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This article is about the playable race/faction. For other uses, see Norsca (disambiguation).
Norsca require the Norsca paid DLC to play.

Norsca is a race and playable race and faction, led by Wulfrik the Wanderer. Norsca are playable in campaign, custom-battles and multiplayer.

Norsca is an icy mountainous peninsula in the far north, under the shadow of Chaos. It's inhabitants, the hardy and warlike Norscans, are Chaos-worshippers, and they share their inhospitable land with ferocious monsters. When the Norscans raid and plunder other lands, it is with hordes of barbarian warriors backed up by trolls, mammoths, fimir and skin-wolves.

Norsca has a playable subfaction: Wintertooth, led by Throgg.

Development

Norsca were introduced in Total War: Warhammer via the Norsca (DLC) on August 10th 2017. They are currently playable in The Old World campaign, and will become available in Mortal Empires in May 2018. Prior to this, Norscan factions existed in the campaign with a limited unit roster, as AI-only factions (see here for details).

How they play

A summary of Norsca gameplay:

  • Units: Cheaper, undisciplined marauder units, backed up by many large monstrous units. Few ranged options.
  • Regiments of Renown: Norsca has access to several RoR, some have special requirements in the campaign.
  • Allegiance to the Gods: Norscan factions can gain favour with one of four Chaos Gods, gaining various rewards and bonuses.
  • Norsca settlements: Unique settlement system, can only colonise settlements in the Norscan peninsula. coastal settlements and racial capitals, which unlocks technologies.
  • Monstrous Arcanum: A book that allows Norsca to engage in monster hunt quests, for great rewards.
  • The Everchosen's Summons: A special dilemma which allows Norsca to join the Chaos Invasion with the Warriors of Chaos, if they choose.
  • Subjugate and Confederate: Norsca can confederate Norscan Tribes by defeating their leaders, or vassalize them by taking their last settlement.

Background

Mortals despair! The reign of the Gods has begun.

The harsh and brutal nature of the far north is reflected in the grim character of its peoples. Yet even more than the privations of their cold and barren lands, their proximity to the Realm of Chaos shapes the Norsca and other northern tribes. Rather than fight the darkness, they embrace it, worshipping the forces of Chaos as Gods, providing a willing army for the Ruinous Powers' never-ending war against order and reason.

Though physically tougher and more powerful than those living an easier life in the south, the Northmen are still Men - although many of them will have their humanity warped by mutations, and their savagery and barbarism are legendary. War is their natural state, and whether raiding across the Sea of Claws in their longships or feuding with neighbouring tribes, their blades never go long without blood. They follow the Ruinous Powers with unquestioning fervour, personifying them as the Hound, the Crow, the Serpent and the Eagle. They need no priests to intercede with their Gods, believing the slaughter and terror they bring is an act of worship in itself, though they are also highly superstitious and often raise twisted shrines and make blood offerings to honour whichever deity they hope to win favour with. The shared ambition of every northern warrior is to cause the greatest possible bloodshed and mayhem in order to appease and please their Gods; in seeking this goal most die violent deaths, or fall into warped insanity, but a few become favoured as Champions of the Gods, often 'blessed' with mutations such as a melding of flesh and armour, or weapons fused with the hands that wield them.

No single Lord holds sway over the nomadic northern tribes, although men and monster alike are increasingly drawn to fight for King Throgg, a Troll of surprising intellect, or to follow Wulfrik the Wanderer, a Norscan warrior cursed by the Gods to forever seek out and fight the mightiest opponents. And whenever the Ruinous Powers prepare for a new assault on the south the Northmen put aside their petty disputes and rivalries and unite behind their Champions, ready to fight and die in the name of their Gods. At times like this, the Realm of Chaos itself swells and expands, bleeding over into mortal lands. One day, the Norsca believe, their advance will not be checked, and Chaos will swallow the world.

In Battle

Unit Roster

Main article: Norsca unit roster

Cheaper, undisciplined marauder infantry and cavalry units, backed up by many large monstrous units. Few ranged options, though Marauder Hunters (Javelins) are quite good against monstrous units. Mammoth units are a great asset, and have siege attacker. No less than 7 monstrous infantry units including characters.

