Northgard is a Viking strategy game where you lead a clan, claim land and build a settlement that has to survive the seasons. Everything you do runs on resources. Food feeds your people, wood builds and warms your settlement, and Kröwns (the game's gold) pay your upkeep, while stone and iron drive upgrades and the rest shape growth, your army and your path to victory. Knowing what each one does is what keeps a village growing instead of stalling when winter hits.
Items
Items
Food
Food keeps the clan fed and also pays for colonization and feasts.
- What it does
- The clan's food reserve, which must cover upkeep and seasonal shortages.
- How to earn it
- Villagers gather food by default; assign workers as Farmers, Hunters, or Fishermen for other steady sources. Some clans, tiles, and trade options add more.
- What you spend it on
- Feed the clan, colonize areas, and organize feasts.
Wood
Wood builds and repairs structures and keeps the clan warm in winter.
- What it does
- Building material and winter firewood.
- How to earn it
- Assign workers as Woodcutters at a Woodcutter's Lodge; clan bonuses and some other sources can add more.
- What you spend it on
- Construct and repair buildings, and keep the clan warm through winter.
Kröwns
Kröwns cover upkeep and fund many buildings, improvements, and military units.
- What it does
- The clan's main currency for running its settlement and military.
- How to earn it
- Earn a steady income from the Town Hall, Merchants, Sailors, and trade; clan abilities, exploration, and other sources can add more.
- What you spend it on
- Pay building and military upkeep, recruit units, construct or improve buildings, improve tools or weapons, and fund trade routes and other clan-specific actions.
Stone
Stone upgrades buildings and comes from finite deposits.
- What it does
- A finite mineral used mainly to improve buildings.
- How to earn it
- Colonize a tile with a Stone deposit and assign Miners at a Mine; a Marketplace can offer Stone for Kröwns.
- What you spend it on
- Upgrade buildings and meet other specific improvement or victory costs.
Iron
Iron is mined from deposits and funds important upgrades, a Warchief, and relic forging.
- What it does
- A finite mined metal for important tools, weapons, and clan upgrades.
- How to earn it
- Colonize a tile with an Iron deposit and assign Miners at a Mine; a Marketplace can offer Iron for Kröwns.
- What you spend it on
- Recruit a Warchief, improve tools and weapons, and forge relics; exact options vary by clan and mode.
Happiness
Happiness controls how quickly new villagers join and whether workers stay productive.
- What it does
- A morale balance that controls villager recruitment and worker output.
- How to earn it
- Produce it with support workers such as Brewers; territory, food reserves, and clan-specific bonuses can also raise it.
- What you spend it on
- It is not spent. Keep Happiness at or above zero to keep recruiting villagers; a higher positive value speeds recruitment.
Lore
Lore unlocks Knowledges and supports a Wisdom victory.
- What it does
- Research progress that unlocks Knowledges and supports Wisdom Victory.
- How to earn it
- Generate Lore with Loremasters at Runestones and other lore sites; population, exploration, trade, and clan-specific sources can add more.
- What you spend it on
- Unlock Knowledges from the Lore tree, progress into godly Blessings, and meet Wisdom Victory requirements where that condition is enabled.
Fame
Fame unlocks clan bonuses and can count toward a Fame victory.
- What it does
- Progress toward clan bonuses and the Fame Victory condition, where enabled.
- How to earn it
- Gain Fame through actions such as colonizing areas, upgrading buildings, discovering Knowledges, feasting, and defeating enemies; clans can have special sources or rules.
- What you spend it on
- Unlock clan-specific bonuses at Fame milestones and contribute to Fame Victory if that condition is enabled.
Commercial Influence
Commercial Influence builds through paid trade routes and can win a Trade victory.
- What it does
- Accumulated trade progress for route rewards and Trade Victory.
- How to earn it
- Pay Kröwns to operate a Great Trade Route, usually from a Longship Dock with a Lighthouse after unlocking Shipbuilding; some clans have a dock alternative.
- What you spend it on
- It cannot be spent or lost after it is earned; it advances toward Trade Victory and grants resource rewards at route milestones.
Military Experience
Military Experience grows from combat and unlocks military-path skills.
- What it does
- Combat progress that unlocks military-path skills.
- How to earn it
- Gain it by defeating enemy units; losing units in combat can also grant it. Some sources and amounts vary by clan, mode, or difficulty.
- What you spend it on
- Unlock military-path abilities as experience builds; available paths and skills vary by clan.
How Resources Work in Northgard
Every resource in Northgard has a clear job, and your clan needs several of them at the same time. Most come from the zones of land you claim on the map, where your workers farm, hunt, fish, cut wood or mine. Others build up through buildings, population and trade.
