The Assassin's Creed Valhalla expansion Dawn of Ragnarok has been released:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök - Launch trailer

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Ubisoft NA uploaded a trailer for the upcoming DLC. You must sign in to watch it, lest young people could see shocking scenes.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök - Deep Dive Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

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DSOG and Blue's News reported that according to Bloomberg, a new game would be made out of what was originally planned as a an expansion for AC: Valhalla.

New Assassin Creed Game Rumored

A report on Bloomberg (may require registration or subscription) outlines plans for a new Assassin Creed game being planned by Ubisoft to "help fill its schedule." This is unconfirmed:, and a Ubisoft spokesperson told them the company doesn’t comment "on rumors or speculation as they do a disservice to our development teams and community.”  But Bloomberg is also told that Ubisoft has a "solid and exciting line-up of titles in [its] pipeline, both established brands with new story twists and features, and brand new IPs that will continue to change the landscape of today’s video games." That out of the way, here's more on this rumored title:

"Ubisoft Entertainment SA has turned an Assassin’s Creed expansion into a stand-alone game to help fill out its thin release schedule, according to people familiar with the project.

The game, code-named Rift, was originally planned as an expansion for 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla but morphed into a full game late last year, said the people, speaking anonymously because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media. It will star Basim, a popular assassin character from Valhalla, and will be smaller in scope than recent games in the series, the people said. The game won’t be a massive open-world role-playing game like previous recent entries, focusing instead more on stealth gameplay, and is planned for later this year or 2023."

Wccf Tech reports that AC Valhalla/Odyssey Crossover Stories is released tomorrow, and that the next DLC Dawn of Ragnarok is confirmed.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla/Odyssey Crossover Drops Tomorrow, Dawn of Ragnarok Confirmed

Leaks and rumors have been flying fast and furious recently, and now Ubisoft has confirmed a whole mess of new Assassin’s Creed DLC is on the way. First up, we have the first Assassin’s Creed Crossover Story, which will see AC Valhalla’s Eivor meeting up with Kassandra/Alexios. The free DLC will actually span both Assasin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, with a new story for each Canadian-developed game. You can check out an Assassin’s Creed Crossover Stories trailer below (warning, the trailer and description below contain AC Odyssey spoilers).

Here’s a bit more detail about the big crossover…

Kassandra’s appearance is part of a crossover that actually spans both games. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey players will get a new free story, “Those Who Are Treasured,” in which Kassandra or Alexios – having found the immortality-granting Staff of Hermes Trismegistus – travel to the island of Korfu as they wrestle with the question of what to do with their newfound longevity. In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, “A Fated Encounter” will bring Eivor to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where they’ll cross blades with Kassandra.

Those Who Are Treasured can be played after finishing Chapter 1 of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and reaching Megaris, although it’s recommended that players finish the main game’s three story arcs – Family, Cult of Kosmos, and Mythology – for spoiler reasons. This story sees Kassandra finding a new purpose in life: hunting down First Civilization artifacts. A Fated Encounter will open up after Assassin’s Creed Valhalla players complete the quest “A Wise Friend,” in which Eivor helps Valka establish herself in Ravensthorpe.

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Wccf Tech reports that the third DLC for Assassin's Creed Valhalla should be released on March 10th, according to "leaked information".

Dawn of Ragnarok Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC Leaked, Due on March 10th, 2022

Dawn of Ragnarok, the rumored third big Assassin's Creed Valhalla DLC, has had its release date, first details and images leaked via Chinese stores.

The expansion will be available on March 10th, 2022, as previously hinted by renowned leaker Tom Henderson. Here's the description that was pulled from the leak:

The story takes place in the magnificent Nine Realms of the Norse mythology, and here has been threatened by the invasion of the kingdom of frost and flames. The kingdom of dwarves in Svartalfheim is now falling apart; during the war, Odin's beloved son Baldur was also unfortunately taken away by the immortal fire giant Surtr.

"Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok" is the most ambitious expansion pack in the history of this series: this time, Aivor must personally experience the fate of Odin, the war of the North and the destiny of the god of wisdom. The world of mythology, shouldering the urgent task of saving children, unleashing the brand-new supernatural power of the thunderbolt. After this shocking Viking legend, save your own flesh and blood before the gods are swallowed by the catastrophe.

As mentioned above, there are also a bunch of Dawn of Ragnarok images providing a glimpse of the wondrous Nine Realms as they will be depicted in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Given the relatively close release date, we expect Ubisoft to provide official details on Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok soon enough. At any rate, this DLC should be a meaty appetizer for the many Norse mythology fans ahead of God of War: Ragnarök, the sequel to the highly acclaimed 2018 action game by Sony Santa Monica where players will also get to visit all of the Nine Realms. Previously due for release in 2021, God of War: Ragnarök is now planned for a 2022 launch as well (likely in the latter half of the year, though).

Some reviews for the Assassin's Creed Valhalla expansion The Siege of Paris and an editorial from Gamepressure.

God is a Geek 8/10

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris is filled with some of the best battles I’ve seen in the game to date. The new weapons, armour, and abilities are superb, and the country of Francia is beautifully designed. Eivor is pushed to her limits, and the story surrounding Charles the Fat is perhaps the greatest one so far. If you’re after more Valhalla, you won’t be disappointed. While I enjoyed The Wrath of the Druids more, I still loved what I played.

CogConnected 74/100

With its more focused campaign less burdened by irrelevancy, The Siege of Paris is a leaner, tighter and brisker expansion than Wrath of the Druids or much of the main story. The new/old Infiltration mechanic is a welcome changeup from the usual routine of explore and battle, but maybe not enough to entirely wipe away the feeling that the Siege of Paris is sticking a little too close to the template. What it lacks in creativity, bold new mechanics and mission structures, The Siege of Paris delivers in art direction, atmosphere and story. Though I personally enjoyed the visit to Ireland a little more, Eivor’s trip to Francia is by no means lacking in quality. For better or worse, it’s just more of the same.

GamePressure

Eivor seems to have had enough. She's fed up with the killing, the violence, the constant wars of blinded rulers, the failure to honor pacts and agreements, and the fact that ius talionis, the law of retaliation, takes precedence over any common sense. Quite by chance, however, she also voiced what some of us have been thinking during this long adventure: we keep running in circles here.

We rush from A to B, kill this boss, kill that boss, mow down enemies like hay in high summer, the level of challenge steadily decreasing; find everything, kill everyone. This expansion might as well be part of the main storyline – it's just as bland, so you might not even notice a difference if you skip the dialogues. We leap from rooftop to rooftop again, and again we beat the opponents one by one, there's a battle, and a final boss fight. The repetitiveness is further exacerbated by the rebel missions – a side activity that essentially has you do more of the same thing. Worse still, you can't accept a few quests like these and get them done in one fell swoop – you need to finish one before you can go back to one of the contractors and accept another.

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DSOGaming reports on upcoming update 1.3.0 for Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Ubisoft has announced that Title Update 1.3.0 for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release tomorrow, July 27th, and revealed its full patch notes.

This upcoming patch will be 20GB for the owners of the base game. For those owning the Season Pass, however, it will weigh around 31GB.

Title Update 1.3.0 will add support for The Siege of Paris. It will also add the Sigrblot Festival; a new time-limited event from July 29-August 19. Moreover, it will add a Level Scaling option. By using this setting, gamers will be able to adjust NPC levels to their liking.

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PC Gamer checked out the expansion Wrath of the Druids for Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids is a massive expansion stuffed with pagans, intrigue, and Irish mythology

Valhalla's first big DLC was worth the wait.

On the sacred sizing chart of videogame DLC, Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids sits just a few notches shy of Big Chungus. It's an impressively large expansion—which maybe isn't all that surprising considering Valhalla itself is a titanic RPG—that expands on nearly every aspect of the core game. You want a big, new story? It's up to you to reunite all of Ireland. You want more regions to explore? Wrath of the Druids has four of them, and they're each stunning. You want new enemies? Armor and weapons? Mythological creatures? Skills? Abilities? Cultists to hunt? Wrath of the Druids has all of that too. Aside from some frustrations (most of which are the same complaints I had with Valhalla's main campaign), Wrath of the Druids is a no-brainer for anyone who wants a little more Eivor in their life.

