Updated on May 14th, 1 am IST
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is the upcoming entry in Ubisoft’s beloved Assassin’s Creed franchise. Valhalla has a Viking setting. Ubisoft, in collaboration with BossLogic, revealed the game’s name and its setting on April 29th in a live stream. Here’s everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla – Release Date, Platforms, Setting & More.
The setting of the game
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes place toward the end of the ninth century, a time when Norse tribes were leaving their homes in Scandinavia and sailing to the collection of fractured kingdoms known as Anglo-Saxon England. It’s here, during this age of transition, that you’ll take on the role of Eivor and lead your people to a new land in the search for a new home. As you embark on Valhalla’s epic Viking journey, you’ll lead deadly raiding parties, fight in massive battles, and build up a prosperous settlement, all within the historical backdrop of ninth-century England.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla throws players axe-first into ninth-century England, an age of warring kingdoms and Viking conquest. As Eivor, a fierce Viking raider, you’ll lead your clan to build a new home amid England’s fractured dominions.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will let you raid, conquer, and fight for glory in a mysterious, brutal new land.
Release date
There’s not an exact release date yet, but we know Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is scheduled for Holiday 2020. This is alongside the release of Xbox Series X. Ubisoft has seemed to partner with Xbox for the release.
Platforms
Update: Apart from Uplay, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla will only be available on Epic Games Store. Sorry Steam fans, Ubisoft won’t release it on Steam anytime sooner.
Confirmed Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia.
Unconfirmed: Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay Details
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, nearly every decision you make will have lasting effects throughout the world. Violence won’t be your only tactic for getting what you want; a silver tongue can be as effective as a steel sword when it comes to finding a home for your people. Shifting England’s balance of power and expanding your influence through diplomacy will likely make you more friends than brute force. Every political alliance you build, combat strategy you employ, and dialogue choice you make will alter your journey.
You wouldn’t be a Viking raider without raids, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla lets you lead surprise longship attacks to pillage enemy territories for much-needed resources or launch massive assaults against rival Saxon strongholds. Raids will be more action-packed and brutal than anything Assassin’s Creed has seen before, thanks to a visceral new combat system that lets you bash, dismember, and decapitate your foes. Eivor will be able to dual-wield axes, swords, and even shields against the greatest variety of enemy types ever seen in Assassin’s Creed. And if you want to mix it up, the return of the Hidden Blade allows Eivor to assassinate targets with deadly precision.
Duration
According to Ubisoft Middle East’s Malek Teffaha, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla won’t be the longest, nor the biggest game in the Assassin’s Creed series. This comes after the recent entries were criticized for being too long without much substance. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, for once felt like it was stretched just for the sake of making it a long and vast game. With Valhalla, Ubisoft wants to focus more on quality than quantity.
King Alfred
Laferrière (from an article on Eurogamer) –
He is shown in that [villainous] way in the trailer but over the course of the game, you’ll see there’s a lot more nuance to him.
Alfred the Great is a very important historical figure we want to treat right. And to do so it’s all in the subtleties and nuances you’ll find.
Norse Mythology
Laferrière on Norse mythology –
We’re obviously using the mythology. We have found a cool way of integrating that with our lore which for today goes into major spoiler territory. But what I’ll say is their gods were part of their daily life. They were believed to be roaming the earth, involved in fights – that was part of the Viking spirituality. And that’s how we treat it in the game, which is true to beliefs and practices at the time.
Eagle Eye, or in this case, Raven Eye
We have a bunch of new abilities for the raven. We used it as a reason to re-explore the way players can explore the world so it is less reliant on UI. If you notice a distraction somewhere it’s probably because there’s some content there. We want to make a world that rewards players for their curiosity. It links in with Vikings being great explorers – so the world is meant to be meaningful.
Eagle Eye will be called “Odin Sight”.
Loading Screens
Like in the OG Assassin’s Creed games, players will be able to run around during loading screens.
Multiplayer
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla won’t have a multiplayer mode. But there’s a catch. In the game, you’ll be able to create your own raiders, or mercenaries, which your friends or other players can hire for their missions. Similarly, you can recruit mercenary Vikings designed by other players. As Ubisoft says, “Sit back and reap the rewards when they fight alongside your friends in the game worlds.”
