recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Ro'Ech

**Ro'Ech** is a Teulu Hero character encountered in the second part of *The Banner Saga*.

## Background

A fearless fighter, Ro'Ech almost never backs down from a confrontation. At ten years of age, his pride, culture, and a short average lifespan drive him toward boldness; it is the only way he will become the leader of his herd before he is too old. His mate, Derdriu, unfailingly supports and encourages him.

## Active Ability: Mule Kick

The Horseborn Teulu delivers a devastating kick with his powerful horse's legs, dealing (Armor) Break damage to the target, sending him flying across the battlefield and leaving him Stunned when he lands. Any other unit unfortunate enough to be in the path of the flying enemy suffers a violent hit as well, taking 1 Strength damage. Be careful who is in the Knockback path!

**Rank 1:** Knockback up to 2 tiles

**Rank 2:** Knockback up to 4 tiles

**Rank 3:** Knockback up to 6 tiles

## Active Ability: Trample

* When promoted to Rank 6, Ro'Ech gains the primary active of Scathach, Trample.

The Horseborn Teulu charges forward and tramples an enemy, then attacks from behind. The enemy target suffers regular Strength damage during the charge, is subesequently struck for 1 Strength per tile the Teulu moved before the trample, and is left Concussed, suffering 20% miss-chance on his next (regular) Attack.

**Rank 1:** Trample 2 tiles

**Rank 2:** Trample 3 tiles

**Rank 3:** Trample 4 tiles

## Passive Ability: Hit and Run

The Horseborn Teulu takes his normal movement, then can attack or use an Ability. Once the action is complete, he can move again up to three tiles; no Willpower may be spent on the second move.

## Joining the Party

Ro'Ech joins the Skogr caravan in Chapter 10, when the Horseborn are first met near Lundar.

## Possible Death or Departure

* **Saga 2:** Ro'ech will be killed at the hands of Trìgecánnthàe in Chapter 12, if you choose to save Ettingbekr and get defeated in the ensuing battle.

## Playstyle

* Mule Kick's combo of Break+Displacement+Stun effects make it one of the most powerful abilities in the game, especially against Bosses.
* The Knockback effect is useful when it can also damage other enemies, but it might push the target off-range of your Archers' Puncture.

## Bug

A known but yet uncorrected bug leads to Ro'Ech loosing Mulekick ability once level 6. A solution is to edit the savegame and replace the "actives" section under "roech" element by:

`"actives": [`

```
       {
         "id": "abl_trample",
         "level": 3,
         "rankAcquired": 7
       },
       {
         "id": "abl_mulekick",
         "level": 3,
         "rankAcquired": 2
       }
 ],

```
Raider

The **Raider** is the shield-carrying human starting melee unit. He can be recruited from the Mead House. Since he is a starting unit, his stats are already at their max when he is recruited.

## 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.

## Promotions

After achieving 5 total kills, the Raider is eligible for promotion to one of the following classes:
Menders

*For the combat unit class of the same name head to the Mender article instead.*
**Menders** are an order of humans trained in magical arts. Their base is called Manaharr, built near Arberrang, the seat of the human king. Menders possess significant political power and they are generally well respected and 'healthily' feared, by both humans and Varl.

## Mending

*"Mending? Bah, call it what it is. We pluck at the threads of reality. Almost anyone can see them, if you know how to look."* -Alfrun, The Banner Saga 3

Menders are unique in that they are able to "mend", or use magical abilities by reshaping reality. As the world itself is a sort of tapestry, the Menders have learned to control its individual "threads". While many menders are known for their ability to heal the wounded, they are also quite proficient in combat, having abilities unmatched by others.

Mending is only learned through years of practice, by constantly memorizing and practicing different patterns used to manipulate the world around them. Many Menders etch these patterns onto their tool of choice (usually a staff or spear) to more easily remember them. They can read Ingrid's runes, and thus are able to decipher the language of the gods.

## Valka

**Valka** is the name used for some of the most powerful Menders that played a key-role in stopping Dredge invasions in past ages, banishing them in the far northern region of Valkajokull, beyond the Varl lands. According to Juno, Valka were the human weapon against Sundr, the 'champions' of the Dredge army. Unlike the Sundr, Valka are subject to natural death; however, they are able to pass on their knowledge and train new members, thus replenishing their order.

* Named Valka include: Gaukr (dead), Juno, Zefr, Dusi and Eyvind.

The male Valka are often prone to unstable behavior, with their leader Eyvind being an extreme case.

## Characters

In the **first part** of *The Banner Saga*, two characters that belong to the Mender order are met: Juno and her apprentice, Eyvind. Eyvind is a playable character unit, who is able to use devastating lightning-arc attacks that hit multiple enemies. Juno is a support (unplayable) character of significant importance to the story, who possesses powerful mind-control abilities.

Two new Mender Heroes are met in the **second part** of *The Banner Saga*: Zefr and her apprentice, Nikels. Zefr is a Valka with the ability to buff ally unit stats and movement range. Nikels is still in training and possesses no special abilities apart from Mend. In the last chapter of the game, the player is also acquainted with Dusi, the head of the Mender Council in Manaharr. Alette may train to start becoming a Mender if she survives the first game.