Most resources get spent on new buildings, warriors, upgrades and land. Because the seasons change how much you gather and how much you use, planning ahead is a big part of the game. A shortage in one resource usually causes trouble for the others, so it helps to watch the whole picture rather than a single number.
Food Feeds Your People and Buys New Land
Food is the one resource every clan needs from the start, because your people eat it all the time. It also pays for claiming new zones, so a short supply slows your growth as well as your survival. Villagers without a job will gather a little food on their own, but farms, hunting and fishing bring in far more.
Winter is where food gets tested. Farms produce far less in the cold months, but your people keep eating, so many players store up food before the snow arrives.
Wood Builds Your Settlement and Keeps It Warm
Most buildings in Northgard are made from wood, so it's one of the first resources you'll need. Woodcutters work from a woodcutter's lodge, and forest zones give the best yields. Keep a steady supply coming, because each new building depends on it.
Wood also keeps your settlement warm through winter. Its use climbs sharply in the cold months, so you want a good reserve built up before the snow arrives.
Kröwns: The Gold That Pays Your Upkeep
Kröwns are the game's gold. You use them to pay upkeep, the ongoing cost of keeping your buildings and military units running. You also spend them on upgrades, such as the Town Hall.
The Town Hall is the traditional source of Kröwns, and a marketplace adds more. A marketplace brings in more gold the more villagers you have, so it pays to grow your population alongside it. Early income is slow, which is why many players set up a marketplace soon.
Stone and Iron Are the Limited Resources
Stone and iron are the two you can actually run out of. Both come from Miners working a Mine built on a deposit. Once a deposit is used up, your miners have to move on, so finding new ground never really stops.
Stone goes into upgrading buildings. Iron is used for better tools and stronger weapons, and it's needed to forge relics, the powerful items you can make later on. It's also the cost of recruiting a Warchief, so iron matters for your leaders as well.
If you come up short, a Marketplace lets you buy Stone or Iron with Kröwns. That's a handy fix, but it spends the gold you need for upkeep, so use it with care.
Happiness Keeps Villagers Joining Your Clan
Happiness decides whether new villagers join your clan. Keep it at zero or above and villagers keep coming, but if it drops below zero, new arrivals stop. Unlike food or Kröwns, Happiness isn't spent, so the goal is simply to keep it from slipping.
Brewers raise it, so they're the ones to turn to when it starts to slide.
Lore and Fame Matter in Long Games
Lore is the resource behind your research. It builds up during a match, mostly from Loremasters working at Runestones and other lore sites. You spend it on knowledges in the Lore Tree, which give passive bonuses and extra mechanics, and enough of them can lead to a Wisdom victory.
Fame works differently because you never spend it. It rises as you claim zones, upgrade buildings, hold feasts, discover knowledges and defeat enemies. Reaching 200 and 500 Fame unlocks bonuses for your clan, and a high enough total can win the game through the Fame victory.
Commercial Influence Counts Toward Trade Victory
Commercial Influence comes from paying Kröwns to run Great Trade Routes. Once you've earned it, it's never lost, so it builds up as your trade goes on, and it counts toward the Trade victory.
Because the routes run on the same Kröwns that pay your upkeep, a clan going for trade has to balance its gold carefully.
Military Experience Unlocks Military Paths
Military Experience is earned in combat, so it grows as your warriors fight. It unlocks skills on military paths such as the Leadership, Guardian and Legions paths, and those skills shape how your army develops.
Because it only grows through fighting, a peaceful clan will build it slowly, and the skills it unlocks will come later.
Which Resources Matter Most
Food matters most early on, with wood close behind because most buildings need it. Kröwns come next, since upkeep never stops, and Happiness belongs in that early group because it decides whether new villagers keep arriving.
Stone and iron decide how far you can grow. Upgrades depend on them, and both are limited, so a clan that secures good deposits early is in a much better position later on.
Lore, Fame and Commercial Influence matter most in long games, when the Wisdom, Fame and Trade victories come into play. Military Experience builds steadily as your army fights, so keep an eye on it once your basics are steady.
FAQ
What happens when my Kröwns run out during a Great Trade Route?
The route stops, and you'll need to pay Kröwns again to get it moving. It's worth keeping a gold reserve before you start one, because your upkeep still has to be paid while the route is running.
Can I run more than one Great Trade Route at a time?
No. You can run only one at a time, so you'll need to choose the route that fits your clan's plans.
Can I spend Commercial Influence on buildings or units?
No. It isn't a currency, so it can't pay for buildings, units or upgrades. It's a running total that builds toward the Trade victory.