This is my attempt of a guide for beginners playing Expeditions: Viking.
 
 

About this guide

Hello and welcome to this guide.
 
 
I caught on to this game very late (2022) and I haven’t finished it yet. This guide is currently mostly for me, to learn the game properly. I have read other guides and watched videos on builds and collected things here. They are due for change as I continue to learn the game.
 
 
I will update as I continue playing and this page will let you know when I last reviewed it.
 
 
Last updated: May 8 2022.
 
 
 

Character Creation

As in many RPGs you should min/max to improve the impact of your primary stats; that is, reduce the ones you don’t want to prioritise in order to maximise the output of your selected stats.
 
 
The combat in this game is very unforgiving, so you will not do well at the start with a pure diplomat build. You also often can’t choose the placement of your party as combat starts, which means that any weak character is at risk of being instantly killed. Especially your main character, as he/she will be travelling at the front.
 
 
Often there will be waves of enemies, meaning you will want to down them as fast as possible to avoid being overwhelmed. That means that damage over time (fire, poison) or debuffs that doesn’t help you immediately, is essentially not very helpful. Never trade damage over time for the chance of an instant kill. The only exception is when there is a choke point.
 
 
Being downed in combat can cause injuries that will give debuffs until you heal them. You do that while sleeping in encampments.
 
 
 

Primary Stats

Strength
 
Affects physical damage output and resistance. Primary stat for warriors using swords and axes.
 
 
Endurance
 
Determines your Hit Points (HP), Block Chance with shields, Stamina and base Damage Reduction (DR). This is important to last in combat as a fighter.
 
 
Finesse
 
Affects base damage for Spears and Knives as well as Critical Chance for all weapons. Important for ranged and rogue-like characters.
 
 
Perception
 
Affects accuracy for ranged weapons. Will also give additional dialogue options.
 
 
Sense
 
Mental resistance against debuffs and helps persuasion in dialogue. Mostly important for support characters. 4 will open up Galder, Leadership and Witchcraft. 6 is needed for Healing.
 
 
 

Weapon skills

Axe
 
Strength. Good against shielded opponents.
 
Shield Hook (rank 1), bypasses any enemy shield.
 
Cleave (rank 3), focuses on damaging the shield of the opponent.
 
Weapon Hook (rank 5), disarms the opponent. Very useful.
 
 
Bow
 
Perception. Good for opponents at a distance (obviously):
 
– Ranging Shot (rank 1), target gets Spotted (Ranged attacks +25% accuracy and target can not use low coverage).
 
– Quick Shot (rank 2), two shots at reduced hit chance. Good for close range.
 
– Aimed Shot (rank 3), increased hit chance, damage by +30 and +5% critical hit chance. Good for long range.
 
– Fire Arrow (rank 4), applies burning (-20 to -30 hit points per turn). Not very useful.
 
– Hailstorm (rank 5), 50% of full damage on 3 random hexes on/around target. Not very useful.
 
 
Dane Axe
 
Strength. High damage. Good against shields. Long reach. Two-handed.
 
– Reckless Strike (rank 1), +25% damage, but no movement on next turn.
 
– Pull (rank 3), hooks and pulls an enemy into melee range.
 
– Swipe (rank 5), wide area slicing damage. Will not damage shields.
 
 
Knife
 
Finesse.
 
– Deathblow (rank 1), double damage against disabled (stunned etc) enemies.
 
– Flurry (rank 3), attacks 1 or 2 targets causing bleeding. Not very useful as you don’t have time for enemies to bleed out.
 
– Slice (rank 5), free attack at half damage. Two uses per battle.
 
 
Shield
 
Endurance. (+1% per END). Improved survivability, especially against archers.
 
Brace (rank 1), restores shield. Once per combat.
 
Defend (rank 3), prevents shield damage but spends the turn.
 
Shield Bash (rank 5), knock down an enemy (requires an empty hex behind), disabling them.
 
 
Sling
 
Perception. Essentially not a very useful weapon, compared to the bow.
 
– Puffball (rank 1), gives full coverage against ranged attacks. Not very useful.
 
– Scattershot (rank 3), gives debuffs. Not very useful.
 
– Grenade (rank 5), causes an area to be Flammable. Damage over time. Not very useful.
 
 
Spear
 
Finesse. High damage via crits. Long reach. Two-handed.
 
– Extend (rank 1), 3 hex range at 75% of full damage.
 
– Smack (rank 3), concussing the enemy at 50% of full damage.
 
– Distract (rank 5), free ability, neutralises the Attack of Opportunity for an enemy 2 hexes away.
 