Alfrun, while not officially a Mender, is met in the **third part** of The Banner Saga -- she has many of the same abilities menders do, having trained to be one when she was young. Eyvind is also revealed to be a former Valka, as well as their leader.
Grundar

*Nobody knows exactly who founded Grundar, though most speculate it was an early horseborn settlement, seeing as how it's in the middle of nowhere and close to no other landmarks or valuable terrain. The people here tend fields but walk great distances just to gather water.*
Grundar is a small town that appears in The Banner Saga 2.

## The Banner Saga 2

Grundar is the first location in which the player encounters Horseborn. The party comes across Scathach, Ro'Ech and Derdriu tending to a few of their wounded comrades. After a short conversation, the trio will join the caravan.

Grundar appears to be having a festival when the caravan arrives, but the clansmen who try to check it out are not welcome, being called "outsiders".

## Quotes

*"Grundar almost looks forgotten by the rest of the world. Maybe those who live here have forgotten us too."* - Rook/Alette, The Banner Saga 2
Greyhorn

Though the dredge infrequently appear so far to the east, Greyhorn has been an important tower due to the low-lying fogs that regularly cover the ground in this region. To the south stands the fortress city of Blotsbalkr, full of varl ready to respond when black ﬁgures are spotted trudging through the fog.
Nordfelling Wastes

The Nordfelling were not always wastes. At one time a lake sprawled for hundreds of miles until the land cracked beneath it and the water drained over generations, leaving a featureless frozen desert. Within, curious explorers found the remains of the godstone Radormyr ... and wondered how it got there.
King's Barrow

Not within stone crypts, but in the fields before Grofheim are laid to rest the greatest warriors and kings of the varl, where all who come and go from the great city may see them. All varl consider it an honor and a duty to one day be buried in the graves of King's Barrow, where their bones become the stone of the Varlsmarch.
Hraun

The long snowfields, tall mountains and sparse woods of Hraun used to be the gathering place of dredge during the second great war. As varl pushed them ever northward, they took the land and settled it themselves, preferring the cold expanses over the warm, busier lands of men to the south. Now the territory is almost entirely varl.
Pillage

Pillage is the mode a match enters once a player has only one unit remaining and while the other player has at least 2 or more.

Pillage mode begins when the first player loses all-but-one of his/her units. Once in Pillage, the player with more than one unit is allowed to move his/her units successively after the player with remaining unit moves. Pillage lasts as long as one player has at least 2 or more units remaining.

*Example:* Player 1: 3 units (A,B,C) versus Player 2: 2 units (X,Y)

**Normal** Turn Sequence: A -> X -> B -> Y -> C -> X -> A -> Y ->...

**Pillage** Turn Sequence (Player 1 kills unit Y on unit A's turn): A -> X -> B -> C -> A -> X ->...
Meinolf's Armband

A token of a king's appreciation, worn with pride.

## Stats

* Rank: 9
* Price: -
* Effects: +3 to Strength and Armor Talent Ranks; +1 Drawing Aggro; +1 Resist to Strength or Armor

## How to get it

* In Chapter 16, Meinolf will ask a favor of you in regards to Rugga. If you ask about getting something in return, he will give you his armband.
Landsman

The **Landsman** is a base-class introduced in the first part of *The Banner Saga*.

## Class Attributes

Units belonging to the Landsman class have the following attributes:

* **Size:** 1x1 tile
* **Movement Range:** 4 tiles
* **Attack Range:** Melee (1 tile; see note section)
* **Passive Ability:** Lightstep (see below)
* **Stats:** Similar to human-melee units, like Raiders.

## Passive Ability: Light Step

The landsman uses his superior dexterity to move around bodies, allowing him to pass through, but not stop on, any allies.

Light step can help a crafty landsman get safely into position behind armored allies before going in for the strike, or escape from a dangerous position.

## Promoted Classes

Three promoted classes stemming from Landsman base class have so far been revealed:

* Hunter (**Mark Prey** ability) → Rook is the Hero belonging to this special Landsman promoted class.
* Warden (**Rally** ability) → Eirik is the representative Hero of this class.
* Tracker (**Track** ability) → Dytch is the representative Hero of this class.

#### Second Ability

When promoted to Rank 6, Rook gains the Call To Arms ability (a special one), whereas the Warden and the Tracker each gain the other's active.

## Notes & Playstyle

* There is a small inconsistency about the Attack Range of Landsmen: While the Warden and the Tracker can only perform melee attacks (1 tile), the Hunter carries a bow and is thus *also* capable of ranged attacks (2-5 tiles).
* Enemy units of this base-class have only been shown in the second part of *The Banner Saga*, e.g. Starving Foragers in Chapter 13.
* The Landsman base-class has **not** (yet) been introduced into Factions.
* Landsmen are mostly support-type units, excelling in mobility.
Oerr-Brandr

The **Oerr-Brandr** was a criminal gang that operated in Strand and was dismantled by Eirik and Valgard shortly before the Third Great War.

## History

The "Oerr-Brandr" was a gang that used to operate in the slum area of Strand named Hundgaman. They were locked in a violent feud with another gang called the "Glotta-Ox" for years, which often exacerbated the delicate situation in the slums. Both gangs competed to provide protection to businesses in the neighborhood and smuggled refugees beneath the city walls.

About two months before the Third Great War, the authorities of Strand decided to take the Glotta-Oxs and the Oerr-Brandrs down, sending the Governor's Guardsmen Eirik and Valgard to infiltrate them. Valgard infiltrated them as a recruit, asking to be smuggled into Strand and agreeing to become their member in order to pay off the debt. Eirik meanwhile did the same with the Glotta-Oxs.

