Vikings
Infantry & NavalTeam Bonus
Docks cost -15%
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"The Vikings are an infantry and naval civilization with free Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart, tougher infantry, and cheaper warships."
Civilization Bonuses
- 1
Wheelbarrow, Hand Cart free
- 2
Infantry +20% HP starting in Feudal Age
- 3
Warships cost -10/15/20% in Feudal/Castle/Imperial Age
Unique Units
Unique Technologies
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Other Civilizations
AoE Coach analysis
Context & meta
Vikings are the premier infantry-and-naval civilization, defined by economy and durability. Their two free economy upgrades — Wheelbarrow and Hand Cart — are worth several hundred resources and save crucial time at exactly the moments other civs must pause to research them. Their infantry gains +20% HP starting in Feudal Age, making Militia-line aggression and the Berserk unique unit (a self-healing infantry unit) genuinely threatening. On water maps they are dominant: warships cost -10/15/20% per age and their Longboat unique warship fires multiple projectiles. The combination of a free-flowing economy and tanky infantry makes Vikings a forgiving, high-ceiling civilization on both land and water.
History & balance
Vikings are one of the oldest civilizations in the game and their free Wheelbarrow/Hand Cart bonus has been a constant since Age of Kings. The Definitive Edition replaced their old unique techs with Chieftains (Castle Age, infantry bonus vs cavalry) and Bogsveigar (Imperial, Berserk attack), modernizing their infantry identity. The infantry +20% HP bonus was once Imperial-only on the Berserk before being generalized to all infantry from Feudal Age — a major buff that made Viking Militia-line and Eagle-free infantry play viable on Arabia. On water, repeated warship cost tweaks have kept Vikings as a perennial top naval civ without making them unbeatable.
In pro play
On water maps (Islands, Migration, Team Islands), Vikings are a near-mandatory pick at the highest level — their cheaper warships win every cost-for-cost naval engagement, and the Longboat dominates the late game. On land, pros use the free eco upgrades to power a fast Castle Age boom or an infantry-based timing (Men-at-Arms into tanky Two-Handed Swordsmen / Berserks). Vikings are a classic "comfort" pick when a player wants a strong economy without committing to a fragile strategy. In team games they are the standard naval flank, freeing teammates to focus land control.
How to counter it
Vikings have no cavalry bonus and a weak Stable (no Paladin, no Bloodlines historically weak cav), so they are vulnerable to a mobile cavalry game on open maps — Knights raid their economy faster than infantry can respond. Their infantry, however tanky, is slow: Archers and Crossbowmen kite Militia-line and Berserks effectively, and Mangonels punish clumped infantry. On water, the counter is matching them ship-for-ship only with another naval-bonus civ, or transitioning to a land assault via Galley-protected landings. The macro counter is denying the long game where their free eco upgrades compound — pressure early and force them to spend on military before their economy snowballs.