You take on the role of Eivor, a warrior who falls into the parentage of clan king Styrbjorn following their parent’s brutal murder. As sibling to the king’s son Sigurd, Eivor and their clan leave their homeland for pastures new, and it’s the historically established duality of Viking motivation which provides game-spanning problems for Valhalla’s narrative. The game’s good for the most part – decent combat, likeable characters, an immersive open world – but the developer clearly had a hard time deciding what kind of story they wanted to tell.

I am no historian and what I am about to say is something I came across when I was searching about the Vikings. There’s reportedly debate amongst historians as to just how bloodthirsty Vikings were. Yes, they ransacked settlements, but there’s also evidence they favoured diplomacy over bloodshed. They co-existed, helped develop language, and established new trade routes.

Regardless of whether this  is true or not, you do a lot of killing in command of Eivor in Valhalla, but overall, the Vikings aren’t shown to be exclusively evil in the game. But it’s this alleged historical nebulousness which got Assassin’s Creed Valhalla off to a bad start according to some fans, with criticism levelling the developer’s efforts towards realism before an axe had even been swung.

According to player feedback, Incorrect weaponry, improper armour, inaccurate shields, improper representation of Saxon culture, over-romanticised visions of Viking wanderlust, numerous were the issues raised by those of a historical background following Valhalla’s reveal trailer. Thing is, video games always blur the edges between historical fact and entertaining fiction.

Oversized weapons, for instance, have always been a thing, their larger frame being more readable on screen. Portraying enemies as hyper-violent brutes to justify your own murderous actions another obvious commonplace example. There’s always going to be a point where developers must put entertainment first, but according to some players, the points at which the developer usurped historical realism for gameplay proved divisive amongst gamers.

Another example would be the verdant landscape of England itself. Now, setting is consistently one of Assassin’s Creeds’ most well-realised features, and whilst the environment’s design is as stellar as always in Valhalla the efforts towards historical accuracy do present the question as to whether 9^th century England was the right choice for an Assassin’s Creed game. After all, the land is flat. According to my research, Anglo-Saxon settlers didn’t build to height. Colossal medieval castles weren’t constructed yet. Forests had next to nothing in them.

The sparse population centred in settlements meant there wasn’t a lot of interesting happenstances occurring during open world traversal. Thus, the series’ integral parkour and free running is side-lined in favour of traipsing across a vast open world where not a lot tends to occur. Historically accurate to a degree, perhaps, but forgoing much of what makes video games – and Assassin’s Creed games in particular – entertaining. Whether this is appealing depends on the individual; as is the theme of this feature: it’s divisive.

The decision to set one of Assassin’s Creed’s mainline entry within a Viking era means the series’ stealth mechanics have been kept on the side-lines too, albeit with the reintroduction of classic features like social stealth there’s more opportunities for sneaking than in the action-orientated Origins and Odyssey. Still, Eivor is not an assassin, their skills in stealth clunky and sluggish. There are stealth elements here though: Eivor is given a handful of tactics from the ‘Hidden Ones’ (Assassins before they called themselves so). One is how to best utilise the blade which they bestow you with and another is a strategy for camouflaging in plain sight. By donning a hood – a tactic not unique to Valhalla but a staple of the series at large – Eivor can sneak into populated areas where Vikings are not welcome, or simply walk by guards without them noticing.

These mechanics don’t go far enough to make stealth a viable option to use throughout, and a further problem is that performing stealthy actions don’t always work anyway. Silently taking down a guard, making zero noise, keeping out of sight; sometimes this has no effect on whether the rest of the town spots Eivor or not. Stealth here is another example of the developer getting stuck between two mindsets.

They felt they had to reintroduce stealth elements following their notable absence from Valhalla’s two predecessors, but they didn’t go far enough to make them a great option for gameplay. As interesting as the movement of Vikings across Europe and beyond in the Middle Ages was, it hasn’t fostered a game which feels like Assassin’s Creed. A decent open world action adventure sure or may be a great one according to our review back in 2020, but too atypical in a series famed for blending sneaking and parkour.

The gargantuan open world plays host to a huge campaign too, with the story’s length itself another bone of contention amongst gamers. Clocking in at around 60 hours, Eivor’s odyssey through Middle Age England takes a while to get going, and it isn’t all that satisfying to undertake and complete. Worse still, arguably the game’s prologue section in Norway is the most interesting part of Valhalla, with many believing the game goes downhill once the clan lands in England. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla then is too long. In fact, Valhalla was one of numerous AAA titles which kickstarted the widespread debate on whether video games had become too large. Eivor’s story, after a while, just doesn’t feel that unique or interesting, and certainly not worth ticking off the best part of three days to see to the end.

