Swedish Lakes
Swedish Lakes gives each player close access to two lakes. Sámi and Vasa settlements, plus Highwayman and Inquisitor outlaws, create distinct neutral choices. The lakes can provide nearby water access, but exact positions vary by generation.
Terrain, routes and neutral sites
- Water
- Two nearby lakes for each player
- Native settlements
- Sámi · Vasa
- Outlaws
- Highwayman · Inquisitor
- Generation
- Exact lake and settlement positions vary
Map character
Scout both lakes and the settlements before deciding whether one or both shores can be defended. Compare Sámi and Vasa options with the army plan, and avoid spreading Villagers across water before securing a safe crossing or fishing area.
What to scout
Use the safer lake first if Docks and fishing can be protected; otherwise invest in land production. Keep vision across shoreline routes so an opposing force cannot approach unseen, and claim an alliance only when its site is defensible.
Treat the lakes as two separate fronts
The map gives each player close access to two lakes, which creates more than one shoreline to scout and potentially use. Check both before choosing a Dock: confirm which shore can support fishing or movement and which one is easier to defend from the opponent. A lake that looks close may still draw Villagers away from the army or expose a Dock to a quick attack. Secure the more useful water area first, protect its workers and ships, and only move to the second when reinforcements can reach it. If neither shore is safe, use land production and return to the water after the front is established.
Compare the Sámi and Vasa settlement routes
Sámi and Vasa settlements offer two distinct neutral choices on this map; Highwayman and Inquisitor are separate outlaw options. Scout all available sites and compare their linked entries before committing resources, since the value comes from the units or technologies the alliance can add to the current plan. A Trading Post should be placed where the army can defend it and where reinforcements can reach it from the base. Outlaw access can complement a roster, but it should not be mistaken for a settlement alliance. Choosing one priority and protecting it is usually more useful than sending Villagers to every neutral site while leaving both lakeside approaches unguarded.
Protect the crossing between economy and army
The paired waterways can split attention between workers, ships, neutral sites and the land force. Keep vision on the routes connecting the lakes to the starting area, and avoid placing all production on one side if the army cannot cross quickly. Use water only when ships can support a defined job; maintain land units to protect Villagers and respond to an attack on the Trading Post. The exact positions vary by generation, so revisit the shoreline after scouting rather than carrying over a single fixed build order.
Sámi and Vasa offer economy or mobile cavalry
The two settlements fit different plans. A Commerce Age Sámi Noaidi costs 50 Food and 100 Coin, trains in 35 seconds and has 240 hit points with 30% ranged resistance. It can gather resources, build structures and claim Treasures, making it an economic specialist that can travel with an expansion force. A House of Vasa instead offers the Companion: a Commerce Age heavy cavalry unit costing 100 Food and 100 Coin, with 335 hit points, speed 7.0 and 20% ranged resistance. It takes 50 seconds to train and has a charged Lance Charge; its stronger charge and bleeding effect require the Rohatyna technology. The Noaidi supports a forward economy, while the Companion adds a mobile combat unit. Choose based on whether the army needs a worker-like unit or cavalry pressure, then protect the settlement path and any units operating away from the base.
Let the two lakes support the chosen alliance
A water opening and a neutral alliance compete for early Wood, Coin and troop coverage. First identify which lake is safe for fishing or movement, then check whether the Sámi or Vasa site lies on the same defensible side. Sámi Duodji costs 150 Coin and adds 0.7 Wood per second for each Sámi Noaidi; three Noaidi therefore yield 2.1 Wood per second before other modifiers. That ongoing return is useful only when the player intends to train and preserve several Noaidi. A Vasa Companion is a direct 100 Food and 100 Coin army investment with a long train time, so queue it before a planned push rather than expecting an immediate response. Secure one shoreline and one neutral objective first; expand to the second lake after the army can reinforce it.