Raids#

Raids

Raid Overview#

Basic Mechanics#

Raid Type	Target	Difficulty	Main Rewards
Monastery raid	Monastery	Low-Medium	Timber, supplies
Fortress raid	Military fortress	Medium-High	Raw iron, supplies, gear
Outpost raid	Small outpost	Low	Timber, a little raw iron
River raid	Along the rivers	Dynamic	Various rewards

How to Start a Raid#

Step	Action	Notes
1	Head to your longship	On board your ship
2	Approach the target waters	The target is a monastery or fortress
3	Sound the horn	Press the interaction key (E by default) to start the raid
4	Lead the attack	Assault together with your crew
5	Loot the resources	Open every glowing chest
6	Retreat	Leave once the mission is done

River Raids System#

River Raids Overview#

River	Difficulty	Recommended Level	Length
Severn	Low	1-50	Short
Thames	Medium	50-130	Medium
Dee	Medium	100-160	Medium
Humber	Medium-High	140-200	Long
Wear	High	180-250	Long
Trent	High	200-300	Very long

River Raids Special Mechanics#

Mechanic	Description
Death means permanent loss	Raiders who fall are lost for good (replacements can be recruited) / Dead raiders are permanently lost (can recruit replacements)
Stockpiled supplies	Resources already obtained are not lost to raids
Warlords	Each river region has an end-of-region warlord boss
Hidden caves	There are hidden caves along the rivers holding rare rewards
Mini-games	Some locations have door-opening mini-games

Raid Crew Composition#

Crew Types#

Type	Traits	Unlock Condition
Regular Viking warrior	Base stats, balanced	Available from the start
Berserker	High damage, low defense	Barracks level 2
Heavy infantry	High defense, shield-bearing	Barracks level 1
Archer	Ranged support	Barracks level 2
Veteran	All stats increased	Barracks level 3 + specific quest

Crew Size#

Barracks Level	Max Crew	Recommended Number
Level 1	4	4
Level 2	6	5-6
Level 3	8	8

Crew Recruitment#

Recruitment Method	Location	Requirement
Rescue during river raids	During river raids	Knock down the imprisoned Vikings
World events	Across England	Complete specific events
Joining at camp	Ravensthorpe	After settlement upgrades
DLC recruitment	Ireland, Francia	DLC-specific

Raid Rewards#

Standard Reward Table#

Raid Target	Timber	Raw Iron	Supplies	Gear	Special Reward
Small monastery	40-60	20-30	10-15	0%	Low chance of cloth
Medium monastery	80-120	40-60	20-30	25%	Cloth, carbon ingot
Large monastery	120-200	60-100	30-50	50%	Cloth, nickel ingot
Military fortress	60-100	80-120	40-60	75%	Weapons, gear
River stronghold	100-150	80-120	40-60	100%	Foreign cargo

Rare Raid Rewards#

Reward	Drop Condition	Value
Foreign cargo	End of a river raid	Can be exchanged for mastery points
Roman artifacts	Specific Roman ruins	Museum exhibits
Legendary animal materials	Specific locations	Crafting special gear
Order of the Ancients clues	Large fortresses	Advances the Order tracking
Tattoo designs	Random raid chests	Unlocks tattoos

Best Raid Locations#

Best Raid Spots in England#

Location	Region	Raid Type	Recommended Level	Rating	Notes
St. Deona’s Monastery	Grantebridge	Small	20	★★★★☆	Best early option
St. Ostreth’s Monastery	Leicestershire	Medium	30	★★★★☆	Rich in resources
Caenstor Castle	Leicestershire	Fortress	55	★★★★★	A must-raid
Essex Fortress	Essex	Large fortress	160	★★★★★	High payout
Tower of London	London	Fortress	90	★★★★☆	Multiple chests
Reading Abbey	Oxfordshire	Medium	90	★★★★☆	Carbon ingot
Winchester Cathedral	Hamtun	Large	250	★★★★★	Best endgame option

Raid Preparation Checklist#

Task	Notes
Upgrade the longship	Dockyard upgrades improve raid efficiency
Upgrade the barracks	More crew = faster raids
Stock up on medicine	Bring healing skills just in case
Check enemy levels	Confirm the recommended level of the target region
Unlock river raids	Complete the related settlement quest
Recruit veterans	High-quality crew reduces casualties

Raid Tips#

Tip	Notes
Scout first	Use your raven from high ground before boarding
Kill bell ringers first	Stop enemies from calling reinforcements
Door-breaking technique	Two crew members are needed to carry the powder keg to open doors
Use elemental arrows	Fire/poison arrows to sweep the outpost
Watch your cargo capacity	Head back to the settlement when cargo is full
Staying alive in river raids	Crew deaths are permanent, so fight carefully
Key management	Some doors need a specific key
Night raids	Visibility is poor at night, but there are fewer enemies

Raid Target Priority#

Target Type	Priority	Drops	Advice
Armory	★★★★★	Weapons and gear	Raid it first
Treasury	★★★★★	Silver and gold objects	A must-loot target
Supply store	★★★★☆	Food and timber	A steady source of resources
Weapon rack	★★★★☆	Random weapons	Down to luck
Ornaments	★★☆☆☆	Settlement decorations	Only if you have capacity

