Fimbulwinter

Fimbulwinter is a Norse Mythic Age god power in Age of Mythology that is available to worshipers of Tyr. When invoked, it summons four packs of nine Fimbulwinter Wolves to attack enemy towns on the map for a duration. The Wolves will be spawned next to unclaimed Settlements, non-allied Town Centers, and non-allied Village Centers. The player has no control over the Wolves, and they die when the effect of the god power ends. Even though they spawn next to Town Centers of players set to Neutral diplomatic stance, they do not attack them automatically unless the Neutral player chooses to attack the wolves first. Two packs of 6 wolves are spawned near each Town Center, while 2 wolves are spawned near Village Centers. The wolves will prioritize attack enemy units, enemy buildings, and lastly other wild animals.

Unit

"Ravenous wolves summoned by the Norse gods."
In-game description

Fimbulwinter Wolves are considered myth units and are moderately powerful - they have 180 hit points, compared to regular Wolves with 45 - and will easily kill villagers and wild animals and damage buildings. A single pack of Fimbulwinter Wolves is strong enough to take out an non-upgraded Town Center. However, they can be easily be defended against with combat units as the Wolves have low hack armor. These Wolves cannot be directly controlled by the player invoking Fimbulwinter; they simply attack enemy units and buildings in their Line of Sight.

Special Abilities

Name		Description
	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

Name		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
	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

Fimbulwinter is best used while besieging an enemy town to distract the enemy.

Another way to use Fimbulwinter is when an enemy has marched his army to fight, so that the Wolves can harass villagers, or even destroy some structures, effectively ruining an enemy's economy. Players can counter this by simply ringing the Town Bell at the Town Center. This not only protects the worker units from harm but also increases the Town Center's attack, making it easier to kill the individual Wolves.

Mythology

"◆ Scientific name -- Canis lupus horriblis
◆ Size -- 100 - 200 lbs.
◆ Diet -- humans

The wolf was a symbol of mysterious power in Norse mythology. Odin was accompanied by two wolves, and Fenrir played a role in the destruction of the world. The Fimbulwinter in Norse mythology is one of the precursors of Ragnarok, and consisted of three successive winters without an intervening summer."
In-game compendium

Trivia

Originally, Fimbulwinter was known as "Wild".
- Instead of using a standard god power invoke sound, "Wild" used what would end up becoming the Great Hunt invoke sound, however apart from that, Fimbulwinter and Wild were functionally identical, as both spawned packs of Wolves.
- The snow effects and the general Fimbulwinter theme likely originate from the cut Thor Snowstorm god power.