Why no Ulfsarks?

[Many-Named]

Why was the unit's name changed again?

[ppleec021]

Don't know about the name, but they also removed the counter-cavalry bonus and added Hirdman to balance that.
I guess it is to keep cavalry raids relevant.

[Rhalius]

Berserker is fine to me, takes a little getting used to but I really like that they aren't holding their axe any more in a way that makes it seem like they are riding a hobby horse when standing still.

[R for Reload]

yeah I dont get why they changed it.

[Many-Named]

Originally posted by Rhalius:

Berserker is fine to me, takes a little getting used to but I really like that they aren't holding their axe any more in a way that makes it seem like they are riding a hobby horse when standing still.

lol true but I prefer Ulfsarks, more original than just ''Berserker'' which is overused imo

[Monokuma]

Berserkers are still cost-effective soft counters to cavalry. Name was likely changed to make the tech modifications make more sense.

[Doresh]

Originally posted by R for Reload:

yeah I dont get why they changed it.

It's the headgear. "Ulf" means "wolf" and "ber" means "bear".
As their final form rocks a bear pelt (and it would be confusing to keep changing their name), Berserker it is.

[DarkSaberZero]

Very little historical precedence for wolfskin warriors i.e. Ulfsarks, Berserks i.e. bearskin warriors make more sense, they appear more often in Viking texts. Ulfsark was perhaps a needlessly obscure name in the original. Plus, it's weird not having Berserks in Norse civs. AoM already had other units with Age of Empires counterparts like the Huskarl so modifying to Berserk is better imo

[Many-Named]

Originally posted by DarkSaberZero:

Very little historical precedence for wolfskin warriors i.e. Ulfsarks, Berserks i.e. bearskin warriors make more sense, they appear more often in Viking texts. Ulfsark was perhaps a needlessly obscure name in the original. Plus, it's weird not having Berserks in Norse civs. AoM already had other units with Age of Empires counterparts like the Huskarl so modifying to Berserk is better imo

Are we really talking historical precedence in a game with Altlanteans and myth units and waifu athenas? I find your argument pretty irrelevant tbh.

[Many-Named]

Originally posted by Doresh:

Originally posted by R for Reload:

yeah I dont get why they changed it.

It's the headgear. "Ulf" means "wolf" and "ber" means "bear".
As their final form rocks a bear pelt (and it would be confusing to keep changing their name), Berserker it is.

the hoplite too dont come full equipped at tier 1, it doesnt seem to bother anyone that they are still named hoplites.

[ethorin101]

Ulfsark meant when I told someone about how my Ulfsarks did something cool I didn't have to clarify "In AOM".

Berserker is in HOW MANY GAMES?!?!?!?!

[DarkSaberZero]

Originally posted by Many-Named:

Are we really talking historical precedence in a game with Altlanteans and myth units and waifu athenas? I find your argument pretty irrelevant tbh.

Sure, but those examples are just interpretations of mythological people and places mentioned in historical texts. By historical precedence, I mean the number of times Berserks (berserkr/berserker) are mentioned in Viking Poems versus Ulfsark which is zero times because it should actually be "ulfheðnar" and not Ulfsark. The only thing that shows up when googling “Ulfsark” is Age of Mythology. Even with the correct name, Ulfheðnar is still obscure compared to Berserks

Once you go that far back in history, most evidence is a mix of mythology and historical fact. For example, we know the miracles depicted in the Bible are fictional, but we have discovered many real life cities based on their Biblical descriptions. In real life, we know unicorns are just rhinos, and leviathans are just whales. We know Valhalla, Ragnarok, Heaven, Tartarus, and Atlantis are just fictional places. We know Berserks and Ulfsarks weren't under Odin's spell

[XLightningStormL]

The reason the Ulfheðnar are barely mentioned in poems and Norse mythology are because they'd be more or less be seen as Spear Carriers (nobodies) made up of lower caste warriors, who have done less feats than the feared Berserkers, who were champions of sorts.

Bears are rarer and less numerous than Wolves too; which are also easier to kill than Bears. If one kills a Wolf to become an Ulfsark; it means little. An Ulfsark kills a bear, and takes it's pelt to wear? That's an impressive feat.

[Doresh]

Originally posted by Many-Named:

Are we really talking historical precedence in a game with Altlanteans and myth units and waifu athenas? I find your argument pretty irrelevant tbh.

This game might be historical fantasy, but that's not a carte blanche for nothing to make sense.

The idea is to take halfway authentic cultures, and then see what happens if what they believed in is actually true.

[Thorveim]

Ulfsarks (or ulfhednars for the actual term) were just berserkers that wore wolf pelts instead of bear ones, and likely attributed their rage and martial prowess to a wolf spirit instead of a bear one. Think there was a boar equivalent as well.

And funny enough, the berserks in retold do change pelts at every stage... deer at the start of the game (without precedent, likely just to give them something harmless at the start of the game), then wolf pelt, they a grey boar pelt, then finally a bear pelt.

[DarkSaberZero]

Originally posted by Thorveim:

Ulfsarks (or ulfhednars for the actual term) were just berserkers that wore wolf pelts instead of bear ones, and likely attributed their rage and martial prowess to a wolf spirit instead of a bear one. Think there was a boar equivalent as well.

And funny enough, the berserks in retold do change pelts at every stage... deer at the start of the game (without precedent, likely just to give them something harmless at the start of the game), then wolf pelt, they a grey boar pelt, then finally a bear pelt.

Yes, this. Good comment and I think devs did a great job here. Berserkers were shamanistic warriors defined by "going berserk in combat" and becoming animalistic. Some wore wolf pelts, some wore bear pelts, some even wore boar pelts -- all of them were berserkers