Pros

The only character in the game that can triple soak
Forces opponents into lose/lose situations during objectives
Solo lane bully
Amazing objective control on certain maps
Strong 1v1
Great scouts
Good Merc control
Post Level 13 becomes a menace in team fights
Highest single target DPS in the game at level 16
Infinitely scaling globe quest
Very strong chase

Cons

Weak wave clear, especially early on
Poor split push potential
Weak to AoE CC abilities
Gets instagibbed by mobile burst assassins
Cannot do much to contest many objectives pre-13

Olaf the Stout [ Poor Choice ]

On the surface, this talent looks pretty decent. +20% hp and 2 stacks of block is usually never a bad talent, however, with TLV it's completely unnecessary. Olaf is the most survivable Viking; he doesn't need any more health or armor. Put him in a lane and let him soak. Any health loss in lane can be quickly recovered by his passive. In fights, you certainly want to keep him alive to get as much value from Nordic Attack Squad as possible, but with a bit of pull-back micro, he will usually be fine. Olaf usually isn't the one dying first.

Spy Games [ Strong Option ]

As I'm writing this guide, all of the top players who play TLV in CCL are running this as the preferred talent at level 1. Having an extra 75% basic attack damage on Erik is a serious bonus. Erik, the speediest of the Trio, suddenly becomes a deadly force once this buff is proc'd. Combine this with Erik the Swift and he can chase down low health heroes for cleanup, and do serious poke damage in lane. For the less-experienced TLV players, this can be a very difficult talent to use, as it is extremely micro-intensive, and takes a significant amount of attention - attention necessary to keep your other Vikings from dying. If you pick this talent for the stealth, you're doing it wrong. Please don't turn Erik into a ward.

Explosive Attacks [ Best in Slot ]

In my humble opinion, this is by far the best talent and should be picked in the majority of games. Despite TLV being a macro-oriented character, their ability to clear lanes can be lacking at times, especially early on. This talent is the only real option to bulwark that weakness. Taking this combined with Pain Don't Hurt at level 4 essentially doubles Baleog's damage to minions and camps, gives him easy sustain in lane, allows him to bully trades against many solo-laners under the wave, and makes him able to solo most camps. For this reason, I think that not only is this the best talent at this level, but also the easiest to utilize.

Viking Bribery [ Situational Pick ]

This pick is entirely map-based. This bribe mechanic can be slow to build, especially if you're not able to soak three lanes at once. On most three-lane maps, as long as you don't die, you should be able to grind out two stacks to capture one siege camp before the first objective. Having three bodies does make it particularly easy to steal enemy camps as well, and that is always a very strong play. The problem is, maps without siege camps give much less value, and if your opponents are on top of their rotations it can be hard sometimes to even spend any of your carefully accumulated stacks. Maps that I think Bribe is strongest on are: Garden of Terror, Volskaya Foundry, Sky Temple, Blackheart's Bay, Cursed Hollow

Pain Don't Hurt [ Best in Slot ]

Baleog is the Viking that needs sustain the most, as he is fragile and slow. Erik is fast and can evade most threats, and if he does take damage he can hearth and return to lane the quickest. Take this if you take Explosive Attacks on level 1, as they synergize extremely well for previously discussed reasons.

Erik the Swift [ Strong Option ]

The sustain on Erik is handy, but the movement speed is even more so. Take this if you take Spy Games on level 1, and Erik will suddenly become deadly. Run around, poke some folk, sit in a bush while you manage the other two, break stealth, rinse, repeat. Micro.

It's a Sabotage! [ Unplayable ]

Despite Blizzard having buffed its damage in the recent patch, this talent is still pretty abysmal. It does, however, give you non-negligible wall damage. You need to alternate Erik's auto attacks between walls and towers, so if they leave Erik alone in a lane he can shove pretty well. Still, you'll probably never be able to pull it off in a real game, and even if you do it's not that great.

