# Varangians the civ, & Varangian Guard the regional unit **URL:** \ **Category:** II - Discussion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2026, 9:50am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419 "2026-08-02T09:50:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atsavin](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/atsavin/32/113432_2.png) [@Atsavin](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Atsavin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/22 "2026-08-03T19:15:50Z")
If we have Romans and Italians, Varangians and Vikings, we might as well have Celt and Norse Celtic so we get can Gallowglass. ---
**Author:** ![SMUM15236](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/smum15236/32/29763_2.png) [@SMUM15236](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/SMUM15236)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 8:16am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/23 "2026-08-06T08:16:24Z")
> [@Atsavin](#): > > Romans and Italians, Varangians and Vikings, Saracens and Arabs, Berbers and Andalusians, Britons and English, Sicilians and Normans, Franks and French. ---
**Author:** ![GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/gustavusadolphus/32/135362_2.png) [@GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/GustavusAdolphus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/24 "2026-08-06T12:59:58Z")
Or a shared unit with the Byzantines, but the Byz needs to be allied with the Varangians to be able to produce it. ---
**Author:** ![GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/gustavusadolphus/32/135362_2.png) [@GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/GustavusAdolphus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/25 "2026-08-06T13:05:53Z")
> Only Byzantines should have access to Varangian Guards, not the Varangians too. Even though they lived in the Byzantine Empire their homeland was still in Scandinavia so technically, if they wanted to, they could go back and fight for their homeland at any time. People traveled in those days too. You could probably travel from Greece to Scandinavia in 2-3 months, and many probably did that several times during their lives and especially after retirement. ---
**Author:** ![GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/gustavusadolphus/32/135362_2.png) [@GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/GustavusAdolphus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/26 "2026-08-06T13:09:03Z")
> I like Varangian Guards for Vikings, Danes, Slavs and Byzantines… No, because then they shouldn’t be called the Varangian Guard. The Varangian Guard were Varangians. If you wanted Danes, Vikings and Slavs to also have Varangian Guards then the Varangian civ should not exist at all. It would be the same thing as allowing Saxons and Bohemians produce Teutonic Knights. What would be the point of the Teuton civ then? ---
**Author:** ![Skadidesu](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/skadidesu/32/172243_2.png) [@Skadidesu](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Skadidesu)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/27 "2026-08-06T13:26:59Z")
I didn’t say that, who are you quoting? ---
**Author:** ![casusincorrabil](https://forums.ageofempires.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@casusincorrabil](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/casusincorrabil)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/28 "2026-08-06T13:46:17Z")
This is just funny. Like the inaccuracies of the old days, just a tale for a good KEKW Also potential a lot of opportunity for puns. Like The far angry Guards are coming! ---
**Author:** ![GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/gustavusadolphus/32/135362_2.png) [@GustavusAdolphus](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/GustavusAdolphus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/29 "2026-08-06T13:58:27Z")
_From Claude:_ The Varangians came from Scandinavia, primarily from the region that is now Sweden, and to a lesser extent Norway and Denmark. They were Norse (Viking) peoples who traveled eastward and southward through the lands of Eastern Europe, particularly along the great river systems like the Dnieper and Volga, beginning around the 8th–9th centuries until the early 13th century. The meaning of the term “Varangian” (from Old Norse _Væringjar_) is thought to relate to a word meaning “pledge” or “oath,” possibly referring to companies of men bound by a sworn oath. These Swedish vikings acted as traders, raiders, settlers, and mercenaries, establishing trade routes connecting Scandinavia to Byzantium and the Islamic world. # Historical Significance - Kievan Rus’: According to the _Primary Chronicle_, a Varangian leader named Rurik and his followers were invited (or arrived) to rule over Slavic and Finnic tribes around 862 AD, helping to found the state that became Kievan Rus’—the ancestor of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The name “Rus’” itself is linked to these Norse