Eivor will need to prepare adequately before embarking on what is essentially an increasingly difficult endurance mode. Players will not be able to feel comfortable as the suggested power for River Raids missions is always slightly ahead of the player's power level. Choose your equipment wisely!
Assuming Eivor is equipped with the best armor, weapons, and runes, it's time to test the Norse Raider.
How to access the River Raids mode
To get started, go to the Quests tab. On the left side there will be a new mission section titled River Raids. Follow the first and only mission available, A River to Raid.
Eivor will be tasked with meeting a group of newcomers at the wharf southeast of Ravensthorpe. After the short walk, Eivor will meet Sunniva conversing with an unknown crew. Vagn shows up and presents a lucrative offer for Eivor to share various riches rooted in areas hitherto unexplored by the Raven clan.
Once the cutscene is complete, the River Raid Dock will instantly be built and added to the Ravensthrope community. No material is required for its construction.
All that remains is to sail with Vagn's Jomsvikings on the introductory raid to familiarize Eivor with the activity. The concept is far from foreign to our protagonist.
There is more player-initiated management in River Raids, so let's go over the new systems.
River raid alert level
River raids increase in difficulty as Eivor and his fellow warriors plunder and plunder the areas bordering the riverbanks. Completing a raid on a location triggers the alert for all upcoming raid points, resulting in additional reinforcements. This is reflected by the river alert gauge, which can be viewed via the quick action wheel.
Jomsviking health
Eivor's NPC friends are a bit more fragile in river raids than they were in the main game. Jomsviking's health needs to be monitored, another piece of information that can be found on the Quick Actions Wheel screen.
If a Jomsviking breaks down, Eivor must reach them before their timer expires and use a ration to roll back. Large ration chests can alleviate the need to fly over allies. These chests distribute rations to both Eivor and all of the Jomsviking on the River Raid crew. If they are near the Death Gate, the injured Jomsviking will automatically use up their supplied ration.
If Eivor's manual assistance or stored rations are not available to heal a downed Jomsviking, the member will return to Ravensthorpe to recover. The result is a double whammy for the group. In the short term, the rest of this river raiding race is now going to be even more difficult to operate with one less friendly fighter. Additionally, the affected Jomsviking will remain unavailable for several other raids.
Make sure to recruit Jomsvikings in the newly added Jomsviking Hall, a structure that can be built after the first River Raids mission. Keep in mind that the bell outside the hall can be rung to refresh the Jomsvikings who are standing inside.
Foreign storage safes and limits
The wealth of resources traveled throughout the base game is of no interest to Eivor here. Foreign cargo boxes are the new target. The resource can be found in the locations of military raids and the Monestary River. The supplies can be used to upgrade Jomsviking Hall and the River Raids Longship (separate from the main Raven Clan ship), as well as traded with Vagn for new items.
Eivor can't just load an endless amount of Alien Cargo Chests, regardless of the player's combat skill. The River Raids Longship has limited cargo space. The mode starts with a power limit of 200. This can be improved later, but be aware of the restriction so that additional raid slots are not attacked in vain.
Know when to go
Whether Eivor has lost too many Jomsvikings or the longship is at its supply capacity, there are several reasons to call it a day and return to Ravensthorpe. Going forward unnecessarily could result in death and the penalty for failure is the complete loss of the rewards gained during this race. To exit a river raid, open the quick action wheel and select the camp icon to leave.
With all of this in mind, you are now ready to venture into uncharted waters in search of treasure.