That said, an interesting addition to Valhalla’s narrative was its Kingdoms, sections of the country divided up by their various king, leaders, and various noblemen rulers, with Eivor and their clan deciding how best to forge an alliance with the Kingdom. Either via force or diplomacy, these Kingdoms represent a more thoughtful version of the commonplace structure of acquiring sections of the map, and the choice between hostility and negotiation – mirroring real-life Viking approaches – meant gathering up bits of land for the Viking cause never felt overly grindy or like busywork. There was meaning behind these actions.

Side content however was overabundant. Much of Valhalla’s content away from the main story succumbed to the developer’s penchant for copy-pasting. Repetition was rife, and to see all the content through to completion – much like the main campaign – required willpower which frankly shouldn’t even be the case in video games. Collectibles were streamlined compared to Origins and Odyssey, which was a plus, but you must wonder what the point of it all is if pursuing every activity across the map is a repetitive slog for the sake of acquiring a few bits of gear.

In summary, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla suffered an identity crisis which made it divisive amongst fans. Efforts towards realism simultaneously went too far whilst not going deep enough. It seems as though focus was placed in some areas whilst the developer rested on their laurels for others. Valhalla is a great open world Viking adventure and surely has a lot of fans but fails to be a great Assassin’s Creed game.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

PS4-exclusive titles include LEGO Jurassic World, LEGO Worlds, Rogue Lords and Tales of Zestiria. Need for Speed Unbound and The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition round out the PS5-exclusive titles.

As for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, they gain access to two PS4/PS5 titles – Jet Moto 2 for the PS One and Resistance: Retribution from the PSP era – and two PS4 titles – Tales of Symphonia Remastered and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. All PS4 titles should be playable on PS5 with backwards compatibility, further increasing the number of offerings.

PlayStation Plus currently has 47.4 milion subscribers. Head here for more details on active users for PlayStation Network, along with other sales updates from Sony.

Other noteworthy issues addressed include rare instances where Light-Fingered prevented key items from being picked up and Eivor’s hair clipping through their hood when an Animus Anomaly is complete. Items purchased previously should no longer be missing from the player’s inventory, and they should be able to enhance/upgrade the Raven Clan Crew outfit to a higher quality going forward.

You should no longer lose Helix Credits when purchasing the Twilight Set, even when owning all five pieces. Check out the full patch notes below for more details. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for the base game here.

After two years of support, it received its last major content update with The Last Chapter in November – head here for more details.

AC Valhalla Title Update 1.7.0 – Release Notes

BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS

River Raids

Addressed:

• The Captain at Katzenelnbogen isn’t counted when the kill is confirmed.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

World

Addressed:

• Resolved most of the rare instances where Light-Fingered skill prevented the pickup of key items.
• Eivor’s hair can clip through the hood after completing an Animus Anomaly.

Armory & Inventory

Addressed:

• Previously purchased items are missing from player inventory.
• The Raven Clan Crew outfit cannot be enhanced or upgraded to a higher quality.
• The total number of Opals in the inventory doesn’t update when picking up an Opal in the world.

Miscellaneous

Addressed:

• Resolved the error that occurs when trying to claim the Weekly Free Item.
• Gear packs still appear in the store when the content of the pack is already owned.
• Items incorrectly appear as owned in some situations.
• Korean language cannot be applied via Steam Language tab.
• It is possible to lose Helix Credits when purchasing the Twilight Set if 5/5 pieces of gear are already owned.
• Issues with pricing of Helix Store items when redeeming pieces of a full set.
• On Xbox, when buying Helix Credits through the store, they are not correctly added to the player inventory.
• In-game pop-ups no longer appear for Shared History and The Last Chapter when launching into the game.

Though the development team didn’t specify the issue, it is looking to provide a fix. There’s no ETA for the same, so you may have to come back next week (or the week after) for your free item.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It launched in November 2020 and has had extensive support, with free updates (the most recent adding Monster Hunter World-themed cosmetics) and paid expansions. The Last Chapter is the final major content update, closing out Eivor’s story.

A new quest, “Shared History,” was also added that tied into Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the next title in the franchise rumored to be out in August. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Due to an issue with the Weekly Free Item feature in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, we have temporarily disabled this feature. Thank you for your patience as our team is looking into providing a fix.

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) January 17, 2023

All the base game’s content is available during this time, and any progress made carries over when purchasing it. Furthermore, thanks to cross-platform saves, you can play the trial on PC and then buy the game on consoles. With the Countdown Sale now live on Xbox and soon to arrive for PlayStation, it’s a neat option to have.

