Norseman is a compelling and resilient melee / magic character in Halls of Torment, and he will sow fear and death against all enemies who step forward to challenge his might. Norseman wields two powerful axes and blasts nearby enemies with freezing blasts that probably come straight from Niflheim and might even bring Fimbulvetr upon us; who knows? Anyway, if you want to know how to unlock Norseman in Halls of Torment and to figure out the best build for him, you’ve come to the right place, so let’s jump into it.
How to Unlock Norseman in Halls of Torment
Unlocking Norseman is done by defeating the Elder Giant boss on the Frozen Depths (third stage). Elder Giant could be a difficult challenge for non-veterans of the game, but do not worry; once you get stronger, this will certainly be a piece of cake for you. The Giant can take quite a few hits so the fight might take some time.
Best Traits for Norseman in Halls of Torment
Similar to what you would be picking for every other melee damage dealer character, you should focus on the following traits:
- Ability traits (if you build them up enough, they’ll do more damage than your weapons)
- Crit traits (whether it’s crit bonus or crit chance)
- Attack speed traits
- Extra strike traits
- Raw damage traits
- Regeneration traits (you might not see it as impactful, but trust me, you will see the benefits of being able to regenerate)
Best Items for Norseman in Halls of Torment
- Mark – Mark of the North
- Head – Wind Crown It’s a Best in Slot item and no other item beats it. If you get your hands on another head item during your run, you can use it during the final boss fight since Wind Crown will be useless.
- Neck – Jade Amulet if you want XP runs or Collar of Confidence if you want raw damage.
- Rings – Since we’re dealing with a classic Melee character, let’s go with these:
Seal of Rebirth > Echoing Band > Wooden Ring > Copper Ring. If you are confident that you won’t die (many times), feel free to disregard the Seal of Rebirth. - Chest – Blood-Soaked Shirt is the way to go.
- Feet – Berserker Boots if you want to be a damage dealer, Runner Shoes if you don’t have Berserker Boots. For defensive builds, go for Elven Slippers.
- Hands – Hunting Gloves or Thornfists on offensive builds and Fencer Gauntlets on defensive builds. If you have neither, use Quickhand gloves.
Best Abilities for Norseman in Halls of Torment
After hours upon hours of playing around with Norseman, I’ve decided that I will always play these six abilities when I get the chance to see them:
- Transfixion
- Phantom Needles
- Dragon’s Breath
- Ring Blades
- Radiant Aura
- Astronomer’s Orbs
Three of these are physical and will scale well with Norseman, and the magical ones pack quite a punch.
If you need more build guides, check out the Best Sorceress build in Halls of Torment.
