bridge level. After climbing up from the docks, look for the large shop building near a drinking hall, near the large stairs that lead up to the highest levels. The Skull is behind this large shop building. - At the north half's west bridge level. South of the big, long north slope, look for a well. Go to the series of buildings north of this well. Around these houses near the well, look for a fence's corner that has a torch on it. The Skull is inside this corner of the fences. - At the south half's west bridge level. Go to the house directly south of the west bridge. This house is below the portal stones (red glow). Search the short fence around this house. The Skull is inside this short fence's northeast corner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3.3] Red Skulls at Caldberg (6 total) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Skulls are listed in the order they can be found if Skarin sneaks through Caldberg from the northeast, down across the south, and then back up to the northwest. The last two Skulls (at the central region and at the northwest region) require him to make unusual detours from the Second Mugin Gem Fragment that is hidden at the southwest shrine. - In the north interior. From the northeast entrance point with the climbable netting, go directly west. The Skull is between a building and the north high walkways. - In the southeast interior. From the entrance point with the climbable netting, turn left, and sneak or fight south across the front outer wall (along Caldberg's east side). At the southeast end of the outer wall, look down to the lower levels for a house at a middle terrace-like place, with a wagon below it. The Skull is in the corner behind this house. - At the south docks. The Skull is near a single crate along the dock walkway that follows the southern perimeter. - Within the southwest interior. From the T-shaped docks at the west end of the south docks, climb up the netting to the west to reach a market area. Look for a large tree next to a fish stall that overlooks the T-shaped docks below. The Skull is near this large tree. - At the central region. From the Caldberg Leystone at the west side, go east up the steps and toward a wagon. Keep going east to a terrace dead end that overlooks the water in the middle of Caldberg. The Skull is at this terrace dead end. - Within the northwest region. From the Caldberg Leystone at the west side, go up the stairs to the northeast, and look for more sets of stairs where enemies routinely pass. Near one of these stairs, look for suspended pallets with three barrels and a crate on them, with a lantern on more crates under these pallets. The Skull is at the corner near these suspended pallets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3.4] Red Skulls at Thornvik (4 total) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Skulls here are the easiest to find, because they mark the ideal path to sneak to the north tower, where the enemy target is located. - Near the south half's perimeter's east. From the southwest entrance point with the lava pit jumps, go south along the inside of the outer wall, past the gate with the closed portcullis. The Skull is near a set of stairs that leads up onto the outer wall. - At the south half's east side. Sneak to the other side of the fence barricade in front of the south half's east gate with the closed portcullis. The Skull is near the large torch brazier and the house, on this side of the fence barricade. (The wooden bridge is near the portal stones.) - Near the north half's perimeter's west side. After crossing the crappy wooden bridge into the north half, turn left. Hide behind the boulder as needed until the enemies turn away. Go west from the bridge, and go behind the wooden plank structure and the stack of three crates. Turn toward the west outer wall. The Skull is on the slope by the outer wall here. - Near the north half's perimeter's north. From the previous location, continue sneaking along the west and then the north perimeter. The Skull is between the perimeter wall and the basement entrance that leads into the north tower with the enemy target. ============================================================================== [4] (reserved) ============================================================================== ============================================================================== [5] Reference ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5.1] Game Source Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Viking: Battle for Asgard Developer: The Creative Assembly Producer: Sega Genre: action adventure Players: 1 Save: Memory Storage (X360: 592 KB, PS3: 1024 KB) Publisher: Sega Release Date: 2008-03-25 Case Details: Show No Mercy You are Skarin, a rage-fueled Viking warrior hell-bent on revenge. The goddess of death has resurrected a legion of demon warriors to overrun mankind and begin the apocalypse. Wage all-out war to annihilate the enemy and free the Earth from the grip of the Underworld. - Brutalize enemies with fire, ice and lightning attacks. - Battle armies of undead warriors in an open world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5.2] Soundtrack Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Viking: Battle for Asgard: The Soundtrack Copyright 2008 Sumthing Name: Viking: Battle for Asgard: The Soundtrack Code: SE-2046-2 Publisher: Sumthing Release Date: 2008-09--- UPC: 669311204622 Tracks: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ## Time Tune (29 total) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 01 0:14 Creative Assembly Logo 02 1:37 Prologue 03 2:44 The Soul of Midgard 04 0:47 The Village of Brighthelm 05 1:26 Bruthwaite and Slaterdale Mines Part I 06 1:06 The Monastery at Kirkja Part I 07 1:32 Enemy Territory Part I 08 1:35 Bruthwaite and Slaterdale Mines Part II 09 1:04 The Monastery at Kirkja Part II 10 2:23 The Battle for Darkwater 11 1:46 The Fall of Drakan 12 2:11 Enemy Territory Part II 13 1:31 Flatturgrunnur Caverns Part I 14 1:49 The Ambush in Sutherine 15 1:35 Flatturgrunnur Caverns Part II 16 2:06 The Battle for Holdenfort 17 0:49 The Town of Holdenfort 18 2:38 Njordfell Mines 19 2:07 The Battle for Caldberg 20 1:02 The Extradition of Hel 21 1:57 The Ambush in Wassailton 22 2:29 Nordor-Holm Caves 23 2:01 The Battle for Thornvik 24 0:58 The Town of Thornvik 25 2:52 The Fire Caves 26 2:12 Hel's Fortress Battle 27 2:02 Skarin and Hel's Final Battle 28 1:42 A New Beginning 29 2:47 Choir of Valkyries :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5.3] Document Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Creative Assembly (www.creative-assembly.com) For developing Viking: Battle for Asgard. Sega (www.sega.com) For producing Viking: Battle for Asgard. Spherelanders For playing through the game and figuring out the best tactics. Extra thanks to Alex Round for actually authoring this document. ============================================================================== [6] Contact Information ============================================================================== mail: faididi@yahoo.com ============================================================================== ==============================================================================