To partake in the trial, head here. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has received numerous updates and paid DLC since launching in November 2020. Its final content update, The Last Chapter, went live a few weeks ago and concluded Eivor’s Saga. There’s also a new quest which connects to Assassin’s Creed Mirage, out next year.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla tells the story of Eivor, a Viking raider in 873 CE who leaves Norway to settle in Anglo-Saxon England. They build a settlement and forge alliances with various allies, but in the midst of this, Eivor receives visions of Odin and Valhalla. Then there are the Hidden Ones and their ongoing conflict with the Order of the Ancients.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is also available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. You can check out our review of the base game here. It’s received two smaller-scale expansions – Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of Paris – along with another major one in Dawn of Ragnarok. Various free updates have also gone live, including The Last Chapter, which concludes Eivor’s tale. For more details, head here.

As for Destiny 2, the next season features a ship, three armor ornament sets, a Sparrow, Ghost Shell and finishers themed after Assassin’s Creed in the Eververse Store. Valhalla players arguably win out in this exchange with Saint-14 and Shaxx’s armor, and some crazy weapons. Then again, the Assassin-themed armor for Warlocks in Destiny 2 looks pretty good.

Season 19 of Destiny 2 starts December 6th, while Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s The Last Chapter update – meant to go live on the same day – is now available. For more details on the latter, check out the latest trailer here.

On December 21st, for instance, players receive the Young Ezio Legacy Outfit. It’s Ezio Auditore da Firenze’s default outfit from Assassin’s Creed 2 and looks pretty sleek. A free weekend is also set for December 15th to 19th, though it’s unknown whether this includes all the paid expansions. You can learn more about the base game from our review.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna. It’s had over 20 million players since launching in November 2020. Ubisoft’s next title, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, is slated for release in 2023.

Another nice feature is the weekly free item. A premium item will be available to claim weekly from the Animus Store for free. Some licensed content won’t be available, and the received item is randomized, but you can expect most to be up for grabs.

For those who didn’t participate in the limited-time Festivals, you can claim the rewards from Merchants throughout England. “The First Night of Samhaim” in the Glowecestrescire arc must be completed first. After that, you can exchange Silver coins for the items. New mounts and a raven are being added for free to thank fans for their support.

As for Stadia players, this is the last update for the platform before its closure on January 18th, 2023. “We are working on bringing the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. Stay tuned for details on timing.” If you own Valhalla on consoles or PC, you can transfer progress and continue playing. Check out the full patch notes below.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia. The PC version is still set to launch on December 6th for Steam.

ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA – TITLE UPDATE 1.6.2

BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

Tombs of the Fallen

Addressed:

• The damage animation doesn’t activate when walking into the spiked poles.
• Eivor will remain in the grabbing state when pushing a stone onto the descending platforms.

The Forgotten Saga

Addressed:

• Abilities cannot be activated during other combat actions.
• The quest “A gift from the Otherworld” remains after completing The Forgotten Saga.
• Eivor gets stuck under Nidhogg when the dragon is stunned

Mastery Challenge

Addressed:

• Hildiran’s Health Bar does not match their actual Health total.
• In some rare instances, encountering a crash during a cutscene with Hildiran can cause gear to go missing and some quest flows to break.
• Explosive jars are already blown up before starting the Dunwic: Trial of the Wolf.
• Unable to progress the quest “A Challenge from the Gods” after the first cutscene.
• Enemies hit with the rush and bash ability will not die or give points.

Dawn of Ragnarok

Addressed:

• During the quest “Finding Fritjof” Tyra won’t move inside the Foundry area.
• Instances where Odin would become stuck upon loading into Svartalfheim
• Unintended behavior occurs when reloading the game after buying runes from Kara.
• After battling Riekr, the Jotnar Bearded Axe was not awarded.
• Suttungr’s Outriders are not appearing on the map.
• During the Quest “The Scholar and the Sunstone” walking over lava doesn’t charge the stone as intended.
• During the quest “The Scholar and the Sunstone” Einar would stop moving.
• Daily Quests can sometimes set a friendly Jotun NPC as a target to assassinate.

Crossover Stories

Addressed:

• The cargo shelf in the Caves of Gold cannot be moved.

River Raids

Addressed:

• Legacy of Saint George markers are visible outside of River Raids.
• Jomsviking crew members will run toward locked doors during Raids.
• In some instances, the Jomsviking crew’s health would be reduced when discovering a new location.

