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The Viking bands in Norsfell studios' Tribes of Midgard better brace themselves for the next saga boss, who is arriving with the second season of Tribes of Midgard, releasing on December 14. Jormungandr will be joining his sibling, Fenrir, in Midgard to terrorize the Einherjars.
I recently had the chance to drop into a multiplayer session with Julian Maroda, CEO and Creative Director of Norsfell, to have a hands-on experience of the new things awaiting the players in the new season. The Serpent Saga is bringing exciting new additions and changes to the lives of the Vikings in Tribes of Midgard.
Experiencing the new Serpent Saga in Tribes of Midgard
The Serpent Saga is slated to bring a number of new content to the game. Early in the session, Maroda commented that they had been working super hard to get everything reading in time. The official statement notes that:
"Season 2 adds a boatload of content for players, including a new Season Track, Saga Boss, Open Seas biome, weapons and armor, five new Runes that bring the game’s total 40 Runes, Boats, Swimming, and various quality-of-life improvements alongside a festive three-week Yuliday event."
As soon as one drops in the game, the hard work is evident. The whole world is decked in a holidays theme, Yuliday. There are little present boxes scattered everywhere, with even candy canes beside them. Enemies are also wearing appropriately-themed hats to celebrate the season.
Most players will notice the saga quest, pinned to the left of the screen, is in a Netflix-styled naming S2E1: To Distant Shores. The previous saga is also available for players to get a hold of. Maroda clarified the choice to keep both the sagas because:
“The whole intent with this season was really to expand Tribes of Midgard. We are never going to try and skim it or remove some stuff. What we want to do is create the ultimate Viking Sandbox."
For players who dare to, one can tackle both the saga bosses to unlock an achievement for defeating the bosses in one run. Day 14 triggers the Fimbulwinter - the night becomes endless, and Helthings keep spawning. It is better to call it a day and use the Bifrost to get out.
Swimming and sailing in Serpent Saga
Sadly, water is no longer the ultimate enemy in Tribes of Midgard, as players can now swim. Maroda explained that they had previously planned to address this issue. The addition of swimming also serves several purposes - crossing a river, not dying when someone accidentally falls into water, et al.
Being in water also affects the body temperature depending on the kind of climate the player is in. If they are already in the glacier area and they get in a river, they will be super cold. Being in a desert, a player may start taking damage from the high temperature. They can jump into the water to cool themselves off.
Swimming depletes the player's stamina. Once the bar hits zero, it will start damaging the HP. Players can drink potions during that time to give themselves a chance to get back onto land.
But the highlight of the session was when the Shipyard was finally rebuilt. There are three different boats to craft, and the first one is the Faering Boat. This one can only house one Viking. Maroda's in-game nickname, Mad Roda, graciously provided me with a ship for my adventure.
The sailing was truly gorgeous, albeit dangerous. The visuals for this new area with the background music do an excellent job of hyping up the players as the enemies on the little reefs shoot relentlessly at the boat. The boat can also crash into shallows.
There are two new enemies to contend with - Selkies singing their deadly tune and three types of Fossegrim with different abilities. They were a pain to deal with at the beginning while trying to light the beacon for the saga quest.
Bifrost-ing out
The session ended with a glimpse of Jormungandr. The arena looks amazing with an esthetic that fits the mythos. Thor's bait has to be dropped to call the boss. The serpent has unique lines and abilities. Sadly though, we did not have enough time to finish him off.
The session with the new update was really exciting. The addition of sailing really opens up the Viking experience to all its might and glory. We talked about this deep love for Norse mythology and selecting the next bosses.
Maroda assured me that season 3 has already been decided. It remains to be seen what Norsfell has in store for its Vikings. For now, the Serpent Saga is arriving with the beckoning World Serpent as the new saga's boss.
