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InAge of Mythology: Retold, the Norse pantheon stands out from others as it features four gods, unlike the typical three. Veteran players will know that traditionally, you were limited to Thor, Odin, and Loki.
However, Freyr changes this dynamic with his access to minor gods that the other gods cannot reach, offering a unique playstyle. Each god has their own style of gameplay, and the minor gods you choose and the research upgrades you pursue will shape this further. If you’re ready, we’ve prepared this guide to help you understand Freyr better.
Freyr Overview
Freyr stands out as quite different from the other Norse gods. The most notable difference is his access to minor gods that Thor, Odin, and Loki cannot reach. These three minor gods are Ullr, Aegir, and Vidar. Freyr’s focuslies in technology and defense.
One of the most important features Freyr offers is adiscount on research upgrades. Thanks to this discount, you will spend 50 percent less Food, Wood, and Gold. However,researching upgrades will take 150 percent longer.
This feature gives you an economic advantage over your opponents, but since research takes longer, you should be cautious about early raids and wait for your upgrades to finish.
Another benefit Freyr provides is aten percent increase in damage for your Hill Fort buildingsand Hill Fort units against enemies. This makes your Huskarls, Portable Rams, and Ballistae more effective in battle.
Freyr alsoallows you to repair buildings for free.This not only saves you resources on research upgrades but also saves you from spending additional resources on building repairs.
Finally, as you know, in the Norse pantheon, Gatherers and Dwarfs can only collect resources. Building construction and repairs must be done by your infantry units. One of Freyr’s features is thatyour Gatherers and Dwarfs can repair buildings.This means you won’t need to keep infantry in your base to repair damaged buildings.
Among Freyr’s unique research upgrades is Freyr’s Gift. This upgradeincreases all your units’ hitpoints by ten percent, allowing them to survive longer against enemies. Additionally, your Gatherers and Dwarfs benefit from this upgrade, making them harder to kill.
Although this upgrade is expensive at first,each research upgrade you complete will reduce its cost, so timing when you research it is crucial.
Freyr’s god power is Gullinbursti. Gullinbursti is anunit that can be summoned at your or your allies’ Town Center.It provides a significant defensive advantage and helps prevent you from being caught off guard. Additionally, Gullinbursti becomes stronger with each age, ensuring it will come to your aid in tough situations.
Minor God Choices
Your minor god choices align well with Freyr’s defensive nature and the hitpoint bonuses he provides to your units, making your army more durable. Be sure to observe the condition of both your army and the enemy’s to make the best choices.
Description
Freyja
Forest Fire isn’t the most effective god power. If the map has few forests, it can be useful to hurt the enemy economically, but Ullr’s god power, Asgardian Bastion, is more compatible with Freyr. Valkyries, as a myth unit,will give you a significant healing advantage.Another aspect that makes Freyja effective with Freyr is the Thundering Hooves and Sessrumnir upgrades. Thundering Hoovesgives your cavalry and Valkyries a 10 percent hitpoint boost.Sessrumnir gives your heroes a 15 percent hitpoint increase. And don’t forget that Freyr’s Gift gives your units an additional 10 percent hitpoints.
Ullr
Asgardian Bastion is a highly effective god power for defense. Since your Hill Forts deal extra damage,it’s an efficient tool for deterring enemy raids.It’s also quite effective in protecting your workers. Draugrs are effective myth units against large groups of human units. Make sure toresearch the Valgadr upgrade as soon as possibleto enhance their power. With the Ring-Oath research upgrade, you reduce the favor cost of the Asgardian Bastion god power by 60 percent, allowing you to summon more myth units with the leftover favor. The Ydalir upgrade allows you to produce Portable Rams in the Classical Age, enabling early raids. Additionally, this upgrade increases the research and training speed at your Hill Forts.
Bragi
Bragi’s god power, Flaming Weapons, provides a surprising attack boost during defense or offense, giving you a significant advantage. Battle Boars are a reliable myth unit, especially if you have plenty of gold resources. With the Call of Valhalla research upgrade,your Berserkers gain 10 percent hitpoints.Combined with Freyr’s Gift, which gives another 10 percent, they become even more effective. Additionally, the Thurisaz Rune research upgradegives your myth units a small regeneration bonus.The Swine Array research upgrade is useful if your opponents are heavily reliant on cavalry.