When members of both the "Glotta-Ox" and "Oerr-Brandr" went to *Veggr's Drinking Hall* for a drink, Eirik pretended to get into a fight with Valgard. This soon resulted in a violent brawl as Eirik shoved him into one of the Glotta-Oxs, and the two joined the fight to kill those who didn't die at the hands of the opposing gang members.

The fight at *Veggr's Drinking Hall* led to around half the members of both gangs being killed, but one of the Oerr-Brandrs survived and told about it to his gang. Eirik and Valgard fled before they arrived there, and the Oerr-Brandrs after discovering the killings attacked the living quarters of the Glotta-Oxs, not knowing that the Governor's Guard was actually responsible. This to high casualties on both sides with the City Watch of Strand arresting the rest, finally clearing Hundgaman from their presence.
Matches

This article describes the match types available in *The Banner Saga: Factions* the online player-vs-player (PvP) counterpart of the single player game. In the Great Hall, the building figuring on the top of Strand, players can search for online matches. From there, they can select to play a Versus, Tournament or Friend Match.

## Versus

Versus is the standard match mode for *The Banner Saga: Factions*, and is separated in **Quick** and **Ranked** matches. In this mode, players are matched up with other players online, based on player rating and team power. The Matchmaker tries to find an opponent as close as possible to your experience and team-power, to ensure that the battle is fair and both players have equal chances of winning. Quick matches have no effect on your rating, only Ranked matches do.

**Note:** Players may choose to use either the default 45-second timer or use the 30-second timer, gaining a +2 Renown bonus per battle (win or lose). The timer choice is independent for the two players.

## Tournament

Each week a new tournament is heralded across Strand, and lasts for 5 days. The tournament is open to all players but you must spend a one-time fee of 20 Renown to register. You can only battle using a team of the announced power level, marked on the tourney banner. The timer is fixed at 30 seconds and the match counts as a typical Ranked match in terms of Renown earned. The maximum number of Tournament matches you can play is 25, with 5 news ones becoming available at 18:00 GMT from Wednesday through Sunday. The winners of the first three places in Tournament boards win 200, 100 and 50 Renown and have their name recorded in the Hall of Valor.

**Note:** Tournament matches also affect your overall rating.

## Friendly

In this mode, players can play games directly with their Steam friends who also have *The Banner Saga: Factions* installed. The players can choose the turn-timer and the map, with option being common between them. Turn-timers include: 60-second, 30-second, and Unlimited. Renown is gained only for a daily log-in streak and for the special Achievement of fighting for the first time against a new Steam friend.

**Note:** To invite a Steam friend for a fight, both player's Steam profile privacy settings need to be set to *Public*.
Hunnfang

An easily hidden, but stout blade for quickly softening an opponent.

## Stats

* Rank: 5
* Price: 10 Renown
* Effects: +2 Break; +1 Move; +1 Armor On Rest

## How to get it

* In Chapter 12, shortly after entering the Old Wood, you will come across an odd blue flame and several people will head off to investigate. Join them and keep searching the bonfires to find a Hunnfang.
* May randomly spawn in Markets.
Reynivik

What started out as battlefields in the First Great War, Reynivik transformed into farmland in peaceful times, where the godstone of Bjorulf, god of the drink, seems to still have some influence over the fertile fields that yield a potent harvest, which get sold in every corner of the land. Reynivik's brews, it is said, are half the reason anyone still goes to Boersgard these days.

## Quotes

*"Reynivik is more of a smattering of farm houses than a proper town, though judging by stray dredge stalking through empty fields it is barely even that anymore."* — Rook, *The Banner Saga*, Part One, Chapter 6.
Longship

The modern longship has been constructed to be much better at hauling goods than raiding and pillaging as it used to do in the early days of men. Ever since the alliances formed by men and varl there's been more need for freight than war along the west coasts, and the murkey bogs of the east are of no value whatsoever.
Hunter

**Hunter** is a promoted class stemming from the Landsman base-class, introduced in the first part of *The Banner Saga*.

* The basic active ability of the Hunter is called **Mark Prey**.
* His second active ability is Call To Arms.
* The Hunter carries two weapons: an axe and a bow. He is the only unit to have such a **"hybrid" Attack Range**, both melee and ranged (1-5 tiles).
* One playable hero belongs to this promoted class, Rook, one of the game's protagonists.
* Units of this class have **not** (yet) been introduced in Factions.

## Active Ability: Mark Prey

By slashing at an adjacent enemy target with his knife, the Hunter does a small amount of Armor Break damage and then focuses the attacks of his allies on the target enemy. Any allies in-range of the victim instantly attack, during the end of the Hunter's present turn.

* **Rank 1:** 1 Break on target unit, instant attack by all in-range allies
* **Rank 2:** 2 Break on target unit, instant attack by all in-range allies
* **Rank 3:** 3 Break on target unit, instant attack by all in-range allies

## Playstyle

* The Hunter is a very versatile and extremely mobile unit. The combination of his passive, his 4-tile movement range and his hybrid ranged/melee attacks, can make his presence felt practically everywhere on the board!
* When properly used, Mark Prey can be very devastating, even when the Hunter himself is maimed: Move allies in-range of a healthy enemy unit, break its Armor and then move the Hunter up to Mark it. This *combo* is even more deadly when used with Archer allies, thanks to the extra Puncture damage.
King

*This **disambiguation** page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link referred you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.*

For the Human king, proceed to

* King Meinolf.

