Northgard Stag Clan Early Build Order and Expansion Guide

To establish an early advantage with the Clan of the Stag (Heidrun) in Northgard, use your starting bonus of Food, Wood, Kröwns, and Lore to place production buildings immediately, scout adjacent tiles for food or forest zones, and build a Hall of Skalds before your first winter to start earning Fame.

---

Early Build Order

Because Heidrun starts with surplus supplies, you do not need to wait for baseline gathering ticks to place your first infrastructure. Keep Villager production running continuously from your Town Hall and follow this initial sequence:

1. Scout Camp: Build this immediately on your Town Hall tile and assign two Scouts to reveal bordering zones.
2. Woodcutter’s Lodge: Construct this next, ideally bordering a forest zone, to support heating costs and building placement.
3. House: Place a House before your population reaches its initial cap to avoid stalling Villager spawns.
4. First Colonization: Claim a high-value adjacent tile once your Scouts reveal your immediate surroundings.

Food costs increase with every territory you colonize. Avoid spending starting Food on empty tiles that lack gatherable resources or production modifiers, as wasted Food can cause shortages during the first winter.

---

Early Scouting Priorities

Direct your Scouts to reveal all tiles sharing a border with your Town Hall before sending them deeper into the map. Look for the following tile traits to determine your expansion route:

• Food Tiles (Fertile Land, Fish, or Deer): Essential for maintaining population growth through winter without incurring starvation penalties.
• Forests: Provide a 20% production boost to assigned Woodcutters.
• Ruins or Shipwrecks: Scouts can explore these landmarks to gain lump-sum payouts of Lore, Kröwns, or Wood.
• Stone and Iron: Required later for tool improvements and Town Hall upgrades.

If an ideal expansion tile contains hostile wildlife, clear it with military units rather than settling for an unproductive alternative.

---

Managing the Hall of Skalds

The Hall of Skalds replaces the standard Brewery for the Stag Clan. Instead of generating only Happiness, it produces both Happiness and Fame. Construct this building during your first year once baseline food and wood gathering are established.

Skalds consume food without gathering raw resources. Balance your workforce based on current reserves:

If food supplies run low ahead of winter or a blizzard, reassign Skalds to gathering duties until your stockpile stabilizes.

---

Handling Early Neutral Threats

Delay building a Training Camp until your Scouts find hostile borders threatening your settlement or blocking a required resource tile. Constructing military structures prematurely drains Wood and adds Kröwn upkeep without providing an immediate return.

When clearing Wolf Dens or hostile zones:

1. Erect a Training Camp: Place it on an open building slot near the threatened border.
2. Train Two Warriors: Two Warriors are sufficient to defeat standard Wolf packs without casualties.
3. Pull Neutral Units: Draw enemies toward your border individually to minimize damage taken.
4. Reassign Surviving Troops: After securing the tile, convert wounded Warriors back into Villagers to resume gathering, but monitor their health during winter to prevent sickness.

---

Early Lore and the Thane Milestone

Use your starting Lore lead to unlock technologies that support territorial growth:

• Colonization: Reduces the Food required to claim new zones, preserving reserves for winter.
• Sharp Axes: Increases basic Woodcutter output to maintain building and heating supplies.

Your main milestone target is Thane at 200 Fame. Reaching 200 Fame awards an economic delivery of Food, Wood, Kröwns, Stone, and Iron, alongside a bonus to military supply lines. This resource injection allows you to upgrade your Town Hall and production buildings without spending early months mining small deposits.