Aegir
Tempest isan excellent god power for slowing down and weakening enemies.If you’re under attack, you can quickly retreat your units to base or evacuate your workers. Rock Giants, although they occupy a lot of population space, are myth units thatwon’t be easily destroyed due to their damage absorption ability.Since they are trained using wood, they won’t be an economic burden. Granite Maw enhances their ability to heal while attacking buildings, making their assaults even deadlier. Feasts of Renown is a highly effective research upgrade. If you haven’t chosen Freyja, this will allow you to heal your units.Units stationed around your Town Centers and Hill Forts will heal, and each of these buildings will automatically gather food.
Hel
If you want to expand your myth unit roster, Hel is a great option. Nidhogg is a terrifying god power that can wreak havoc on your enemies. Hel’s three myth units are highly effective, especially if your opponent has a large human army, giving you a clear advantage. The Rampage research upgradeallows your myth units to be trained very quickly,making defense much easier. Granite Bloodprovides a solid hitpoint boostto your Fire Giants, Frost Giants, and Mountain Giants. If you chose Aegir in the previous age, your Rock Giants will also benefit from the Granite Blood hitpoint bonus.
Vidar
While Inferno is a powerful god power, you must carefully time its use and choose the location wisely. Fafnir is a reliable myth unit that alsogenerates gold for you, making it a valuable addition to your army. The Twilight of the Gods research upgrade furtherincreases the hitpoints of your human soldiers, and when combined with Freyr’s Gift, your human units become even more durable. Avenging Spirit makes your Hersirs more deadly the more damage they deal,gaining up to a 60 percent damage bonus.Fury of the Fallen gives a temporary damage boost to your remaining military units whenever one of your units falls in battle.
General Tips
Build A Strong Army By Focusing On Hitpoint Boosting Upgrades
One of the most important research upgrades Freyr provides is Freyr’s Gift. This upgrade increases the hitpoints of your units by ten percent.Combining this with other hitpoint-boosting research upgradeswill help you build a resilient army. Here are the other upgrades that can increase your hitpoints:
Cavalry & Valkyrie(Ten percent)
Berserks(Ten percent)
Twilight of the Gods
Rock Giant, Fire Giant, Frost Giant(Forty percent)
Mountain Giant(Twenty percent)
In addition to these hitpoint bonuses,upgrades that regenerate your units will help youform an even stronger army. If you choose Freyja in the Classical Age, Valkyries will assist with regeneration. In the Heroic Age, if you pick Aegir, theFeast of Renownupgrade will allow your Town Centers and Hill Forts to heal your units.
Playing Defensively Until The Heroic Age Might Benefit You
Since Freyr’sresearch upgrades take longer to completeand he is a defensive god, it’s wise to play cautiously, at least until the Heroic Age. If you choose Ullr in the Classical Age, you’re able to stillpressure your enemies with Portable Rams and early raids.
Freyr’s Portable Rams will deal extra damage, making your raids even more effective.
Once you reach the Heroic Age, you can choose either Bragi or Aegir. Both of these minor godshave myth units that are highly effective against buildings, allowing you to wear down your enemies through raids. Don’t forget to strengthen your defense further with Gullinbursti.
Don’t Conduct All Research From A Single Building
Freyr’s research upgrades take 150 percent longer to complete, putting you behind your enemies. However, remember that you’re not limited to researching from a single building. Byspreading research upgrades across multiple buildings, you may mitigate the disadvantage of slower research.
Falling behind in upgrades can put you at a significant disadvantage, so staying on top of them is crucial.
Make Good Use Of Your Hill Forts
Sinceyour Hill Forts deal extra damage to enemies, be sure to build plenty of them around your base. Additionally, if your workers have moved far from your base to gather resources, constructing a Hill Fort in that area will help protect them. Huskarls, one of your Hill Fort units, will deal extra damage and can easily counter armies with a lot of ranged units.