The Siege of Paris

Addressed:

• In some rare instances, players would not be able to leave to Francia after speaking with Pierre.
• During the quest “A Hidden Weakness” Bernard can get stuck in a loop preventing the quest from progressing.
• Unable to speak to Toka at the start of the quest “Strangers bearing gifts”

Wrath of the Druids

Addressed:

• Azar has died in England preventing the completion of “Dublin’s Reach”
• When being grappled by an Irish Hound Eivor can get stuck in the animation.
• “Man’s best friend” ability is not unlocked after completing the quest “A little problem”

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Main Quests, World Events, and Side Activities

Addressed:

• Eivor’s cape obscures the camera during the Flying event in Eurvicscire.
• The quest “Bound to Fate” was not added to the quest log after completion of the Jotunheim Arc.
• Crashing issues can be encountered on PS5 during the quests “Restless Dreams” and “Beyond Fear”.
• The quest “Twist and Turns” not updating after defeating all the enemies.
• In some instances, the quest “Firing the Arrow” cannot be started. After building Valka’s hut, the objective is not marked as complete.
• While fighting Basim, abilities that cause damage over time would simplify his phase 1.
• Unable to kill Bishop Herferith during “A Sword-Shower in Anecastre”
• Cannot interact with Loki in the quest “View above all”
• “Stoneman” Mysterynot be marked as complete upon completion.
• The quest “A Mild Hunt” can’t be completed due to the NPCs not being interactable. 

World

Addressed:

• Everold’s shop vanishing after being built.
• Rocks can be seen floating in the mountain area in Fornburg.
• Riding a mount around Ravensthorpe can result in your mount slowing in some places.
• It isn’t possible to confirm the kill against the Zealot “Callin” as he has clipped under the map.
• In the quest “Breaking Teeth, Not Hearts” the mystery NPCs all spawn in dead.
• Notification for leaving the boss area for Daughters of Lerion can appear when visiting the areas after the boss has been defeated.
• It isn’t possible to kill Leofgifu because she is stuck in a hut.
• When loading into the game it is always raining.
• In some instances, the shelves couldn’t be moved to obtain the key in Saint Hadrian’s Priory in Cent.

Armory and Inventory

Addressed:

• Corrected the 10% critical chance per kill for the Jorogiri short sword.
• The damage buff perk from the Yurei Bushido doesn’t activate when weapons are ignited.
• Items purchased in the Helix Store can disappear from the inventory.
• The Amalgam Sword perk activates incorrectly in some circumstances.
• The Yurei Bushido armor (Ghostly) perk doesn’t work as intended. 
• Dwarven hairstyles and beards are duplicated in the inventory.
• The Scythe light attacks can sometimes break shieldbearer’s guard stances.
• The Light-Fingered skill does not work around some lootable items.

Miscellaneous

Addressed:

• After using Photo Mode the pause menu will not function as intended.
• Some of the taller NPCs in Ravensthorpe shrank in size.
• The Celctic Armor is missing visual elements.
• Unintended behavior occurs when performing transmog on some weapons.
• Unequipped Store Items still appear present on a Mannequin after saving or loading.
• Finisher animations do not always play out on stunned enemies.
• Using a ration while interacting with a movable object causes an unintended animation.
• NPC sizes can alter when doing certain tasks and actions.
• Idunn’s Heart Effect is visible while inactive on the Dublin Champion gear set.
• Irregular behavior occurs when using the alternate combo ender with the Hammer and free off-hand.
• Added additional stability improvements to Valhalla.
• Using the ability “Rush and Bash” in some fights could prevent interacting with an NPC afterward.
• After slamming enemies into a wall the follow up attack of Rush and Bash Level 2 does not trigger.

UI / HUD

Addressed:

• Changing tabs in Blacksmith rapidly causes unintended behavior with the menu display.

https://twitter.com/assassinscreed/status/1597696912987136001

A spokesperson told Eurogamer, “We’re constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are while providing a consistent player ecosystem through Ubisoft Connect. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Anno 1800 and Roller Champions are among the Ubisoft titles that will be releasing on Steam.”

All three titles are currently exclusive to the Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store. Previously known as UPlay, the former has been Ubisoft’s dedicated storefront since November 2009. It would exclusively launch its PC titles on the platform, though some games like Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Far Cry 6, and so on would also be available on the Epic Games Store. It remains to be seen if other Ubisoft Connect-exclusive titles will also be available on Steam, so stay tuned in the coming months.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will receive The Last Chapter on December 6th with Title Update 1.6.2 and concludes Eivor’s story (though you’ll need to have finished the main story among other things). The Steam version arrives on the same day, it may be the best opportunity for new players to jump in. For more details on the base game, check out our review here.