Danes Civilization Deep Dive - Infantry and Siege

World's Edge has published its official deep dive for the Danes, the first of the three new civilizations of [The Viking Sagas](/en/resources/news/the-viking-sagas-pre-order-release-date), launching September 22, 2026. Feared for their aggressive expansion during the Viking Age, the Danes are an Infantry and Siege civilization — and true to their reaving nature, expert pillagers.

Civilization Bonuses

The official article describes the bonuses qualitatively; the exact values below are shown in the official Danes technology tree published alongside it (pre-release values, adjustments before launch remain possible):

Villagers and Fishing Ships drop off +5% food
Loot 25 gold and 15% of the cost of each destroyed building — razing enemy buildings directly pays
Barracks and Siege Workshop upgrades cost -66% gold
Varangian Guards and Longships move +10% faster
Team Bonus: siege weapons +2 line of sight

Unique Unit: Jomsviking

Sworn members of a sacred blood brotherhood, the Jomsvikings terrorized the Baltic from their base at Jomsborg. In game, this nimble raider carries a spear and a shield, and hurls torches at enemy buildings and ships to set them ablaze — a melee infantryman with built-in arson.

Unique Technologies

Hamask (Castle Age): infantry deal increasing damage as they lose HP — the battle frenzy of the berserks
Northmen's Fury (Imperial Age): siege units and siege ships +40% attack vs. buildings; the Mangonel line and siege ships +1 range

What the Technology Tree Shows

Reading the official technology tree, the Danes look like a committed one-two punch of infantry and siege:

Strengths

Full infantry lines: Champion, Halberdier, Gambesons, Squires and Arson — with Blast Furnace
Heavy siege: Siege Ram, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion and Siege Tower, all discounted in gold by the civ bonus
Mounted Crossbowman line with Thumb Ring and the new Cranequins technology
A raiding navy: Fast Fire Ship, Galleon, Elite Longship (+10% speed), [Catapult Galleon](/en/resources/units/catapult-galleon), Clinker Construction and Carvel Hull
Stone Shaft Mining and Fervor are in — unusual perks for a raiding civilization

Gaps

A bare stable: Light Cavalry and Knight only — no Hussar, no Cavalier, no Paladin
No Arbalester and no gunpowder: no Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon or Bombard Tower
Soft defenses: no Keep, no Fortified Wall, no Architecture — walls stop at Stone Walls and towers at Guard Tower
A thin late economy: no Two-Man Saw, no Crop Rotation, no Guilds
A gutted Monastery missing Atonement, Herbal Medicine, Heresy and Faith

The article also shows the Danish Castle, drawing on the Danevirke, Trelleborg and Jomsborg fortifications, and the Danish Wonder — the fabled Yggdrasil world tree.

Our Take

Everything in this kit pushes forward: infantry that fights harder as it bleeds, siege that outranges and shreds buildings, and a loot bonus that turns every razed house into resources. The near-total absence of defensive technologies is the counterpart — the Danes will want to end games, not turtle through them.

The Danes were previewed alongside the [Saxons](/en/resources/news/saxons-civilization-deep-dive-viking-sagas). Since publication, [The Viking Sagas has launched](/en/resources/news/the-viking-sagas-launch-update-185872), and all three civilizations are in our [civilizations database](/en/resources/civilizations).