 
Sword
 
Strength. Focuses on damage over utility.
 
– Ready (rank 1), an attack against any enemy that enters melee range.
 
– The Heavy Swing (rank 3) will ignore any damage reduction.
 
– Execute (rank 5) will dismember the enemy on the attack in the next turn.
 
 
Unarmed
 
While giving good early damage, long term, unarmed will not be as useful. Note that Unarmed can be used along with a shield, as long as one hand is free.
 
– Grapple (rank 1) – Let you immobilise an enemy until the next turn when flanking them. Use with Deathblow (Knife) for great effect.
 
– Heavy Punch (rank 3) deals +50% damage but will not allow you to move in the same turn.
 
– Headbutt (rank 5) – Stuns an enemy, leaving them open for attacks. Can not be used against enemies with helmets (obviously).
 
 
 

Offensive Skills

Anticipate Opening
 
Next attack is a guaranteed critical hit (spends attack for that turn). Good for use with a spear or knife, but a bit expensive.
 
 
Charge
 
Adds +5 Damage for every hex you move before a melee attack on an enemy. Use along with the passive skills Nimble and Strider for added effect.
 
 
Cripple
 
25% of full damage but removes movement on the next turn. For archers.
 
 
Dual Wielding
 
– Hook and Slash (rank 1), damages shields and guarantees a hit on the opponent.
 
– Parry (rank 3), free counter attack until next turn.
 
– One-Two (rank 5), full damage two times on one or two targets.
 
 
Feint
 
Removes Attack of Opportunity. Requires free hex on the other side of the opponent. Takes all movement for that turn so not a great value.
 
 
Interrupt (archers, melee)
 
Overwatch and attack when there is a 75% change of hit, or the enemy is within 6 hexes.
 
 
Rebuke
 
Kicks the enemy 1 hex away. Essentially only useful if you want to run away from them.
 
 
Stun
 
Leaving an enemy open to attacks until the next turn. Only 2 uses per combat.
 
 
Throwing
 
– Throw Rock (rank 1), applies Harred which opens the enemy up for Backstabs.
 
– Toss (rank 3), lets you toss another character (friendly or enemy) 1 hex away.
 
– Throw Axe (rank 5), similar to Throw Rock, but causes more damage.
 
 
 

Support Skills

These are for one or max two characters in your party.
 
 
Benediction (not for Norse characters).
 
TODO
 
 
Galder
 
– Tyr’s favour (rank 1), gives damage resistance +25 to all norse allies.
 
– Balder’s favour (rank 2), gives physical resistance 100% to all norse allies.
 
– Thor’s favour (rank 3), gives +20% melee damage to all norse allies.
 
– Odin’s favour (rank 4), gives mental resistance 100% to all norse allies. Good to protect archers against demoralisation.
 
– Loki’s favour (rank 5), gives critical chance +10 to all norse allies. Not that useful.
 
 
Healing
 
– Restore (rank 1), restores hit points.
 
– Cure (rank 3), removes debuffs.
 
– Revive (rank 5), heals and brings back an ally to consciousness.
 
 
Leadership
 
– Manoeuvring (rank 1), gives allies +1 hex movement this turn, and +5 to resistances. Use on your archers.
 
– Inspire (rank 3), gives another attack to the targeted character. Use on your damage dealers.
 
– Ruse (rank 5), makes enemies within 2 hex flee, unless engaged in melee.
 
 
Protect
 
Raises damage reduction of adjacent allies. A very defensive skill for your front line melee fighters.
 
 
Snaring
 
Disables an enemy that moves into melee range for 1 turn.
 
 
Spot Traps
 
– Spot traps (rank 1), reveal traps in the area.
 
– Disarm (rank 3), disarms the trap.
 
 
Tactical Move
 
Allows moving through traps or Attack of Opportunity unharmed, for half the movement range.
 
 
Taunt
 
Forces the targeted enemy to run towards the character. Takes them out of cover and disrupts enemy ranks. Especially useful against enemy archers.
 
 
Witchcraft
 
– Demoralise (rank 1), adds a debuff of Max Accuracy -50 to all enemies. Great at reducing the threat of archers. Use early and often.
 
– Poison (rank 2), applies poison to the targeted ally’s hits. Not useful.
 
– Dust (rank 3), applies Finesse -2 and Perception -2 on anyone in 3 hexes in front of the character. Not very useful.
 
– Talon (rank 4), 50% change to inflict Panicked (Erratic behaviour), Frightened (Perception -1, Sense -1) or Terrified (Perception -3, Sense -2). Unreliable, use Stun instead.
 
