How to unlock the Norseman in Halls of Torment

In addition to the Beast Huntress, the latest Halls of Torment update also brings with it another new challenger for you to unlock: the mighty Norseman. Packing dual axes, high defensive stats, and an affinity for the new Frost status effect, he’s one of the best options for players who like to get up close and personal with the legions of the night. If you want this brazen berserker on your side, read on to learn how to unlock the Norseman in Halls of Torment.

How to add the Norseman to your lineup in Halls of Torment

Head to the Frozen Depths

Screenshot by PC Invasion

To unlock the Norseman you’ll need to defeat the Elder Giant boss in the game’s new map, the Frozen Depths. This is no mean feat, since the Frozen Depths is a very challenging stage, and the Elder Giant doesn’t rear his ugly head until you’ve survived 24 minutes of its icy unpleasantries. It is doable, however, with the right approach.

First of all, you’ll need to unlock the Frozen Depths itself. This is done by defeating the Frost Knight, the second boss in the game’s third map, the Forgotten Viaduct. Once you’ve defrosted him, jump right into the Frozen Depths to continue the process. Your choice of character here isn’t hugely important, but if you want an easier time choose one of the top-tier entries from our best characters guide.

Defeat the Elder Giant

Screenshot by PC Invasion

As mentioned above, the Elder Giant boss appears late into the Frozen Depths, when only six minutes remain. This means you’ll need to endure a lot in order to reach him, but it also means that you have plenty of time to level up and get in shape for the encounter. His moveset is fairly standard as far as bosses go, so you don’t need to specially tailor your Trait selections here: just build your character out as you normally would.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

When the Elder Giant arrives, you should be more than ready to face him. He has a varied selection of moves, including summoning purple fire spouts in a radius around him, sending out lines of ice spikes, and attacking large circular areas in front of him. Thankfully, he’s appropriately slow-moving for a giant of his advanced age, so none of these are particularly difficult to avoid if you stay on the move. The real challenge is keeping an eye on the other enemies around you while still dodging the Elder Giant’s attacks, and being careful not to get caught on the tricky terrain of the Frozen Depths.

Try out the Norseman!

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Once the Elder Giant falls, you’ll unlock the Norseman for use in your future runs. His base weapon is a set of dual axes that attack twice in quick succession each time, making him a great choice for a status or critical hit focused build. His axes also have a chance to inflict the new Frost status, which is incredibly powerful when stacked up. When playing as the Norseman, you should generally prioritize Traits that enhance your attack speed, range, area, and status-inflicting capabilities.

And that’s that: a full guide on how to unlock the Norseman in Halls of Torment. Just like the Beast Huntress, he’s a great character with some interesting new mechanics, and one that’s sure to chop his way into your heart as you master his intricacies.