For the Varl king, proceed to

* Jorundr→Vognir→Hakon, or
* List of Varl kings
Wordan

**Wordan** is a location in *The Banner Saga*.

## About

There is something deeply unsettling about the island at the top of the world called Wordan, and those who have dared to travel here say they left almost immediately, not because of something they discovered, but for the unearthly sounds they did not wish to discover the source of.
The Right Foot

The left and right foot of Denglr's Bay are said to be where the god Denglr himself stood when he created the thriving trade city of Strand. Others suggest it's where he stood while taking less noble actions upon the land. They're now used to navigate the long coastal markets by merchants and visitors.
Stonehorn

Construction of **Stonehorn** was difficult in the frozen ice near Silverstone, and not particular useful either, as most dredge who found their way to Schlid or Fastisetr came from the Varlsmarch itself, or the Long Reach. Still, the varl king Skrymir ordered it built and though it sits lower than any other horn it took twice as much stone to remain standing.
Kragsmen

## General

**Kragsmen** are reclusive and hostile human clans encountered in the second part of *The Banner Saga*. They are the denizens of Swartbog, a swampy area in the south-east, but have apparently moved also to northern regions of the world.

Kragsmen are frequently encountered in the company of battle-trained Warbears.

## Urmas Bearlord

**Urmas Bearlord** is the only named Kragsman. He serves as a mini-boss enemy encountered in Chapter 14, if you side against Rugga. Urmas is a Spearman with Impale (Rank 1) & Pig Sticker (Rank 2) active abilities as well as high stats.

## Units

Kragsmen share common abilities with Human Raiders, Archers and Spearmen:

* Kragsman **Savage** - Raider with Axe Storm ability.
* Kragsman **Bog Runner** - Raider with Run Through ability.
* Kragsman **Venom Hurler** - Archer with Slag and Burn ability.
* Kragsman **Hag Hurler** - Archer with Rain of Arrows ability.
* Kragsman **Pole Man** - Spearman with Pig Sticker ability.

Note: The Stats in the table above are for Normal difficulty; modifiers for Easy and Normal are applicable.

## Facts

* Tryggvi is revealed to be of Kragman origin.
Tinsfount

From a long arm of the Ormsa River one thin ﬁnger branches off, pooling at the base of the Foulwind Hills. When a horseborn called Tin discovered the pool they thought it must have been the source of the great river, for it bubbles up clean water without any seeming end. Any travel through horseborn lands usually pass through Tinsfount where there are travelling camps set up nearly year-round.
Two Spears

An unusual gap in the Varlsmarch mountains look like two great spears at a gate. For decades it became a bloody corridor between the varl forces and the dredge to the north until the second varl king, Arnfinnr, endeavored to build a sprawling fortress here which would eventually become Grofheim, the varl capital.
Valkajokull

At the great war's end, it was the Valka, the first Menders, who would push the dredge so far into the north that they were no longer a threat. Some believe the Valka committed genocide of an unfathomable magnitude, others believe they were forced to return underground, for not even dredge can survive these bleak, lifeless ice plains. In any case, if the dredge could be said to inhabit any lands, it is those named after their vanquishers.
Warped Stoneguard

Attack
 Passive

**Warped Stoneguards** are twisted varieties of regular Dredge Stoneguards, corrupted by the Darkness. They wield a misshapen purple hammer and hold a massive shield. Warped Dredge are first encountered in the Underworld Caves in Chapter 10.

## Abilities

#### Active Ability | Soul Bond

The Warped Stoneguard singles out an enemy *anywhere* on the battlefield and binds itself to the target for a round,
dealing damage to willpower equivalent to the stat's difference between the Scourge and the target. (**9**  Scourge targets **5**  Hero; hero has **1**  left.)
During bondage, **all  damage the Scourge takes will hurt the target instead**, ignoring armor.

#### Passive Ability | Depraved

The Warped Dredge explodes upon death and disappears. The explosion causes one  damage to all adjacent enemies and leaves a surface of burned purple ashes equal to the unit's size, that does 1  damage to any unit walking over it.

## Tips & Trivia

* Soul Bond can severely damage the Willpower of your Heroes, especially in low Morale situations, restricting them from using abilities or performing exerted actions.
* The damage-transfer of Soul Bond can easily kill your Heroes, so make sure you only do Break attacks on the Warped Stoneguard when it has bonded a target.
Summer Path

Cutting straight southward from Wyrmtoe to Sigrholm, the Summer Path did not exist until the varl and human kings agreed to create a passage that allowed travelers to bypass Einartoft without having to go all the way through Frostvellr, The Summer Path is so named because the weather is rarely clear enough to travel past Old Father in the winter.
Skystriker

The **Skystriker** is a promotion of the Archer. Like the Archer, her passive ability is Puncture.

## Active Ability: Rain of Arrows

The Skystriker secretly selects an unoccupied tile in a 1-5 tile-range and then fires arrows in the air. If any enemy passes through the trapped tile they are hit by the falling arrows doing normal strength damage and stopping them in their tracks, ending their turn. The falling arrows have 100% chance-to-hit and the damage works together with Puncture, provided that the Skystriker set the trap before she moved.

Rain of Arrows can be used offensively or defensively, protecting allies and/or forcing the opponent to second-guess his or her actions. Smart use of the ability can potentially lock down an entire team.