– Suggestion (rank 5), converts enemy to your side for 1 turn. Potent, but requires you to be point blank to the enemy. One use per combat. Effect not guaranteed.
 
 
 

Utility Skills

Firstly, focus on combat skills. Then support and utility.
 
 
Armorsmithing (Smith)
 
Lets you create armour. Use along with Crafting and Repair on a dedicated Smith character.
 
 
Artisan
 
Lets you add a Special Property on items.
 
 
Constitution
 
Halves the deterioration risk for infection.
 
 
Cooking
 
Gives a chance of bonuses during camping. Use along with Preserve on the same character.
 
 
Crafting (Smith)
 
Gives the ability to create weapons. Use along with Armorsmithing and Repair on your Smith.
 
 
Diplomacy
 
Adds special dialogue options. For the Trader path (i.e. not Raider).
 
 
Guarding
 
Increases security for 1 shift. You need two guards for the two shifts per night.
 
 
Heavy sleeping
 
Reduces sleeping to 1 shift. Use it with your hunter(s).
 
 
Hunting
 
Increases the chance of finding meat. Combine with Heavy Sleeping for better output.
 
 
Preserving
 
Converts meat into rations. Use along with Cooking on the same character.
 
 
Repairing (Smith)
 
Less resources for repairing and more resources when destroying items.
 
 
Scouting
 
Grants a chance to discover resources on the map.
 
 
Tinker
 
Adds ability to create traps and consumables.
 
 
 

Passive Skills

Focus on this after the utility skills.
 
 
Adrenaline Junkie
 
+30% melee damage when below 20% of full health. You rarely want to be this low in health, so this is not a recommended skill, unless you want to live on the edge.
 
 
Avenger
 
+10% damage on an enemy that has downed an ally. You don’t want your allies to go down, which makes this a less useful skill.
 
 
Backstabber
 
+20% damage on Harred enemies. This is great in combination with throwing stones.
 
 
Blood Thirsty
 
+10% damage for 1 turn after each kill. Not enough to be worth it.
 
 
Dodge
 
-50% of enemy crit. chance.
 
 
Evade
 
+5% ranged damage reduction. Good for any glass canon character.
 
 
Fencer
 
Reduces flanking multiplier from enemies by 15%. You should really avoid being flanked, which makes this less useful.
 
 
Fortune Favoured
 
+3% Critical Chance. Not enough to be useful.
 
 
Good Patient
 
+20% health on Restore/Revive. Cheap and increases survivability. A good skill!
 
 
Hardened
 
+10 hitpoints. A bit too expensive to be worth it.
 
 
Keen Eye (archer, melee)
 
+50% armour piercing damage. Requires 6 Perception but is great for Melee characters if they have a weapon with good armour piercing damage.
 
 
Lone Wolf
 
+10% damage when 8 or more hexes from nearest ally. That puts you in a bad position and should be avoided. The tradeoff is therefore questionable.
 
 
Low Profile (archer, support)
 
-50% chance of being targeted by the enemy.
 
 
Night Owl (archer)
 
+25% Mental Resistance at night.
 
 
Night Vision (archer)
 
Removes penalty to accuracy at night.
 
 
Nimble
 
Removes movement penalty by 1 (min 0) when wearing armour. A bit expensive, but good for the later parts of the game.
 
 
Opportunist (melee)
 
Makes Attacks of Opportunity apply the Stunned debuff. Enemies will avoid Attacks of Opportunities, so the usefulness is questionable.
 
 
Point Blank (archer)
 
Gives ranged attacks 100% Critical chance on target within melee range. Especially useful on Stunned enemies.
 
 
Powerful Kick
 
Adds Knocked Down to the skill Rebuke. Not great as it requires Rebuke, which makes it expensive.
 
 
Quick Feet (dual-wielders)
 
Requires a Finesse of 4. Lets you move around an enemy without triggering Attack of Opportunity, as long as you don’t disengage. Useful for flanking.
 
 
Relentless
 
Grants 5% to get one extra action when using normal attacks. You will not use normal attacks when you have something better available, so usefulness is not great.
 
 
Sexist
 
Grants +10% damage towards the opposite s*x. Mainly useful for female characters, as most opponents will be male. Not great, but ok for the cost.
 
 
Sharpshooter (archer)
 
Halves damage penalty for the Aimed Shot. Usually not needed.
 
 
Sneak Attack
 
+10% Flanking damage multiplier. Nice to have in the late game, but requires flanking, which makes it less useful than for example Sexist.
 
