Mid-Season 1: The Wolf Saga is LIVE!

Hey Vikings,

Today’s the day – our first Mid Saga Update is here, and we’ve got plenty of exciting news to share! We can’t wait to see you all dig into the newness of Midgard, including our Valhalloween event that kicks off October 12th. Let’s dive into just some of what you can expect during the Mid Saga.

In this update (live at 10am ET/7am PT), you’ll encounter the debut of our Saga Boss Variant system! The wolf formerly known as simply Fenrir is now: Doomhowler. We also introduce a new addition named Wolfmancer Fenrir. Expect each variant to have a unique look, abilities and more – read up on them in the full notes below!

Along with 5 new Runes to discover, we’ve added 3 new Starter Kits to provide more options for changing up your strategies in Midgard. Check them out below! You can also see the NEW FULL rune resource image here!

This update also brings 5 new cosmetic sets which will rotate through the Shop. First up: the V1.K1.NG set, then during Valhalloween we’ll have 3 sets in rotation (see Valhalloween section below). Last, the Monkey King set will appear.

Spooky season is upon us! The Valhalloween event brings 3 new cosmetic sets: Linnorm costume, Headless Norseman, and Werewolf. And among visual changes, we’ve added new enemies: Val Helthings and Pumpkin Goblins, who present festive challenges to complete.

We wanted to mention a few particular QoL additions that were brought up by our community:

• When players Abandon their game, or exit via the Bifrost, their entire loot is automatically deposited into the War Chest.
• A screen-shake on/off option is now available.
• Players can now choose if the Waystone activation is a toggle (default) or a hold.
• We’re looking forward to seeing you explore the updated world of Midgard! Thank you for your continued support. We’ll be out here listening to your feedback, so be sure to let us know what you think.

Lastly, be sure to read the FULL detailed notes for the update below!

We’re keeping an eye on player feedback and investigating known issues that have been reported. You can visit our Discord for a list of issues reported by the community. Please report any ongoing issues to our Support site here.

Until next time,
The Norsfell Team

Features

• Fenrir Variants
  • With our first Mid-Saga update comes the debut of our Saga Boss Variant system. Now, when starting a new World, there is a 50/50 chance that you will encounter one of two Fenrir variations at the end of your Saga Quest. Keep an eye out for visual differences in the Myth Lair entrance and the Arena itself to foreshadow which version you’ll be facing off against. See Content section below for more details.

• New Challenge Types:
  • We’ve added recurring Daily and Weekly Challenge types that can be completed for continual rewards, such as Golden Horns and Season XP to help progress you through the Season Rewards track.

Content

• Wolfmancer Fenrir:
  • Sporting a fresh look, this new Fenrir Variant never fights alone, for he is a master of magic… wolf magic! Throughout your encounter with Wolfmancer Fenrir, he will summon his wolf allies to distract and overwhelm you, in addition to attacking you directly (he fights dirty). Should Wolfmancer Fenrir be reduced to 50% HP, he will call for aid from his most trustworthy of wolf allies, the gigantic and deadly Sköll and Hati. Good luck!

• Doomhowler Fenrir:
  • The wolf formerly known simply as Fenrir has taken up the new mantle of Doomhowler. Why? Well, because he’s honed his signature Howl ability to be even more deadly (doomful?). When below the 50% HP threshold, Doomhowler Fenrir will shoot out magical projectiles in all directions every time he uses his Howl ability. Stay nimble and you might just make it through in one piece.

• New Challenges:
  • To accompany the additions of New Challenge types and the new Fenrir Variants, we’ve added a multitude of challenges for players to complete and earn rewards from. Be sure to check out the Challenges from the Progress tab on the Main Menu to see what we’ve added, including:
    • New Saga Challenges – take down the Fenrir Variants by the set times to earn your rewards!
    • New Daily and Weekly Challenges – complete these regularly to earn extra Golden Horns and large amounts of Season XP!

