Ekkill

**Ekkill** is a human Hero character encountered in *The Banner Saga* series.

## Background

Run-ins with this lunatic have made you hesitate to let him fight by your side but his strength and skill almost makes it worth the risk.

When the Dredge started invading, powerful families fought each other to take control of Frostvellr. Onef too tried to take control and used his brother-in-law Ekill as a puppet, presenting him as a madman.

His real name is unknown. He wanted to make Onef suffer for murdering his sister, but eventually gave up on it and settled on following whatever order he gave.

## Active Ability: Guts

The Grudgewielder throws away his shield, points his axe at nobody in particular, jumps three feet off the ground and crushes it down on the ground. Every adjacent unit, ally or enemy, receives regular Strength damage and is knocked-back several tiles. The knock-back causes an additional 1 Strength damage per tile. Units can not be knocked *through* other units, unlike other similar knock-back abilities, like Battering Ram.

**Rank 1**: Knock back 1 tile.

**Rank 2:** Knock back 2 tiles.

**Rank 3:** Knock back 3 tiles.

Note: Before the 'Balance Update', December 2016, Guts used to cause only 1 Strength (instead of regular) damage to all adjacent units.

## Second Active Ability: Choice

In the second part of *The Banner Saga*, when Ekkill reaches Rank 6, he can choose a second active ability between:

* Stone Wall (Raidmaster), like Valgard, Egil or Gudmundr
* Bloody Flail (Thrasher), like Hogun & Mogun
* Run Through (Backbiter), like Onef
* Axe Storm (Axe Thrower), like Oli

## Passive Ability: Shield Wall

By standing next to an ally, the raider creates a Shield Wall, raising the armor of both himself and his ally by 1. This bonus remains until the Raider is no longer adjacent to the ally.

When multiple Raiders stand next to each other this effect is magnified as they grant each other their own bonus. Four Raiders standing in a square formation will each gain an additional 4 armor.

## Joining the Party

**Saga 1:**

* If Rook steals the supplies in Frostvellr with Onef's help during Chapter 4, Ekkill will approach the caravan and offer to surrender. Ekkill can be offered to join the caravan or can be taken prisoner.
* If he is taken prisoner, another opportunity to recruit him will happen after Onef's mutiny during Chapter 6.

**Saga 2:** Ekkill moves to the Ravens after the caravan split at Ormsdalr, end of Chapter 8.

**Saga 3:** Ekkill is a member of Iver's party from Chapter 17 if he survived in the previous game.

## Possible Death or Departure

**Saga 1:** There are several opportunities to slay or dismiss Ekkill, ranging from when he surrenders to your custody, up to just after Onef's mutiny.

**Saga 2:** In Chapter 13, Ekkill charges forward to fight Dredge emerging from a crevice; if Bolverk only sends fighters with him then he will die. If Ekkill is not in the caravan, it is Oli who does this.

**Saga 3:** Ekkill is killed in Chapter 17 if you decide to respond with a show of force after Juno stops controlling the minds of the Ravens. He dies along with the Ravens in Chapter 21 if you lost the fight against Bolverk.

## Playstyle

* Ekkill starts with relatively high Strength but low Break.
* His active ability, albeit not synergizing with the Raiders' passive, can deliver Armor-bypass Strength damage. This means that Ekkill is practically unmaimable, dealing at least 1-2 damage if he has Willpower left. Appropriate positioning can spread damage as well as disrupt enemy formations.
* It is advisable to increase his Break and Armor to the maximum values (3 and 14, respectively), something that requires three promotions.

## Trivia

The name Ekkill is related to the Old Icelandic word for "widower." It is found as the name of a sea-king in the Poetic Edda, and also appears in the name of the island Ekilsøy. Anglo-Scandinavian forms include Inkell, Inchel, Inkle. [1]