As the pinnacle of summer approaches, so too do fine festivals! The Norse people of old are famous for their festivals, full of feasting, riveting rituals, and spirited songs, and if you want to practice some of the rabble-rousing and merrymaking of the Viking era, look no further than this guide.
Also known as Midsumarblot, Midsummer is probably the most well-known of the Viking festivals, and this celebration of the Summer Solstice includes many Norse traditions.

The Summer Solstice honours the Norse goddess Sunna, but is also an astronomical observation of the Sun’s position, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year. This date usually falls around June 21 and marks the beginning of shorter days to come.

As for the celebrations themselves, if you want to rekindle the feeling of your Viking forebears as they prepared to set sail on raids knowing their crops were safely planted, here are a few ways you can party like it’s the summer of ‘69 (869 AD, that is):

• Convene around a roaring bonfire (safely), sing and dance, and burn corn dollies.
• Indulge in some Viking-era crafts and make a wreath or model longboat.
• Decorate and dance around a maypole.
• Make small offerings and blessings to the dear departed god Baldur.

For something a little more organised (and less fiery), why not take a trip to Trondheim, Norway, and visit the Vikinglag Festival? Trondheim was the capital of Norway during the Viking era, and the city honours its past with a festival of epic and immersive proportions.

As well as a market for the public to peruse, Hands on History and Trondheim Vikinglag also put together a one-week reenactment event called The Viking Way in the forest of Trøndelag in 2016. Participants were invited to live in a temporary settlement and survive off nature as their Viking ancestors would. Craft projects kept idle hands busy, such as blacksmithing, pottery, tanning skins, and brewing.

Trondheim still hosts their historic market every year, taking you back in time to show you how the Vikings dressed, what food they ate, and how they fought, with opportunities to meet and talk with artisans who still work using traditional Viking-era methods.


People participating in The Viking Way 2016

Freyfest (or Freysblot) in the Norse calendar is a festival giving thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest. Holiest to the goddess Freyja (fertility) and Thor (harvest), it was a time when the Viking warriors would return with their spoils and begin to reap the crops from summer.

If you want to give thanks to the gods for a good harvest, here’s how you can do just that:

• Bake a loaf of bread, then symbolically sacrifice it by eating it as part of a great feast!
• Set up a simple altar, and craft items such as baskets in autumnal colours like green, orange, and brown.

We wish you luck in your festival-ing, and hope the Viking gods bless you with good fortune in Conqueror's Blade: Helheim, and stay tuned for more Conqueror’s Tales from the Viking era!

Since the launch of Conqueror's Blade, we've successfully introduced different ways to connect with players around the world in battle, including matchmaking on a single server, and cross-server matchmaking This has enabled more players to queue up, fight together, and show their mettle on a global scale.

We reached yet another milestone in Conqueror’s Blade: Paragons—matchmaking between our North and South American servers in NA-SA Siege.

Conqueror’s Blade is still taking steps towards our goal of being able to deliver massive battles with players from all across the globe. It is with pride that we share with you that we'll be launching a matchmaking mode soon, connecting Europe, North America, and South America—Intercontinental Matchmaking, our first attempt at making our dream of truly global battles a reality.

The Intercontinental Matchmaking tests will begin this week, see below for the active times:

Friday, June 24

• 14:00 - 16:00 (CEST) / 08:00 - 10:00 (EDT)
  
• 20:00 - 22:00 (CEST) / 14:00 - 16:00 (EDT)

Saturday, June 25

• 14:00 - 16:00 (CEST) / 08:00 - 10:00 (EDT)
  
• 21:00 - 23:00 (CEST) / 15:00 - 17:00 (EDT)

Sunday, June 26

• 14:00 - 16:00 (CEST) / 08:00 - 10:00 (EDT)
  
• 20:00 - 22:00 (CEST) / 14:00 - 16:00 (EDT)

As a unique PvP game with 15 vs 15 battles, Conqueror's Blade already brings plenty of excitement. However, the sheer number of players required for each game is a challenge in and of itself. Following the launch of Intercontinental Matchmaking, more players will be joined together in a single matchmaking pool, which will improve matchmaking in the following ways:

• Reduced waiting times
• Reduced skill disparity for matchmaking games
• Heightened participation in limited-time events
• Players from different regions and of different playstyles can clash in battle

We are currently working on technology that will enable Intercontinental Matchmaking for all game modes, and it's possible that it will be ready in the near future.