**Rank 1:** fires 1 arrow (minimum 1 strength damage)

**Rank 2:** fires 2 arrows, + 1 strength to the 2nd (minimum 3 strength damage)

**Rank 3:** fires 3 arrows, + 2 strength to the 3rd (minimum 6 strength damage)
Sun Stone

Mariners of old would use these stones to find the location of the sun even when there was none. Not many know exactly how.

## Stats

* Rank: 3
* Price: 15 Renown
* Effects: Attacks are never Deflected, meaning that to-hit chance is always 100%, regardless of STR-to-ARM formula. Also called *Never Miss*.
* Item ID: *itm\_never\_miss\_2*
Troll Ward

The fire that lights your way also turns away denizens of the dark, as long as you can keep it lit.

## Stats

* Rank: 9
* Price: -
* Effects: -2 Drawing Aggro; +2 Move; +1 Willpower Per Turn
* Passive:
	+ Embolden: Kills grant self and adjacent allies +1 Willpower.

## How to get it

* This item is exclusive to the Kickstarter edition of the game.
Zefr

**Zefr** is a Hero character, encountered in the second part of *The Banner Saga*.

## Background

As a Valka, Zefr is a member of the highest order of the spellweaving menders and sworn to uphold the secrets of their sect; however, she is willing to reveal much of what she knows in order to save the lives of those in her custody.

## Active Ability: Mend

* Zefr starts with Mend at Rank 3 (max), as her starting Hero Rank is 5.

Menders are able to quickly *Mend* on the field of battle, restoring the Armor of any ally anywhere on the battlefield. The amount of Armor restored is half of the Mender's current Willpower (WP) rounded down.

**Rank 1:** Armor restored is (WP+0)/2, rounded down.

**Rank 2:** Armor restored is (WP+1)/2, rounded down.

**Rank 3:** Armor restored is (WP+2)/2, rounded down.

## Active Ability: Runic Gale

* Zefr starts with Runic Gale at Rank 3 (max), as her starting Hero Rank is 5.

The Mender creates a magically-infused zone within which concentrated areas of power form. Anyone, friend or foe, who steps through one of these concentrations receives a burst of power for 1 turn. Possible buffs include +3 to: Willpower, Strength Damage, Armor and/or Break.

**Rank 1:** 2 buff locations

**Rank 2:** 3 buff locations

**Rank 3:** 4 buff locations

Notes:

* Multiple buffs of the same type might spawn; their effect stacks, e.g. there's 1/256 chance to get +12 to Break!
* The zone where the buffs spawn extends to 3 tiles all around a target tile, which can be anywhere within a range of 6 tiles from the Mender.

## Active Ability: Breeze

* Zefr gains Breeze when Promoted to Hero Rank 6.

The Mender grants one or more allies the speed of the *North Wind*, allowing them to move to any unoccupied tile on the battlefield in their next Turn. Because it greatly adds to movement, the magic can a allow a hero to take a much longer route to a tile than would otherwise be possible.

**Rank 1:** Targets 1 ally

**Rank 2:** Targets 2 allies

**Rank 3:** Targets 3 allies

Notes:

* The target ally unit must be within 6 tiles from the Mender (5 empty tiles)
* The move range bonus is +30 tiles, large but not unlimited!

## Joining the Party

Zefr is first encountered in Bindal at the end of Chapter 9, but doesn't join the Ravens caravan Roster until after entering the mines in Chapter 11.

## Possible Death or Departure

Zefr cannot be killed in the second part of *The Banner Saga*. She plays a key role in the final battle of the game.

## Playstyle

* Unlike Eyvind, Zefr does not have any offensive (damaging) active abilities; she is a purely support unit in battles.
* She has an extended melee attack range of 2 tiles, the same as a Spearman. This allows her to attack from behind the safety of your front line, possibly benefiting from adjacency bonuses like Shield Wall.
* Her regular move range is 5, the highest of all Hero units.
* Runic Gale is quite RNG-dependent so it should be used with caution.
* Casting Breeze on a high-Strength/multi-hitting ally (e.g. Bolverk or Krumr) can allow him to quickly neutralize dangerous enemy units lurking in the back-lines, like Dredge Stonesingers or ranged-attackers.
The Banner Saga races

The **Races** populating the part of the world of *The Banner Saga* explored in the first and second parts of the game are four:

* Human,
* Varl,
* Horseborn,
* Dredge.

Playable characters in first game belong only to the first three Races, while the Dredge appear as the main antagonists, but that changes in sequels.

**Humans** are divided in clans that are loosely allied together under the banner of the Arberrang King, with the notable exception of the Kragsmen that are openly hostile to most other races. **Varl** are horned giants that are genderless (only male), thus unable to reproduce, and of considerable longevity compared to humans. **Dredge** are revealed to be both male and female, but it is not yet clear if they can reproduce or whether they grow old and die of age; Dredge and Varl are ancient enemies. **Horseborn** are half-pony/half-human intelligent beings, similar to mythological Centaurs, both male and female and of uncertain disposition against the other Races.
Warden

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it!
*This article is a stub. You can help Banner Saga Wiki by expanding it.*

**Warden** is a promoted class stemming from the Landsman base-class, introduced in the first part of *The Banner Saga*.

* The active ability of Warden is called **Rally**.
* One playable hero belongs to this promoted class: Eirik.
* Units of this class have **not** (yet) been introduced in Factions.

