This is a list of the playable (heroes) and non-playable characters (NPC) that you will encounter in The Banner Saga. The story unfolds through the point of view (POV) of a hero or NPC.
Heroes
Heroes are the playable characters in the game, i.e. the ones that you will have a chance to use as units in turn based combat.
- [SPOILERS] Refer to the Character Survival Guide to find out when/how these Heroes might join or leave your caravan (or die!).
- Refer to the Hero Comparison Table in order to check and compare the stats of all available Heroes.
First part of The Banner Saga
The Heroes available in the first part of The Banner Saga are displayed in the following gallery, ordered by appearance in your caravan Roster; click on their names below each portrait for more information.
- (*) marks Heroes who will only be available under specific circumstances, depending on the choices you make along the story; all other Heroes are available for more than one story battle.
- (†) marks Heroes who do not actually join your caravan Roster, but only help in some battles.
Eirik (*)
Valgard (†)
Tryggvi (*)
Hogun (*)
Mogun (*)
Griss (*)
Ekkill (*)
Onef (*)
Nid (*)
Sigbjorn (*)
Second part of The Banner Saga
The Heroes appearing in the second part of The Banner Saga are displayed in the following gallery, in order of appearance in your Roster. All Heroes from the first part of the game are available, provided they survived, with the exception of Onef and Valgard. Finally, note that Rook/Alette and Egil/Ekkill are mutually exclusive (i.e. you cannot have both) as a result of the events in the first game.
- (♣) marks Heroes from the first part of the game whose appearance has been altered.
- (*) marks Heroes that will only be available under specific circumstances, depending on the choices you make along the story. Heroes not thus marked always join your caravan Roster.
- (†) marks Heroes who do not actually join your caravan Roster, but only help in some battles.
Rook (♣)(*)
Alette (♣)(*)
Iver (♣)
Gunnulf (*)
Eirik (*)
Ludin (♣)(*)
Mogr (*)
Egil (*)
Hogun (*)
Mogun (*)
Bersi (*)
Yrsa (♣)
Griss (*)
Ekkill (*)
Krumr (*)
Eyvind (♣)
Nid (*)
Sigbjorn (*)
Bak (*)
Dagr (†)
Gudmundr (*)
Fasolt (♣)
King Meinolf (†)
Elite Guard (†)
Third part of The Banner Saga
The Heroes appearing in the third part of The Banner Saga are displayed in the following gallery, in order of appearance in your Roster. All Heroes from the first and second parts of the game are available, provided they survived, with the exception of Onef, Bolverk and Nikels. Finally, note that Rook/Alette and Egil/Ekkill are mutually exclusive (i.e. you cannot have both) as a result of the events in the first game.
- (♣) marks Heroes from the second part of the game whose appearance has been altered.
- (*) marks Heroes that will only be available under specific circumstances, depending on the choices you make along the story. Heroes not thus marked always join your caravan Roster.
- (†) marks Heroes who do not actually join your caravan Roster, but only help in some battles.
Rook (*)
Alette (*)
Gunnulf (*)
Ludin (♣)(*)
Mogr (*)
Egil (*)
Tryggvi (*)
Hogun (*)
Griss (*)
Nid (*)
Ro'Ech (*)
Petrus (*)
Gudmundr (*)
Dagr (†)
Eirik (*)
Mogun (*)
Bersi (*)
Ekkill (*)
Krumr (*)
Sigbjorn (*)
Bak (*)
Eyvind (♣)
Kivi (*)
Castaway (*)
Bastion (*)
Non-Playable Characters
These are the support characters that you will meet along the story, arrayed by order of appearance. You will only have the chance to talk with them, i.e. you can not use them in battles. However, some of those NPCs play important roles in the story: they can be POV characters for some story parts or they may even become playable Heroes later on.
First part of The Banner Saga
Second part of The Banner Saga
Sven, Skogr caravan Trainer
Holfi, Ravens caravan Trainer
Sefa, leader of a small refugee group heading for Bindal
Josurr, acting mayor of Lundar
Trìgecánnthàe, leader of a ravaging Horseborn herd
Leader of a Kragsman scouting party
Inhabitant of a strange village in the Old Wood
The Serpent
Juno, with deteriorating vitality
Hadr, leader of the remaining defenders of Old Ford
King Meinolf, ruler of Arberrang
Urmas Bearlord
Dusi, leader of the Mender Council at Manaharr
Third part of The Banner Saga
Hilde
The Serpent
Aldis, Rook's deceased wife
Enemies
Dredge
The main enemies in The Banner Saga are the Dredge.
In the first part of the game, only one Dredge actually qualifies for being a character, Bellower, while the rest appear only as battle units. Of these, there are multiple types:
- Melee: Grunts, Scourges and Stoneguards
- Ranged: Slag, Spark and Fire Slingers
- Support: Stonesinger
In the second part of The Banner Saga, several new types of Dredge are encountered :
- Melee (stealth): Regular and Vile (1x2-sized) Skulkers
- Ranged: Slab and Barb Hurlers
- Bodyguard: Direguards and Gloomwarden, accompanying Stonesingers
- Warped: Stoneguards and Scourges
Finally, you will also encounter Eyeless, a Dredge Sundr akin to Bellower, acting as a boss.
Human & Varl
Apart from the Dredge, you might also have to face Human and/or Varl units. These belong to the following base & promoted classes:
- Archer → Bowmaster
- Raider → Backbiter, Raidmaster and Thrasher
- Shieldbanger → Shieldmaster and Strongarm
- Warrior → Warmaster and Warhawk
In the second part of The Banner Saga, you will also fight against:
- Spearman (Lancer) → Slaughterer and Spearmaster
- Archer → Assassin (looks similar to Siege Archer, increased attack range)
Kragsmen
In the second part of The Banner Saga, you will cross paths with hostile Kragsmen clans. They have similar units similar to regular Human clans, with the notable addition of battle-trained Warbears!
- Archer → Venom Hurler (Siege Archer) and Hag Hurler (Skystriker)
- Raider → Bog Runner (Backbiter) and Savage (Axe Thrower)
- Spearman → Pole Man (Slaughterer)
Horseborn
In the second part of The Banner Saga, you will also fight against hostile Horseborn herds, including the following unit types:
- Melee: Teulu (males)
- Ranged: Cantref (females)
- Boss: Trìgecánnthàe (melee, "large" 2x2-sized)
Trivia
- Human and Varl enemies can always be fought at training matches, accessible while in Camp.
- The promoted units of human and Varl base-classes come in three Ranks: Regular, Veteran and Champion, with increased stats and more powerful (higher-Rank) active abilities. Beware of that Thrasher Champion!
- Not all playable units have an enemy counterpart. For example, you won't fight against Siege Archers, Skystrikers or Warleaders in the first part of The Banner Saga. But, depending on your choices, you might have to fight against a Provoker...