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These runes can be used to call upon dragons to attack enemies from the air, destroying them. The player may use different ways of weakening his enemy, such as killing their shaman, who summons enemy troops, or getting into the main fight and use combat moves and combos to kill enemy soldiers and champions, who drop dragon runes. One of the main features of the game is the large armies-in many battles there can be hundreds of soldiers fighting to the death. When the player finishes his missions in each island, he must fight a large battle, which can be a great siege or a clash between large armies. The world has plenty of settlements which the player can attack and capture. There are RPG elements where the players must buy combos and specialist attacks as they advance through the game. The players can no longer do a sweeping attack to clear enemies away and may only strike them one by one, which means becoming surrounded is a far greater danger than before.
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The way in which the players fight is also different, where they fight each enemy individually rather than in groups.
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Quick time events being one, with them being used to bring down the larger and tougher enemies in the game, from bringing down giants to shaking off an assassin's grip. Since Creative Assembly's last game of this style ( Spartan: Total Warrior) there have been several changes. The player is able to search and find his fellow Viking soldiers and rescue them, and in return they can assist him in battles. The game features three islands in the world of Midgard, which the player can explore freely.
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