Hidden Blade
The hidden blade plays a significant role in the game. Along with the hidden blades, instakills are making a return as well. Read more here.
#NORPG or #YESRPG?
Update: #YESRPG, but with drastic changes.
The following inputs are from Eurogamer –
In Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Vikings won’t be the good guys. They were ferocious warriors, yes, but also a group of people with a rich culture, living gods, and huge mythology – all of which Valhalla will explore in detail. Central to all that will be a new village settlement hub – a home for main character Eivor and their comrades, a familiar starting point for adventures and a place you’ll see your decisions play out.
Instead of embarking on a never-ending journey, like in Origins and Odyssey, to defog all the map, Valhalla’s narrative is being built around your settlement, and through it.
Eurogamer spoke to lead producer Julien Laferrière to know more about the game, its setting, and its RPG mechanics. Here’s what he had to say –
It’s your own Viking village you’ll see prosper and grow, and which your clanmates will live in. It’s at the center of our quests and the center of the decisions you make. We want players to see the consequences of their actions.
Big story arcs will begin and end here, the impact of your decisions rippling through your growing community. You’ll see the effects of alliances – such as weddings to forge relationships between clans – and the consequences of “harsh choices you have to face”. It’s also where you’ll see some of the game’s romances play out (if you choose to indulge in those).
The debate will continue until we see some actual gameplay footage. Today is not the day to answer the question. As today’s World Premiere is a cinematic trailer, not a gameplay one. So, if Jason’s correct, we might get the answer next week. With the success of Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Odyssey, Ubisoft won’t take the risk to return to its older Assassin’s Creed style. So, if you trust me, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla would turn out to be an RPG. And this time, a huge one with a lot more features, improved combat and technicalities.
It really changed the shape of the game we were making. Instead of exploring one territory, then moving on to another, and having no real opportunity or reason to return, the settlement changes the structure. So you’ll go on an adventure and then be encouraged to come back to your settlement. It changes the way we’re playing the game we’re making – at least, that’s the bet we’re making.
You have to understand where these people are coming from. You’ll feel the harshness of the lands, the political pressure there at the time. You’ll feel all that and hopefully, you’ll understand why you have to move to England where most of the game takes place.
Although Britain will mark up the bulk of the game’s map, there will be a few surprise areas back and forth.
Raid System
Any military location you encounter on the rivers of England is fully raidable. We want you to be playing the ultimate Viking fantasy, so you’ll get to have your Viking buddies going with you on a longship. Sometimes you’ll get resources to take back and upgrade your settlement, or maybe additional firepower to help take down higher level bandits in the region.
Protagonist – Male or Female?
Update: Our protagonist is Eivor and you can choose between a male and a female protagonist.
Playable as female or male, Eivor leads a clan of Norse people across the icy North Sea to flee Norway’s endless war and dwindling resources. If they hope to survive, they’ll have to build a new home in the hostile lands of England. There, you’ll provide for yourself and your people by constructing, customizing, and upgrading your settlement with new buildings like barracks, blacksmiths, and tattoo parlors, all while recruiting new members to grow your clan.
Price
The price would be $59.99, as it’s the standard for Ubisoft games. But to drain your wallet more, Ubisoft has a bunch of different editions. Check them out –
Here are the different editions available for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla –
Standard Edition, includes –
The Game
Gold Edition, includes –
The Game
Season Pass
Gold Steelbook Edition, includes –
The Game
Season Pass
Gold Steelbook
Ultimate Edition, includes –
The Game
Season Pass
Ultimate Pack
Collector’s Edition, includes –
The Game
Season Pass
Ultimate Pack
Collector’s Edition
Steam or Epic Games Store?
Update: Apart from Uplay, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla will only be available on Epic Games Store. Sorry Steam fans, Ubisoft won’t release it on Steam anytime sooner.
This is a question that came to my mind while writing this article. Will Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla be an Epic Games Store exclusive? Or will it arrive on Steam as well? Could we see a timed Epic Games Store exclusivity? All these questions will be answered sooner or later. Keep in mind the game would, of course, arrive on UPlay, Ubisoft’s own game launcher. But except for that, will it be on Steam or Epic Games Store, or both?
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Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!