Mercenary Lord [ Poor Choice ]

The main reason you would take this talent is for the extra mercenary damage. True, it does help your push potential with camps. However, this is sort of a "win more" talent, as if you are able to get mercenary camps pushing and they do not respond to them, you are already ahead. The armor provided for camp clear is actually not helpful, in the sense that Pain Don't Hurt provides the same results when clearing non-boss mercenaries. However, taking Mercenary Lord is the only way you can solo boss with the trio when it spawns without having to use your ult. In fact, even if you do have ult at level 10, clearing the boss without Mercenary Lord is still quite a challenge. If you do take it, however, you will be able to clear boss without using Play Again!, so long as you have been collecting globes consistently in lane. Be warned: attempting to sneak the boss by yourself is challenging and very risky. Don't blame me if things don't go as planned, but if you do want to try it, I recommend doing it on Cursed Hollow, Alterac Pass, or Blackheart's Bay

Baleog the Fierce [ Best in Slot ]

This talent is an investment into the late game; it is an important tool for TLV's ability to team fight once level 13 arrives and you get Nordic Attack Squad. This talent turns Baleog into the MVV (most valuable Viking) during team fights, gives him more survivability with his increased range and lifesteal, as well as 50% more damage output. The problem, of course, is that you need to be leashed - i.e. you need all of the Vikings together, and if one is dead you lose all of your value, which is why it's important to micro carefully and pull away your low-health Vikings in combat. This talent is also significantly better than Spin To Win! for waveclear when all of your Vikings are together, allowing you to kill objective bosses and merc camps much faster.

Spin to Win! [ Poor Choice ]

This talent is seriously overrated. Most TLV guides and players run this as the preferred choice at 7, and while it has its place, it's certainly not unconditionally good. First, its damage against minions is seriously underwhelming. Taking Baleog the Fierce gives you significantly better camp-clear and wave-clear while TLV are together, so unless you're playing a map/draft situation where you will be permanently split-soaking and never need to contribute in fights, Spin To Win! is the worse macro-pick. Second, you are picking a talent that encourages keeping TLV in one big clump, so as to maximize your Q damage on enemy heroes. Unless you also have Jump!, this is extremely unsafe and will almost certainly lead to multiple nordic deaths. Even in the best-case scenario, Baleog the Fierce combined with Nordic Attack Squad provides significantly more dps in fights. So unless you're in desperate need for a little bit of extra burst, or in a situation where TLV are never going to be grouped, you probably shouldn't take this talent.

Norse Force! [ Situational Pick ]

This talent was buffed again in the recent patch. The shielding is no longer inconsequential, and so taking this as a defensive pick, especially on large macro maps against mobile burst assassins, is definitely viable. Your Vikings will be much safer while split-soaking, and can also prove much more difficult to deal with in fights, at the cost of some damage and wave-clear. No doubt, this is the optimal choice at 7 in some situations.

Longboat Raid! [ Unplayable ]

I'm sad about this too. It's a very cool ult with great animation and some wonderful singing performances by the boys, but gameplay-wise there's just nothing this ult has going for it. The damage output of the boat is significantly less than the Vikings by themselves, and then once the boat is killed all of your Vikings drop to the floor, right next to each other, and are stunned for one second. Essentially by pressing R you nerf yourself and then stun yourself, which generally isn't considered a "strong play". It can provide an instant getaway if you use it to avoid some damage or CC, but so does Play Again!, while healing and resurrecting dead Vikings, and you can do it from anywhere on the map!

Play Again! [ Best in Slot ]

There's not much to be said here. It's a resurrect, a heal, and a teleport. Good talent.

Hunka' Burning Olaf [ Situational Pick ]

The damage this talent provides is not insignificant. Taking Hunka' Burning Olaf gives Olaf significantly more wave clear on his own, and even allows him to clear any merc camp by himself (albeit quite slowly). On large maps, a macro-focused TLV build can be very strong, particularly now that Warhead Junction has been added to the ranked pool. Sometimes your team doesn't need TLV to be a damage dealer in team fights, and so putting all your tech towards side-lane pressure and map control can be a great strategy.

Jump! [ Situational Pick ]

Jump is an amazing defensive talent. Not only is it a 1.5 second invulnerable, if two of the Vikings are stunned or incapacitated, if you trigger Jump! on the third you will remove all CC and damage over time from the other two. The problem isn't that Jump! is a poor talent, but rather that Nordic Attack Squad is usually a necessary pick for the Vikings' game plan. However, if you find yourself in a matchup against several counters, like Alarak, Butcher, or Nova, then Jump! will be necessary for self-preservation.