What's great is that even if you're still chewing through Valhalla's 60-hour main story, you can make the trip over 9th century Ireland whenever you want. Wrath of the Druids is available after completing one of the two initial quest arcs introduced after arriving in England and has a base power level of 55 (that scales upward so even veteran players will still be challenged). So it's basically available once players have completed Valhalla's hours-long prologue.

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Thanks Henriquejr!

A video looking at the inspirations for and creation of Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

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Video o tvorbÄ› AC Valhalla a inspiraci vývojářů s českými titulky. Diary about development and inspiration for AC Valhalla with english subtitles.

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@Gaminformer Ubisoft devs reportedly want the next Assassin's Creed to be set in Brazil.

That being said, he did add that in the immediate future, he'd love to see the culture of South America take center stage in the Assassin's Creed franchise. "From the Incas to the Spanish Conquistadors,"  Mercieca told the site that he would love to see this location explored more thoroughly and that the Assassin's Creed games are the perfect way to do just that. 

While the Assassin's Creed franchise has always been fiction, its entirety has been rooted heavily in history. Becoming a Viking in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, taking on gods in Odyssey, exploring ancient Egypt in Origins, taking the streets of Jerusalem - the sky is limitless regarding where the Ubisoft staple can go next. 

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Thanks Farflame!

The first DLC of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Wrath of the Druids, will be released on April 29:

Assassins Creed Valhalla Wrath Of The Druids - Trailer DLC

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Gaming Instincts has praised Assassin's Creed Valhalla as having the best open world compared to previous Assassin's Creed games.

Valhalla’s side content is not categorized as quests. In fact, quest markers don’t even appear on the hud. Only the main missions show up on the quest list while everything else is organically shown through the gameplay and on the map. This makes discovery seem more natural instead of running down a list of chores. 

So it was with past Assassin’s Creed side quests. A great many tended to fixate upon camps and strongholds, whether it be robbing them of vital goods or targeting a specific leader for assassination.

Conversely, each of Valhalla’s side quests – typically marked with a blue dot – are a distinctive experience that could range from the maudlin to the sincerely goofy. One quest has a Christian man bragging about his anger management abilities, prompting Eivor to burn the man’s house down and thus escalate the situation into a full-on impromptu boss fight. A sillier encounter involves a man’s complaints about an itch; in actuality, he has an ax protruding from the forehead. Another quest sees Eivor effectively playing therapist to a man forbidden by Viking oath from mourning his family.

We could continue with these examples, but the point has been made:  they’re varied and fascinating in their own ways. Of course, the blue dots don’t lead to just side quests.

In Valhalla, players can never be sure just what to expect from a blue dot flashing on the map. Sometimes Eivor will be directed to take some mushrooms and solve a trippy puzzle. Other times, they are introduced to a tough boss fight or tasked with building a cairn. 

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Thanks Farflame!

Gameinformer interviewed the devs of Assassin's Creed Valhalla about successes, surprises, and post-launch priorities.

Apart from the announced post-launch updates, what is on the top of your priority list?
I think Odyssey was very successful in listening to its player base. When looking at Valhalla’s post-launch plans, it was important to me to have quality-of-life fixes in there, and also be able to react to the new platforms, because they continue improving. We’ve got great reception on PS5, Series X, and PC as well; people are definitely enjoying the high-end capabilities of the game, so we want to continue to capitalize on that. This isn’t meant to sound like bulls--- or cliché, but for me, it’s about hearing what the player base is saying and reacting to that, on top of the extra content and the features.