The first and most direct difficulty to overcome is latency. Even under the most perfect of circumstances, there will be latency between servers on different continents. Secondly, connectivity is affected by different countries, regions, and their service providers, and this might lead to package losses and high latency.

To solve these issues, we're planning on making optimisations on multiple aspects:

• Network node selection: We will compare and analyse the network nodes of the major cloud service providers and choose servers with low latency, high throughput, and high network redundancy for different areas.
• Matchmaking optimisation: Matchmaking will first search your region before expanding to cross-continental search. Our algorithm will be set up so that you are more likely to match against players from near where you are connected, which will lead to lower latency, quicker matchmaking, and more enjoyable battles.
• Network usage optimisation: We will do our best to reduce the amount of data required to be sent and received during battles. We will reduce the number of times network info is sent; some things that previously required ten or a dozen send and receive requests will now only require one to two. This reduces the possibility of package losses.

We will do our best to use dedicated connections to reduce the impact that connections from different countries, regions, and internet service providers have on connectivity, and keep a close eye on how this pans out. Be sure to get in touch with our support team and tell us if you run into any server issues!
South America, North America, and Europe span multiple time zones. As players from all of these continents will be playing together and as peak times differ based on the region, we will make changes to events as well.

We will prioritise launching Intercontinental Matchmaking for game modes that are always available. Once we've ensured that the experience is stable, we will gradually make it available for limited-time events too.

As for limited-time events, we'll prioritise ensuring that the usual weekly events remain unchanged while extending the duration of events somewhat to cover the different time zones.
There are differences in terms of in-game content between the servers on the three continents, and that's a big obstacle to our goal of creating a unified matchmaking system.

The biggest hurdle in this regard is the Epic Leadership Doctrine. This doctrine is available on the South American servers, but not on North American and European servers. A unit with it equipped will require 16% less leadership.

For players on all of these continents to have an equal experience, and considering the time players have already invested, we have decided to make the Epic Leadership Doctrine attainable from Excavate on the North American and European servers. This will bring with it a series of changes to unit compositions on the servers of these two regions, and make for a new experience.

We also want to take advantage of these few weeks before we launch Intercontinental Matchmaking to ask you all for your opinions regarding the changes to Epic Leadership Doctrines via Discord.
Considering latency and time zone differences, our goal is to launch as follows:

South and North American Servers:

• Intercontinental Matchmaking will replace single-server and cross-server matchmaking for all permanently available game modes.
• Single-server and cross-server matchmaking will remain in place for Ranked Battle and limited-time events for the time being and will be replaced with Intercontinental Matchmaking later on.

European Servers:

• Intercontinental Matchmaking will replace single-server and cross-server matchmaking for all permanently available game modes.
• Single-server and cross-server matchmaking will remain in place for Ranked Battle and limited-time events for the time being and will be replaced with Intercontinental Matchmaking later on.
• We will keep one extra cross-server matchmaking entrance for Siege Battle which players on the European servers can use. These game servers are located in Europe and will be better in terms of latency.
• Players on the European servers may choose whether to use Intercontinental Matchmaking or cross-server matchmaking in Europe based on their latency and preferences.

We will work hard on developing the Intercontinental Matchmaking system so that the server nodes with low delay are dynamically chosen for each player based on their network. We want every player to have a matchmaking experience where the server with the lowest latency is selected.

This dynamic node system is fairly complex, however. We estimate that we will need a few weeks or even months to develop this and run enough tests before we can launch it. Please stay tuned for more information.