  
  
• New Runes:
  • We have added 5 powerful new Runes for you to play around and experiment with. See below for their abilities and how to acquire them:
    • Life Loot [Common]: Defeated enemies have a 20% chance to generate [1] orb that grants 200 HP.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

    • Björn Aghast [Uncommon]: Reviving an ally triggers an explosion that deals [high] physical damage.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

    • Making Waves [Uncommon]: Shielding for 3 seconds triggers a shockwave that deals [medium] physical damage.
      • Unlocked with Golden Horns in the Shop

    • Storm Chaser [Rare]: Combo attacks have a 5% chance to generate [1] magical orb that seek out enemies, exploding for [medium] Thunder damage.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

    • Bomb Voyage [Epic]: Combo attacks have a 10% chance to stick a timed bomb on an enemy that deals [medium] physical damage after a short delay.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

  
  
• New Starter Kits:
  • We have added 3 Starter Kits to provide more options for changing up your strategies in Midgard. See below for their contents and how to acquire them:
    • Shield Offense Starter Kit [Common]: Equip this Starter Kit to begin a new World with Shivered Shield III x1 and Making Waves Rune x1.
      • Unlocked with Golden Horns in the Shop

    • Life Giver Starter Kit [Uncommon]: Equip this Starter Kit to begin a new World with Healing Brew x1 and Life Loot Rune x1.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

    • Life & Death Starter Kit [Rare]: Equip this Starter Kit to begin a new World with Last Laugh Rune x1 and Björn Aghast Rune x1.
      • Unlocked by completing a new Saga Challenge

  
  
• New Cosmetic Sets:
  • V1.K1NG – Armor x5 and Equipment x5
    • Unlocked with Golden Horns in the Shop

  • Monkey King – Armor x5 and Equipment x5.
    • Unlocked with Platinum Coins in the Shop

  
  
• New Pet:
  • Cloud King – equal parts regal and mischievous, this monkey flies atop the clouds themselves.
    • Unlocked with Platinum Coins in the Shop

Valhalloween Event – October 12th to November 1st

• Valhalloween:
  • Embracing the spooky season with axes held high, we’ll be kicking off our first Festive event with Valhalloween! This celebration will start on October 12th, and everyone and everything from Valhalla, to the Village, to the Goblins (and even some Helthings) will be showing off a seasonal makeover. Keep an ear out for some Valhalloween themed music as well while on the Main Menu or when defending the Village at Night.

• Festive Challenges:
  • During the Valhalloween Event from October 12th to November 1st, there will be 3 Festive Challenges that can only be completed during this limited time event.
  • Complete these challenges to earn unique Valhalloween Content, see Valhalloween Content below for details.

• Headstone Loot Chest
  • With Mid-Saga we’ve added the ability to select your choice of Loot Chest to safeguard your inventory in the unfortunate event of your in-game demise.
  • Our first new Cosmetic Loot Chest is the Headstone Loot Chest, just in time for Valhalloween.
    • Unlocked by completing a Festive Challenge during Vahalloween

  
  
• Valhalloween Cosmetics
  • Linnorm Costume: Armor x5 and Equipment x5
    • Unlocked with Golden Horns in the Shop

  • Headless Norseman: Armor x5 and Equipment x5
    • Unlocked with Golden Horns in the Shop

  • Werewolf: Armor x5 and Equipment x5
    • Unlocked with Platinum Coins in the Shop

  • Valhalloween Portrait:
    • Unlocked by completing a Festive Challenge during Valhalloween

  • Valhalloween Pets:
    • Little Stranger – this enigmatic little trick or treater just wants to make friends… or does it?
      • Unlocked by completing a Festive Challenge during Valhalloween

    • Fluffy Fang – an adorable little werewolf pup that’s eager to explore Midgard.
      • Unlocked with Platinum Coins in the Shop

Gameplay Changes – Combat/Blessings Update

• Armor System Update:
  • We have globally buffed Armor and Shields’ impact on mitigating damage to the player, affecting all tiers of Equipment. Due to this, the Defense rating on Armor, and any Runes or Blessings that further buff that Rating, will be more noticeable and do a better job of keeping you safe out there in Midgard.

• Class Blessings
  • Ranger:
    • Ullr’s Step: reduced the cooldown and added a stun effect.

  • Hunter:
    • Skaði’s Spirit: now spawns 100% of the time, with a cooldown between uses, and continually taunts nearby enemies.
    • Bountiful Grasp: now doubles all Materials harvested regardless of source.
    • Pushing Limits: increased the knockback effect but only triggers on the final combo hit.

  • Warrior:
    • Reckless Roll: Now working as intended in that it does not affect the entire rolling animation. Added a visual cue to indicate the timing during the roll in which the Warrior is invincible.

  • Berserker:
    • Striking Fear: No longer affects weapon durability when triggered.
    • Wrath Unleashed: Adjusted the Blessing Tree layout so that this Blessing is more of a conscious decision for players if they want to expend their Wrath gauge for the explosion damage or not.

  • Sentinel:
    • Shield Throw: Now correctly bounces up to 3 additional targets.

  • Combat Improvements:
    • Pressing inputs before the end of Rolling, Bow aiming and Shield blocking animations now skips recovery and feels more responsive.
    • Blocking stance effect is now active immediately upon pressing the input, even if the animation is not finished.
    • Cooldowns of Class Spells are now always visible in the HUD.