Nordic Attack Squad [ Best in Slot ]

It's impossible to overstate how busted this talent pick is. It is an absolutely crucial piece to the Vikings' game plan. Before level 13, Vikings do reasonable damage, but the value they provide in team fights is lacking. Taking Nordic Attack Squad changes the landscape entirely, suddenly TLV becomes a tank-shredder with damage outputs matching even the strongest AA based characters, like Valla or Tychus. It does require careful attention and micro in order to keep all of the Vikings alive in fights to benefit from Nordic Attack Squad and Baleog the Fierce, which is why it's important to keep Play Again! off cooldown in case one or two die. It's not unreasonable to consider TLV games corresponding to two phases - Pre-13, stay in lanes, soak, and focus on camps. Post-13, join the team when contesting the objective.

Large and In Charge [ Strong Option ]

In HotS, any point-and-click hard CC is extremely strong. Giving Olaf an 8-second cooldown stun is pretty great. There will never be a situation where you pick this talent and not be happy with it. It does take a bit of careful micro to utilize properly, though.

Impatience Is a Virtue [ Poor Choice ]

This talent is actually quite strong as well. It not only reduces the cooldown of the Vikings' ability talents, but it also reduces the cooldown of Go Go Go! and Play Again!. What's unfortunate is that Spin To Win!, Norse Force!, and Jump! are all talents which you will rarely have, and thus getting full value from Impatience Is a Virtue is difficult. If you really value rotations, however, then even just the cdr on Go Go Go! and Play Again! you may find to be worth it.

64 KB Marathon [ Best in Slot ]

This is a choice that people are really sleeping on. A 70% move speed bonus over four seconds is nothing to scoff at. It removes slows and roots as well, making this the prime defensive talent at this tier. It gives you chase, escape, and micro-potential in fights (say, for instance, if you need to keep from spreading Living Bomb). In my experience, I have found this to be the most valuable talent to take in most situations. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to chase down Genji's and Sylvanni who think that one dash will keep them safe.

Executioner [ Situational Pick ]

If you can trigger the bonus damage, this talent is essentially another Nordic Attack Squad. Combine Spy Games, Baleog the Fierce, Nordic Attack Squad and Executioner and TLV will turn even the beefiest Diablo's into mush in a couple of seconds. Olaf slow can be a trigger for this, and hopefully, your team will provide some CC as well. While it is cool, I think this talent is only worth taking if you are up against a team with a very heavy frontline, otherwise, it can be hard to find enough value from it.

Ragnarok 'n' Roll! [ Unplayable ]

Even if you accidentally misclick Longboat Raid! at level 10, you still shouldn't pick this talent...

Checkpoint Reached [ Best in Slot ]

If you want to make plays, this is the one to take. Popping Play Again! now gives you an extra heal and resurrect 10 seconds after the first, which means that for those ten seconds you can go as ham as you want. Charge in on their backline, burst someone down, and ignore the fact that you are going to lose all three Vikings - they will be back very soon! While people often completely forget about the second rez, you do need to be careful that you trigger it in a situation that is relatively safe, because they will potentially be able to watch the timer and the checkpoint, then prepare an AoE CC for you once you come back.

The Sequel! [ Poor Choice ]

Who goes into a game planning on dying?!

Viking Fury of the Storm [ Strong Option ]

This talent gives a good amount of extra clear, as well as a bit more team fight damage. Can't complain about it. It's an easy pick you don't have to think about.

From weakest to strongest, here's an analysis of each map and how TLV perform on them.

The Lost Vikings are weak on Tomb of the Spider Queen Tomb of the Spider Queen.

The smallest 3-lane map in the game, Tomb is an exceptionally deadly map for the Vikings. The objective revolves around gems - which need to be picked up in lane (a task difficult for Vikings to accomplish without over-extending). Triple soaking is unnecessary because the distance between lanes is so small and rotations are so quick. If you do manage to accumulate a lot of gems on a Viking, turning in provides another near-impossible challenge against attentive opponents. Wave clear is a necessity on this map to clear the enemy spiders - another quality which TLV are significantly lacking in. There is absolutely nothing that TLV provide here, so it is clear why this is their weakest map. If you do end up on Tomb, I recommend playing all three bot as a solo-laner and collecting all of your gems on Olaf. I recommend Explosive Attacks and Pain Don't Hurt on this map.

