When you hear the words “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla,” what springs to mind? Chances are good you’re already thinking about going into full Viking overdrive as you plunge into battle. Luckily, Ubisoft has tapped into everyValhallaplayer’s desire to get into the thick of it, offering up a unique cache of weapons, a way to manage the skills you acquire and hone throughout the game, and the ability to experience all-out battle in epic fashion.
It’s a total thrill ride, and one I had the chance to experience for myself during a gameplay preview event organized by Ubisoft. Over the course of six hours, I was able to explore the world ofValhalla, which transports players to 9th-century England and lets them play as Eivor, a Viking warrior hoping to settle this new world and establish a settlement. Given Eivor’s battle-ready background and the rules of this new world, it’s inevitable that you, the player, will find yourself in battle. What can you expect?
Don’t Be Afraid to Raid
Battles may be the main event, but raiding is essentially a training ground for those bigger, more brutal brawls. You’ll have more than enough chances to raid, pillage, and plunder up, down, and all around the small, divided England you’re working to unite. You’ll be able to spot raids easily because they’re both marked on your general map of England and they’re demarcated in the actual game. You’ll be able to engage in a raid by going from your longboat with your Viking crew and steering it to the shore. Raids are meant to be brief and bloody, a sort of proving ground for the bigger battles. As such, the number of bodies you have to plow through will be relatively more manageable to take down. Once you get through the raid, whatever goods are lying around the settlement or village you’re in are yours to keep. Welcome to the spoils of Viking life.
Managing Your Skill Tree
As you go from battle to raid and back again, you’ll be acquiring new skills. Yes, you’ll also attain new skills from less visceral activities within the game, but it’s raiding and battling which are some of the most fruitful activities in this regard. Early in my gameplay experience, I was impressed to see the layout of Eivor’s skill tree and how one could level up various aspects of the character’s fighting style and, in some ways, their fundamental nature. The skill tree allows players a chance to craft Eivor to their preferred specs and affect gameplay in an exciting way.
Time to Battle
There is nothing quite like engaging in battle, be it inValhallaor another video game. What makesValhalla’s battles such an intriguing endeavor is how primal it feels. Yes, you’re playing a character who can revive and who possesses near-superhuman abilities which aren’t entirely historically accurate, but fun nonetheless. The battles will help Eivor in the biggerValhallaarc of settling England and uniting the kingdoms into one country living under one ruler. Battles require stamina, skill, and thinking quickly. It will also require teamwork, so make sure you’ve got a good crew assembled.
Going through a battle will surely get your blood pumping. As I played through the first of many battles inValhalla, it was slightly overwhelming but in a way that felt manageable. The battle commands are easy to see, so there’s no mystery as to what move you should be making next. Similarly, progression through the battle is intuitive; even if you’ve never been in a real-life battle, you’ll know the basic objective of aValhallabattle from the jump. With a variety of weapons at your disposal, from shields to spears to double-headed hammers and axes, slicing and dicing opponents is, well, satisfying. Like, deeply satisfying, and more so when the camera flips to the cinematic mode and you can watch your biggest battle kills play out in slow-motion. By the time you finish battling and get to survey the damage done, you’ll be feeling mighty thrilled with your work.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhallawill be released on November 10th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, and Stadia. Catch up on our previous coverage, including ourreview ofAssassin’s Creed: Valhallaand exploration of thegame’s Viking world. Get even moreAssassin’s Creedupdateshere.
Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter@_matineeidle.