peoples. - Varangian Guard: In the Byzantine Empire, Varangians famously served as the elite personal bodyguard of the emperors, known as the Varangian Guard, prized for their loyalty and fighting skill. Movement was often circular rather than one-way, and returning home was a common and important part of the Varangian experience, though not universal. - A major motivation for going east was to acquire wealth, silver (especially Arabic dirhams), slaves, and luxury goods. - Returning home with this wealth boosted a man’s social standing. A successful journey could make someone a person of importance in his local community. - The huge quantities of Arabic silver coins found in Scandinavian hoards (especially on the island of Gotland) are strong physical evidence of wealth flowing back to Scandinavia. - Men who served in the Varangian Guard in Constantinople often did so for a period of years and then returned home wealthy. Evidence of Return - Runestones: Scandinavia (particularly Sweden) is dotted with runestones commemorating men who traveled east. Some celebrate those who came home; many others were raised in memory _of_ those who died abroad and never returned. The famous Ingvar runestones in Upland, Sweden ([Ingvar runestones - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingvar_runestones)) commemorate a disastrous expedition east in which many men perished. - These stones show both outcomes: successful returns and deaths far from home. # Those Who Stayed Abroad Not everyone returned. Many Varangians: - Settled permanently in the lands of the Rus’, intermarrying with the local Slavic population and eventually assimilating (the ruling elite of Kievan Rus’ became Slavicized within a few generations). - Died abroad, whether in battle, from disease, or on the hazardous river and sea journeys. ---
**Author:** ![smiki5five](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/smiki5five/32/217730_2.png) [@smiki5five](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/smiki5five)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/30 "2026-08-06T15:24:07Z")
> [@GustavusAdolphus](#): > > Or a shared unit with the Byzantines, but the Byz needs to be allied with the Varangians to be able to produce it. [In my concept for Andalusians they can train Genitours but can’t upgrade them to Elite if they don’t have Berbers in the team.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/14mj7BruacvQfrh83b7Mk9W98LrRBdQqYbgzqP0L3GjQ/) Something similar can be done for Byzantines: they’d have access to the regular Varangian Guard but would only be able to upgrade them if allied with Varangians. ---
**Author:** ![Prokman7582](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/prokman7582/32/144555_2.png) [@Prokman7582](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Prokman7582)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 9:19am UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/31 "2026-08-29T09:19:22Z")
> [@Skadidesu](#): > > Varangian Guard is a regional unit so it will likely be available to the Byzantines. Why else add it to the game, right? So they actually did it. 🍾 **Someone from the community said:** > It would be cool if Varangian Guard benefited from Logistica. It would help with its weakness vs Champion line. It would be nice to have a second power unit option that doesnt require Castle like Cataphracts. I say that I very much like the Logistica idea, but I would put Varangian Guard at the Byz Castle (for the Danes, Varangian Guard is coming out of Barracks); because (historically that guard was of the emperor) Byz Castle drop play doesn’t enjoy any particular tactical popularity compared to Castle drops of other civs with popular UUs, due to the situational nature of Cataphract. So, what about Byz - the jack of all trades & master of none civ - have multiple unit choices, of multiple roles, to train at Castle? ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/admiralshoe961/32/78228_2.png) [@AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/AdmiralShoe961)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/32 "2026-08-30T13:44:17Z")
> [@Skadidesu](#): > > Varangian Guard is a regional unit so it will likely be available to the Byzantines. Why else add it to the game, right? They did add Grenadier without giving it to the Byzantine’s. They should have both. > [@Skadidesu](#): > > Most logical would be if they were only available to the Byzantines and Varangians. All Viking civs should have this. Heavily armored twohanded axemen are one of the most famous Viking tropes ever. ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/admiralshoe961/32/78228_2.png) [@AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/AdmiralShoe961)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/33 "2026-08-30T13:49:55Z")
