Nidhogg: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 02:57, 17 November 2024

Nidhogg is a Norse Mythic Age god power in Age of Mythology that is available to the worshipers of Hel. When invoked, Nidhogg, a ferocious dragon, appears.

Unit

"Myth unit. The fire-breathing dragon that lives beneath the roots of the world. He can only be attacked by ranged units. Good against everything."
In-game description

Nidhogg is a Norse myth unit who spews flames in a deadly splash attack that deals both hack and crush damage. As a flying unit, only ranged attacks can harm it.

Special Abilities

Name		Description
	Blazing Strafe	Charged: Breathes fire while swooping downwards in a straight line; blast radius of 6 dealing 15 divine damage (2× vs. buildings) while moving 9.5 tiles forward in 3 seconds. Recharge time: 90 seconds
	Divine Protection	Passive: Cannot be targeted by enemy god powers which must be used on a particular target, such as Bolt, Traitor, etc. Lightning bolts from Lightning Storm do not strike it
	Nature's Eyes	Passive, requires Eyes in the Forest in the Forest): Animals and natural objects within the unit's Line of Sight reveal their surroundings (30-tile radius) for 6 seconds

Technologies & Bonuses

Myth Technologies

	God	Description
Eyes in the Forest	Loki	Animals and natural objects within its Line of Sight reveal a radius of 30 around them for 6 seconds
Freyr's Gift	Loki	+10% hit points
Thurisaz Rune	Bragi	+10% and +0.25 regeneration rate

Age Bonuses

Name		Description
	Wonder Age	+100% hit points, +100% damage, +20% movement speed

Relic Bonuses

Name		Description
	Pelt of Argus	+6 Line of Sight
	Scales of a Catoblepas	-15% pierce vulnerability

Gameplay

Nidhogg's devastating attack, huge number of hit points, and high armor almost make him a one-unit army. He can slaughter units and take down buildings with ease, and, being a flying unit, can even take on Titans with impunity. Despite being airborne, the Nidhogg will, however, take splash damage from a Titan while it attacks ground troops. Ranged human units will eventually prevail over Nidhogg, but with dreadful losses, and ranged heroes, his main weakness, can be hard to come by.

However, Nidhogg is not invincible. He cannot regenerate or be healed by any means, so sustained attacks will finish him. Towers and fortresses gain a massive attack bonus against flying units, so keeping Nidhogg in an enemy town too long will eventually wear him down. Ranged heroes such as the Pharaoh (especially the Son of Osiris), and Odysseus do serious damage to Nidhogg, and he can die fairly quickly if unsupported. Nidhogg is completely immune to Zeus' Bolt. If players find themselves losing a battle, they should command Nidhogg to retreat as soon as possible because his slow speed leaves him vulnerable to pursuits from his counters. He is also vulnerable to large masses of powerful ranged myth units like the Phoenix.

Mythology

"◆ Scientific name -- Draco niflheimus
◆ Size -- 20' wingspan
◆ Diet -- corpses, roots of Yggdrasil
In Niflheim, the Norse Underworld, lives a great dragon or serpent, Nidhogg, whose name means "tearer of corpses". He gnaws on the roots of the world ash, Yggdrasil, waiting for Ragnarok. Yggdrasil is also home to an eagle and to an anthropomorphic squirrel named Ratatosk. Ratatosk ferries insults back and forth between Nidhogg at the ash's roots and the eagle living up in the branches.
Other dragons tasked to destroy the world tree are Grabak, Grafvolluth, Goin and Moin."
In-game compendium

Trivia

Nidhogg has the second highest number of hit points of any unit accessible in random map games, behind the Titan.
After being invoked, Nidhogg can be attacked during his descent.
All players are notified when a Nidhogg dies.
While the mythology section states that Nidhogg's name means "tearer of corpses", the actual translation of the Old Norse Níðhǫggr is "Malice Striker". It is true, however, that in the Poetic Edda, Nidhogg is said to chew on the corpses of murderers and oath-breakers in Nástrǫnd ("Corpse Shore"), a location in Hel.