In IGN’s latest showcase of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, we’re introduced to a range of new elements. Here’s a summary of all that’s been revealed so far:
- Asgard and Jötunheimr mythical realms accessible with the help of Valka the Seer.
- Odin (who first appeared in the cinematic CGI reveal trailer) is confirmed to be present in some shape or form.
- The Animus introduces a third new mode (beside the MALE and FEMALE memory streams) where players can allow the Animus to alternate between the two, depending on the strength of the memory stream for each character. Meaning some memories will be played as Male Eivor, while others will be played as FEMALE Eivor, depending on how strong the memory for either gender is according to the memory stream. More details have not been shared regarding how exactly that works.
- Eivor will be able to charge into battle with his companion wolf.
- Legacy outfits make a return with Ezio and Altair’s iconic Assassin robes being available for Eivor among many others.
More information coming from Game Informer:
1. On next gen systems, Valhalla won’t have a loading screen when the Raven goes to far and the player wants to go back to Eivor. Instead, no matter how far you fly with Synin, you will immediately switch back to Eivor, without a loading screen in between.
2. Unlike Odyssey, Valhalla are unique, inspired by Norse tradition of treasuring and passing down weapons through generations, for historical accuracy, according to Game Informer’s latest article.
3. The present day is divided between our-of-Animus experiences and Animus anomalies. The latter will have Layla replace Eivor, speak to present day characters and do activities with “mind-blowing” rewards.
4. Formal raids aren’t the only time you can get help from Viking companions in Valhalla. With ‘raid anywhere’ feature -which is basically any sort of military location along the shores- you’ll be able to use your crew to help.
5. Eivor’s relationship with the Hidden Ones & The Order of the Ancients isn’t black & white as “100% enemies with the Order of the Ancients, and 100% friends with the Hidden Ones. It’s a little more juicy than that.” teases Narrative Director Darby McDevitt.
6. Eivor will assassinate targets from the Order of the Ancients (proto-Templars); taking them out helps Eivor secure alliances in new areas, but Eivor can reap those benefits without being ideologically committed to the cause.
7. Narrative-wise, Valhalla’s story is structured as a flower; every quest starts and ends at the settlement, but loops out like a petal as Eivor explores new lands and seeks alliances.
8. Valhalla’s story is more like a series of episodes touching on leadership, honor, reputation, shame & betrayal, within which Eivor’s story & prophecy lie. The latter is like a 3-act structured Western story, but threaded into a bigger episodic Norse Saga-like story. Like Odyssey, Valhalla has 3 arcs; Eivor’s story, the clan’s expansion, Hidden Ones & Order of the Ancients arcs. Unlike Odyssey, all 3 converge rather than end independently. They can be followed separately but will end in a specific order to give a different sense of conclusion.
9. Valhalla will serve as the concluding chapter for Layla Hassan’s modern day arc started in Origins and continued in Odyssey.
Below are screenshots of all the things showcased today!