Norscan spellcasters have access to the Lore of Death, Lore of Fire, Lore of Metal and Lore of Shadows.

Regiments of Renown

Norsca have several Regiments of Renown available. These are elite, unique versions of standard Norscan units.

2 Regiments of Renown are rewards for monster hunts (see below), while 1 is a reward for gaining max allegiance with the Hound (again, see below).

The other 6 were added in the Foundation Update.

Navbox

Template:Navbox norsca units

In the Campaign

Norsca are a non-horde faction who occupy settlements and control provinces, however they use a special colonization system different to other races.

Legendary Lord choices

Norsca players can choose from the following lords when starting a campaign. See the individual lord pages for information on their various bonuses in campaign.

See the page on Wintertooth for their lord choices.

Norsca settlements

Main article: Norsca settlements.

Norsca (and Wintertooth) use a different settlement system to other races, and are unaffected by regional occupation. They can only occupy settlements in the Norscan peninsula, coastal settlements, and racial capitals.

Monstrous Arcanum

Main article: Monstrous Arcanum.

Bullet nor monstersThe Monstrous Arcanum is an ancient book which contains 8 monster hunt quests. These quests are unlocked via the Norscan technology tree, and have various powerful rewards such as unique items and Regiments of Renown.

Allegiance to the Gods

Main article: Allegiance to the Gods.

Bullet nor godsAllegiance to the Gods allows Norscan armies to take various actions to honour either the Serpent, the Crow, the Eagle or the Hound. This will fill up a bar for the corresponding god, and when the bar is totally full a bonus will be given - for instance filling the Eagle's bar will give the player a Lord of Change called Azrik the Maze Keeper, while filling the Crow's bar will create a plague to affect your enemies.

Diplomacy

When the player kills another Norscan Tribes faction's leader (not just any lord, but the faction leader who appears on the diplomacy screen) in battle, then that faction will become extremely likely to agree to confederate with the player's faction.

Additionally, after taking a Norscan faction's last settlement, the player has the option to subjugate them.

The Everchosen's Summons

The Everchosen's Summons is a special dilemma for Norsca and Wintertooth that occurs when the Chaos Invasion starts. It allows them to either ally with Archaon and his Warriors of Chaos in their invasion, or forge your own route and destroy the Warriors of Chaos.

Buildings

Main article: Norsca buildings

Technology

Main article: Norsca tech tree

Limited technology tree. Some options must be research in order to unlock quests in the Monstrous Arcanum. Powerful technologies unlock after occupying other races' racial capitals.

Inventory

Stances

Special stances: Raiding Camp (allows replenishment and attrition immunity while also raiding and remaining stationary)

Common stances: March, Encamp, Ambush, Raiding, Channelling.

Post-battle options

Norsca/Wintertooth post-battle options for captives are as follows:

  • Kill Captives
  • Sacrifice Captives
  • Enslave Capitves

Settlement options

See settlement options#Norsca for details.

  • Sack
  • Occupy
  • Subjugate
  • Raze for the Serpent
  • Raze for the Crow
  • Raze for the Hound
  • Raze for the Eagle

Commandments

Norsca do not have any commandments, since they cannot control entire provinces except in the Norscan peninsula itself.

Start Position

Wh dlc08 political party norsca ruler

Norsca start in Icedrake Fjord settlement in Ice Tooth Mountains, in all campaigns.

Wintertooth has a separate start location.

Victory Conditions

Victory conditions for the Norsca faction (Wintertooth has different conditions) in campaign:

Short Campaign
  • ?
Long Campaign

The same as the short campaign, with the following additions:

  • ?

Strategy

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  • Norsca's economy is usually quite poor, and they have a hard time generating income from settlements. They rely on raiding, looting and sacking for income.

DLC

As noted above, Norsca require the Norsca DLC for Total War: Warhammer to play.

Minor factions: Norscan Tribes

Main article: Norscan Tribes.

On the campaign map, many minor factions are grouped together as Norscan Tribes.

Chaos Invasion

Many Norscan factions join the Chaos Invasion in various campaigns. The playable Norscan factions are given the choice of whether to join Chaos (see above).

Videos

Cinematic trailer

Intro trailer

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