The Lost Vikings are weak on Hanamura Hanamura.

Despite how long the objective takes to contest on this map, TLV are weak here because the objective just doesn't matter. At any point someone from the enemy team can roam to the lanes to clear, then return to the action with no loss in XP and no loss on objective. Against competent teams, you may be hard-pressed to find a way to gain advantages with TLV. Keep all three Vikings in the solo-lane until the cart spawns, then split Baleog with samurai-camp and Olaf in the other side-lane, and use Erik for harass with the team. Pay attention if your opponents leave their turret camp uncaptured, as stealing this is very important. I recommend taking Spy Games and Erik the Swift on this map.

The Lost Vikings are fair on Volskaya Foundry Volskaya Foundry.

Volskaya is your average-size 3-lane map with a long-contest objective. A big issue with this map is that the first objective always spawns between mid and bot - which means it is very easy for your opponents to soak these lanes and pressure your Vikings during the objective. You will only have the possibility of gaining soak from the top-lane, which won't provide as much value as you would like. Most of the time you will probably lose the first objective. Luckily the protector is pretty bad, so it's not the end of the world if you make sure to draft a team with some strong ranged damage. I find that taking Viking Bribery can be very cute against opponents who aren't on top of taking their turret camp when it spawns; stealing it is very strong. Stealing their siege camp only requires 3 stacks, so this is also very viable. I recommend taking Spy Games and Erik the Swift here but anything can work.

The Lost Vikings are fair on Infernal Shrines Infernal Shrines.

Shrines, like Volskaya, is position-dependent. When the shrine spawns in the top position, you gain the most value from soaking, otherwise, their rotations will be too fast. Taking Explosive Attacks and Pain Don't Hurt allows Baleog to help with clearing the shrine minions. Baleog can also then easily solo the goat camps, which can be a strong move. Pretty standard map for the Vikings.

The Lost Vikings are fair on Alterac Pass Alterac Pass.

A larger 3-lane map with a long-contest objective makes Alterac a very strong map to gain a level lead during the objective by triple-soaking. The big downside is that the objective on this map is very powerful, and more than likely you will lose your first two as your team will be fighting 4vs5. There also isn't much counterplay possible as there are only two mercenary camps on the entire map (other than the bosses). Sometimes you will be rolled very quickly, but if you can make it to level 13 then you should be okay. You definitely need to take Explosive Attacks and Pain Don't Hurt to be able to clear the riders. If you are brave, this is the absolute best map to try and sneak a boss during the objective with Mercenary Lord, as there are two bosses, each on the far edge of the map. Don't blame me if it doesn't work, though.

The Lost Vikings are strong on Braxis Holdout Braxis Holdout.

Despite being a two-lane map, TLV are absolute bullies here. Essentially you are the solo-laner, and you can use your three bodies to take control over the top point. You will be able to force the opponent in most matchups into a lose-lose situation, where either they can take control of the point or collect soak, but not both. Keep Olaf near point taking control when possible, while Baleog clears waves with Explosive Attacks and Erik pokes. Make sure to grab the side globe as much as possible. If you are feeling extra spicy, and you think that you can control top with only two Vikings, send Erik bot lane for some extra support for your 4-man.

The Lost Vikings are strong on Cursed Hollow Cursed Hollow.

A large 3-lane with a long-contest objective, this is definitely a strong map for TLV. Triggering a Curse requires three caps of the objective, which takes a long time and will force your opponents out of lanes frequently, giving you a potentially huge level advantage from soak. More than that, uncontested objectives can be quickly capped with one Viking. Erik also does a fantastic job of delaying. Usually, you will lose the first Curse, but that's not the end of the world. Because of how the Curse works, all of your minions in every lane will be killed instantly, dropping experience that your opponents will not be able to collect. By the end of the Curse you will probably have a significant experience lead and Nordic Attack Squad. You can also potentially sneak a boss on this map with Mercenary Lord if you are feeling extra frisky. Normally, I recommend taking Explosive Attacks and Pain Don't Hurt on this map. Viking Bribery is okay here too if your opponents are not on top of taking the mercenaries at spawn.