Was there any feature from early on that you thought might have been cool to include, but it just didn’t make it into the final game?
We had our pillars pretty early, and we stuck to them. We tweaked in terms of balance ... but we stayed true to those pillars. But one thing I can say that didn’t make it through that we thought might work very early on was naval combat. We actually found out that Vikings were not doing much naval combat; we thought they might be shooting flaming arrows like in Odyssey. But they just didn’t do that. So, we said, “There’s no sea in our map, only rivers ... we’re going to treat the ship more like a vehicle.”

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Asweplay reports on how exploration has been improved in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Side-quests Are Discovered 

Unlike the previous Assassins Creed games, there aren’t any exclamation marks dotting your map, adding a side-quest entry to a separate task list. This sort of approach usually made side-quests feel like they were some sort of checklists you had to complete. When mixed with a levelling system, this meant you were hoarding these until you could complete them, or were glorified kill or fetch quests.

Valhalla thankfully delivers a radical change with this system, taking out the side-quest sub-menu entirely. The side-quests in Valhalla are more like events that you run across, each with their own stories and objectives. Based on your exploration settings, you do get a marker on the map highlighting points of interests, but you never really know what you’ll find there.

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Wccftech reports on a new mod for Assassin's Creed Valhalla that lets players customize Eivor's appearance.

This new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla mod is among the first modifications for Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed installment and allows users to customize their character.

Created by modder ‘Hypermorphic’, the ‘Eivor Customizer’ mod allows users to make use of additional NPC models in order to customize the appearance of the game’s hero. Since additional customization options for Eivor haven’t been officially included by Ubisoft, unwanted side-effects can occur. As such, players are advised to back up their save files prior to using this mod.

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Thanks Farflame!

Some reviews for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Additionally Polygon talks about how the combat was fixed.

Playstationing 4/5

Eivor on the other hand is a great character, and there’s a really good story within Valhalla for him. Which is good considering you could easily sink 100 hours into this Assassin’s Creed without breaking a sweat, so having an interesting protagonist is important. The biggest issue with how long the game is, is that it takes a long time for you to really get into it, roughly 12-15 hours. That’s probably been the problem for every Assassin’s Creed game since Assassin’s Creed 3, and it’s still an issue now. There are some very memorable arcs and overall the pacing is good, but the beginning of the story is very slow and focused along a few specific things you can do. Once you get past a certain point, things open up and you have more choice on where you can go and what you can do. I can’t help but think this is intentional, perhaps because many people have in the past complained that there is too much to do initially and no focus.

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Entertainium : No Rating

Gold ones indicate actual treasures you can get, like new armor and resources for your home camp, while blue and white ones indicate sights to see or special world quests to partake outside of the main story. These are enough to draw you in and get lost in its world, but are thankfully not nearly as much of a handful as they were in the previous two games. The color change might feel minor, but it helps you decide whether or not it’s worth going for it, and even then, if you do run towards one, it serves up a rewarding time since it’s not as straightforward as you might think given the variety. For instance, you might be out for a gold one anly to find out it’s underground, but how do you get to it? Oh, a locked door, hm, where’s the key?

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Ready Player Gone 8.9/10

The gameplay of Valhalla is brilliant – apart from a few bugs and some repetition – I cannot really fault it. Repetition is almost unavoidable in a game like this – it isn’t that bad but after a while you will notice it in the gameplay. Minor bugs and clunkiness that I have encountered includes glitching clouds, dodgy raiding AI among other small things. But enough about the small negatives because this game packs an incredible amount of awesome positives.

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Gertlush Gaming 8.8/10

The Assassin’s Creed games have had a lot of ups and downs over the years including a triumphant return following a short break with Origins, then immediately followed up with Odyssey but I felt like Odyssey was too soon and too similar to Origin and I eventually burned out. I came to Valhalla hoping that wasn’t the case, for the first few hours it did in fact feel like it had done an Odyssey and I was gonna have to drag myself through it. I did what I always do which is to trek across the map and get as many synchronization points as I could so I could fast travel to main missions and I dabbled in a few side quests. It was fine but it hadn’t grabbed me, the story was one I felt I’ve heard a lot over the years, and whilst the snow looked fantastic I yearned for more variety and fun. Then it happened… What I thought was the area of the game you play in turned out to just be an appetizer as the main course was a banquet! 

