Several unlocks involve bosses, higher difficulties, secret inputs, or DLC. The exact roster is supported by a community reference; official store pages confirm the game has 10+ characters and confirm the named DLC additions, but do not publish a complete survivor table.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
The current roster reference lists 17 playable survivors: Axeldör, Thyra, Hafgrim, Helga, Talkor, Amaranth, Hansi, Alruna, Unn, Lorcan, Blud, M.I.S.S.I.N.G., KAOS, Garth, Lili, Gnöki, and Vidar. Axeldör starts unlocked. Thyra, Hafgrim, Helga, Talkor, Amaranth, Hansi, Alruna, Unn, Lorcan, and Garth have straightforward objectives; Blud, M.I.S.S.I.N.G., and KAOS are secret-style unlocks. Lili requires Remnants of Corruption, while Gnöki and Vidar require Twilight of Yggdrasil content or its related challenge.
Roster
All survivors and their play styles
Each survivor has a separate constellation and exclusive relic pool. The roles below are practical descriptions based on the character mechanics, not fixed RPG classes. A character described as a summon or status specialist can still be built in other ways if the run offers suitable relics.
- Axeldör — direct melee bruiser with strong damage and area bonuses.
- Thyra — mobile ranged attacker who begins with an extra projectile and movement speed.
- Hafgrim — elemental and status specialist built around cooldown and status probability.
- Helga — heart-scaling generalist whose bonuses depend on the hearts collected and the active zodiac rune.
- Talkor — economy survivor who converts gold into survivability and damage.
- Amaranth — summon-focused character who gains damage for summoned creatures but loses damage on other relic types.
- Hansi — critical-focused shadow hunter who builds power by collecting Shadow Orbs and avoiding damage.
- Alruna — minion commander whose summons improve as she gains levels.
- Unn — fragile, evasive ghost-like survivor restricted to one health heart.
- Lorcan — luck specialist that creates extra percentage rolls and Lucky Rolls.
- Blud — vampire sustain survivor who needs enemy vitality to keep healing.
- M.I.S.S.I.N.G. — unpredictable secret character with randomized constellation, hearts, positive stats, and a negative stat.
- KAOS — flexible secret survivor who assembles a build from level-card choices rather than a normal fixed relic path.
- Garth — paladin-style survivor limited to sacred hearts and powered by holy energy.
- Lili — corruption and hex specialist with transformations fueled by dark energy.
- Gnöki — merchant-themed survivor whose shop is closed during his runs, but whose relic nodes offer equipment choices.
- Vidar — high-risk tempo fighter who gains attack speed after losing health and cooldown after healing.
The official base-game page advertises 10+ characters, and the Twilight of Yggdrasil page advertises two epic characters. The 17-name total here includes the base roster, Lili from Remnants of Corruption, Gnöki from Twilight of Yggdrasil, and Vidar from the related Fenrir challenge reward.
Unlocks
How to unlock every survivor
Use the following checklist in order. For objective-based characters, the requirement is normally completed during a run unless stated otherwise. If a survivor remains locked after meeting an objective, return to the character screen and check whether the game has registered the associated achievement or quest.
| Survivor | Unlock requirement |
|---|---|
| Axeldör | Available from the beginning. |
| Thyra | Defeat the Skavenger King with any survivor. |
| Hafgrim | Defeat Halvard the Destroyer with any survivor. |
| Helga | Collect at least eight heart containers of any kind in one run. |
| Talkor | Buy from the merchant 25 times. |
| Amaranth | Obtain two complete green hearts in one run. |
| Hansi | Free 100,000 enemy shadows. |
| Alruna | Conquer Niflheim on Hard difficulty or higher with one ice heart. |
| Unn | Bring 25,000 enemy souls to Unn’s Shrine. |
| Lorcan | Select Lorcan on the character screen and wait 25 seconds. |
| Blud | Follow the locked character’s instructions: visit the specified realms, difficulty, wave, and grave, then interact with it. The exact sequence is not reproduced in the verified reference. |
| M.I.S.S.I.N.G. | Add seven weapon relics, seven passive relics, and two ultimate relics to the Glossary. Then leave Gnöki’s realm seven times without buying anything or taking the Ascension crystal. |
| KAOS | Unlock M.I.S.S.I.N.G. first, then enter Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A on controller, or WWSSADAD on keyboard. |
| Garth | Reach level 150 or higher with any survivor. |
| Lili | Own the Remnants of Corruption DLC. |
| Gnöki | Own Twilight of Yggdrasil and save all nine baby Gnökis while playing Expert difficulty or higher. |
| Vidar | Defeat Fenrir Unleashed on Expert difficulty or higher in Sandheim. Twilight of Yggdrasil is required. |
The developer confirms Gnöki joins after a hero quest to rescue trapped baby Gnökis, and confirms Vidar was awarded through the Fenrir global challenge. The remaining detailed objectives are taken from the maintained survivor reference and should be treated as community-documented instructions.
