A Viking's Victorious Strategy

Viking: Battle for Asgard from SEGA pits the Viking hero Skarin firmly against Hel's army, and though his bravery is unquestioned, his love for battle known far and wide, and his barbarian rage unrivaled in all of Midgard, the challenge before him is still great. Use the following tips and find your glory on the battlefield.

Thor would be proud.

Finishing Defense

Any time you press X to perform a finishing move on a stunned enemy, you'll find yourself invincible for the duration of the animation. Keep this in mind whenever you're about to take a battle-axe to the noggin and there's a stunned enemy nearby. Tap X while pressing in the stunned enemy's direction, and you'll avoid damage and score a sweet finishing move. Also, because defeated enemies may release health bonuses, consider opting for this tactic rather than blocking if you're low on health.

Ledge Death

The islands of Midgard are fraught with fatal drops and lethal pits. You may wish to forego a gory finishing attack in lieu of bashing the enemy off a ledge to certain death. Hold down the left trigger to block, and tap A while pressing in the direction of the enemy. This is particularly useful for thinning the enemy's ranks during a large battle.

The knockback attack is useful for pushing enemies over the edge, and for exposing well-armored opponents. Try using it often against shield-bearing enemies to knock them on their back, granting you the second or two you need to land several telling blows.

Run!

You may occasionally encounter enormous enemy patrols as well as excessively guarded fortifications where victory seems hopeless. When you do, you can be reasonably certain that you're not meant to tackle these challenges alone.

Hope they're on your side.

Check your map and you'll see that these locations and even patrols are marked for large-scale battles. These events can be triggered by highlighting them on your map and pressing A, provided you've satisfied the required prerequisites.

A Mossy Climb

Viking: Battle for Asgard has more than a few platforming challenges along the way, so if you find yourself unsure how to proceed, take a closer look at the environment. You may discover ledges to climb, platforms to jump to, or a wall to climb. If you find walls covered in tangled bunches of branches and moss, jump onto them to grasp hold of branches and climb your way to the top.

You'll need to climb walls in this fashion in order to secure both the rune for the dragon amulet as well as discover the wheel for releasing the drawbridge on the first island.

Crouched Presence

Skarin can clue you in on any nearby enemies just by his change in posture. When you see him crouch lower to the ground, you know there's an enemy nearby. This can be useful for gaining a surprise attack on an unsuspecting enemy, and it helps you to discover caves and other hidden locations, as Skarin's sudden crouching should clue you into performing a careful examination of the surrounding environment.

Pushing Alongside

Whenever you participate in a large-scale, army-on-army battle, try not to be too overzealous with your advance. Move along roughly at the same pace as your comrades, or you'll find yourself surrounded by enemies without a nearby ally. Let your fellow Vikings do the heavy lifting for you (that's why you spent so much effort freeing them after all) and you'll find these enormous battles more entertaining than frustrating.

Skarin doesn't mess about.

You Can Do It!

If you find yourself wondering whether to brave Hel's army on Hard difficulty, I urge you to at least give it a try. While definitely challenging, the Hard difficulty setting is a fair bit more accessible than your average action game.

This isn't Ninja Gaiden Black on Master Ninja difficulty, but rather a stiff challenge worthy of the hardcore gamer but without the usual frustration. Plus, you'll net a good deal more Gamerscore into the bargain.

Beyond the Quests

Your in-game map may be littered with helpful locations for liberating Viking warriors and tracking down quests, but there's oodles of content hidden away just waiting to be discovered by the dedicated gamer. Do yourself and the game a favor and explore well beyond what's necessary. You'll rake in the loot, and free countless small groups of enslaved Viking warriors apart from the game's primary quests. Every freed warrior counts in the larger battles, so keep your eyes peeled.

Now sharpen your axe and sword, gather your wits and face off against Hel's legions confident that victory shall be yours.

Article by Ryan Treit