The Lost Vikings are strong on Sky Temple Sky Temple.

A huge 3-lane map, this is also a great map for gaining an experience lead with TLV. Olaf is great at standing on temples by himself, and so is Baleog if you have Pain Don't Hurt. There's nothing that special to be said here, just play 1-1-1 and let your team play the map while you do the choring. Again, Viking Bribery can give you value if your opponents aren't good on their mercenary rotations, but usually, I would recommend Explosive Attacks and Pain Don't Hurt.

The Lost Vikings are strong on Garden of Terror Garden of Terror.

This is essentially Cursed Hollow, except the objective is not as easy to deal with. TLV have a harder time clearing the plants. However, I find I have an easier time on this map because there are six siege camps on this map as opposed to the usual four. This means that Viking Bribery is a must-take level 1, it will always provide strong value. Put one Viking in each lane to accumulate stacks as fast as possible.

The Lost Vikings are strong on Battlefield of Eternity Battlefield Of Eternity.

I believe that this is one of TLV's great maps because nobody expects them to be strong on a 2-lane. Pre-objective you want to keep all three top as the solo laner. Once the immortals spawn, send Olaf and Baleog to each soak one lane, while Erik plays the center with Spy Games and Erik the Swift. Because this map is all about race, your opponents will naturally need to send all five to the objective right as it spawns. Contesting this objective takes ages and two phases - valuable time to gain a serious experience advantage even if they cap the immortal. What you want to do is draft either a strong race 4-man to force them on defense, slowing the game down, or a very strong artillery 4-man to make their race difficult while Erik uses the extra damage from Spy Games to burn your immortal slowly.

The Lost Vikings are busted on Warhead Junction Warhead Junction.

This is a map that naturally rewards multiple bodies. An extremely large map, you will gain a lot of soak, and if they ever leave a nuke uncontested, one Viking can pick it up for free. This map also has a cheesable boss, though this boss is significantly more difficult than most so be cautious. This map tends to be very chaotic and team fights are few and far between, because of this most teams are not roaming as a four-man and have poor mercenary rotations, so taking Viking Bribery is not necessarily a bad idea. I don't really have much to say about this map.

The Lost Vikings are busted on Towers of Doom Towers of Doom.

Like Warhead Junction, this map also rewards multiple bodies. On this map, the general strategy is to send Olaf and Baleog top, Erik mid, and the rest of your team bot. Double soaking is very easy, and if your opponent drafts a double soaker you can make his life very difficult by taking Explosive Attacks and pushing in lanes fast. Most of the time they will be forced to send someone from their 4-man to deal with you, or lose experience. You can also send Baleog by himself to clear the sappers once you get Pain Don't Hurt, which applies very strong pressure. On the first altar spawn, and any subsequent top altar spawns, it becomes very easy to cap your altar while delaying the opposing solo-laner from capping by harassing him with Erik. Again, this will force someone from their 4-man to deal with you or lose the objective. TLV are seriously abusive on this map.

The Lost Vikings are busted on Dragon Shire Dragon Shire.

Take Explosive Attacks and send Baleog and Olaf top, with Erik mid. Like on Braxis, Baleog and Olaf will force the other laner to either cap the objective or take the soak, but not both, all while Erik soaks mid by himself. Honestly on this map if they don't come up with a creative solution to deal with TLV they will just lose every game. I mean, you can cap the DK with just one Viking... how is that even allowed.

The Lost Vikings are busted on Blackheart's Bay Blackheart's Bay.

This is by far the strongest map for TLV. That being said, it is also by far the most difficult. This map is chock-full of objectives that can be easily taken by TLV. Between the five merc camps, the four doubloon camps, and the spawning chests, you will never have any downtime with your Vikings. The problem is collecting coins - if you start to accumulate a lot of coins your Vikings become a target, and they are a very squishy target indeed. You will need to make tons of decisions about when you take camps, when you collect soak, when you steal their doubloons or go for chests, and how safe you need to rotate to keep your Vikings with coins from dying. A very fun and challenging map, the macro potential TLV provide can really steamroll a game. Viking Bribery is definitely the choice here.