Last week, the Water Vikings declared that they would be taking a week’s break from hosting events. Now, one week on, we will see what has transpired in the Water Vikings’ army and what led them to make this decision.
Designed by Pingo
The Water Vikings were created in December 2010 by Jed Pen and Zakster. They are a renowned army within the community, past and present, who have continued to fight to prove themselves as a major player. Their Club Penguin Private Server era began in May 2020 when Golden Guardians decided to rebrand into the Water Vikings. In their opening event, they were able to max approximately 41 troops, showing up in full force.
The road has not been easy for the Vikings because during the week they opened they lost three leaders. This was irregular for an army, however, they strode on with confidence. They continued to experience a lot of ups and downs from there seeing the introduction of new leaders like Zoomey and winning wars to the scandal surrounding Buddy multilogging. Despite each of these obstacles, they remained a present force. They participated in many wars and consistently competed in the Top Ten amongst other major armies.
From wars with their allies to wars with their enemies, the Water Vikings remained a part of army warfare in 2020. However, in January 2021 the High Council of Vikings announced the army’s closure. This was not the only time they’d close and reopen, however. They went on to open in February before closing in June, reopen in July, and go on hiatus, once again, in November 2022. The current Water Vikings reopened on January 15th, 2023 and quickly worked its way back to becoming a major army.
Water Vikings in the March Madness tournament
The army had its fair share of struggles before reopening, but they worked to overcome these struggles by taking a break from the community to allow time for a rebuild. A common theme in the shutdowns of the army has been staff/HCOM departures and burnout. This is not uncommon in armies as they have to run constantly, having events frequently throughout each week.
With World War IX coming to an end in June and their Legends Cup run abruptly ending, burnout was a massive problem in the minds of the Water Vikings. In an announcement in the Vikings’ Discord server, Dino stated that they wanted to focus on themselves, as an army and cool down. This announcement also said that they wouldn’t be hosting any events during the week. The Vikings are no strangers to the September drop or shutdowns. This time, however, they remain prepared for whatever may come their way.
The announcement made by Dino in the Vikings’ server
With that said, it has been one week since that announcement. What do the Vikings have planned for the future of the army? Club Penguin Armies contacted Jojo Teri, Water Vikings Commander, to find out more about the hiatus and their future.
What led to the Water Vikings taking a week-long hiatus?
We wanted a small break from events after LC just to relax and return stronger . It would happen anyways no matter how WV performed in Legends cup . Also many staff are on holidays around this time since it’s summer so it’s better to enjoy your holidays rather than playing club penguin.
Do you think WV’s past closures have helped you learn from and deal with these situations better?
Well I’m sure the closure in the winter got us some experience about these situations. The hiatus tho wasn’t a closure. We just didn’t do cpab events for a week. Despite that we continued having gamenights.
With WV taking this break, do you think you will be able to combat the September drop more effectively?
Well the break was irrelevant to the September drop and I don’t think it will itself affect it . I believe that by taking the correct actions wv can combat the September drop effectively.
What are the Vikings’ plans for the future following its return?
We plan on strengthening the community side of the server, so more game nights, fun events,polls , daily questions etc… That way the army will be strengthened as well and be more attractive to new members.
Do you think burnout is one of the main factors of an army’s fall or just one part? Do you have any advice for armies currently suffering from burnout?
Burnout is definitely one of the main factors that make armies fall . Maybe it is like that bc of the nature of the game, since armies are based on a remake of an 18 year old game that shut down 6 years ago . Each army/person handles burnout different so it’s difficult to give advice on it . I believe a small break could help tho.
It seems like the Vikings are trying to boost the sense of community within the army’s server. Now that they’re looking to reopen their army after a week’s break, we’re sure to see them compete for the top spot in the Top Tens. Will the army be able to thrive once again? Or will they be beaten by the September drop? Have they learned from their past mistakes? Only time will tell, we wish the Vikings the best of luck in their future!
More Information
Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.