> [@Prokman7582](#): > > It would be cool if Varangian Guard benefited from Logistica. It would help with its weakness vs Champion line. Varangian Guard is weak vs Champion line? What? The armored axeman isn’t a powerunit, but instead a new skin for eagle warrior? I was hoping we would finally get an infantry alternative to paladin. Flexible and strong, but not cost effective. Please tell where you got this information from, because if this isn’t an expensive powerunit that’s the goofiest design choice. These axemen were heavily armored experts used to break infantry lines, decapitate horses, and chop through castle gates. ---
**Author:** ![DynasticPlanet5](https://forums.ageofempires.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@DynasticPlanet5](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/DynasticPlanet5)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/34 "2026-08-30T14:39:52Z")
> [@Prokman7582](#): > > Byz Castle drop play doesn’t enjoy any particular tactical popularity compared to Castle drops of other civs with popular UUs, due to the situational nature of Cataphract. Wouldn’t an extra 1440 health mean a lot? Like you build the castle in the enemy’s base and it takes 30% longer to destroy it! That’s a nice boon for getting a castle in the middle of your enemy’s base ---
**Author:** ![Tyranno13](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/tyranno13/32/127995_2.png) [@Tyranno13](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Tyranno13)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/35 "2026-08-30T14:42:11Z")
It’s been stated it’s a shock infantry unit in pretty much every description of it. ---
**Author:** ![DynasticPlanet5](https://forums.ageofempires.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@DynasticPlanet5](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/DynasticPlanet5)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/36 "2026-08-30T14:42:40Z")
I yearn for the day we get shock units that aren’t infantry ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/admiralshoe961/32/78228_2.png) [@AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/AdmiralShoe961)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/37 "2026-08-30T14:44:41Z")
> [@Tyranno13](#): > > It’s been stated it’s a shock infantry unit in pretty much every description of it. Shock infantry yes. Elite heavily armored shock infantry is what they were. Some units weakness is not their stats, but their cost and production time. ---
**Author:** ![KHANATTILA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/khanattila/32/30722_2.png) [@KHANATTILA](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/KHANATTILA)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/38 "2026-08-30T14:52:21Z")
> [@AdmiralShoe961](#): > > I was hoping we would finally get an infantry alternative to paladin If you want a flexible unit like a Paladin, it needs to be countered by another static unit that costs less… hence Champs. This game isn’t that complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Tyranno13](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/tyranno13/32/127995_2.png) [@Tyranno13](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/Tyranno13)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/39 "2026-08-30T14:52:50Z")
> [@AdmiralShoe961](#): > > Shock infantry yes. Elite heavily armored shock infantry is what they were. Issue is Champoons have a large bonus vs them. If they fight Champions and don’t lose to a unit with a specific bonus against them, they will be broken. ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/admiralshoe961/32/78228_2.png) [@AdmiralShoe961](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/AdmiralShoe961)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/40 "2026-08-30T15:56:10Z")
> [@KHANATTILA](#): > > If you want a flexible unit like a Paladin, it needs to be countered by another static unit that costs less… hence Champs. This game isn’t that complicated. Depends on what you mean by lose to champions. Lose cost effectively, or lose 1 to 1. A paladin can defeat 1 halberdier, but not two. A group of 60 paladins will wreck 60 halbs, but you still don’t want to take that fight because paladins are expensive. > [@Tyranno13](#): > > Issue is Champoons have a large bonus vs them. If they fight Champions and don’t lose to a unit with a specific bonus against them, they will be broken. Same logic. Champions don’t need to win 1 to 1. Just cost less to field for what you get. There are many anti-infantry units already. ---
**Author:** ![smiki5five](https://forums.ageofempires.com/user_avatar/forums.ageofempires.com/smiki5five/32/217730_2.png) [@smiki5five](https://forums.ageofempires.com/u/smiki5five)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419/41 "2026-08-30T15:58:34Z")
> [@AdmiralShoe961](#): > > They did add Grenadier without giving it to the Byzantine’s. They should have both. They only made an East Asian skin for the Grenadier. Also, if we want to be pedantic, Byzantines and Saracens did use grenades, but composed of Greek Fire and naphtha, so they’d probably have to use a different sound effect when exploding. [Previous page](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/varangians-the-civ-varangian-guard-the-regional-unit/288419.md?page=3)