Intercontinental Matchmaking is an important step for Conqueror's Blade, and we're incredibly proud of where we are today. We are eager to hear what you all think about this new feature too, so feel free to join the discussion on Discord!

Soak up the rays from hot savings this summer! Grab your towel and enjoy an extra 15% launch discount on the brand-new Sun and Sea Bundle and 60% off the Battle Saga Collector’s Pack.

Use the power of the rays and waves to dominate the battlefield with the Sun and Sea Bundle, including the majestic Solar Order Hero Attire, the Sea Devils Unit Attire, a Tree of Life Banner, and much more!

Note: The Sun and Sea Bundle additional 15% launch discount (totalling 31%) will end June 30 (19:00 CEST), and will then remain at a permanent 16% discount.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2057940/Conquerors_Blade__Sun_and_Sea_Bundle

Fight as Odin's chosen with Jomsdrengr Hero Attire, a 90-day Premium Account, 80,000 Silver, and 15 siege weapons with 60% off the Battle Saga Collector's Pack!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1601720/Conquerors_Blade__Battle_Saga_Collectors_Pack/

The Battle Saga Collector’s Pack will remain discounted as part of the Steam Summer Sale until 19:00 CEST on July 7.

From now until July 7 (until maintenance), you can recover treasures from the deep from the new Seafarer’s Guild Chest (available in-game only)! 

You can check out the drop rates for the Seafarer’s Guild Chest in-game via the ‘G’ menu.

Alongside the release of this new chest, there are also changes to the Attire Chest Shop (‘G’). The following items have been added for Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim, replacing previous items:

• Antique Errantry Hero Attire
• Antique Shaman Hero Attire
• Antique Falcon Order Unit Attire
• Antique Khanate Guard Unit Attire
• Antique Stygain Order Hero Attire
• Antique Ortoq Hero Attire
• Antique Snow Tiger Unit Attire

The Seafarer’s Guild Chest is available in-game until July 7.

The battle for dominion over the city of Aurelian returns until July 14 (10:00 Server Time)—with a twist. Valiant heroes who joined us during Conqueror’s Blade: Paragons will know this reworked map as La Grande Gloire, a key point of conflict between the people of Pays-de-la-Gloire and the Loegrians. 

Now, as the Northmen of Helheim sail down the western coast to pillage the city of Aurelian, a new war will be waged on a new, Viking-inspired version of the map.



Aurelian has been raided by the Northmen and is in poor condition. A far cry from its once glorious days, fires break out across the city and destroyed buildings pepper the landscape. Not only this, the severe weather is making things difficult for all involved, as heavy rain, thunder, and lightning assault the fighters.

After a successful defence against the Loegrians, this historic city is once again under threat, and Aurelian’s many bridges and structures might not be enough to keep the warriors of Helheim at bay. 

However, the people of Pays-de-la-Gloire won’t go down without a fight, and the courageous Banner Guards will spawn to join the battle for the defenders, along with their newly allied Highlander comrades, the Claymores. While not quite as hardy as they once were, they are still powerful enough to push back a Northmen invasion. 

The warriors from the North have brought their own combatants though, and the fearsome Sons of Fenrir and Berserkers will join the fray for their Northern allies as the attackers attempt to claim Aurelian.



ATTACK

• While the city is fortified, those fortifications were built in haste and are far from impenetrable, especially with the recent damage from the Northmen raid. Two points in the outer wall can be breached using whatever tools are at your disposal.
• Attackers can also attempt to claim the supply point to the left of Point A to harm the defenders’ resupply line.
• The defence has strategically placed artillery in the monasteries of Aurelian but can be claimed by taking the monasteries and using the defenders’ weapons against them to reach the base point.

DEFENCE

• Point A is the centre for defensive operations, close to a supply point and a monastery. From the second floor of the monastery, concealed artillery can be fired at attackers. 
• Point B is located atop a bridge, where your team should keep an eye on the temporary roads that lead into the fortress, as well as retain their artillery.
• The base point is located within the church square and can be reached by crossing the bridge, which can also be tactically destroyed to prevent the attackers from approaching.