## Active Ability: Rally

The Warden is an expert of city warfare, darting in and out to be useful where he's needed. While he doesn't use a bow like the hunter, Rally allows him to grant willpower to allies from anywhere in a battle, when they'll need it most, making an invaluable support character.

* **Rank 1:** grant an ally 2 willpower
* **Rank 2:** grant an ally 4 willpower
* **Rank 3:** grant an ally 6 willpower

Notes:

* The infinite range of Rally, in combination with Lightstep and the high maximum Break, make the Warden a very valuable unit for the last turns of the battles, where Willpower and Strength are low.
* Rally is one of the few abilities that does not (yet) have a special sprite animation or sound effect.
Sweinnsfeed

**Sweinnsfeed** is a location in *The Banner Saga*.

## About

A long and fallow plain good for shallow grazing and not much else. Despite concerted efforts to cultivate the land, it stalwartly remained useless for human needs. Even more damning, it has somehow gained a reputation for being home to restless spirits.
Strait of Harrows

The **Strait of Harrows** is one of the more aptly named passages, watery grave to hundreds of longships that endeavored to explore the frozen north or find northerly passage to the east coasts. The ever-shifting ice flows and glaciers make the straight nearly unmappable and soon, without much reason to pass through in the first place, it became unused by men or varl.
Weaver's Ward

Jade and silver circles create iron-clad wards that are unapparent to all but the most trained spellweavers.

## Stats

* Rank: 12
* Price: -
* Effects: Protected from Death unless Strength is 1; +2 Resist to Strength or Armor
* Passive:
	+ Shield Wall: +1 ARM to adjacent allies and self

## How to get it

* This item is exclusive to the Kickstarter edition of the game.
Vedrfell

**Vedrfell** is a small human village, east of Strand. Named "bad weather", the gales that blow in from the bay and around the mountain peaks keep it in a generally unpleasant state. What really cemented the name was the kind of person who would live there; men cast out from Strand for one reason or another, with nowhere else to go. Vedrfell is the last settlement one encounters on his way to Einartoft, along the Wandering Road, once he crosses the Last Gate.

## Quotes

*"Vedrfell. Even the name means bad weather, where frozen wind sweeps in from the bay. They tend livestock, but most are just men driven from Strand, with nowhere else to go. Why else would anyone stay? We won't stop long."* — Ubin, *The Banner Saga*, Part One, Chapter 1.
The Banner Saga 3

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it!
*This article is a stub. You can help Banner Saga Wiki by expanding it.*

The award-winning epic role-playing game continues with ***The Banner Saga 3*** where *The Banner Saga* and *The Banner Saga 2* left off and concludes the tale. Steel your nerves, step forth into the approaching abyss. Cross the threshold from daylight without end into untold darkness. Warped lands within threaten your sanity, and a writhing wyrm tests your mettle. But here, in the darkness, is where secrets are brought to light and motives are made clear. Are your friends who they claim to be? They all look to you. What story will your banner tell?

*Banner Saga 3* is the highly anticipated final game of an award winning trilogy. It's a role-playing game merged with turn-based strategy, wrapped into an adventure mini-series about Vikings.

Many modern games play it safe – you are the chosen one who always saves the day. Our game is different, you can’t take anything for granted in Banner Saga.

Picture the classic tactical strategy games of your childhood but refined for the modern age. It's not about grinding to get past the next fight. Every encounter, every decision you make has heavy and sometimes far-reaching consequences. It throws you into the end of the world and asks,"how do you deal with this"?

Banner Saga 3 is aimed at people who appreciate art, story and strategy.

## Features

* **The Darkness Takes Over**   Witness the Banner Saga as you’ve never seen it before as a dark force takes over and effects everything you’ve come to know in the beautifully hand-painted finale of the trilogy.
* **New Playable Characters**   Choose a host of new characters to join your party, including dredge heroes! Take advantage of new upgrade options as they progress in battle.
* **Deeper Strategic Combat**   Play the new battle waves system against a myriad of new enemies. The valka spear and heroic titles let players customize their playstyle even further.
* **Drive Your Own Narrative**   Carry over your choices from both Banner Sagas 1 & 2 which lead to different climatic endings in this final chapter. No hero is safe.
* **An All-New Original Score**   Includes a brand-new soundtrack from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory.

## System requirements

### Windows

* **Memory**: 2 GB RAM
* **Storage**: 8 GB available space
* **Memory**: 4 GB RAM
* **Storage**: 10 GB available space

### MacOS

* **Memory**: 2 GB RAM
* **Storage**: 8 GB available space
* **Memory**: 4 GB RAM
* **Storage**: 10 GB available space

## Links

* Official site
* Kickstarter page
Varl

The **Varl** are a race of powerful, horned and bearded giants, having twice the height and girth of Humans. They are warlike but also have a fondness for mead and brawling. Only male, Varl are unable to reproduce and increase their numbers.

In *The Banner Saga*, Varl characters appear as Heroes (combat units), NPCs and enemies (rarely).

## Lore

* For notable Varl characters, refer to the Lore article.

#### Rivalries

The Dredge are their ancient rivals and are instantly hostile on-sight. They warred against them during the Second Great War and allied with humans against them.

Their relationship with humans has been complicated, ranging from friendship to often hostility. The varls and humans fought against each other during the First Great War, but united against the newly emerged threat of the Dredge.