Balance Changes:

Norsfell: We’ve been monitoring the playstyles and emerging meta strategies from the Community since launch, and with the Mid-Saga update we wanted to empower players with a wider variety of suitable options to shake up that meta and add some more diversity to player builds. This included taking a look at some Runes that we felt were not strong enough on their own, leading to the game being harder than anticipated without the ideal Rune setup. The Rune changes below, coupled with the Armor System Update above, should allow for a wider variety of powerful builds to take on the dangers of Midgard with.

• Rune Effects:
  • Einher-a-JAR: damage bonus changed from 50% to 75%
  • Blessed Hands: XP on Loot value changed from 300 to 400
  • Beyond Repair: discount value changed from 15% to 25%
  • Ire of Thór: damage buff changed from 10% to 15%
  • Lucky Loot: bonus changed from 15% to 20%
  • Viking Hoarder: bonus changed from 20% to 25%
  • Keeper of Souls: bonus changed from 20% to 25%
  • Explosive Finale: bonus changed from 10% to 15%
  • Rolling Thunder: damage changed from 200 to 300
  • Last Laugh: damage changed from 2000 to 3000
  • Demolition Viking: damage changed from 1000 to 2000
  • Björn Again: heal value changed from 1000 to 1750
  • Might of Mjölnir: damage changed from 100 to 200
  • Like a Dwarf: armor value bonus changed from 50 to 150
  • Coldblood: heal value changed from 50 to 75

• Rune Rarities:
  • Demolition Viking: changed from Rare to Uncommon
  • Viking Hoarder: changed from Epic to Uncommon
  • Seiðr Weaver: changed from Rare to Epic
  • Soul Powered: changed from Uncommon to Epic
  • Nothing to Hide: changed from Uncommon to Rare

• Crafting:
  • Legendary Weapons that do not require previous Weapon tiers in their Recipe have an increased Golden Horns Cost from 1 to 4 to make the resource investments more equal across Legendaries.
    • Norsfell: Worth noting that with the addition of Daily Challenges, players will have even more opportunities to earn Golden Horns on a regular basis for spending on Crafting, at the Golden Altar, or in the Shop.

QoL Changes

• War Chest Loot:
  • When players Abandon a Multiplayer game from within one, or take the Bifröst, their entire loot is automatically deposited into the War Chest and can be accessed by the remaining players. An Exit Alert message has also been added to clarify the manner of players’ exits and states that their Inventory has been transferred to the War Chest.

• Explosive Jar Placement:
  • When placing an Explosive Jar, it now appears behind the character instead of in front of it, allowing players to more easily set traps while fleeing the enemy.

• Village Shrine:
  • When at a Shrine and choosing your destination, pressing the CTRL (PC) / Triangle (PlayStation) button causes the cursor to center exactly on the Village Shrine to allow for faster teleporting home

• Quest Board Organization:
  • Quests listed in the Quest Board are now organized by difficulty, from easiest to hardest.

• Bifröst Pop-Up:
  • When exiting through the Bifröst, the default button selected is now Yes instead of No, allowing players to quickly leave the game and bank those rewards when time is nigh.

• Screen Shake Toggle:
  • Players can now toggle On (default) or Off this option from the Settings menu.

• Waystone Activation:
  • Players can also now choose if the activation for their Waystone is a Toggle (default) or a Hold input.

• Loot Chest Angle:
  • Loot Chests that spawn when a player’s Viking dies will now spawn at a default 45 degree angle to ease visualization.

• Accessories Tab:
  • We’ve reworked the Customize menu, adding an Accessories Tab to house the player’s choice of Starter Kits, Pets, and now Loot Chests.

Notable Bug Fixes

• We have pinpointed a number of issues affecting the performance of PS5 users. We’ve made some changes that should result in a notable performance improvement and will continue to optimize all versions of Tribes of Midgard with future updates to present the best looking, and best playing, experience possible.
• Fixed an issue where level 50 players would only see their level as 49 in-game
• Fixed some instances of players experiencing an infinite load at times of high latency
• Fixed a number of instances in which Rune effects would not stack properly
• … and many more improvements!

Known Issues Under Investigation

• We are actively looking into an issue that affected ongoing Survival games by multiplying the enemy Jötunn’s health bar to infinity and beyond. Starting a new World resolves this issue, but we are gathering insight from the community in an effort to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
• We are looking into a rare issue of Worlds being generated in a broken state, with landmasses overlapping each other.