Raid on Aurelian will be available in Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim until July 14 (10:00 Server Time), and you can find the exact timings for your server below:

Please be aware that from 08:00 CEST on June 23 (23:00 PDT on June 22), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 5 hours.

Please refer to the Patch Notes for documented changes. Meanwhile, stay tuned to our Discord channel in case of any immediate server updates.

Cohorts are NPC-controlled Houses designed for players who want to enjoy Territory Wars and all the fun that comes with them at their own pace, without having to worry about organising with other players. 

To get a closer look at all things Cohorts (past, present, and future) we spoke to Yifei Li, the Virtual World Creative Designer at Booming Tech.

What was the inspiration behind Cohorts?

We want to provide a free, low-pressure environment to help players participate in Territory Wars and give everyone the opportunity to experience the gameplay. This is why Cohorts are more unrestricted than the more organised [Player-Controlled] Free Houses or Alliances, and this results in a different way of playing Territory Wars for players from different camps—-the Houses will have more freedom to command and launch attacks, while the Cohorts will have clearer NPC leadership and a lower threshold for participation.



What challenges did you face when designing an AI-based House System that players could join?

The biggest challenge was how to attract players to it, and how it could co-exist with the traditional House system. The counter we found to this was to enhance the sense of immersion while differentiating the gameplay. The core of the special gameplay design focuses on 'convenience', making it easier to declare war and easier to join, thus offsetting some of the natural lack of organisation.

How would you say the Cohort experience differs from joining a House?

Beyond the gameplay, it's more about the sense of immersion. When you take part in a battle and fight for a long time for a particular place, you develop a special sense of belonging; the sense of honour that comes with victory also makes a difference.



Did you encounter any obstacles when Cohorts interacted with the Open-World?

The biggest problem arose with the War Declaration mechanism, which we initially tried in a direction similar to that of the Houses, except that the targets were randomly selected by the system. Such a mechanism showed obvious problems after running for a while, with the uncertain outcome both infuriating the Houses and adding to the already difficult organisation of the Cohorts. So, to coincide with the storyline of Season IX: Tyranny, we introduced a system of assembling NPC armies at the same time, in keeping with the identity of the Cohorts and to give a more visible reminder of the two types of experiences. We are still working on optimising the gameplay details and interactive experience of the rally system, and players in the already live Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim season will also be hit by [NPC] Viking warriors in battles.

With how the Cohort system works (AI Targeting of Houses and allowing Cohort members to quickly rally to ongoing battles), what advice would you give to Houses that are under attack from Imperial Restorationists?

With the help of the new reinforcements mechanism, Cohorts players will keep pouring into the battle line, but they are more likely to fight separately and sporadically in the battle, which gives the House players the opportunity to combine their forces and attack each other in one place. So, once you observe the Cohorts players extending their battle line, make sure you take advantage of the opportunity.

What do you envision for future iterations of the Cohorts system?

We hope that in the future, Cohorts will help more players to experience the fun of Territory Wars. We are committed to enhancing the participation of Cohorts players and optimising the interactive experience so that all players who put in the effort will be rewarded accordingly and enjoy the exclusive glory.
Check out more behind-the-scenes peeks at all things Conqueror’s Blade, with our glimpse at Territory Wars and making a Sequel Season. Stay tuned for more!

Huskarls are the loyal and formidable personal guard of Harald the Slaughterer, outfitted with the finest armour and engraved weapons to show off their prowess to all. Unlock this new band of warriors in Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim via new Unit Challenges!



Huskarls can be unlocked by completing Seasonal Unit Challenges and come with a Seasonal Bonus in the form of Leadership requirements decreased by 10 points for the duration of Helheim.
Huskarls are considered to be some of the most fearsome fighters in the entire Northlands. Dedicated to their leader, Harald the Slaughterer, they follow him through all his battles, battling steadfastly by his side to expand their resurgent kingdom.

Able to use their shields in many tactical ways on the battlefield, this unit swings their axes with a fierce vengeance. Their crowning glory however is not their weapons, but their voices—their battle songs are inspiring, bolstering their allies’ speed and power.