 
Steady Hands (archer)
 
Gives 100% hit chance for Interrupt. Not bad, but the hit chance for Interrupt should already be good, so this is probably not needed.
 
 
Stone Fists
 
+10 Armour Piercing damage to Unarmed attacks. Unarmed attacks are not very good except for the very early parts of the game, which makes this less useful.
 
 
Strider (melee)
 
Gives +1 movement in combat. Nice to have in later parts of the game.
 
 
Thick Skin
 
+10% physical resistance. Good but expensive. Save for the late game.
 
 
Walk Your Shots (archer)
 
Reduces hit chance penalty for ranged attacks from 6% to 5% per hex.
 
 
 

Pre-Builds (spoilers)

These are characters you will run across as you play the game. Therefore, be aware of potential spoilers in this section.
 
 
Ketill
 
Good for Bow, Healing and Leadership. A peaceful diplomat.
 
 
Strength: 3
 
Endurance: 4
 
Finesse: 6
 
Perception 10
 
Sense: 6
 
 
Nefja
 
Good for Spears, Knives and the Shield. Galder, Leadership and Witchcraft. An honourable warmonger.
 
 
Strength: 3
 
Endurance: 7
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 4
 
Sense: 5
 
 
Asleifr
 
Shield and Sword. Spread too thin to be specialised in anything. A stuck up warmonger.
 
 
Strength: 8
 
Endurance: 6
 
Finesse: 6
 
Perception: 6
 
Sense: 3
 
 
Gunnarr
 
Dane axe. Galder and Leadership are optional. A looting warmonger.
 
 
Strength: 10
 
Endurance: 8
 
Finesse: 6
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 4
 
 
Röskva
 
Healing, Witchcraft, Shield, Sling, Knife. A cunning, looting chieftain.
 
 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 4
 
Finesse: 7
 
Perception: 7
 
Sense: 10
 
 
Eudis
 
Axe, Shield, Leadership, Healing, Galder. A peaceful diplomat.
 
 
Strength: 6
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 5
 
Sense: 7
 
 
Morcant
 
Healer, Benediction. Shield, Sling, Knife, Leadership. A peaceful diplomat.
 
 
Strength: 2
 
Endurance: 5
 
Finesse: 6
 
Perception: 7
 
Sense: 9
 
 
Aife
 
Spear, Bow. A peaceful member of the Picts.
 
 
Strength: 3
 
Endurance: 5
 
Finesse: 8
 
Perception: 10
 
Sense: 3
 
 
 

Builds (work-in-progress)

Vikingr (Shield and Axe)

 
Most nords were poor and would not be able to afford a costly weapon such as a sword, which took a lot of skill and labour to produce. When going on a raid (viking), they used axes and shields, which were relatively cheap to produce. An axe does however have a benefit over swords, as they can cleave through shields, hook and remove them. Combined with a shield that gives the vikingr protection.
 
 
Strength: 10
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 7
 
 
Tip: Run to the front and create a shieldwall to protect against enemy archers. Stun your enemies to let the Nidingr finish them off.
 
 
Weapons:
 
Axe
 
Shield (min 2)
 
Offensive:
 
Interrupt
 
Support:
 
Protect (?)
 
Taunt
 
Utility:
 
Cooking
 
Passive:
 
Good Patient
 
Hardened (?)
 
Thick Skin (?)
 
 
Leadership (3)
 
Galder (1)
 
Healing
 
 

Huskarl (Shield and Sword)

 
As part of the chieftains personal guard, the more wealthy huskarl could afford better armour and weapons, such as a sword along with their shield.
 
 
Strength: 10
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 7
 
 
Skills:
 
Sword
 
Shield
 
Galder (1)
 
 

Huskarl (Dane Axe, heavy damage)

 
In the Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066) a huskarl of King Harald Hårdråde fended off the English army single handedly, heavily armed and weilding a dane axe.
 
 
Strength: 10
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 6
 
Sense: 2
 
 
Skills:
 
Dane Axe
 
 

Skjöldmö

 
The shieldmaiden was a woman competing against men to prove herself a warrior. She had to be more fierce than any man and show no fear and only a long lineage of famous warriors would breed such a woman.
 
 
Strength:
 
Endurance:
 
Finesse:
 
Perception:
 
Sense:
 
 
Skills:
 
Sexist
 
 

Hirdman (Spear)

 
When waging combat at large, the common man would be most efficient holding a spear. It can reach beyond a shieldwall and penetrate any armour available on the battlefield.
 
