vikings on trade routes challenge?

[BananaBob]

Hey did anyone play trade routes with vikings?

i want to get the cursed crown, are the vikings god for that challenge?

since the undead start out with the ice ability while the norse start with a "unarmed" monarch

i wonder if you get a weapon on summer island

[Stardustfire]

no skill, no better mount, thats part of the challenge.

[zephyrean]

Yes. It's fun and not hard. (But Dead Lands is easier.)

Trade Routes generally isn't hard, it's the easiest of the 4 challenges. You just have to remember to go to Summer alone and to Winter with the boat full -- the usual 4 archers, 3 builders, 3 knights with 4 archers each, and uniquely for this mission, 3 farmers and 3 pikemen (no pikemen in Norse Lands, you get nothing instead lol). Vikings' strength is they expand fast, in Trade Routes, even lategame (day 30+), the two guys who build your T1 wall can defend it against a regular nightly wave if you're there to pay the idol.

In the Dead Lands version of Trade Routes, you get a woolly unicorn which can feed on snow to produce gold. In Norse Lands, you get the golden boar. I don't recommend getting him: the first time you return to Winter, you need to run and come back soon, and the second time you risk not getting out of the cave on time. Don't bother clearing the way to the dock beforehand, in Winter the ship is free and in Summer the money is abundant.

The main difficulty/trap is at the start, you get 10 coins and 8 vagrants AND the fire is unlit. Light the fire (3 coins), get 2 archers (6 coins), herd some deer, get 2 more archers, then 2 builders (get them to clear trees for coins now that they're here), T3 castle, 2 farmers, T4 castle, build the ship and don't take anyone with you (waves are weak for the first two days on a new island, so if it's blood moon day, don't wait until it's over, go). Remember that winter bushes exist within walls for the duration of winter, and it's always winter here, so if you get a good layout, you can expand and buy shields.

On Summer island, there are a few vagrants at the campfire but if you can recruit more day 1, good. Buy the tech and get the economy going here. Don't destroy small portals if they're not in the way, but up to two can be safely destroyed when you have T4 walls on both sides (berserkers are good but not necessary).
The Scythe statue is a unique variant (contrary to what the wiki says, it's NOT the New Lands version). You pay 3 coins once and it lasts 6 days. You CANNOT boost the duration by paying more, you have to wait until it runs out THEN pay 3 coins again. So pay as soon as you have enough farmers to make it matter, then pay again right before leaving for Winter.

On Winter again, immediately pay for the boat so your three builders that arrived on it start building it, upgrade the castle to Birch/Stone (but not as soon as you arrive, or the guys who are building the boat will run to the castle and leave your precious boat parts for the greed), buy Pine/Iron and get out. Do not kill the boar in the woods, you don't have the archery statue.

On Summer again, blow up the cliff portal, then clear the rest.

And finally on Winter, if it's around day 35 and you have at least 1 extra top-tier wall on each side of the castle, you can tank the waves from the two small portals on the way to the cliff without berserkers. In Norse Lands, ride the deer: the last time I tried to escape on a boar, I didn't run out of stamina but still got caught in the explosion lol.

[BananaBob]

thanks mate, i compleded it now with your advice!

now i jsut have to beat dire island ...