War of the Vikings Adds Shieldmaidens

Paradox Interactive has added female warriors to its historical MMO War of the Vikings with the Shieldmaiden "mini-expansion" and companion DLC.

Players can now choose to a female character for all of the game's pre-existing classes or the brand-new Shieldmaiden class, named after the title given to Viking warrior women who chose to raid alongside the men. In keeping with the rest of the game, the Shieldmaiden class is based off historical accounts of these women, and the class will be available to both Vikings and Saxons.

The companion Shieldmaiden DLC introduces a range of female-specific customization options; to the relief of many female players, this does not include the notorious "boob-armor" so common to video games. “Our design reflects the preparations that any warrior, male or female, would have made for battle: practical protection, not sexualized fantasy," explains executive producer Gordon Van Dyke, "We’ve saved the physics for the combat, where it belongs.”

The Shieldmaiden DLC is available for $4.99 on Steam, or for free to players of the Blood Eagle and Valhalla editions of War of the Vikings.