River Raids Map Distribution#

River	Difficulty	Main Resources	Unlock Condition
Severn	Easy	Timber, food	Unlocked from the start
Thames	Medium	Iron ore, timber	Complete the Severn
Humber	Hard	Carbon ingot, iron ore	Complete the Thames
Mersey	Hard	Tungsten ingot, carbon ingot	Complete the Humber

Raid Crew Training Guide#

Stage	Recommended Crew	Recommended Level	Strategy
Early	8-10 members	Level 1-2	Avoid hard fights, rely on ambushes
Mid	15-18 members	Level 3-4	Split into groups, cover more targets
Late	20-22 members	Level 5	Full assault, fearless of resistance

Raid Resource Management#

Resource	How to Obtain	Use	Storage Cap
Foreign cargo	Raiding special strongholds	Exchanged for goods at Redda’s shop	No cap
Wood	Raiding warehouses	Upgrading buildings	Unlimited
Food	Raiding farms and warehouses	Sustaining the army and feasts	Unlimited
Iron ore	Raiding mines	Upgrading weapons and armor	Unlimited

River Raids Achievements#

Achievement	Condition	Reward
First Raid	Complete your first river raid	Unlocks a new crew member
Seasoned Raider	Complete 20 river raids	Unique figurehead
Raid Master	Complete 50 river raids	Unique longship appearance
Full Collection	Collect all river raid rewards	Ultimate title

Raid Achievement List#

Achievement	Condition	Difficulty
First Raid	Complete your first raid	★☆☆☆☆
River Conqueror	Complete all rivers	★★★☆☆
Supplies Expert	Collect 10,000 foreign cargo	★★★☆☆
Undying Legion	Complete a raid with zero casualties	★★★★☆
River Lord Hunter	Defeat all river lords	★★★★☆

Raid Walkthrough#

Preparation#

Before you set out to raid, making the following preparations will make the whole process twice as effective for half the effort:

Upgrade the settlement dockyard: once the dockyard reaches level 2, your longship’s cargo capacity increases, so one voyage carries away more resources and cuts down on return trips.
Recruit enough crew: keep at least 4 raiders on board, since looting slows down noticeably when the crew is too small.
Adjust your skill loadout: bring area damage and guard-breaking skills — tools such as battering rams and explosive oil barrels speed up door-breaking considerably.
Check the wind and the route: sailing upstream against the current slows you down, so when planning a route prioritize targets that lie downstream.

Assault Phase#

After entering the target area, push forward in this order:

Step	Action	Notes
1	Send out the raven to scout	Mark bell ringers, chests and doors
2	Clear the outer guards after landing	Prioritize assassinating isolated enemies
3	Kill the bell ringers	Stop enemies from ringing the bell to call reinforcements
4	Carry the powder keg to break the door	Requires two crew members working together
5	Loot every glowing chest	Mark chest locations with the raven beforehand
6	Withdraw and board the ship	Loot at your leisure once all enemies are down

When to Retreat#

Situation	Advice
Cargo nearly full	Retreat immediately and unload at the settlement first
Too many crew deaths	Retreat to preserve strength and avoid permanent losses
Endless enemy reinforcements	Fall back to the ship and fight at greater range
Target fully cleared	Leave at your leisure after looting

River Raids Companion Skills#

Companion	Role	Recommended Skills	Best For
Berserker	Assault	Heavy combo, war cry	Breaking through fortress gates head-on
Heavy infantry	Tank	Shield wall, block counter	Drawing fire and protecting teammates
Archer	Ranged support	Precision shot, fire arrow	Suppressing bell ringers from high ground
Veteran	All-rounder	Tactical reposition, first aid	Saving the run at critical moments

Companion Training Advice#

Growing your raid companions takes resources, so prioritize training 1 veteran and 2 heavy infantry as your permanent core. A veteran’s high stats sharply lower the death rate during raids and cut the time cost of re-recruiting. Keep 1 berserker and 1 archer in reserve for special terrain.

Riverbank Chest Distribution Patterns#

Location Type	Common Rewards	Refresh Pattern
Riverside camp	Timber, food	Refreshes on every river raid
Riverside cave	Cloth, nickel ingot	Unlocked after completing the door mini-game
Shipwreck	Silver, foreign cargo	Refreshes on every river raid
River island	Carbon ingot, tattoo designs	Exclusive to high-difficulty rivers

River Raids Route Planning#

Priority	River	Reason
First priority	Thames	Balanced rewards and difficulty, suited to the mid game
Second priority	Humber	The gateway to high-difficulty rivers, with generous rewards
Fallback	Severn	Simple and safe, good for topping up basic supplies

Raid FAQ#

Question	Answer
What if a crew member dies	You can recruit again at the Ravensthorpe barracks; crew who fall during river raids are lost permanently
A chest won’t open	Check for a key — some doors need the key carried by a patrol captain
Cargo is full	Return to the settlement to unload first, then move on to the next target
How to improve raid efficiency	Upgrade the barracks and dockyard, carry door-breaking tools, and kill bell ringers first
Difference between river raids and normal raids	River raids are repeatable, which suits long-term resource farming

Advanced Raid Tips#

Tip	Notes
Two-pronged push	Split into two teams looting at once to shorten the time spent on site
Learn the chest pattern	Chests in large fortresses cluster in the armory and treasury
Make good use of explosive arrows	Detonate oil barrels from range to blow open whole rows of wooden fences
Map out enemy layouts in advance	Use the raven from high ground to memorize patrol routes before you strike