The Huskarls’ reputation precedes them, and their loyalty is unwavering to their leader, and they prove their devotion with many skills dedicated to protection.

Add to that high slashing damage and slashing armour penetration, and these Northern bodyguards are among the best allies you could ask for.
With every strength comes a weakness. The Huskarls deliver little to no piercing or blunt damage.

While Skald’s Song is played and does its inspirational job of bolstering allies, the unit takes an excruciating 50% increased damage.


Formations

• Dispersed: The unit forms a scattered square formation to reduce damage taken from ranged attacks.
• Huskarl Shield: Soldiers stand in a layered defensive formation to counter attacks from the front and shield the player.

Unit Traits

• Northlander Legend: Leadership cost reduced by 10 points during Helheim.
• Heim's Warsong: Singing their battle song (Skald’s Song) bolsters the unit's combat ability, and the longer they sing, the more powerful they become. However, while chanting, they take 50% increased damage.
• Northlander Blood: Skald’s Song also inspires other Northmen units, increasing their movement speed and armour penetration, and reducing damage taken.

Unit Orders

• Huskarl Charge: The Huskarls rush at their foes and launch a flurry of attacks.
• Boar Snout: The unit forms up around their commander, pushing away any approaching foes and moving forward with their leader.
• Sea Surge: The unit charges at enemies in front of them, and launches an all-out attack.
• Gathering Storm: The warriors sprint forward, knocking back any enemies they collide with.
• Skald’s Song: The Huskarls raise their weapons belt out their battle song, inspiring movement and attack speed, and power for themselves and any Northmen allies.

Huskarls are available to unlock via Unit Challenges now.

NOTE: The above information is correct as of the time of publication. Please check in-game for the most up-to-date Unit information.

Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim brings two new Viking-inspired Units into the fray, and now word of their exploits has reached their distant kin... Bolster your forces by recruiting powerful Units from Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok, including the returning Shieldmaidens, Berserkers, and Sons of Fenrir.



Until June 30 (10:00 server time) you can enjoy 50% off Wolves of Ragnarok Bundles and Unit Challenges in-game! Challenge Tokens allow you to complete one stage of Challenges.

• Wolf & Axe Bundle: Let the spirit of the wolf imbue you with fighting spirit with 2x Sons of Fenrir Challenge Tokens, 3x Berserkers Challenge Tokens, 50x Unit Medals, and 2x Marshal’s Handbooks.
• Aesir, Vanir, Fenrir Bundle: Take on the power of the Norse gods with 4x Sons of Fenrir Challenge Tokens, 5x Berserkers Challenge Tokens, 7x Shieldmaidens Challenge Tokens, and 50x Unit Medals.
• Wolves of Ragnarok Unit Challenges: Save 50% when you activate the Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok Unit Challenges in the F5 menu.

IMPORTANT: You can only purchase EITHER the Wolf & Axe Bundle OR the Aesir, Vanir, Fenrir Bundle. By purchasing one, you will be unable to purchase the other.



The brutal Northmen are returning to pillage and raid the land once again, and here’s how each set of Viking-inspired fighters can help you to master your fate in Conqueror’s Blade: Helheim.

• Sons of Fenrir (3-Star): These forest-dwelling fighters offered their souls to Fenrir in exchange for animalistic powers and speed, moving in packs and leaping into combat with the agility of their wolf-god. While their defence and damage-dealing are low, their special ability to leap over the frontline and then savagely attack unwitting enemies behind is as surprising as it is brutal.
• Berserkers (4-Star): Berserkers carry two axes, happy to give up a defensive shield for an honourable trip to Valhalla. Berserkers are almost foolishly brave, unleashing frenzied and rage-fuelled assaults on the enemy. However, their small numbers can be easily eclipsed by enemy forces.
• Shieldmaidens (5-Star): The women of the cult of Freyja are like valkyries on the battlefield, fighting by the side of their leader with spears and swords. Able to fortify their defences by raising their spears and then switching to swords to unleash the devastating Freyja’s Charge, this unit is as formidable as they are faithful.

