Surviving the harsh eternal winter of the Bardur woods is not an easy task, but Bardur seems to thrive here.
Tribe description
Bardur is the third tribe in Polytopia. It is a free regular tribe, and it starts with the Huntingtechnology.
Bardur is an economically powerful tribe throughout the whole game. Bardur's ability to upgrade their capital on turn 0 gives it a strong start, and its resource distribution towards increased forests and animals means Bardur cities will have a very easy time getting to higher levels even with just researching Forestry. Overall, Bardur is a strong pick in almost any scenario, and is an easy tribe to both learn and play.
*If forced in a 121 tile map, surrounding tribes can affect the spawn rate of crop in the capital city.
Lore[]
It takes brave and strong people to make a home in a land of endless snow, but like the tall trees, the Bardur thrive. Mighty hunters with a knack for making a wonderful meal out of the most terrible beasts, the Bardur are known for their skills in survival.
2020 Tribe Moon: The process of choosing the next Bardur Jarl is simple, they choose candidates and roll a dice. Bardurians believe the will of the gods is best found in circumstances of chance and chaos, such as the heat of battle.
The 2021 Bardur Tribe Moon poster
2021 Tribe Moon: Killing a Baerion is already difficult, but what about the crazy souls who dress up like one, sneak into their lairs, and attempt to kill them with their "bear" hands? This, and other impossible challenges, make up the initiation into the Baergøffoz, the Bardur's elite fighting force.
The 2022 Bardur Tribe Moon poster
2022 Tribe Moon: Living in Barduria is hard, with constant blizzards and Baerion attacks a regular occurrence, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of luxuries. This harsh tundra is home to a chain of hot springs that the Bardur like to use to unwind after a long day of braving the perils of their snowy home.
Bardur Tribe Moon 2023 - The Battle of Polytopia
The 2023 Bardur Tribe Moon video
2023 Tribe Moon: Blizzard season is right around the corner, and the small Bardurian village of Gruark is preparing to usher in the brutal cold with their Førgul Festival! There will be singing, dancing, and plenty of Ulefurgh before everyone's stuck inside for a while.
The 2024 Bardur Tribe Moon poster
2024 Tribe Moon: Today is a special day, the day of Rogug's 3rd birthday, which means they'll be taking the challenge of the Bardurian coming-of-age ceremony, the Binark. Spear in hand, Rogug will be expected to survive the night in the Baerian-infested woods to prove their worth. Good luck, Rogug!
The 2025 Bardur Tribe Moon poster
2025 Tribe Moon: Contrary to popular belief, the Baergøff are not actually soldiers, but a fraternity of danger-chasing adrenaline junkies. If you were the Bardurian Jarl, would you say no to help from a brigade of Baerion-strangling, rock-chucking, Ullefurgh-chugging crazies looking for the next big challenge?
Webshop[]
A Bærion in the wild is not to be played with, but if you ever manage to get close enough, [a] special comb is your only chance to tame it into a reliable warrior companion. Take a firm grip of the ear (preferably the left one), tug it gently three times backwards, and if you haven't been eaten by then, you will have a faithful companion for life.[1]
In Barduria, children go through a prestigious ritual in order to become a respected member of their community. The ritual includes a cold forest, a bunch of wild Bærians, and a tent. Most of them never make it back home. Instead, the Bærians grow big and fat and are enjoyed both as a tasty feast and [as] a great warrior companion.[2]
Pine needles, hot water, and rabbit fat are all you need to make Ullefurgh, the favourite beverage of the Bardur youth. Ullefurgh is traditionally drunk from cups made of Bærion fangs.[3]
Other[]
Instagram: And just when you thought you were safe, the Bardur jumps out of the woods, dressed in wet bear furs and faces smeared with blueberry jam.
When playing as Bardur, the best strategy in the first turn is almost always to hunt wild animals and take out your warrior. Have another warrior look around in the following direction. Then invest in organization or forestry to upgrade the villages to higher levels.
Inspiration[]
The Bardur share many cultural aspects with the Scandinavian "Viking" cultures. They are ruled by a jarl, which is a title historically given to medieval Scandinavian nobility. Their wooden and stone architecture also resemble buildings used by those peoples during that time period. Their horned helmets also resemble those attributed to Vikings in popular culture. Many elements of their biome (pine trees, bears) are also things native to Scandinavia.
Design[]
Fruit: Øgelfuss Berries (blueberries)
Animal: Bærion (plural: Bærians)
Field: Fields covered in white snow
Forest: Pine trees
Mountain: Snowy white mountains
City: Wooden blocks with orange lights, skulls as decoration, and either black or grassy roofs
The Baergøff are the Bardur's elite hunters. Clad in the sanctified pelt of their first Baerion kill, they're ready for anything!
Baergøff skin description
The splash screen for the Baergøff skin in the Tribe Selection menu.
The Baergøff skin was added in the first skin pack for Polytopia. Instead of the horned hat, Baergøff units wear a pelt of the Baerion, the Bardur animal.
The city buildings are similar to the original ones, except every module has a grassy sod roof.
Warriors and Riders use bear claws as weapons instead of clubs.
The Giant has a pelt draped around itself, as well as bear paw shoes.
The Archers use and throw wooden spears instead of a bow and arrow (they originally mistakenly still had a quiver, but this has since been fixed.)
City buildings[]
History[]
When it was first introduced in beta, the splash for the Baergøff skin was referred to as Baerion instead of Baergøff. This was changed with the skin's public release, but the Baerion name is still found in some files.
Trivia[]
The Battle of Polytopia Bardur Theme
The old Bardur theme without the melody
In update 1.13.2, the Bardur theme was changed, adding a melody line over the "old theme." Midjitone, the sound designer of Polytopia, stated that the melody was present in the original version of the theme, but it was removed prior to the initial release of the game for some reason.[4]
The original in-game description of Bardur read, "Surviving the harsh eternal winter of Barduria...". "Barduria" was changed to "the Bardur woods," perhaps due to copyright issues.
In update 2.2.0.7406, Bardur's color was changed from (#000000) (black) to (#232323) (dark gray), and then to (#352514) for increased clarity on certain displays. Accordingly, the names of Bardur's "leaders" were also changed, as they are randomly generated based on the tribe color.[5]
The "leader" of the Bardur tribe is named "Linlin".
↑Zoythrus on private Discord chat: "It's simple, the game seeds a random name generator with the hex color, so when we changed the color, we got a new name / Bulak is dead. Long live Linlin!"