#### Varl Kings

The Varl usually live in small communities, spaced from each other, or alone. For this reason, they are prone to develop a restlessness when living in proximity of other varl or humans. However, they are known to gather in large cities or in armies, especially during times of War. In these cases, they are ruled by a king, who is typically publicly accepted (or 'elected') after displaying surpassing valor. The Kings of the Varl are:

1. Einar
2. Arnfinnr
3. Skrymir
4. Throstr
5. Jorundr
6. Hakon

The capital of the Varl is Grofheim, with Einartoft coming in second.

#### Kendr

Varl who are close-knit enough to be family refer to each other as *kendr*, which can be considered equivalent to the term "blood brother", but is also applied to an older varl who might be considered like a parent by a younger varl. Being kendr to a varl King is the equivalent of being an heir in historic hereditary monarchies.

#### Trivia

* A common joke that Varl themselves acknowledge is that their race shares common attributes with the Yox: They are large, slow, stubborn and horned!
* Varl are strangely afraid of fire, supposedly because fire was involved in their 'making' process, which was apparently unpleasant.

#### Recent events

Many of the varl are killed during the invasion of the northern lands by the Dredge with their strongholds and fortresses sacked. Hakon becomes the Varl king after the death of Vognir at Vedrfell and Jorundr at Einartoft. Some of the remaining Varl are led to safety in Arberrang by him and the Hero of Skogr.

## Combat

In the battles of *The Banner Saga*, Varl appear as large units occupying a 2x2 block of tiles and having much higher stats compared to human units.

The Classes currently available for Varl units are:

* Warrior → Warhawk, Warleader, Warmaster.
* Shieldbanger → Provoker, Strongarm, Shieldmaster.
* Berserker\* → Only available to Bolverk, one of the lead (POV) characters of the second part of *The Banner Saga*.

In the multi-player game, Factions, players are limited to fielding up to two Varl in their team, regardless of class; no such restriction applies to the single-player game.

## Media

* Bolverk (early concept art)
* Iver
Setterlund

They had such high hopes for Setterlund. "The new kingdom of man and varl," they called it, rounding up anyone who yearned for land of their own. Whole clans and families took the caravans and banners to the untamed frontier. Then the Nordfelling Lake disappeared, the trees withered beneath arctic winds and the crops would not grow.
Warped Slinger

Warped Slingers are twisted rangers encountered in The Banner Saga 3, morphed by the darkness.

## Abilities

#### Active Ability | Lookout

*This ability is only available to Alert Warped Slingers, who look more saturated like the pictured icon.*
The slinger opts to forgo attacking in favor of striking any unit that moves within its range for full  damage.

#### Passive Ability | Drive

The slinger explodes on death, granting adjacent allies **3**  and leaving behind a tile of purple ash that damages enemies.

## Tips & Trivia

* Lookout functions identically to Overwatch, Alette's second ability. Closing in on the slinger without strength resist items or titles could damage your heroes!
* Slingers' low  makes them easy targets.
* On **Hard** difficulty, warped slingers'  can get as high as **16**, or more with Umbrage.
Skalfings

The **Skalfings** are an uneasy and ambitious clan residing in Strand or in its environs. According to the Governor of Strand, they are waylaying merchants in the region and strangling trade. Worse, they are not the only clan with such attitude...

## Skalfing Chieftain

The **Skalfing Chieftain**, whose name is not given, resembles the Thrasher unit, without a shield and with different colors (red hair, grey tunic, dark breeches and crimson accessories). The player faces him and his guards (who resemble to Backbiter units with different colors) during the Tutorial fight of the first part of *The Banner Saga* (and Factions).

## Background

The Skalfings are an influential clan in the trading city of Strand, and had been involved in criminal activities for quite some while. After Eirik and his allies took down the triumvirate of gangs consisting of the Aetla Hilmir, the Mársmidr and the Vak'auga about one and a half months before the Third great War, the Skalfings took advantage of the resulting power vacuum to start increasing their criminal activities.

Overtime, the Skalfings grew ambitious and desired to take control of the city, using the tactic of disruption of trade by looting of merchants coming there. One of their hideouts was the mead house called the "Nobleman", located in the eastern part of Strand.

## Recent events

In the beginning of *The Banner Saga*, the chieftain of this clan attempts to overthrow the Governor of Strand and seize control of the city. These events take place just as Ubin, a tax collector for the Varl king, enters the city. Ubin and his guard arrive just in time to save the Governor and slay the Skalfing Chieftain in the Great Hall of the city. This sequence of events is part of the Introduction of both the first part of *The Banner Saga* and Factions.

After the Skafling Chieftain has been dealt with, the Governor requests Ubin's help in completely routing the Skalfings. Eirik, the Governor's steward, is put in charge of that and starts by interrogating a suspect in Strand's marketplace in order to locate the hideout of the Skalfings remaining in the city. Ubin has the option of putting his guards in the assistance of Eirik and his companion, or staying out of disputes that do not concern him...

## Media

* Chieftain portrait
* Chieftain unit
* Skalfing thug swordsman

## Notes

* The launch trailer of the game takes place from the point of view of the wife of one of the Skalfings, presumably the Chieftain himself, who tells her to flee Strand as they try to topple the governor. It ends with the attackers being slain at the hands of Ubin's guards and her leaving Strand after realizing it.
Tracker

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it!
*This article is a stub. You can help Banner Saga Wiki by expanding it.*
**Tracker** is a promoted class stemming from the Landsman base-class, introduced in the second part of *The Banner Saga*.

