Vikings concept

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
1

Hi all,

I wanted to put in writing an idea that’s been bouncing in my head for a while for a potential Viking civilization that isn’t just “generic Vikings”, but also doesn’t explode the civ roster into 3 separate factions.

The core pitch:

One civ in the menu (“Vikings”), that branches in Feudal into Norway / Sweden / Denmark, and then in Castle + Imperial into “Viking / Wild” or “Kingdom / Civilised” paths.

This gives a ton of variety without drowning the game in 50 civs.

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1. High-level design

  • Dark Age (Age I):
    You play as a generic Norse people – raiding-focused, strong on water, no specific kingdom yet.

  • Feudal Age (Age II):
    When you age up, instead of a landmark, you choose your Jarldom:

    • Norway – naval & guerrilla specialists

    • Sweden – infantry + resource powerhouse

    • Denmark – trade + early cavalry + siege

  • Castle & Imperial (Ages III–IV):
    Each age-up you choose between two landmarks:

    • One Viking / Wild landmark

    • One Kingdom / Civilised landmark

    Each choice nudges your civ toward:

    • A more tribal, raid-heavy, decentralised style

    • Or a more feudal, knight-and-church, late-game eco style

Structurally, you get:

1 civ × 3 Jarldoms × 2 ideologies in Castle × up to 3 ideology outcomes in Imperial

1 mean 3 ideologies in Imperial because if you choose the Kingdom path in Castle, you will have just 2 kingdom options in Imperial, but if you choose the Viking way, you will have 3 options, those 2 kingdom options, plus the Viking path.

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2. Age I – Generic Norse gameplay

You start with a shared Norse identity before “locking in” your kingdom.

The idea: early map pressure, strong water play, a bit chaotic – feels like Vikings, but you’re not yet “Norway/Sweden/Denmark”.

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3. Age II – Choosing your Jarldom (Norway / Sweden / Denmark)

When you age up to Feudal, you do not build a landmark.
Instead, you choose one of three Jarldom Councils that permanently defines your branch:

A) Norway – Sea Wolves & Mountain Raiders

B) Sweden – Resource-Rich & Infantry-Focused

C) Denmark – Trade, Knights & Siege

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4. Ages III & IV – Asymmetric Ideology System (Viking vs Kingdom)

From Castle Age onward, the Norse civ doesn’t just get stronger – it decides what it wants to be when it grows up.

In practice that gives you roughly a dozen clearly different “build identities” out of a single civ slot.

The key idea is:

  • Castle (Age III):
    You pick one ideology:

    • Viking landmark → wild, raiding, decentralised.

    • Kingdom landmark → feudal, church, centralised state.

  • Imperial (Age IV):
    Your options depend on what you did in Castle:

    • If you went Kingdom in Castle → you can only choose between 2 Kingdom landmarks.

    • If you went Viking in Castle → you get 3 options:

      • Double down on Viking

      • Or “settle down” into one of the 2 Kingdom landmarks.

So: going Kingdom early locks you in, but going Viking early keeps the door open to later “civilising” your raiders.

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5. Example landmark designs

5.1. Norway

Castle Age (Age III)

  • Viking landmark: Bryggen Wharf (Bergen)

  • Kingdom landmark: Nidaros Cathedral

Imperial Age (Age IV)

  • If you chose Viking in Castle:

    • Viking landmark: Gulating Assembly

    • Kingdom landmark A: Akershus Fortress

    • Kingdom landmark B: Bergenhus Fortress

  • If you chose Kingdom in Castle:

    • Kingdom landmark A: Akershus Fortress

    • Kingdom landmark B: Bergenhus Fortress

5.2. Sweden

Castle Age (Age III)

  • Viking landmark: Gamla Uppsala Temple

  • Kingdom landmark: Uppsala Cathedral

Imperial Age (Age IV)

  • If you chose Viking in Castle:

    • Viking landmark: Birka Trading Town

    • Kingdom landmark A: Kalmar Castle

    • Kingdom landmark B: Tre Kronor Castle

  • If you chose Kingdom in Castle:

    • Kingdom landmark A: Kalmar Castle

    • Kingdom landmark B: Tre Kronor Castle

5.3. Denmark

Castle Age (Age III)

  • Viking landmark: Trelleborg Viking Fortress

  • Kingdom landmark: Roskilde Cathedral

Imperial Age (Age IV)

  • If you chose Viking in Castle:

    • Viking landmark: Aggersborg Ring Fortress

    • Kingdom landmark A: Kronborg Castle

    • Kingdom landmark B: Copenhagen Castle

  • If you chose Kingdom in Castle:

    • Kingdom landmark A: Kronborg Castle

    • Kingdom landmark B: Copenhagen Castle

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I used ChatGPT to help develop this idea since I’m Spanish and don’t really know much about Norse history. Sorry if I’m missing some landmarks or if a few terms aren’t perfect – I just wanted to share the concept.

2 Likes
2

Interesting concept, but if you want an evaluation:

  1. The name: If they become Denmark, Sweden, and Norway from the Feudal Age and start having landmarks from the 13th-14th centuries, they “cease to be Viking,” so it’s no longer a Viking civilization. It would be more of a Nordic or Scandinavian civilization.

  2. Some of the landmarks you propose for the same era are separated by 400 to 500 years (Trelleborg 900 AD, Kronborg Castle 1420).

  3. Even if the main topic were landmarks, what’s really most important for a civilization are its base bonuses and how landmarks enhance them:

  • Sengoku has a landmark that boosts the Daimyo’s attack speed bonus from 20% to 40%.
  • Delhi has a landmark that gives them a free Elephant every minute in Imperial Age, and a special one on top of that. - The English have two landmarks that are Keeps, and they have two Keep bonuses: Attack Speed ​​and the ability to produce all their military units, including siege units.

This concept is only filling in landmarks, but many of them even “do the same thing”: Aggerborg Ring Fortress, one Keep; Kronborg Castle, another Keep; Copenhagen Castle: yet another Keep.

  1. Many of the proposed landmarks, like Kronborg or The Kronor, could be better Wonders for these civilizations.

  2. There are too many landmarks (18), and learning them all for a single civilization would be very tedious (difficulty: 4/3), especially if each one will cause a complete conversion of the civilization, like what happens in Feudal Age (II) between 3 options, which I suppose will give 5 or 6 bonuses, when the expectation is that the feudal landmark will be simple.

That explains the choice of landmarks.

To be honest, I once had a similar concept for a Norse civilization. It was also going to evolve between three civilizations, and I did it that way with the idea that it was impossible for more than one civilization to share architecture, language, and soldier models.

But well, that was long before the good variants came out (Templars, Lancaster, Sengoku, Tughlaq, Great Hohenstaufen, Macedonian).

They made me think that instead of just one Norse civilization, it might be better to first have a fully Viking Norse civilization, and then have variants for Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Regarding your concept, final thoughts:

I like the idea of ​​transitioning from the Viking Age to the Kingdom Age, but I think that transition could work with three independent civilizations (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), instead of just one carrying them all.

Each civilization could have its own unique bonuses and main buildings, and its own transition between ages.

On the other hand, if you remain Viking, you could produce Berserkers in the Castle Age, but otherwise, you acquire the common Knights, or Riddari.

1 Like
3

Love this idea very detailed, but it is too similar to the the Knights Templar. I would love to see some new mechanic like give them the god powers from age of mythology.

Meteor strike - it does a lot of damage but creates meteorite resource which is already in the game.

Thor’s hammer - Lightning strike stuns enemy units and deals 20 to 40 DMG to each.

Ride of the Valkyries - Creates 2 powerful Valkyrie units that function as knight and horsemen both with increased health and DMG.

Loki’s deception - Instantly convert enemy units in area.

These powers will be very difficult to build up to because the only way to generate mana to cast them is for your units to die in battle. However once you got the mana your opponent will feel it :slight_smile: