Viking culture is ripe source material for gaming: from iconic helmets, beards, and runes to the sense of freedom and danger that accompanies the life of a wandering plunderer, there's a lot to love about Vikings. Whether they're historically accurate or not, many games are happy to treat players to the Viking way of life.
The Vikings would never have garnered their fearsome reputations, however, if they'd been stuck in their own villages. It was boats that allowed them to expand their influence, and in Tribes of Midgard, boats are vital for exactly the same reason. Allowing the players to venture to parts unknown, discover new biomes and resources, and battle new enemies, boats are an integral part of the Saga. Here's everything that players need to know about getting and using boats.
How To Get A Shipyard
Ships don't appear from nowhere, at least in Tribes of Midgard. To make a boat, the player will have to first start at the manufacturing stage by creating a Shipyard. Unfortunately, this process is a little more complicated than just gathering the necessary materials, picking a random spot, and building.
The Shipyard can only be built in a certain biome: the Ash Beach. The world of Tribes is procedurally generated, so the player may need to do a bit of searching to find this biome, but it typically isn't far from the player's village. There might not be Giants to kill there, but the player must still be on the lookout for danger.
Once the Ash Beach has been located, construction can begin. Building a Shipyard requires the following resources: 500 Souls, 10 Wooden Boards, 6 Wrought Iron, and 2 Ancient Cores. The player will need their Tinkerer upgraded to Level 3 in order to produce these resources, so that upgrade should be a priority for players looking to set sail. Ancient Cores are trickier to get since the player can't simply construct a Quarry to mine them out. Instead, Ancient Cores are dropped when the player kills a Giant, Blue and White Trolls, and certain other enemies, so the player will need to be in fighting shape if they want a Shipyard.
How To Get And Sail A Boat
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Once the Shipyard is constructed, the player can get to work building a boat. There are three boats to choose from in Tribes of Midgard, and which one the player needs will depend on whether or not they are playing solo or with others. Trying to go for the biggest boat when playing solo is a common mistake.
- The Faering Boat costs 6 Wooden Boards and 3 Pieces of Yarn and can carry 1 player.
- The Karve Boat costs 9 Wooden Boards, 6 Spun Yarn, and 3 Silver and can carry 4 players.
- The Drakkar Boat costs 12 Frozen Pine Bark, 9 Spun Yarn, 6 Silver, and 3 Gold and can carry 10 players.
With a ship constructed, the player can now set sail. To use the boat, go to the water, open the Build Menu, and select the ship. Then move out into the water until the ship turns green, meaning it can be placed. Once the ship has been placed, the player can enter it by interacting with it. The player can now speed the ship up, slow it down, and turn it at will. Solo players should beware: even if the player themselves if heavily armored, the Faering Boat has considerably less health than the other ship types, so the player must be careful or risk losing their hard-won vessel to an untimely accident.
Tribes of Midgard is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.