Yeah. This is true. And it doesn’t effect my feelings or opinion about the game. My issue is that I have a friend who Midgard is virtually custom made for. It hits all of his favorite game types. Yet he is reluctant to give it a try from the “mixed” reviews tag and all the folks screaming all sorts of nonsense that just doesn’t hold water if you play the game for a bit. I know, I know, it’s just $20. However, at our age and stage in life, free time is the precious commodity and he’d rather spend it on safe bets. And when we have very different opinions on the survival/crafting genre, he is leaning on those hot take reviews. Which is frustrating as I think Midgard is the ultimate middle meeting point for our genre preferences and it would be pretty cool to play it together.
I have 2 old XBox 360 wired controllers stashed away for just this sort of situation. It’s as simple as plugging into the USB port, then I am good to go.
My preferred way of playing so far is with said controller, on my new-ish, beautiful LGCX TV downstairs (PC is upstairs), chillin’ on the couch, via Steam Link and Big Box mode. I do plan to play at the PC, still with a controller, if I need voice chat for multiplayer this weekend or something as I have not found a good solution for Steam Link and voice chat. Discord to my phone is not ideal.
Really enjoying this game a lot. Liking it more than The Ascent, although that one’s pretty good too. The games aren’t similar or anything, I just got to them both this weekend. :)
Glad you are enjoying it. I really dug in over the weekend as I played lots of co-op and even did some random 10 player games. Surprisingly the latter went fairly well as folks communicated and worked together. With 10 players a lot of the time pressure goes away as so many people are exploring and finding shrines. You do get way less souls though which makes them darn precious. Just repairing gear can be rough. Also upgrade resources are a lot tighter for the first 10 days or so as everyone is competing for rare upgrade mats before the world respawns a few times. On the flip side some of the support classes start to really shine.
I have killed the Saga boss a few times now and have a really good grasp on the whole arc of Saga. It’s darn neat what they have done. It sort of reminds me of playing a MOBA. Not at all mechanically or in gameplay, but in that you start the game with a general blueprint of strategy that is broken up into game phases then you adapt class picks, upgrades, gear, priorities, and strategic movement as the game unfolds. When the game ends, I jump right back in and start the loop all over again.
No game in my library does what Tribes of Midgard does. I’m very interested to see how the game evolves as seasons and mid seasons happen. It was the best $20 spent this year.
If anyone has doubts or is finding something frustrating, I’d be glad to help. The learning curve is especially rough at the start as the game both has a time element and also is so SOOOO different from every other game out there. Minor “oops” such as forgetting potions, ramps, Jotuns, or a Bloodmoon or just circling your town for resources too long can be game ending as you are learning. This can feel pretty punishing. I assure you, once you know the ropes it’s not that bad. This is one of those games where I can clearly see myself learning and improving each session. There is also survival mode (unlocks after a few plays) where you can turn all the dials down and just tinker away without the pressure as well.
Anyway, if you are on PC, feel free to reach out as I’d totally be up for teaming up.
Agreed. I played it heavily all weekend, it stole all my game time. Really really fun game, although I haven’t gotten nearly as far as you. I think the furthest I’ve been is day 10-12 or so? This game really shines in multiplayer, even randoms, and I say that as someone that HATES playing games with randoms/PUGs. It’s very cool how people can fill various jobs. You’ve got people finding shrines, people attacking the Jotuns, fighting off night raids, gathering and upgrading the town and NPCs, etc.
I do wish the “season pass” XP gave a class unlock or three. I really want to play the Seer, which means I need to exit via the Bifrost 10 times. I don’t like that mechanic at all, I would much prefer “unlock the Bifrost 10 times”. As it it, that just encourages me to play until the first Jotun goes down and then bail. Ten times. Before I can try the class and see if I like it. So far, the only class I’ve unlocked is the Guardian which along with the two starter classes just really isn’t my style. I like the concept of unlocking classes with achievements, I just wish there were alternative ways of doing so. I don’t want to be done with the game before I get to play with a class I’m interested in.
Anyway, that sounds like I’m complaining about the game but I’m loving it. Can’t wait to get back home and play some more! I haven’t been this intrigued by a game in a while, it’s very unique and while I’ve read complaints about “floaty” combat, it feels good on a gamepad. Seems to me it’s meant to be played with one.
From what I’ve seen it looks like you can’t really play this unless you’re using controller. Is that true? I’m not against buying a controller but I want to know what I’m getting into!
I have a buddy that hates controllers. He was constantly bemoaning when I suggested he try. M/KB is fine. Lots play using it. I just personally find the controller a much better fit (as a PC gamer that primarily uses M/KB). Like Tom said in a Diablo review, sticks to push movement feels better than click to move in this case. The buttons for a slim UI is nice as well. The real cherry on top is the vibration effects to go with the so called floaty combat.
Yeah, the natural and impromptu division of tasks into mini groups is pretty cool.
And I agree, I have not had a game chew up headspace while not playing this much in a while. I am very much looking forward to getting home and doing a few more runs tonight.
Try not to sweat about the unlocks. There is flexibility and choice playing and replaying classes. Ow that I have more, I still go back for a warrior game or to tweak my bow options with a Ranger.
The Seer is cool. I suggest just playing to the first Jotun a few times. Work on your early game or experiment with choices you don’t usually make (this is very helpful) since you will bifrost out so early anyway. Plus you get horns and horns are very good to have.
What is the main purpose of Horns, is it recipes in the shop? I think I saw a legendary in-game that cost a horn to craft as well.
I’ve been playing a bit purely solo, and it’s pretty tough. Way more pressure than I typically enjoy. I’m not really into multiplayer but it sounds like I kind of need to try it to get this game ‘as designed’…
I don’t have a good sense for optimising upgrade path yet. I see (solo) people saying you don’t even need to build anything, you just rush upgrading the townsfolk and they can handle most incursions. Easier said than done lol… since death is so brutal to your advancement, and there seems no mitigation (yet) for not being in a group where you can get rezed.
Last night I thought I was doing pretty well, had a mid-level weapon pretty quickly, went out to hunt the Jotun and it was brutal, the one that keeps spawning and healing helthings overwhelmed me fairly quickly. Seems like some are just much harder than others, luck of the draw there can ruin the game. Else I just don’t know the strategy for beating him. :)
Also looking at the blessings, are there any real ‘builds’ you can do, like in ARPGs? The trees all seem pretty basic, and there are only a few weapons.
I found two player to be really difficult as well. It’s nice that you get a ton of souls, but with two people you just can’t be everywhere at once. I wish the first day or two were longer when playing solo/duo.
I really hate PUGs in games, but seriously, just give MP a try. The first game I played was absolutely abysmal in terms of no one knew what they were doing (less than me, somehow). No one was toxic, though. The next few games were quite fun and challenging.
It’s quick and painless to jump into a map. I’d suggest doing it a few times if for no other reason that you can focus on one particular area for a bit and get a feel for it, whether it be upgrading your town, getting a quarry built, or figuring out how you can beeline to T3 weapons/tools.
Thanks, I think I’ll do that tonight!
Solo? Are you building village improvements?
That’s a shame, but incredibly useful to know. So often with co-op games that support more than 2 players it can be hard to determine whether they’re playable with a duo, which is really all I can realistically muster these days. Thanks for the heads-up!
I have not killed the Saga boss solo yet, but I’m close. I spent most of the weekend doing multiplayer as I had a RL friend who wanted to group up.
I agree with @KevinC , duo is pretty hard. Possibly the hardest. I think 10 player random and solo are the easiest. 10 player really takes the edge off as experienced players will do the heavy lifting as you learn. That said, it strangles you for souls so it can be frustrating if you still die a lot. Solo gives you tons of resources and the enemies have way less health than 2 player. However, it’s all you so you have to have a plan and not dilly dally. I will echo my advice to Kevin, just aim to kill the first Jotun and Bifrost out. That is a 40 minute run, gives you a lot to practice and learn, plus you earn Golden Horns (I’ll get back to those in a few).
I had some advice earlier upthread. I suggest taking a look. But you have asked a few times about buildings. Yes, you will want them (not for a 1 Jotun Bifrost run, but it’s good practice).
Here is my very early game:
1: Gatherer starter kit (bonus drop loot, starting lumber axe and pick axe). Very quick to unlock.
2: pick a random road and run down it gathering very close to the road. Iron and Stone are important. Keep moving. Fight with fists only in 20 rating forests.
3: You are looking for walls to break (resources), shrines (portal), and new biomes. Try to find a Land of Pools before going home, but sometimes you don’t get lucky. You can ignore the first night attack.
4: when you first go home upgrade the tinkerer to level 2 at least (3 if you found silver for axe/pick). Get some tier 1 or 2 weapons going depending on what you found. Use leather for basic gear. Buy health potions and craft ramps.
5: upgrade the quarry as much as you can based on what you have.
6: run down a new road or shrine to the farthest one depending on how things went.
7: repeat. Focus on getting quarry up. Once it is start upgrading lumber mill or towers based on how it’s going. Some vendors. At this point be nimble.
8:remember level 3 tinkerer let’s you craft small resources into building ones (for quarry and such)
9: survive the first blood moon and defeat the first Jotun. Remember not to let the Jotun get too close. Chip away or run away as it is still far. Bifrost out or press on depending on your mood and status.
Alternative: circle town on day 1 to get 500 souls from harvesting and punching enemies. Spend 250 on tinkerer for level 2 axe/pick and 250 on blacksmith for level 2 teeth or dorth-blah blah weapons. Pick a road and run down it like above after the 500 souls. Don’t stay near your town too long. (This won’t work in MP, 500 takes way too long).
If the game goes to day 9 or so, all walls and towers should be fully upgraded as you are moving into the middle game. Or, in MOBA terms, the lane phase is over.
Classes: I’d say there are builds… sort of, but a long game lets you get most of it. It will be a matter of adjusting the order by what is happening, what you can craft, personal choice, and team composition. Warrior is the best starting point he is very high damage and has a self Rez. This makes him fairly forgiving.
Golden Horns: You can get these in game as (very rare) drops or they are rewards for killing Jotuns (or other major Saga triggers) and using the Bifrost before the tree dies. Early on Golden Horns are an out of game session currency for spending at the shop tab. This is sort of like buying your between game progression in a rogue like and adds some choice into it. Horns are also spent in game session as required components for high level armor and weapons. Finally horns are used in game at the golden chest behind the healer. I have not done this yet, but I think it lets you manipulate Rune options (your random build if you will). Thus horns are a precious commodity used both in and out of game. I’d suggest using the early ones to unlock weapon recipes and runes when they are up at the shop as that gives you in game flexibility. For the next 20 hours or so the Raider 3 axe is in the shop for 10 horns. This is a good unlock for the games you get really unlucky with biome drops. Or it just gives you and element neutral tier 3 weapons so you don’t get hosed by a bad Jotun spawn. Get the axe. It will come up again. This is the second time in not even a week.
It’s totally doable duo. I played that way a lot this weekend. It just enemy health takes a big jump up over solo. That said you have 200% the player activity. Just having a second person to now cover 2 of the 3 town gates is a big plus. At ten players you have tons of player activity, but per person you are on a VERY narrow budget for souls and mats. I enjoy all (solo, duo, full) modes. Each has a unique feel. I do think duo has the highest chance of a major oops (forgetting Blood moon or not chipping away at Jotun).
Clearly, I love this game. Just responding here makes it so much harder to wait for my games tonight. This game is such a freaking gem. Demeo and Tribes of Midgard are in my knockout surprise joys of 2021. Both make me happy to be a gamer and beat down the cynic in me that sometimes thinks the innovation era of video games is waning to gone.
Thanks, I read that earlier and did think about it, but the Bifrost seemed so far out in no man’s land, and I was under leveled, or it was through hot/cold areas that I had no potions for, so was nervous about straying into those areas.
But it seems the whole opening move is ‘nude run past mobs trying to find silver’, so I should be ok I guess… Though it seems fairly counter-intuitive and borderline exploit.
I did read it earlier, but I kind of like finding my own way for a bit and not following someone else’s ‘solution’ to beating the game. Now seems the right time to get a bit more knowledge, in case I quit in frustration. :)
Cool, I had been using that initially but switched to the ‘rarer’ full weapon/armour kit instead when I got that.
I was wondering how I got those, thank you!
Keep in mind I was brand new to the game, and it’s a game was time constraints. Precious time was spent figuring out how it all works. Now that I’ve got some experience under my belt I would likely do quite a bit better but to be honest I just like the feel of a full 10 player game. The game will join you and your friend(s) together when matchmaking, so works quite well.
I just got the Sentinel unlocked, that was way easier than I expected. It’s the first class that really clicked for me, I really like support classes. Plus he can Captain America people with his shield!
The Bifrost should be right outside the town about as close as the Quarry or Lumbermill. It’s the crystal looking thing.
The naked run isn’t an exploit. It’s more the rune I like (which means no fighting in 20+ at first outing—you better believe I’ll chase a wolf pack to punch out though). You can do it with the armor/sword set as well as that means you can fight 100 ish areas. The main point is to focus your exploration to be early and linear (down a road) to new lands and resource options. If you keep circling the town too long then you don’t get anything besides forest materials. But most critically you won’t have more shrines. You NEED to explore. Material needs require it. The Saga requires it. Shrine discovery saves doubling back time. Push out as far as you can each run and only sometimes focus a run on an area you need.
I do prefer the harvester set, but others like the armor one. I just hate being stuck unable to mine or chop. Yeah, it’s a few minutes, but that hobbles the first nightfall gains. And I really like the extra drops which helps all game. Or that’s how I feel now. Maybe I will change.
Which brings me to… these are just ideas. They are the seeds or blueprint that I change and adapt each game. You know, “All plans fall apart when you first contact the enemy” or whatever. Plan agility is important. This game is all about that and part of what gives it the “one more” thrill. I just was offering some tips as so many seem to hit the day 3 (some more, some less) wall and move on. Which is a crime against gaming. =)
@KevinC Yeah, I am with you. The 10 player games have a special charm. I am glad I tried them. It’s maybe my preferred mode right now, but I always have a solo world slot going too for quick hop in and out sessions.
Ahh ok I do recall looking for it on the map and it was quite a distance - maybe I looked at the wrong icon!
I am pretty keen for another game now, shame I am working. :)
Yes, using the keyboard is awkward. I tried that first.
Also, I am really dumb at this and keep dying. I’m not sure I’ve actually found the health bar.