Grab these bundles before June 30, and bring some extra Norse ferocity to the battlefield!

Get ready to battle in a brand-new limited-time mode—-Coastal Assualt! Coastal Assualt will take place in two stages. From June 16 to June 23, First Wave will be active, and you may only take infantry units into battle. From June 23 to 30, Maximum Force will come into play, and cavalry troops can join the fray.

Equipment and artillery have their own rules in this mode, along with several different unit rulesets that will be switched up for the different stages.

To attain victory in Coastal Assault, you must protect your base and seize any opportunity to conquer the enemy's base, as well as occupy as many points as possible to lower your enemy's score.

Points A, B, and C can be contended for throughout the game. Both sides will occupy the point nearest to the base when the game starts. When one side occupies two or more points, the enemy's base will be vulnerable for 60 seconds, during which they can occupy it to significantly reduce the enemy score. The enemy will continuously lose score if one side occupies A, B, and C at the same time.

Temporary Doctrine Drops are active in Coastal Assault, but will only drop if you own a unit of the type used in battle. Matchmaking Drops are also available in this mode.



Unit Reinforcements

Reinforcements will spawn throughout the game for both sides and try to claim enemy points.

Equipment

The weapon type you queue up with will decide what armour type you wear (armour will be of legendary quality without any extra attributes).

Armour Sets

The following armour sets will be available to use:

• Rogue Set: Short Bow, Bow, Dual Blades
• Carnifex Set: Pike, Spear, Musket, Nodachi
• Guardsman Set: Longsword & Shield, Shortsword & Shield, Poleaxe, Maul, Glaive

Once the match has begun, you may only switch between the weapons available for that armour set.

Artillery
You will be provided with rare-quality artillery, and each player may deploy two. These will NOT consume your own artillery.
In the first stage of Coastal Assault, only the following infantry units (which will be provided) may be brought into battle (no cavalry):

Melee Infantry:

• 1 Star: Village Watchmen
• 2 Stars: Ironcap Swordsmen, Demesne Spearmen
• 3 Stars: Prefecture Guards, Condottieri Guard, Ironcap Spearmen, Sons of Fenrir, Bagpipers
• 4 Stars: Symmachean Paladins, Azaps, Berserkers, Axe Raiders, Tseregs
• 5 Stars: Shieldmaidens, Silahdars

Ranged Infantry:

• 1 Star: Levy Bowmen
• 2 Stars: Demesne Archers, Ironcap Arquebusiers
• 3 Stars: Prefecture Archers, Zykalian Militia, Namkhan Archers, Janissaries
• 4 Stars: Imperial Archers
• 5 Stars: Siphonarioi

In the second stage of Coastal Assault, you can combine both cavalry and infantry units (which will be provided) to achieve victory.

Choose from the following units:

Melee Infantry:

• 1 Star: Village Watchmen
• 2 Stars: Pike Militia, Demesne Spearmen
• 3 Stars: Prefecture Pikemen, Ironcap Spearmen, Landsknechts, Bagpipers, Alchemists
• 4 Stars: Imperial Pike Guards, Imperial Spear Guards, Fortebraccio Pikemen, Symmachean Stalwarts, Halberdier Sergeants
• 5 Stars: Shieldmaidens, Modao Battalion

Ranged Infantry:

• 1 Star: Levy Bowmen
• 2 Stars: Demesne Archers, Ironcap Arquebusiers
• 3 Stars: Incendiary Archers, Namkhan Archers, Janissaries
• 4 Stars: Imperial Archers, Kriegsrat Fusiliers
• 5 Stars: Pavise Crossbowmen, Shenji Grenadiers

Cavalry:

• 2 Stars: Coutiliers
• 3 Stars: Selemchid Cavalry
• 4 Stars: Armiger Lancers, Sipahis
• 5 Stars: Monastic Knights

Prepare to guide your ships into battle in Coastal Assault until June 30!