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Game Freaks 365 4.5/5

There isn’t really a standard level in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla though. Filling up the level bar or completing world tasks rewards players with skill points they can sink into a huge skill tree. The skill tree has three branching paths that ultimately all connect to each other, but you can spec out Eivor however you want as you play through the game.

The skill tree in Valhalla is actually one of the few things I dislike about the game. It kind of looks like the sphere grid from Final Fantasy X, but most of the tree is covered by a fog that gets revealed as you hit certain points in the branch. It isn’t ideal for figuring out a build for Eivor tailored to your playstyle, but the main theme of Valhalla seems to be discovery, so maybe that was part of the decision process here. As you sink points into the tree, Eivor’s power level goes up, replacing a traditional leveling system with one based on unlocking stat boosts and skills.

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Thanks Farflame!

C4G checked out Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla - C4G Review After 60+ Hours | Is it Worth Playing?

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MXDWN checked out Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review

After over 60 hours spent playing, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla feels like the culmination of what Ubisoft has been building towards since changing up the formula of the series with Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017. It’s the most open world RPG feeling game in the series, but it’s able to tie itself back to the roots of the series in ways that may not be expected.

The game nails the viking aesthetic and is overall gorgeous to look at. I really felt like a viking while raiding my way across England to make a claim on the land. The game has many ways to tailor the playstyle to how you want. At the beginning, you are able to adjust three different forms of difficulty options. You can change how hard you want combat, exploration, and stealth to be. Each are independent of each other and can be changed on the fly. Thus, if you feel one combat is a bit too easy, you can crank that up without impacting the stealth elements or exploration or vice versa with the others.

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Overall, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a a wondrously beautiful open world RPG chalk full of things to do and discover. It’s one of those games where you can jump in at any time and just run around and chip away at at your leisure or get lost for hours on end just discovering all the little hidden things. Despite the technical issues, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla continues the strong streak of recent entries in the series, and showcases why Assassin’s Creed is Ubisoft’s premier franchise.

Score: 8/10

Goosed checked out Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review

Assassin’s Creed is back with the latest addition to one of gaming’s most iconic series. Assassins Creed Valhalla is less stealth and speed and more smash and destroy as is the Viking life, taking place during the Viking raids of England. You play as Eivor, the male or female main protagonist while you pillage your way through the lands in a gorgeous open world landscape.

Generally speaking the two biggest issues with Assassins Creed titles is that the games are two big and two repetitive, while these issues still slightly carry, your main man Eivor is soooo far away from the traditional assassin of games gone past. Unlike games gone past Eivor’s main story arc really has to do with the Viking life with intermittent Animus interruptions. As I said Valhalla is a bit of move away from the traditional Assassins Creed games and with more combat and gore than ever before, it’s time to raid!

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SUMMARY
Sure look here's the deal, if you like Assassins Creed already or general open world RPG's you're going to love Valhalla, yes it's more guts and gore than some of the more stealthy previous titles, but that should be expected when you're a Viking. Oh and if the rest ain't a selling point for Valhalla in early spring 2021 'Wrath of the Druids' will be the first expansion pass of the game, where players will get to journey to Ireland to uncover various myths and legends of our little island.

Score: 4.1/5

Upper Echelon Gamers shared his impressions of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and found himself worried about the slog.

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Assassins Creed Valhalla has been a roller coaster so far. The game fits into a thematic niche that I love with all my heart but the false depth, repetition and chunkiness to the combat are starting to rear their ugly head in the background. I am worried the game will fall apart and become a tedious slog, even if I am currently, thoroughly enjoying myself.

Henriquejr spotted some more reviews for Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Gamesradar - 4.5/5

Eurogamer -  A Saga for the Ages

PC Invasion - 9/10

WCCFTech - 8.5/10

Polyhon - Myth and Reality blurred in a World that’s rich with Mystery

Destructoid - 6.5/10

Largh spotted some reviews for Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Metacritic: 85/100 (at the time of writing)

PC Gamer: 92/100

IGN: 8/10

Gamespot: 8/10

Largh:

The conclusion seems to be that the game looks great, has a huge open world, an OK story, and quite some bugs. It is said to be more of an RPG than the previous entry. 

