Talk:Chieftains/@comment-82.194.219.42-20170212133010/@comment-143.167.181.176-20180327120351

This isn't just a 'compensation' - it makes their already strong infantry even better against cavalry in Castle and Imperial. That's Franks, Huns, Magyars, Indians and even Berbers out of the equation in terms of attempting to knight/camel rush a Viking player. It also brings them just about to the level of a Halb wihout Plate Mail against Cataphracts.

Vikings not getting strong cavalry, again, makes a lot of historical sense - they should get Halberdiers though, even if their Pikemen are now above the level of most Halberdiers in the game, because Vikings certainly were, again, adept in spear warfare, as much as they are better known for axes or swords. I mean, come on, even the Huns and Britons get them.

And don't have a very weak post-imp to begin with, having decent siege units, the tankier infantry, decent Archery Range, even decent defences on account of Fortified Walls and Castles, and, of course, if speed and population efficiency over Galleons is an issue, Longboats (not to mention they are cool as hell). They're just not as powerful as the dedicated gunpowder civs in that regard.

Certainly not like Aztecs with their lack of late game navy options and flexibility for anything that isn't a monk. Oddly, the latter still has Siege Onagers and Siege Rams though (and those are about the only other post-imp strengths of the civ I can think of), which I'm sceptical they even used in reality.