An incredible world to explore, mysteries to uncover, and baddies to kill.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla came out back in November and I Have been playing a decent amount of it since it was released. I know a lot of people were having some glitches and bugs, but I really think it was still a pretty smooth launch for a new AC game. I personally haven’t come across anything that has ruined my experiences in Valhalla and I am pretty thankful for it.
After 30+ hours in Valhalla I think I have experienced enough in the game to write a solid impressions post. I’ll try to keep things as spoiler free as possible, but there might be some early on spoilers, but I don’t believe they’ll affect others experiences with the game.
Valhalla pretty much had me hooked with the whole Vikings theme. I love the mythology that comes with Viking culture, and the way Assassin’s Creed has great ties to historical events, I was very excited. After playing Odyssey as Kassandra, I knew I wanted to continue playing as a female assassin. I have not been disappointed in female Eivor’s voice acting at all. She feels like a tough bad ass and I love it. Any interaction with NPCs makes me listen through the conversation, instead of feeling like skipping forward. Ubisoft killed it with their female protagonist yet again, and it has made the game that much better for me.
When it comes to combat, it still feels pretty similar to Odyssey. It was easy for me to get use to the small changes they made from Odyssey, and it all still feels pretty solid. Most of the game I was using an axe and shield, but recently I swapped the shield out for a bad ass hammer. Dual wielding feels awesome and honestly, pretty menacing looking. I absolutely love that they got rid of the ridiculous amount of loot in the game. Eivor isn’t just going to pick up any lame weapon found off a dead enemy or in a bush. If it’s worthwhile, you’ll seek it out and add it to your collection.
Stealth also feels like it got an upgrade in one specific area: the hidden blade. Yes, the hidden blade is back for this game. It honestly never felt like it was missing from Odyssey, but it’s exciting to see it again. The best part is getting one hit kills with the blade is entirely doable with stronger enemies. There’s a quick time event to get it just right for the one hit, and its been incredibly easy to pull off every time I have used it. Being stealthy is so much easier in Valhalla than Odyssey, and I am all for it. I do like running into an area and just being an absolute savage though.
Exploration in Valhalla is pretty satisfying. I think almost half of my time playing has been more exploration than doing any sort of quest, main or side. Ubisoft has made finding side quests pretty easy, just running around and you’ll stumble across something interesting. It’s a lot like the strangers events in Red Dead Redemption 2. The events range from a side quest, mystical runes, collectibles, and even more. They never feel like you’re stuck doing them for a long time either. It’s normally quick and simple but still feels pretty rewarding.
The story in Valhalla has been interesting so far. Once again there are three different storylines, a lot like Odyssey. I just recently hit the third storyline and it really has me intrigued. I won’t spoil it, but it goes deep into Norse mythology and I love it. Outside of that, you have the Assassin storyline. You’re =learning about the bad guys within The Order and taking them out. You’ll see a lot of them while going through the main story of building up your clans reputation and forming alliances, but you can also stumble across them randomly as well. I was on a random raid on a village and ended up killing someone that was on the assassination list. It’s definitely a weird thing to happen, but that’s alright.
Building up your clans reputation is the main focus of the game. You’re going around to nearby towns, villages, and cities and trying to gain the favor of the leaders there. So far it’s felt like I’ve just been raiding towns, killing the bad leader, and inputting someone new to do our bidding. It’s a weird way to build the trust of the folks living nearby, but I guess it works. In the process fo this story you can also build up Clan Raven’s home. Creating new buildings like a tattoo shop, a stable, and even barracks where you can create your own raiders and let other players recruit them.
None of this, outside of the Assassin’s Order building or the stable, ever felt like I needed to build these buildings. Recently though Ubisoft pushed out an updated called the Yuletide Event. It’s something celebrated around the same time as the winter holidays. There are three different events you can do, get drunk, shoot targets, or get drunk and fight guys. Honestly, not that much fun, but to unlock exclusive weapons, armor and customizable, you have to do these events to earn tokens to unlock them. It also gives the incentive to build the ale house and the cattle farm. Doing so will unlock a quest that will earn you even more tokens. It’s a boring grind for the tokens, but I’m half way there and I can’t stop now. I want all of it.
So far Valhalla has been an excellent experience. I love exploring the world, raiding villages, and diving deep into the lore of the Assassin Order. It’s the best part so far. If this is anything like Odyssey, I know I’ll be spending 100+ hours. It might sound weird, but I really hope Ubisoft skips next year for the AC franchise. I really want to spend a full year playing this game. With DLC content coming as well, I know it’s going to hold my attention.
Are you playing AC Valhalla? Are you enjoying it? Let me know in the comments below!
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The Tired Obsidian 