Practical route
A sensible order for unlocking the roster
Start with Axeldör and use him to clear the early boss objectives. Thyra and Hafgrim are natural next targets because their requirements are tied to named bosses rather than unusual build conditions. While progressing, deliberately collect different heart types so Helga and Amaranth can be completed without wasting a dedicated run.
After the basic roster is open, target Talkor and Hansi through ordinary play. Buying from the merchant 25 times is naturally cumulative, while 100,000 shadows is a longer farming objective. Attempt Alruna and Unn when your difficulty knowledge and shrine routing are stronger; their requirements are more restrictive than the early boss unlocks.
Leave M.I.S.S.I.N.G., KAOS, and Blud for a checklist run. For the secret survivors, avoid guessing: inspect the locked portrait, track the Glossary totals, and follow the displayed realm instructions exactly. KAOS cannot be unlocked before M.I.S.S.I.N.G.
For DLC characters, buying the correct expansion is only the first step. Lili becomes available through Remnants of Corruption, while Gnöki requires a rescue quest in Twilight of Yggdrasil. Vidar is tied to the Fenrir challenge and its Sandheim requirement, so owning the DLC alone does not immediately add him.
- For a safe first clear, choose Axeldör for damage and area or Thyra for mobility and extra projectiles.
- For status builds, Hafgrim is the clearest starting point because his bonuses support cooldown and effect probability.
- For minion builds, compare Alruna and Amaranth: Alruna scales the survivor’s minions, while Amaranth rewards summoned relics and green hearts.
- Treat Unn and Blud as specialist picks rather than beginner characters because their healing or health rules change normal survival habits.
Named questions
What changes when you pick another character?
Characters are not simple cosmetic skins. The game gives each survivor exclusive weapons, relics, and a separate constellation tree. That means the same realm can feel substantially different depending on whether you are building direct damage with Axeldör, summons with Alruna, gold with Talkor, or status effects with Hafgrim.
Character Masteries are also survivor-specific progression. If you want to improve the full roster, expect to play several runs with each character rather than unlocking one universal level track. Alternative skins are separate cosmetic rewards and should not be confused with new playable survivors.
The best character is therefore objective-dependent. A strong general recommendation is to learn the game with Axeldör or Thyra, then switch to a specialist once you understand heart types, shrines, relic rarity, and realm difficulty. Tier-list claims can change with patches, so this page avoids presenting an unsupported permanent ranking.
FAQ
Common questions
How many playable characters are in Nordic Ashes?
The current roster reference lists 17 playable survivors: 14 in the main progression roster, Lili from Remnants of Corruption, and Gnöki and Vidar from Twilight of Yggdrasil-related content. The official store describes the base game as having 10+ characters rather than publishing a complete numbered roster.
What is the easiest character to unlock first?
Axeldör is available immediately. Thyra and Hafgrim are usually the next practical targets because they unlock by defeating named bosses with any survivor. The game does not provide a formal difficulty ranking for unlock requirements, so this is a progression recommendation rather than an official order.
How do I unlock the new character Gnöki?
Own Twilight of Yggdrasil, then complete Gnöki’s hero quest by saving the nine baby Gnökis trapped across the realms on Expert difficulty or higher. The developer specifically says Gnöki does not join automatically when the DLC is purchased.
Is Vidar free or DLC-only?
Vidar was awarded through the Fenrir global challenge, but the documented unlock condition also requires Twilight of Yggdrasil and defeating Fenrir Unleashed on Expert difficulty or higher in Sandheim. If the challenge reward did not register, check the DLC ownership and the Sandheim requirement.
Can I unlock M.I.S.S.I.N.G. and KAOS without DLC?
The documented requirements for M.I.S.S.I.N.G. and KAOS are base-game secret objectives, not DLC ownership requirements. Unlock M.I.S.S.I.N.G. first by completing the Glossary and Gnöki’s-realm sequence; then use the KAOS input combination.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Steam store page for Nordic Ashes: Survivors of Ragnarok
- OfficialOfficial Steam page for Twilight of Yggdrasil
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement for Gnöki and the Twilight of Yggdrasil release
- OfficialOfficial Steam page for Remnants of Corruption and Lili
- CommunityNordic Ashes community survivor roster and unlock reference