A preview for Assassin's Creed Valhalla from CogConnected.

A Small Sliver of a Vast Kingdom

World Events are the new Side Quests and they’re handled in a similar, but more seamless way. In the Leicestershire demo, there are nearly a dozen World Events with varying activities. One involved helping a hidden woman collect snake eggs in a viper infested cave, another had Eivor helping two idiot brothers torch a house after retrieving something important from inside, and the most ridiculously delightful World Event had Eivor tripping out on magic mushrooms and seeing seals slowly waddle their way into interdimensional portals. This method of tackling side quests made them more interesting to do, and Ubisoft has really nailed the World Events in the Leicestershire demo.

Charisma in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is leveled up through competing in rap battles that are heavily reliant on timing, speed, and rhyme scheme. Previous to seeing it in action, I saw this as a silly addition to a very serious Assassin’s Creed installment. After experiencing these rap battles first-hand, I can confirm that they play well. My biggest issue with these is I can’t see anyone failing at them more than once. Similar to the ease experienced in these rap battles, there are some standing stone puzzles to solve in the open world of Valhalla that I felt were extremely easy to solve. These puzzles give you an image while showing pieces of the image engraved in nearby standing stones. Basically, you have to stand at the appropriate angle to line up the standing stones to bring the pieces of the symbol together and create the image that the puzzle requires. These are fun and engaging, and a great distraction from the main storyline of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but I felt that these puzzles are a little easy.

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Largh spotted a post-launch trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Post Launch & Season Pass Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

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DSOGaming reports on a new deep dive video for Assassin's Creed Valhalla which explores gameplay mechanics. Additionally the system specs are now available.

Ubisoft has released a Deep Dive trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, featuring some brand new gameplay footage from it. This trailer will give you a glimpse at the gameplay mechanics that Ubisoft has implemented in this new AC game.

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you are Eivor; a fierce Viking warrior raised on tales of battle and glory. Players will explore a dynamic and beautiful open world set against the brutal backdrop of England’s Dark Ages. Players will also raid their enemies, grow their settlement, and build their political power in their quest to earn their place among the gods in Valhalla.

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DSOGaming reports on a story trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Ubisoft has released the official story trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. In this new AC game, players will become Eivor; a fierce Viking warrior torn between their duty to their brother Sigurd and a personal quest for glory.

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla has been much in the news lately.

Sirus Gaming talk about the rumoured recruitable animals.

That is the hint Letalien has given us. Players can meet and fight legendary animals and face off against them. After that, it would be possible to recruit these legendary beings as battle companions. He did not deny or confirm it, but there is a big chance. Imagine a big polar bear or a giant white wolf fighting alongside you. That would be epic.

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Gamespot looked at the romance mechanics.

"There are definitely a couple of one-night-stands you can get involved in and they're fun in their own ways but there's also going to be some longer-term relationships," McDevitt explained. "A little of both. If you want to be monogamous and have a single, ongoing relationship with somebody, you can do that."

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Glitched went hands-on with the game.

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After a few hours with the game, we have a love and hate relationship with it. For starters, its darker tone is a welcome change as the Viking era delivers the opportunity for Ubisoft to present a new approach to the art style and story. From the first glimpse, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is not your Odyssey experience. The dark and gritty landscape replaces the vibrant rolling hills of Greece. The shiny shoulder guards of the hoplite Greek soldier is now replaced with layers of thick fur and the well-groomed and handsome fleet of men are now savage Vikings with makeshift tattoos, braided beards and a face full of scars. If anything, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s new aesthetic is attractive. It successfully forces you into the story and world around you even though the build we played lacked the polish of a final product.

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Gamebyte has a preview also.

Looking through the skill tree system it seems there’s definitely options to improve stealth and I’m sure, with more time with the game, there will be plenty of moments that sneaking around feels rewarding… but after 3 hours with the game I’m yet to see much of it. It is worth noting though that the skill tree has A LOT of customisation and that will mean you can refine it to the style you find the most entertaining and effective.

