The goals of Vikings were decided by the individual leader of a raid. Many Vikings preferred to loot and raid and bring it back to Scandinavia. Some decide to establish Viking kingdoms for trade such as in Ireland. Some decide to establish entire kingdoms such as the great heathen army which invaded modern day England to conquer land and establish land of their own. Vikings weren’t a centralized organization but an autonomous group of nobles seeking profit, and thus the goals of the Viking raids were different to each Viking leader.

The "Viking Age" in England covers several centuries from the 790s until the 1070s and was characterised by everything from 'Viking' raids by individual ships crews acting independently to full-blown state-level invasions led by Danish and Norwegian sovereigns. Indeed, by the late ninth and early tenth century, Wessex and Mercia were fighting off Danish invasions aimed at conquest while leading their own attacks into the Danelaw and defending against archetypical 'Viking' raids.

The personal equipment and weapons of any given 'Viking' would depend entirely on their social standing and purpose. Sets of chainmail and swords would have been very expensive and limited to elites - very likely present among the ranks of a Danish army, but far less likely among the crew of an independently operating raiding ship.