Sons of Valhalla Beginner’s Gameplay Guide – Are you a beginner? This guide contains everything you need to know covering the gameplay, mechanics, base building tactics, and co.
Sons of Valhalla Beginner’s Gameplay Guide
Game overview
Sons of Valhalla is a Viking Age strategy/RPG where you play as Thorald Olavson, a warrior determined to track down a Jarl who burned down his home, kidnapped his beloved, and fled to distant England.
Along the way, you’ll establish a base, gather resources, and recruit/upgrade fellow warriors as you fight your way through the various regions of England in pursuit of this Earl.
You will encounter new enemies, new bosses and use different strategies to fight them.How you choose to lead your men is up to you and remember – Valhalla will remain closed until you fulfill your destiny.
Luckily, you have Odin on your side, granting you immortality in exchange for ancient runes to give you the ultimate advantage against those who fight against you!
Prove to the gods Odin’s faith in you and seek your destiny.
Main User Interface Elements
No matter where you are in Sons of Valhalla, these UI elements remain the same.
1. Resources in the top bar – Overview of resources that you will use to upgrade your settlements and recruit soldiers.
Hack Silver – Hack Silver is used to buy soldiers, build buildings and improve research.
Gold Coins – Gold coins are used to upgrade your character. You can only do this in Mead Hall.
Wood – Wood is used in the same way as silver.
Pisces – Pisces is used in the same way as silver and wood.
Manpower – Soldiers cost manpower, with the limit increasing as you upgrade your Mead Halls.
2. Health Bar – This is your health status. You can increase it with gold in Mead Hall.
3. Stamina Bar – Stamina is used for power attacks and dodging.
Once exhausted, you will be unable to do either, and can either drink a potion to quickly replenish it, or simply rest in place. Increases using gold in Mead Hall.
4. Minimap – The minimap provides important information about the level, including your settlements, farms, enemy locations, and bosses.
5. Equipment – Your character has a variety of equipment to help keep you alive. These can be replenished at any time at the forts/base stations.
5a – Ranged Options – Projectiles and throwables of various types to withstand any situation. As the game progresses, holding X on these three types of equipment will open up options for you to cycle through.
5b – Food – Food restores your health.
5c – Mead – Mead restores your stamina.
6. Fast Travel – This character allows you to fast travel between any of your captured areas on the map.
Base Building
Base building and management are key to success in Sons of Valhalla.
Upgrading your Mead Halls allows you to build on more plots and unlock new buildings and upgrades for your character, forts and army.
1. Mead Hall – Mead Hall is the center of every keep and upgrading this building will allow for more land to be built, unlock new buildings and provide personal character upgrades for the cost of gold.
2. Chats – Wood and Fish are the only resources that will actively generate your settlements through chats. These lodges can be upgraded as you upgrade your settlements with Mead Hall. Pictured are level 2 cottages.
3. Military Buildings – There are five military buildings: Barracks, Archery, Siege Workshop, Blacksmith and Shaman’s Hut.
While the first three buildings produce and upgrade your army units, the blacksmith will enable a special army unit but only upgrade your character.
Pictured from left to right are the Level 3 Barracks, Level 3 Archery Range, and Level 1 Siege Workshop.
4. Fortress Defense – Fortresses and bases have defenses, with upgraded fortresses having sturdier walls and towers. You will have to defeat the enemy defenses to capture their fortress/castle.
5. Outposts – Outposts lie between the forts. These do not provide passive resource generation like forts; however, they allow trading of silver for resources and provide access to various types of mercenaries.
Runes
Runes are found by killing enemies and opening chests on the map. These ancient stones vary in rarity and will give you benefits in the following areas:
- Melee hero
- Hero Ranged
- Army
- Economy
- Divine
Your belt can hold a limited number of runes, however you can unlock more slots by equipping rune slots. Note that upon your death you must release the rune to Odin before you are restored to life.
Battle
1. Army Management – As the leader of this expedition to England, you command yourself and the units you create. Holding Shift will bring up commands for your men with the following breakdown:
1. Center Command – Commands all units in the white border, rotating clockwise from above:
1a. Hold Position – Hold the hero position. Whenever you use this closer to a friendly gate, units will make sure the gate is defended.
1b. Attack – Push forward constantly no matter the cost.
1c. Shield Wall – Best used with shielded melee units, forming a shield wall for as long as their stamina lasts, with archers in the back.
1d. Follow Me – Units will follow you regardless of enemy units.
2. Right Command – Select your units to attack by rotating clockwise from the top: mercenaries, melee, siege weapons, ranged.
3. Left Command – Select the type of unit to follow me by turning clockwise from the top: mercenaries, melee, siege weapons, ranged.
2. Personal Orders – Your personal orders are as follows:
Space – Dodge at the cost of stamina.
Left click – light attack
Hold Left Click – Charges a power attack at the cost of stamina.
Hold Right Click – Raises shield. Move the mouse up and down to change the direction of the shield.
F Key – Pull out a ranged missile, with X to disable the missile type.
C Key – Consume food to replenish health.
V Key – Takes away stamina items to replace stamina.
Map of the region
After completing a level, you’ll move around the map of the region, taking you to the next level where you’ll encounter new enemies, bosses, and fortress buildings, not to mention progressing through the story to fulfill your destiny!
Early Game / Helpful Hints
How you play is ultimately up to you. However, Odin would like you to know a few initial tips for success!
As you fight further into the level, it’s wise to return to better-protected strongholds and rebuild to focus on resource generation, with military buildings at the forefront of the battle.
Headshots are possible and arrows are automatically replenished. Master the bow and blast the enemy from a distance.
The shield wall is incredibly effective against a wave of enemies and gives you time to use your bow and power up your attack, dealing maximum damage as the enemy tries to break through your defenses.
Adapt your army to the situation. Melee troops can destroy lower level defenses, but a wooden palisade or stone wall will require siege equipment that consumes more manpower.
Your watchtowers can hold up to 5 archers, and you can reduce that number by taking them out when you’re close. The number limit allows you to have a solid crew to replenish your army or in reserves if the battle turns sour.
Death is not the end! Odin will require you to give up the rune, but once you enter the Bifrost you will be returned to the nearest settlement.
Your companion dog will alert you before an attack occurs.
You can pet Odin’s wolves as well as your dog. They are good guys.
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Written By: Antony (Hooded Horse)