Saxons Civilization Deep Dive - Infantry and Defense

World's Edge has published its official deep dive for the Saxons, the second of the three new civilizations arriving with [The Viking Sagas](/en/resources/news/the-viking-sagas-pre-order-release-date) on September 22, 2026. Described as "prosperous inheritors of Roman Britain", the Saxons are an Infantry and Defensive civilization built to hold ground against relentless Viking raids.

Civilization Bonuses

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

Mills, Lumber Camps and Mining Camps provide +50 food and +10 stone when built — passive stone income from ordinary eco buildings
Foot soldiers cost -5% per Town Center or Castle controlled (maximum -20%)
Towers and Castles fire +100% base arrows starting in the Castle Age
Longships and Catapult Galleons have +20% HP
Team Bonus: repairers work +25% faster

Unique Unit: Hearth Troop

Hearth Troops were a Saxon leader's professional retinue — so named because they literally shared his hearth and hall. In game, this elite infantryman excels in melee combat with sword and shield, but also periodically hurls a javelin at enemies. An Elite upgrade is available in the Imperial Age.

Unique Technologies

Clerical Recruitment (Castle Age): Monks gain +1 conversion range and train +33% faster
Shield Wall (Imperial Age): Infantry gain additional armor when massed — a direct nod to the shield wall tactics of early medieval northern Europe

Regional Units

The Saxons also field the three regional units of the expansion: the Varangian Guard, a shock infantryman trained at the Barracks that generates gold while fighting — and which benefits from the Saxon cost reduction and from Shield Wall — the Mounted Crossbowman at the Archery Range, and the Longship at the Dock. Notably, the official article states that Mounted Crossbowmen will be *"available to most European civilizations, which produce them instead of Cavalry Archers"*.

What the Technology Tree Shows

Reading the official technology tree, the Saxon identity is very clear:

Strengths

Full infantry lines: Champion, Halberdier, and every infantry armor upgrade
Full defensive package: Keep, Fortified Wall, Arrowslits, Heated Shot, Murder Holes, Masonry and Architecture
[Arbalester](/en/resources/units/arbalester) with Thumb Ring, plus Cranequins, a new Archery Range technology visible in the tree
Near-complete Monastery (only Fervor is missing) to pair with Clerical Recruitment
A serious navy: Galleon, the full hulk line up to the [Carrack](/en/resources/units/carrack), Elite Longship and [Catapult Galleon](/en/resources/units/catapult-galleon)

Gaps

No Blast Furnace — melee attack stops at Iron Casting
No gunpowder units: no Hand Cannoneer, Bombard Cannon, Bombard Tower or Cannon Galleon (Chemistry is still researchable)
Cavalry stops at Cavalier and Hussar (no Paladin), with cavalry armor capped one tier early
Siege without Siege Onager (Onager only), but with Siege Ram, Heavy Scorpion and Siege Tower
No Stone Shaft Mining — the dropsite bonus partly compensates
No demolition ships and no Fast Fire Ship

The article also shows the Saxon Castle, inspired by the citadels of Saxon burhs depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, and the Saxon Wonder, a turriform church.

Our Take

On paper the Saxons look like a disciplined siege-and-hold civilization: cheap, heavily armored infantry in front of doubled tower fire, with monks and strong walls behind. The passive stone trickle from eco buildings should open aggressive tower play in the Feudal Age, while the missing Blast Furnace and gunpowder will demand good positioning in the late Imperial Age.

The Saxons joined the [Danes](/en/resources/news/danes-civilization-deep-dive-viking-sagas) in the pre-release previews. 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).