 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 6
 
Sense: 2
 
 
Skills:
 
Anticipate Opening
 
Charge
 
 

Alternative Spear and Support Class

 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 7
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 10
 
 
Skills:
 
Healing
 
 

Archer (Bow, Support)

 
You want one, or possibly two archers in your party, to pick off enemies at a distance. The bow skill is costly, but does a lot of damage.
 
 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 7
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 10
 
Sense: 10
 
 
Skills:
 
Bow
 
Healing
 
Leadership
 
Interrupt
 
 

Archer (Bow, Crit)

 
Alternative archer build with focus on critical damage over support/healing.
 
 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 4
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 10
 
Sense: 4
 
 
Weapons:
 
Bow (start 2)
 
Offensive
 
Interrupt
 
Support:
 
Tactical Move
 
Utilities:
 
Passive:
 
Backstabber
 
Fortune Favoured
 
Keen Eye
 
Walk Your Shots
 
 

Berserkr (Dual Wield, damage dealer)

 
The most brave would shield themselves only with the will of the gods, wearing no armour and cause the enemy into a panic by throwing themselves into their ranks without any concern for what harm might come to themselves. They took on the bodily shape of a bear, wearing its fur (berserk meaning “bear skirt”) and harnessing its strength.
 
 
Strength: 10
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 4
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 4
 
 
Skills:
 
Sword
 
Axe
 
Dual Wielding
 
 

Nidingr (Dual Wield Backstabber)

 
The Nords praised bravery in fair and honourable combat. As such, the acts of treachery, backstabbing, poison and lies were considered the lowest form of combat. Some even considered archery to be the weapon of the coward. A person dealing in these acts was called a nidingr. A lowlife. A despicable and dishonourable person.
 
 
Tip: Put Unarmed (1) on a melee character, and your Nidingr can insta-kill them with the Knife (1) skill Deathblow
 
 
Strength: 4
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 4
 
 
Weapons:
 
– Knife
 
– Throwing (1)
 
Dual Wielding
 
Backstabbing
 
Galder (1)
 
 

Skaldr

 
The storyteller would create the poems that told the stories which became the commonly known history of the past. It would rhyme, entertain and engage the audience. This skill was so valued that the most skilled with words could show off their skill in a wordplay called flyting, to see which one had the most skill and wit, while making fun of each other.
 
 
Strength:
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse:
 
Perception:
 
Sense: 10
 
 
Skills:
 
Healing
 
Witchcraft
 
Shield
 
Galder
 
 

Völva (Support, healer)

 
Only women had the potential to bridge the gap of the natural and the supernatural world. The few who had this gift, would be feared by all.
 
 
Strength:
 
Endurance:
 
Finesse:
 
Perception:
 
Sense:
 
 
Tip: Buff your allies with Thor and Loki for offensive or Tyr & Balder for defensive. Stay behind. Stay safe.
 
 
Skills:
 
Shield (2)
 
Healing (3)
 
Galder (5)
 
Leadership (3)
 
Hardened
 
Evade
 
Low Profile
 
Preserving
 
 

Daggers – Crit DPS (TODO)

 
Strength: 1
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 10
 
Perception: 6
 
Sense: 2
 
 

Brawler – Disabler (TODO)

 
Strength: 7
 
Endurance: 10
 
Finesse: 1
 
Perception: 1
 
Sense: 10
 
 
Unarmed: 5
 
 
 

Party Structure

As with other RPGs you need a party where each member contributes with a unique set of skills.
 
 
You will want every skill used in camping (Healing, Witchcraft, Guarding, Hunting, Preserving) maxed out on at least one character.
 
 
It is recommended to have a dedicated craftsman with Armorsmithing, Artisan, Crafting, and Repairing skills. Potentially also Tinkering.
 
 
Scouting and Cooking will also be nice to have.
 
 
Recommended setup (including the main character) is:
 
2 Vikingr/Berserkrs, to take damage and seal choke points.
 
1 Völva/Support, to heal and buff allies and debuff enemies.
 
2 Archers, to kill enemies at a distance.
 
1 Optional Nidingr or similar.
 
 
 

General Tips and Tricks

Pressing Alt will toggle highlighting of clickable items.
 
 
During camping, convert herbs to medicine to heal your injuries.
 
 
Water skins will help protect you against flaming arrows.
 
 
Use items. You can tinker new ones.
 
 

 
 
This is all about Expeditions: Viking – Weapon skills +Primary Stats +Character Creation; I hope you enjoy reading the Guide! If you feel like we should add more information or we forget/mistake, please let us know via commenting below, and thanks! See you soon!