* The active ability of the Tracker is called... **Track**. You didn't expect that, did you?
* One Hero belongs to this promoted class, Dytch, whereas Eirik gains Track ability when he is Promoted Rank 6.
* Units of this class have **not** (yet) been introduced in Factions.

## Active Ability: Track

Ducking and weaving among his allies, the Tracker becomes invisible to his enemies. He waits for the right moment and finds his target's most vulnerable spot before attacking.

The effect of the invisibility disappears the instant the Tracker deals damage, so picking the correct target is critical and will change the entire balance of batle.

**Rank 1:** Ignore 3 armor

**Rank 2:** Ignore 6 armor

**Rank 3:** Ignore 9 armor

Notes:

* With how invisibility currently works, Track can also be used to make turn-ending blockers: When an AI-controlled enemy unit walks into the tile occupied by the (invisible) Tracker, it stops and ends its turn without the invisibility being dispelled.
* The Tracker should be carefully deployed to avoid getting maimed, ruining his advantage. Turning him invisible early in the battle is the best practice.
Wanderer

**Wanderer** is a promoted class stemming from the Skald base-class, introduced in the second part of *The Banner Saga*.

* The active ability of Wanderer is called **Insult**.
* One playable hero belongs to this promoted class: Sparr.
* The other Skald-class unit of the game, Aleo, gains the Insult ability when promoted to Rank 6.
* Units of this class have **not** (yet) been introduced in Factions.

## Active Ability: Insult

The Wanderer delivers an insult so cutting and personal that the target is literally stunned for a moment and has to pause to collect himself. Insulted enemies move to the last place of the enemy initiative queue. Take care in picking the right target to delay from acting - keep in mind that any persistent effects started by the target will remain until the target's next turn - and even the most powerful enemy will become as harmless as a mouse.

**Rank 1:** Insult an enemy within 2 tiles

**Rank 2:** Insult an enemy within 5 tiles

**Rank 3:** Insult an enemy within 8 tiles

## Playstyle

* Insult is a very handy ability to manipulate the enemy turn order to your advantage. It is especially useful to guarantee that you get the all-important first hit on enemies with high Strength and low Armor, like Dredge Scourges.
Warped

*"The darkness doesn't kill, it warps. There are things hiding out here we don't want to meet."* -Eyvind, The Banner Saga 3

**Warped** refers to the twisted beings corrupted by the Darkness. Though first encountered in the second part of *The Banner Saga*, the Warped do not appear en masse until the third game. Initially only Dredge are shown as becoming warped, but it is later revealed that all races can be twisted into them.

The Warped units include:

* Warped Stoneguard
* Warped Scourge
* Warped Grunt
* Warped Slinger
* Warped Stonesinger
* Warped Spearman
* Warped Axeman
* Warped Shieldbanger
* Warped Warrior
* Warped Archer
* Warped Horseborn
* Warped Bear
* Vicious Warped Bear
* Alert Warped Slinger
* Cruel Warped
* Lumbering Warped
* Marauding Warped
* Unrelenting Warped
* Bumbling Warped
* Warped Borur
* Hardened Warped
* Grasping Warped
* Writhing Warped

## Physiology

*"Dredge, human, varl, it doesn't matter out here. Not dead, but their minds were gone even before we laid them to rest."* -Alfrun, The Banner Saga 3

The Warped are creatures of all races and species that have been overtaken by the Darkness, twisting their bodies and minds into those of unrecognizable, savage monsters. Only the light created by Menders, and the glow emitted by Godstones, can protect those inside the Darkness from being warped.

Humans, varl and dredge who have been Warped are shown to have mutated, purple skin, while their hair and armor often turn jet-black. Animals are also affected by the Darkness, as shown by the appearance of Warped Bears and Warped Borurs.

Some Warped creatures develop tentacle-like appendages, most notably Warped Stoneguards and Warped Borurs. Stoneguards can use theirs to drain Strength from the player's units from a distance, while Borurs use them to burrow into the ground and reappear elsewhere during combat.

## Appearances

The Warped first appear in Banner Saga 2, where several Warped Stoneguards attack Bolverk and his party in the mines beneath Bindal.

They later reappear as the main enemies of Banner Saga 3, repeatedly attacking the Ravens as Juno, Eyvind and Iver lead them through the Darkness. As the Darkness later begins to overtake Arberrang, Rook/Alette will also be forced to deal with them as the Warped attack the city.

The player can encounter a Warped Eyeless as a boss in Chapter 21, if she was not killed in Banner Saga 2.

Bolverk, despite never being twisted into a Warped, gains the ability to lead them in order to take down the Ravens as they venture through the Darkness. This is probably because he was revived and already corrupted by the Serpent.

If Eyvind successfully seals Juno inside the Dark Sun, the Warped will be destroyed along with the Darkness.
Shieldmaster

The **Shieldmaster** is a promotion of the Shieldbanger. Like the Shieldbanger, his passive is Return the Favor.

## Active Ability: Bring the Pain

The Shieldmaster strikes an adjacent enemy for armor damage before hunkering down and boosting his passive ability, Return the Favor to return even more armor damage for 1 turn.

By using Bring the Pain, the Shieldmaster can create a forward charge that punishes enemies for ganging up against him.

**Rank 1:** Normal break attack and +1 to Return the Favor

**Rank 2:** +1 break attack and +2 to Return the Favor

**Rank 3:** +2 break attack and +3 to Return the Favor