Is this really a negative though when the combat is so addictive? A real highlight of my time with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was the assault on Burgh Castle. Watching the ships sail across water in a storm with the castle in the distance, having my army shield themselves from flaming arrows raining from the sky and finally hitting the shore to land straight into a battle is some of the most adrenaline fuelled action the franchise has ever offered. 

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VG24/7 interviewed the devs about the game and noted that each region has its own story.

Another point I wanted to touch on was, England at that point was really flat, right? It’s not so built up. So, does parkour take a back seat? Obviously in the demo, the area we saw was quite flat, but are there more built-up areas around England than that as well? Like London, for example?

LL: Right. So, we definitely kept the topology of England as a whole in mind. First, it was important to be historically accurate. The parkour, though, does not take a back seat at all. It’s really an important part of Assassin’s Creed. It’s a core element to our game. You played the demo, so, in East Anglia, so you see where areas are flat, but we do have a lot of places that you can climb, locations that you can do parkour. Also in the raids, or in the assault locations. So, we always support the parkour. And we do have, for example, a mechanic that we call the Flying Sheet. So, we do push the parkour where you have to follow while parkouring, jumping, let’s say, from tree to tree, or from beam to beam, and catch a flying sheet that’s flying over the objects.

And what’s it like down in London in 873?

LL: I can’t really talk about London. I would really like to, because I worked on it a lot. All I can tell you is the parkour was really a focus for us, because as you said, it’s not in East Anglia, a vast space. It’s way more buildings. So, parkour will definitely be cool in there.

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PCGamesN went hands-on with Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Early into the demo I embark on a raid to defeat a rival Danish clan and liberate Oswald ahead of the wedding. Raids are an evolution of Odyssey’s Conquest Battles, large-scale brawls between two armies, but with siege-like stages that give the battle some much needed direction and urgency. Raids are pure cinema, as you scythe your way through what feels like an entire army, ballistas and archers raining fire down from above while a battering ram drums away in the background.

After freeing Oswald and attending his wedding I’m free to explore a sizable chunk of the East Anglia region, from ancient woodlands in deep Norfolk, to the coast around Great Yarmouth. Whether galloping down damp, muddy lanes on horseback or coursing through the rivers in your longship – the crew belting out skaldic songs as they go – East Anglia is a pleasure to explore.

Dense woodlands, thickets, and no shortage of fog lend the landscape an air of mystery. Thick oak trees are draped in moss and lichen, the forest floor is illuminated by wildflowers like the bright white wood anemone and the mauve hue of columbine. In a call back to Assassin’s Creed III, you can navigate portions of the forest through a network of gnarled branches. As the forest opens up into heathland, fern thickets create helpful pockets for stalking wildlife, while protruding alder and elm trees offer vantage points.

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Push Square reports that Assassin's Creed Valhalla does not use the Origins or Odyssey loot system. RespawnFirst talks about the plan to avoid time wasting moments by eliminating fetch quests. Windows Central looked at the setting, story and characters.

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Based on the words of narrative director Darby McDevitt, it sounds like Valhalla won't be adopting the randomised loot system found in Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. McDevitt tells the publication: "Every piece of gear is unique in the game and [can be] upgraded extensively so that when you find a piece of gear, you're excited and you celebrate it, and that can stay with you for quite a long time."

He adds: "It can be viable for quite a long time. So it's quite a different approach than the previous games took."

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Ubisoft’s Darby Christopher McDevitt talked about the upcoming game (Official PS Magazine) and he mentioned that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is not going to waste the player’s time with fetch-quests. He talked about how everything is going to be important. The following is what he had to say regarding the matter:

The story structure is a little bit different in this game and I’m really proud of it. The goal again is to feel like you never have a wasted moment. We wanted to make sure that the character you meet in this game are more memorable than that (characters that vanish after fetch-quests), you are more likely to remember them for a long time.

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Thanks Farflame!