Astrid the Shieldmaiden

Learn how to master Astrid the Shieldmaiden in Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel. This guide covers essential tips, controls, and strategies to help you conquer the hordes.

Hey there! So you're looking to get a handle on Astrid the Shieldmaiden in Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel? Awesome choice! She's a solid pick, and once you get the hang of her, you'll be slicing through those enemies like butter. This guide is gonna walk you through the basics so you can jump right into the action.

In Jotunnslayer, you'll be taking your chosen hero, like Astrid, out on raids. Your main goal is to complete certain objectives – maybe it's surviving a brutal winter curse or taking down some tough bosses. All this happens while enemies are constantly swarming you from an overhead view. You've got a time limit, and once you've handled the objectives, it's time to summon the big bad boss and take them down.

When you start, your hero will have a basic attack and a weapon skill. But here's where it gets cool: as you defeat enemies, they'll drop XP crystals. Grab these to level up! Each level-up offers you a choice of a new skill, either from a god like Thor or Freya, or from the hero's own potential skill tree. Most skills and attacks are set to autocast by default, meaning they'll fire off automatically. Your main job is to focus on moving your hero, using their weapon skill when needed, and dashing out of danger.

Passive skills are a bit different; they usually just give you passive bonuses or might trigger under certain conditions, like when your hero takes damage. It's all about building up your hero's power and survivability as you go through each raid.

Controls

Getting the controls down is key, especially when things get hectic. Here’s a quick rundown of the default setup:

* The attack mode is set to Smart by default. You'll only need to press the attack button if you switch to Manual attack mode.

† Aiming is set to automatic by default. You'll only use the manual aiming controls if you switch to manual aiming mode.

Tips and Tricks for Success

Alright, let's talk about making your raids smoother and more rewarding. As you play, you'll be earning gold and soulstones. Don't just hoard them! These are super important for buying new weapons for your heroes and activating 'virtues' from the main menu. Virtues are like permanent upgrades that give you all sorts of bonuses.

• God Virtues vs. Hero Virtues: Keep in mind that virtues offered by the gods (like Thor or Freya) will boost all your heroes, while virtues specific to a hero only benefit that particular character. Choose wisely based on who you're playing!

After each raid, whether you win or lose, you'll see a screen showing the damage-per-second (DPS) for your attacks and autocast skills. This is super useful info! Generally, you'll want to focus on picking skills that have high DPS. Skills that can target multiple enemies automatically are usually a great bet.

• High DPS Skills: For example, Thunderstorm and Sentinel, both offered by Thor, are fantastic because they auto-target enemies. They'll hit as hard as they can every time they trigger, as long as there are enough enemies around to hit.
• Area Control is Key Too: Don't get tunnel vision on just high DPS, though. Skills that help clear enemies right around you, or that can briefly stop enemies from pushing forward, are also incredibly valuable. Freya's Divine Wave is a prime example. Its waves spread out from your hero, and the slight knockback effect can give you a much-needed breather by momentarily stunning enemies.

Mastering these elements will really set you up for success with Astrid and any other hero you decide to play. Good luck out there!