and the whole world fell in love with Erling, who is Norwegian (Norse) also. Is it possible for you to WIN even more? 11
you are thinking too small, friendo. Add Serbs into game and split Slavs into Ruthenians, BUT ALSO Muscovites, and Novgorodians.
1 Like
Yes get Varangian Guard as UU, and have Cataphracts and Elite Cataphracts as replacement of Knight-line, making it a regional unit available to Bulgarians as well - although they should perhaps only get Cataphracts and not the elite version.
Wishful thinking Harald Hardrada gets a new hero skin.
3 Likes
Given the level of incompetence and cowardice among Microsoft executives, they will never do it.
Nothing, I think. Given the level of whining I saw after the devs tweaked the Koreans/Chinese/etc.
They will never, ever, ever do it.
1 Like
Speaking about Skins, feels like Byzantines and Romans lack heroes (well overall so many missing heroes for all civs with portraits).
Also still sad that there isn’t a generic European genitour in the scenario editor now that we’re getting a mounted crossbowman.
3 Likes
Yes, Byzantines should get the Varangian Guards - IMO makes no sense that the other civs have a unit called “Varangian Guard”.. if anything Byzantines should just have UU from castle called Varangians.. everybody will know what it refers to, the Varangian Guard… the famous unit that only the Byzantines fielded.
4 Likes
The new architecture looks nice, and it’s good to see a variety of new editor objects like trees, plants and animals. But based on what we know so far, I think that’s where the appeal ends for me. The concept seems quite muddled, with two of the new civs being sub-civs of Vikings and the other a sub-civ either of Teutons or Goths (depending on time period), mounted crossbowmen being given to Viking-Age civs, Varangian Guards as a regional unit, and a campaign that looks like it will switch between civs arbitrarily. Also, it seems likely that Vikings will be reworked for ideological rather than gameplay reasons, in the same way that Incas, Chinese, Koreans, etc. were – a real shame since they’re a well-designed and popular civ.
Varangian Guards generate gold while fighting – a mechanic already known to be inconsequential and pointless from the Keshik. The Hearth Troop’s javelin/melee attack switch sounds irritating to use, and contrary to the usual design approach of AoE2. (Also “Hearth Troop” seems like a weird name to me.) The Jarl sounds ok but is inevitably another ranged unit countered by skirmishers and nothing else. I really hope the statement that mounted crossbowmen “strike fear into infantry armies” just means they deal bonus damage to infantry, not that they have some fear debuff mechanic.
I haven’t played AoE2 for a few months, having been disappointed with The Three Kingdoms, frustrated that my favourite civ was reworked into something very different, and underwhelmed by The Last Chieftains. I’m not sure if I’ll come back from this DLC, but I don’t really see a reason to so far.
Looks like it’s based on All Saint’s Church in Earls Barton. Good to see they didn’t include its later gothic features.
2 Likes
At most we will see them as a replacement for 2HS/Champs. If the legionnaire has less attack but more HP/Armor, the Varangian guard will be the opposite
3 Likes
Couldn’t they have chosen some land locked region’s DLC. Hope not all the 3 new civs are naval and infantry with a poor land tech tree to justify being a naval power.
I wouldn’t worry about that. They’re the same team that turned Armenians upside down, so they don’t add two cavalry civilizations in the same DLC
4 Likes
Is this your speculation, or is this confirmed information?
I was hoping for some more regionalization of existing civs, maybe some more reskins like monks. But we’ll see, it might still be coming with the patch.
i would love a diadochi themed chronicles dlc 
maybe at the end of the year, we’ll see…
4 Likes
Same here, more than Rome. Since it’s a big gap to miss.
From Steam:
- Varangian Guard: lethal shock infantry that generates gold while fighting and excels at raids and hand-to-hand combat.
Okay, so at most, a directly new unit like the Fire Lancer.
speculation
1 Like
Yes you are probably right - but they could at least add the Varangians / Varangian Guard as second unique unit recruited from Barracks then, and exclusive to Byzantines.
From Steam:
So the question is how much the devs will want to share the Varangian Guard and the Mounted Crossbowman.
PS. Incidentally, following the logic they’ve used so far, if they give the Varangian Guards to the Byzantines, they’ll likely benefit from either the Logistica UT or the discount applied to other units. That’s a sure bet.
3 Likes
They should give them as they made these guys famous. Maybe even Slavs will have them.
2 Likes
I don’t object to giving that unit to the appropriate civs. I would point out, however, that the balancing team is quite far behind on their work.
The Fire Lancers for the Vietnamese and Koreans are still unbalanced.
Only the Khitans have Pasture, and it is likely still too OP.
1 Like